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Blu-Ray Disc. Introduction. In 1997, a new technology emerged that brought digital sound and video into homes. It was called DVD. The industry is set for yet another revolution with the introduction of Blu-ray Discs.
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Introduction • In 1997, a new technology emerged that brought digital sound and video into homes. It was called DVD. • The industry is set for yet another revolution with the introduction of Blu-ray Discs. • With their high storage capacity, Blu-ray discs offers a new level of interactivity
Evolution • When the CD was introduced in the early 80s, it meant an enormous leap from traditional media. • Not only it offer a significant improvement in audio quality, but its 750 MB storage capacity also meant a giant leap in data storage and retrieval.
Evolution Contd… • For the first time, there was an universal standard for pre-recorded, recordable and rewritable media, offering the best quality and features consumers could wish for themselves, at very low costs. • Although the CD was a very useful medium for the recording and distribution of audio and some modest data-applications, demand for a new medium offering higher storage capacities rose in the 90s.
Evolution Contd… • These demands lead to the evolution of the DVD specification and a five to ten fold increase in capacity. This enabled high quality, standard definition video distribution and recording. • Now, in the next millennium, High Definition video is demanding a new solution.
Evolution Contd… • This new format has arrived with the advent of Blu-ray Disc, the only format that offers a considerable increase in storage capacity with its 25 to 50 GB data capacity. • This allows for the next big application of optical media: the distribution and recording of High Definition video in the highest possible quality.
What is a Blu-ray Disc? • A current, single-sided, standard DVD can hold 4.7 • GB of information. That's about the size of an • average two-hour, standard-definition movie. • Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation • optical disc format is developed to enable • recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition • video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of • data. • The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs
Why named Blu-Ray Dics? • DVD rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-Ray. • The benefit of using a blue-violet laser(405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser(650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision. • This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space.
Single & Double Layer Discs • Blu-ray disc is roughly of same size as a DVD • A single-layer Blu-ray disc • can hold up to 27 GB of data • 2 hours of HD video or about 13 hours of standard video. • A double-layer Blu-ray disc • can store up to 54 GB • 4.5 hours of HD video or more than 20 hours of standard video.
The design of the Blu-ray discs saves on manufacturing costs. Traditional DVDs are built by injection molding the two 0.6-mm discs between which the recording layer is sandwiched. • Blu-ray discs only do the injection-molding process on a single 1.1-mm disc, which reduces cost. That savings balances out the cost of adding the protective layer, so the end price is no more than the price of a regular DVD
Problems in DVD • Birefringence • Polycarbonate layer on top of the data can cause a problem called birefringence, in which the substrate layer refracts the laser light into two separate beams. If the beam is split too widely, the disc cannot be read. • Disc tilt • If the DVD surface is not exactly flat, and not exactly perpendicular to the beam, it can lead to disc tilt, in which the laser beam is distorted.
Solutions • The Blu-ray disc overcomes DVD-reading issues by placing the data on top of a 1.1-mm-thick polycarbonate layer. Having the data on top prevents birefringence and therefore prevents readability problems. • The recording layer sits closer to the objective lens, hence the problem of disc tilt is virtually eliminated. • Because the data is closer to the surface, a hard coating is placed on the outside of the BD to protect it from scratches and fingerprints.
How Does Blu-ray Work? • Discs store Digital information in pits -- spiral grooves that run from the center of the disc to its edges. • Blue laser reads the other side of these pits to play the movie or program that is stored on the DVD. • Smaller beam focuses more precisely, enabling it to read information recorded in pits
Features • The Blu-ray Disc system has the following parameters: • Data transfer rate 36 Mbps • Laser wavelength: 405 nm • Objective-lens numerical aperture (NA): 0.85 • Cover thickness: 0.1 mm • reduced track pitch of 0.32 microns.
High Storage capacity of 25/54 GB enables user to store large amount of data. Records high-definition television (HDTV) without any quality loss. Instantly skips to any spot on the disc. Advantages
Advantages contd… • Edit or reorder programs recorded on the disc. • Automatically search for an empty space on the disc to avoid recording over a program.
When Will Blu-ray Become Available? • Blu-ray recorders are already available in Japan, where more consumers have access to HDTV than in the United States. • Blu-ray movies and TV shows on disc should become widely available. But the format is already available for home recording, professional recording and data storage.
Contd… • Another important factor is cost. Just as with most new technologies, Blu-ray equipment will be pricey at first. In 2003, Sony released its first Blu-ray recorder in Japan with a price tag of around $3,000. The price is expected to drop as the format gains popularity.
Conclusion • Blu-ray will soon replace previous DVDs. • It is currently supported by more than 170 of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer, recording media, video game and music companies. • The format also has broad support from the major movie studios as a successor to today's DVD format.
References • www.blu-raydisc.com • www.blu-ray.com • www.howstuffworks.com