FAQs
  1. What is Blu-ray Disc?
    • Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation, optical disc format that enables the ultimate high-def entertainment experience. Blu-ray Disc provides these key features and advantages:
    • Maximum picture resolution. Blu-ray Disc delivers full 1080p* video resolution to provide pristine picture quality.
    • Largest capacity available anywhere (25 GB single layer/50 GB dual layer). Blu-ray Disc offers up to 5X the capacity of today's DVDs.
    • Best audio possible. Blu-ray Disc provides as many as 7.1 channels of native, uncompressed surround sound for crystal-clear audio entertainment.
    • Enhanced interactivity. Enjoy such capabilities as seamless menu navigation, exciting, new bonus features, and network/Internet connectivity.
    • Broadest industry support from brands you trust. More than 90% of major Hollywood studios, virtually all leading consumer electronics companies, four of the top computer brands, the world's two largest music companies, PLAYSTATION® 3 and the leading gaming companies, all support Blu-ray Disc.
    • The largest selection of high-def playback devices. Blu-ray Disc is supported by many of the leading consumer electronics and computing manufacturers. That means you can maximize the use of your HDTV and your home entertainment system with the widest selection of high-def playback devices-including players, recorders, computers, aftermarket drives and the PLAYSTATION® 3 game console.
    • Backward compatibility**. Blu-ray Disc players enable you to continue to view and enjoy your existing DVD libraries.
    • Disc robustness. Breakthroughs in hard-coating technologies enable Blu-ray Disc to offer the strongest resistance to scratches and fingerprints.
    • *HDTV required. As with other optical media devices, user factors and other circumstances may limit Blu-ray Disc playback. Some content may require HDMI-compatible TV for high-definition playback. **Product-dependent feature.

  2. Why is the format called Blu-ray Disc?
    • The name Blu-ray came from the fact that the laser beam which reads the data from the new discs is blue instead of red which is used for current DVDs and CDs. This new blue laser is at the heart of Blu-ray Disc technology (i.e. blue ray of light).

  3. What is the difference between Blu-ray Disc and DVD?
    • Just as DVD meant a five to 10 times increase in storage capacity compared to CD, Blu-ray Disc represents an increase over DVD capacity by five to 10 times. This is due, among other reasons, to the usage of a blue instead of a red laser and improved lens specifications, allowing for a much smaller focus laser beam which enables the recording of much smaller and higher density pits on the disc.
    • Blu-ray Diagram
    • Due to the fact that the data layer on a Blu-ray Disc is placed much “closer” to the laser lens than in DVD, there is less distortion resulting in significantly improved tolerances. Hence, more precision and ultra-high storage densities are now possible.
    • Blu-ray Diagram

  4. What are the key differences between Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD?
    • Industry Support

      Blu-ray Disc

      Apple; Dell Inc.; Hewlett Packard Company*; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; Sun Microsystems; TDK Corporation; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; and Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Warner Bros*
      **The Blu-ray Disc Association has over 170 members.
      *Supporting both formats

      HD-DVD

      Toshiba, NEC*, Memory-Tech, Microsoft, Intel, Sanyo*, HP*

      *Supporting both formats

    • Studio support

      Blu-ray Disc

      Lions Gate, MGM, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Television, (including Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Touchstone Home Entertainment, Miramax Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Dimension Home Video and Disney DVD), Warner Bros. (including New Line Cinema and HBO Video) have publicly announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format

      HD-DVD

      Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures

    • Game support

      Blu-ray Disc

      EA, Vivendi Universal Games and PlayStation 3 (PS3 has an integrated Blu-ray Disc drive)

      HD-DVD

      None announced at this time.

    • Music Support

      Blu-ray Disc

      Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Eagle Rock Entertainment

      HD-DVD

      None announced at this time.

    • Planned formats

      Blu-ray Disc

      BD-ROM: Read-only format for software, games and movie distribution
      BD-R: Write-once recordable format for HDTV recording and PC data storage
      BD-RE: Rewritable format for HDTV recording and PC data storage
      Hybrid Disc (single-sided, triple-layer disc. Can hold 25 GB Blu-ray content and 8.5 GB standard def content all on one side of a disc). 50 GB Blu-ray and 8.5 GB hybrid disc currently in the works

      HD-DVD

      HD-DVD ROM: Read-only
      HD-DVD-R: Recordable
      HD-DVD Rewritable/Recordable (format not complete)
      Hybrid Disc (two-sided disc, must be flipped over. 30 GB HD-DVD on one side, 8.5 GB standard def content on other side). Plus single-sided with 4.7GB and 15GB layers only

    • Storage capacity

      Blu-ray Disc

      Single-layer can hold 25GB
      Dual-layer versions of the discs that can hold 50GB
      Capacity could be increased as additional layers are added (there have been announcements of 100 GB (four-layer) discs and Sony has been conducting laboratory work with a 200 GB disc)
      This added capacity makes more customer features and benefits possible in the future, which shows that Blu-ray is the format for the long term

      HD-DVD

      15 GB on a single-sided, single-layer disc
      30 GB on a single-sided, dual-layer disc

    • Ability to view and enjoy existing CDs and DVDs

      Blu-ray Disc

      Yes*
      *Product-dependent feature

      HD-DVD

      Yes*
      *Product-dependent feature

  5. What is the difference between 1080i and 1080p?
    • Blu-ray Disc offers 1080p video resolution—HDTV video quality that far surpasses any other medium or broadcast format available today. With a resolution of up to 1920x1080 and up to 54 Mbps bandwidth (roughly double that of a normal HDTV broadcast), no other format can match the video quality of Blu-ray Disc. Furthermore, due to the overwhelming capacity of a Blu-ray Disc, no tight compression algorithms that may alter the picture quality are required, as with other formats that offer less recording space. Depending on the application, Blu-ray Disc also supports other video formats, including standard-definition TV.
    • 1080i refers to the resolution of a picture with interlaced (i) fields, which fit together to form one full frame and produces an image that has a TV-like quality. 1080p refers to the resolution of the picture with progressive (p), multiple full frames, producing an image that appears more like film.

  6. Will Blu-ray Disc products play my existing DVDs and CDs?
    • The Blu-ray Disc system uses the same 12 cm and 8 cm disc sizes to support backward compatibility with your CDs and DVDs and other optical disc formats. Therefore, it is anticipated that most Blu-ray Disc hardware products will play your existing DVDs and CDs.

  7. What is an HDMI connector?
    • HDMI delivers uncompressed high-definition video and multichannel digital audio signals through a single cable to compatible components, producing the best Blu-ray Disc experience possible.

  8. Will PLAYSTATION® 3 play Blu-ray Disc movies?
    • Yes! PLAYSTATION 3 is a fully functional Blu-ray Disc player, so you can watch, listen and enjoy your favorite high-def movies and music in full 1080p resolution and in as many as 7.1 channels of surround sound. Of course, that’s in addition to having the industry’s ultimate console for high-def gaming.

  9. What home theater equipment is needed for optimal Blu-ray Disc performance?
    • For the optimal Blu-ray Disc performance, your entertainment system should include:

      Blu-ray Disc Player (Blu-ray Discs will not play on standard DVD players)

      HDTV with 720p, 1080i or higher resolution

      Surround sound speaker system—5.1 channel or 7.1 channel

      HDMI connector cables

      High-quality analog cables or digital optical cables