Next Generation: Optical Disk Storage
Blu-ray Disc, a successor of
DVDs (Digital Versatile Disk) is an optical disc storage media format
inaugurated in Pakistan on January 29, 2008. Its main concerns are
high-definition video and high data storage.
Key features include:
1. Audio and Video Codec support: Supported audio codec are Linear PCM, Dolby
Digit, DTS, DTS-HD and supported video codec’s are MPEG-2, MPEG-HD, MPEG-4 and
SMPTE VC – I.
2. Content Compatibility: It had received broad content support from the major
movie studios as a successor to today’s DVD. Warner, Paramount, Fox, Disney,
Sony, MGM and Lions gate have released titles for Blu-ray.
3. Data Storage Capacity: A single-layer disc can hold 25GB whereas a dual-layer
disc can hold up to 50GB of data. Over 9 hours of high-definition (HD) video and
about 23 hours of standard-definition (SD) video can be stored on over a dual
layer single disk.
4. Disk Format: As with conventional CDs and DVDs, Blu-ray plans to provide a
wide range of formats including BD ROM (read only), BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE
(rewriteable).
5. Disk Manufacturers: It is manufactured by a group of the world's leading
consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including
Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips,
Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson).
6. Internet Connection: There is no need an of an Internet connection for basic
playback of Blu-ray movies. The Internet connection will only be needed for
value-added features such as downloading new extras, watching recent movie
trailers, web browsing, etc. It will also be required to authorize managed
copies of Blu-ray movies that can be transferred over a home network.
7. Mini Disk: It is a compact 8cm nearly 3 inch diameter variant of Blu-ray disk
that can store up to 7.5 GB of data.
8. Product Cost: The price of single Blu-ray disk costs from $15 to $30 and will
be decreased to $10 by the end of this year.
9. Shape and Size: Its shape and size is quiet similar to DVD.
The writer is Lecturer, Department of Computing and
Mathematical Sciences, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education, Karachi.
(Engineer M. Mansoor Niaz)