Hearing the buzz of a new format for the DVD, what exactly is “Blu-ray”? They are starting to pop up in select locations across the country, and sooner or later will be on our campus. Well Blu-ray disks, also known as “BD” are the next generation to optical information. What the DVD is to the VHS, the BD is to the DVD. Capable of holding up to 50GB of information, it will change the way people watch their movies and record their songs. The intentions of the BD are simple, to replace the standard DVD and make way for the High Definition television era.

The BD is capable of storing large amounts of information due to a process taken when the laser scribes the information. By using a blue-violet laser which has a shorter wave length of 405 nanometers compared to the standard red laser’s 650 nanometers the BD is capable of pack large amounts of data into a tiny space. Most DVDs have a storage capacity of 4.7GB single layer and 8.5GB double layer. With this new laser technology movie makers and the average person can write 25GB single layer and 50GB double layer, nearly six times the information can be stored.

What exactly can the BD do? For starters it is capable of holding up to nine hours of HD video on a 50GB disc. If this isn’t enough, and you haven’t moved to HD video, the BD can store up to twenty-three hours of standard definition (SD) video on a 50GB disc. The BD can write at 36MBPs, which is considered 1x. Expectations are to release it with the ability to write at 72MBPs, respectively 2x. Although, with this being just the beginning, there is a possibility with the BD to write at speeds up to 400MBPs due to its numerical aperture it will use less energy to spin the disk allowing it to spin faster than a DVD. Currently the only thing that will hold the BD back in this department is its hardware. Plans are to release this technology with 8x capabilities (288MBPs).

So what does this mean for the average Joe and Jill-College? It is the next generation of entertainment and technological industry. Things are speeding up and becoming clear and crisp. Big name companies have been endorsing this technology for sometime. Such Companies as Apple Computer Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett Packard Company, Hitachi, Ltd., LG Electronics Inc., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney, and Pictures Warner Bros. Entertainment. So if you plan on buying their products or working for them after you finished college, it would be wise to invest some time into the BD revolution, it might further your career if not simply entertain you. More information can be found on the following websites: www.Blu-ray.com and www.News.com.

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