Blu-ray, formally Blu-ray Disc, is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD, capable of holding several hours of high-definition video. The format takes its name from the 405-nanometer blue-violet laser it uses to read and write data, a much shorter wavelength than the DVD's 650-nanometer red laser, letting a single-layer Blu-ray disc hold 25 gigabytes, about five times a same-size DVD's capacity, with dual-layer discs holding 50 gigabytes and later triple- and quadruple-layer BDXL discs reaching 100 and 128 gigabytes. Sony, developing the format through the industry-wide Blu-ray Disc Association, unveiled the first prototypes in October 2000 and released the first prototype player in Japan in April 2003, ahead of a worldwide commercial launch on June 20, 2006; Blu-ray then out-competed the rival HD DVD format, which Toshiba discontinued in February 2008.
Facts
SignificanceBlue-violet laser gives higher storage density than DVD red laser, increasing capacity 1 FAQs
Why were there two rival formats for high-definition discs?
Toshiba and NEC backed HD DVD while Sony led Blu-ray; Blu-ray won in 2008.
Two groups each proposed a blue-violet laser disc for storing high-definition video. Toshiba and NEC proposed HD DVD, and a group led by Sony proposed Blu-ray. Because the two were incompatible, shoppers hesitated to buy next-generation players for fear that one standard would lose out to the other. Blu-ray became the industry's preferred standard in 2008, and Toshiba's group stopped developing HD DVD.
Connections
Associated With
Source Gallium Nitride (Wikipedia)
Source Kees Schouhamer Immink (Wikipedia)
In Field
Source Blu-ray (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Blu-ray (Wikipedia)
Launch and sales developments
The first BD-ROM players (Samsung BD-P1000) were shipped in mid-June 2006.
Overview
allows information to be stored at a greater density than is possible with the longer-wavelength red laser used for DVDs, resulting in an increased capacity.
Introduction
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format.
In Field: Electrical Engineering, Categories
High-definition television
View the SourceGallium Nitride (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Gallium Nitride, Applications section, LEDs and lasers subsectionQuote, Associated With: Gallium Nitride, Applications section, LEDs and lasers subsection
GaN-based violet laser diodes are used to read Blu-ray Discs.
Kees Schouhamer Immink (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Kees Schouhamer Immink, DVD and Blu-ray DiscQuote, Associated With: Kees Schouhamer Immink, DVD and Blu-ray Disc
Immink and his co-workers developed DVRs, later called Blu-ray's, code design.
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