The Basics

What is Blu Ray?

• Blu Ray is a video format. Like we had VHS in the 80’s and DVD in the mid to late 90’s. Blu Ray is the latest one.

  Why is it called Blu Ray?

• Blu-ray drives use blue-violet lasers which operate at much shorter wavelengths and can read and write densely packed bits of information. Traditional DVD players and burners use red lasers to read and write data.

What is the diffence between Blu Ray and DVD?

• Blu Ray dics store about six times more data than DVD. High Definition movies require on average about four times more space than Standard Definition movies that you get on DVD. So you can fit an HD movie on to one single disc. DVD images max out at 480p, compared to a full 1080p for Blu-ray video, so Blu Ray movies will be ideal for HDTV.

The Important Bits

 Can I play Blu Ray discs on my DVD player?

• Nope, unfortunately not.

Can I play my DVDs on a Blu Ray player?

• Yes, this will work and may possibly look a bit better as some players will take your DVD 480p and upscale it to 1080i, but it will be not be as good as HD. It just takes a 1080p image from the 480p source. 

How much do Blu Ray players cost?

• At the moment they are still pricey. They average around £200 - £250 but some cheaper models are available. Like most things as they become more widely available and the technology becomes the norm the prices will drop.

What movies are available on Blu Ray ?

• There are a lot less movies available on Blu Ray compared to DVD. But this will obviously change over time.

The Jargon