Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray is a new optical disc format that was created to play, record, and rewrite high-definition video. That’s not the only thing… Blu-Ray can store up to 50 GB on a dual-layer disc, which is five times the amount of a conventional DVD. Blu-Ray gets its name because it uses a blue laser to read and write data, instead of the traditional red laser. If you buy the blu-ray player and want to still be able to play regular CDs or DVDs you can buy an “optical pickup unit” that will allow the player to read them. The benefit of the blu ray technology is that the blue laser’s wavelength is shorter than that of the traditional red laser, which means a better quality picture. Blu-Ray delivers information at 48 Mbps while, traditional DVD players can only deliver up to 8 Mbps.

These pages offer more information,

http://www.blu-raydisc.com/bluray_site.htm

http://www.blu-ray.com/info/