With the confusion over the current format war between HD-DVD and Blue ray, the average consumer is unlikely to know specific strengths and selling points for either of them. To learn what Blue ray is, you have to understand the technology that makes it work, what movie studios endorse this format, and some other points that will be covered below. Especially if you are looking to upgrade, you will definitely want to learn what Blue ray is to make an informed decision.

Red Versus Blue Lasers

When a person asks, ?what is Blue ray?? they probably don't know that the answer lies within the question itself. The average consumer is unlikely to be able to tell the difference between a Blue ray and DVD disc because they're the same shape and size. However, a Blue ray player uses a blue (and violet) laser to record and read data, be it video, audio, or any other type of data found on optical media, hence the name ?Blue ray.? Because the technological processes to achieve this require much smaller and finer equipment, the initial costs of Blue ray are higher than DVD's. However, as the manufacturing process matures, the costs will come sharply down over the following years.

As a point of comparison to learn what Blue ray is, think of it to a standard DVD as a personal computer to a calculator. Both the PC and calculator can perform math, but the PC is much more powerful. Just like that example, both DVD's and Blue ray discs play movies, but Blue ray is capable of doing that much better by playing better video and audio.

While learning what Blue ray is, it is also useful for the consumer to understand which major movie studios support the format. Some popular titles are only available on HD-DVD, while many others are available on Blue ray. As of January 2008, a person with a Blue ray player won't be able to get the hit 2007 blockbuster Transformers on Blue ray, while the hit James Bond flick Casino Royale is available only on Blue ray (however, all movies are still released on standard DVD; these comparisons are just for next gen video formats). There are hybrid players which can play both movie formats, but some movies are only available on one format or another. Ultimately, you should now know what Blue ray is to help you decide when you want to upgrade and to which format.