Production Glossary
Blu-Ray
A Blu-ray disc is the successor of DVDs in optical disk technology. The disc, which is the same size as a DVD or CD (12 cm) holds up to 50 GB of storage on a dual-layered disc. This storage amount allots for the running time of most full-length feature films and the special features that accompany the movie. Blu-ray Disc was named for the blue laser that is utilized inside players to read the disc. The shorter wavelength of a blue laser enables Blu-ray Discs to store over five times more material per layer than a DVD, which is scanned by a red laser. Blu-ray Discs are not only sold with media already stored on them, such as a movie, but they are also available in rewritable form, called a BD-R and BD-RE. BD-Rs can only be recorded on one time, whereas the BD-REs can have their data erased and then re-recorded over numerous times.Blu-ray Discs were officially released to the public in 2006 by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group that serves as representatives for the creators of motion pictures, consumer electronics, and computer hardware. Though it initially engaged in a “format war” with HD DVD by Toshiba, Blu-ray Disc won out and has since become the only high-density optical disc of any value.
In order to play a Blu-ray Disc, one must own a Blu-ray Player. The first players, Sony BDP-S1, were shipped in June of 2006, but beat out by the HD DVD player by a few months. Despite both players being available, Blu-ray Disc sales were slow due to the lack of available titles and an unstable player. The Sony PlayStation 3 changed all of that by including a Blu-ray Disc player inside of the console for central storage.
Most recently in Blu-ray Disc technology, the BDA announced their intention to create Blu-ray 3D. These discs would be playable on existing Blu-ray players and Sony PlayStations.
