These blu-ray discs have faced a good competition and struggled to be a part of the commercial market. This is only because of the expensive ‘laser blue-violet diode’ used in them. Though expensive they over leaped the other formats and now are the extensively used discs all around the world.

These blu-ray discs are the optical storage media which superseded the DVDs due to their huge storage capacity that is 10 times more than the normal DVDs. They are available both in single layered and double layered which can store 25GB and 50GB respectively. The store very high definition data and can be used with maximum resolution, Sony playstation3 games also comes under this type of data, which can be processed on these discs very easily.

Their physical appearance is same as that of the normal DVDs and their names comes from the laser light used for reading and writing purposes; it’s the ‘blue-violet light’. This blue-violet light is of the shorter wavelength then the red light used to read and write regular DVDs. It has a wavelength of 405nm where as it is 650nm or more used for regular DVD media.

At the beginning there was a format war between the HD DVD and the blu-ray discs. Toshiba, the electronics company was behind the war and promoted the HD DVDs. But the blu-ray discs were far more advantageous than the HD DVDs. Due to the drawbacks of the HD DVDs Toshiba has come down and the war ended in 2008 and then onwards it started to manufacture their own blu-ray discs. There were also many issues regarding the commercializing of this blu-ray technology due to their cost.

The Sony BDZ S77 was the first blu-ray disc burner which was available in the market and it was $4000(us)! There were no movies for the player too. The physical specifications and other standard factors came into existence only in the year 2004.

Sony pioneer, Toshiba, Samsung then started to work on this blu-ray technology. The BD ROM was introduced in the year 2006. The blu-ray discs have faced competition with the HD DVD ROMs players which were introduced 6 months earlier to this blu-ray innovation. The 50GB discs were available in the market from 2006 only.

The first blu-ray disc drive which grabbed all the attention was the BWU-100 A from Sony which supported both single layered and double layered disc and also the BD-RE discs and them after 9.6 million devices were sold in the year 2008!. These were also called as the next generation storage media. Today many companies are trying to produce discs with more storage data capacity which can range up to 100GB!

So all these are the factors that help analyze the future of these blu-ray discs and the vast amount of data they are about to provide on one single disc. So be ready to dump all the huge number of DVDs you have and replace them with one blu-ray disc.

(DH-4O1S)Lite-on 4x BD-ROM
If you are searching a cheap Blu-ray, drive to experience high-definition movies on your PC then the Lite-on 4x BD-ROM (DH-4O1S) is one of the best alternatives for you present in the market. This high-speed drive is available at just $ 169.00

LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive
The latest and upgraded LaCie d2 provides the faster burning times than its forerunner at a less high-priced price does. However, it is still middling and expensive when measured up to other certain competitors. This Blu ray drive holds a price tag of $799.

Sony BWU200S
The BWU200S is not the best ever Blu-ray burner obtainable in the market and lacks some of the specifications found in competitively priced competitors. On the other hand, it is still supposed to satisfy high-definition aficionados who need an all-in-one disc burning solution. This disc burner is available at $ 599.

Sony BDUX10S
Even though functioning exactly what is printed on the box, the Sony BDUX10S is a tough product to advice. With nil burning options, it is difficult to make up whom this drive will appeal to. This is a pretty cheap product holding the price tag of $249.

(BE06)LG Super Multi Blue Blu-ray Disc Rewriter
Possessing great looks and supporting virtually all optical media format that is offered in the market these days. At the same time it is capable of playing HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs, along with writing the Blu-ray discs, it does not compromise on the speed to write the DVD and CD. This astounding Blu-ray device is available at $ 549.

ASUS BC1205PT
Individuals looking for an innovative disc burner with Blu-ray playback will be contented with this drive. It surpasses the expectations in many of the tests and it was a subtle operator. We just wish it had a faster-rated pace for burning dual-layer DVDs. The price coated for this disc burner is $349.

Pioneer BDR-202BK
While taking on the Blu-ray standard is a pricey undertaking, this drive is a stride in the correct direction, which serves its planned purpose well. For consumers who want to create their personal Blu-ray content, this drive is idyllic. It can carry out all the functions of a standard DVD burner, along with burning Blu-ray discs at comparatively quick rate. This exclusive product can be yours at $ 899.

Pioneer BDC-S02
The Pioneer will make a great job of Blu-ray movie playback provided you have the correct setup. However, even given the noteworthy savings over buying a Blu-ray writer, this is still a costly proposition. It is obtainable at $ 479.

Media station 8x external blu-ray writer Buffalo BR-816SU2, is the blu-ray drive that can be connected through SATA-Serial ATA or High speed USB. It is a little bulky and comes with the Cyberlink software bundle. Listed are some high lights of this blu-ray external drive.

1.Backward compatible and Supports older formats of DVD, CD and CD-RW
2.Supports BD-R at 8x speed.
3.Reads BD-RE at 2x
4.Reads DVDs at 16x
5.Reads CD ROMs at 48x
6.Burns at 48x and 16x for regular DVDs
7.Rewritable CDs can be burnt at 24x
8.Rewritable DVD-RW at 8x

PX-B310U from Plextor is second on the hit list of external blu-ray disc burners. This also can be connected with high speed USB. It works as a complete entertainment solution for a pc, plays high definition videos and has excellent storage options. Listed below are their specifications.

1.reads and writes at 6x
2.DVDs at 16x
3.CDs at 48x
4.BD discs read and written at 2x speed
5.DVDs read write at 6x
6.CD-RW at 32x
7.Cyberlink software bundle comes along with the hardware.
8.2MB buffer space.
9.Backward compatible and supports old formats like CD-R, CD+R, CD-RW.

DVDBREXT1 from Norazza is the drive that comes the next on the list of external blu-ray burners which is considered to have the next generation storage technologies which can play and burn a wide list of varieties of formats. This blu-ray drive can be connected through high speed USB or Firewire (IEE 1394).it costs around $699. The following are their specification.

1.write and read BD and BD-RW at 4x
2.Supports regular DVDs at 12x
3.Rewritable DVDs at 6x
4.2MB buffer size
5.Buffer underrun protection to avoid burn related errors
6.Cyberlink software bundle

I/O magic IBD1E- BD-RE drive from the I/O brand is the drive which can also be connected with hi speed USB and can be installed with out any problem from the IDE interfaced internal drives. They work for both dual layered 50GB and single layered 25GB and play high definition data video with maximum resolution. It costs your pockets around $300(US) and comes with a limited 1 year warranty. Their specifications are.

1.reading writing BD at 6X
2.DVDS at 16X
3.CDs at 40X
4.2MB buffer size
5.Buffer underrun protection to stop improper burning

MCE 8X Blu-ray disc burner external recordable drive from MAC Supports both MAC and Microsoft operating system and can be connected through high speed USB or eSATA. It supports both single and dual layered DVDs and CDs. Though their fan makes much noise they are reliable and affordable. See down on their specifications.

1.8x on  regular BD discs
2.2x on dual layered BD discs
3.single layer DVDs burn at 16x
4.dual layered 8x
5.CD ROMS read and written at 32x
6.toast titanium software bundle available

Digistor DIG-78102 Blu-ray burner is the portable blu-ray drive for laptops and note books which can be connected through high speed USB drives. It consists of a Li-Pol battery and doesn’t require a/c adaptor for them to work. They are compatible with all the older formats available. Listed below are their specifications.

1. Burns blu-ray disc a 2x
2. Writes DVDs at 8x
3. Writes Dual layered discs at 4x
4. Reads CDROM at 24x
5. Writes CDROM at 8x

Go for the best that suits your needs and take them where ever you want and apply them for various systems where high definition data are processed and stored.

The BWU-300S Blu ray drive could record about 50GB of data for random access storage and backing on Blu ray Disc-R or Blu ray Disc-rewritable discs, or up to 230 minutes of high-definition HDV with 1080i video on a BD-R/RE 50GB disc. It also line ups recording on customary single layer DVD with memory 4.7GB +-R+-RW RAM discs, 8.5GB DVD+-R double/dual layer discs, and CDs. The in-house drive features are — a Serial ATA interface and customary 5.25-inch form-factor for trouble-free installation within a desktop PC with Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems. This innovative Sony Blu ray drive is completely supported by Adobe Encore CS3 software, now incorporated with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, and Sony’s Vegas Pro 8 and DVD Architect Pro 5 software, offering video production professionals with an additional option for high-definition video on a Blu-ray Disc with MPEG-2 or H.264 compression.

Specifications

Ocular Storage
Read Speed 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD) / 2x (BD)
Write Speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) / 2x (BD-R)
Rewrite Speed 16x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM) / 2x (BD-RE)
Supported Recording Modes Multi session
Supported CD Formats CD Text, CD Extra, CD-DA (audio), CD-ROM XA, Photo CD, Video CD, CD-ROM, DVD-Video
Supported Media Types CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL, BD-R, BD-R DL, BD-RE, BD-RE DL, BD-ROM, BD-ROM DL
Media Load Type Tray
Access Time 160 ms (CD), 170 ms (DVD), 210 ms (BD)
Buffer Size 8 MB
Expansion / Connectivity
Interfaces 1 x IDE/ATAPI – 40 pin IDC
Compatible Bays 1 x front accessible – 5.25″ x 1/2H
Software / System Requirements
Software Included Cyber link Power DVD, Cyber Link Power Director, Cyber Link Power Producer, Cyber Link Power2Go, Cyber Link Power Backup
OS Required Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP
System Requirements Details Pentium III – 800 MHz – RAM 256 MB

Copy Blu-ray using DVD Fab HD Decrypter

DVD Fab HD Decrypter might still work for copying older Blu-ray movies though it no longer supports copying latest Blu-ray Disc releases.

Fengtao Software Company declared that a newer version that now provides Blu-ray copy function. Now comes the question that at what price can you use this blu ray copy software. Believe it or not the answer is “zero”. Yes, you can use this software for absolutely free by downloading it from net.

Copy Blu-ray using BackupBluray

The first tool released for copying the Blu ray discs. However, it is an open source but still is quite complicated tool to copy the Blu ray discs.
This Backup Blu-ray tool is planned to help support Blu-ray movies. The old version of this functionality only supports the copying of Blu-ray discs with a known CPS unit key. Back up for decryption by means of a Volume Unique key will most probably be added in the near future as the progress continues. At the present, a steady version of the tool is not available up till now for mass distribution. The early tool has proven doing well though, at the same time as there has been one confirmed report of an unbeaten Blu-ray Disc backup.
The foremost Blu-ray Disc movie to be the victim to a support and decryption seems to be Lord of War, produced by Lion’s Gate Films. After getting BD-ROM video files and a memory tip, muslix64 was able to decrypt the content successfully. An effective crypto attack was used to scrutinize the memory dump acquired from a Blu-ray Disc software player like the Win DVD or Power DVD). The crypto attack helped to classify the encryption keys that required for decrypting the video files. After the first experiment was an accomplishment, muslix64 launched the alpha version of Backup Blu-ray.

Copy Blu-ray through IMG Burn

Copying Blu-ray Discs needs the use of two separate parts of software, the first part of software copies the Blu-ray Disc files to the hard drive, the second part of software writes or burns or these files to a recordable Blu-ray Disc .

One of the superlative programs accessible for burning any type of recordable discs is IMG Burn. IMG Burn is a freeware, which actually means that it is very free to download and use. The line up supports burning to an array of media, together with most types of recordable DVD’s plus recordable Blu-ray Discs.

Copy Blu-ray using CD Burner XP

CD Burner XP now line up writing to Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD recordable layout. You might be able to use CD Burner XP in place of IMG Burn for writing your Blu-ray backup discs.

History

Sony began with two projects applying the new diodes: The Ultra Density Optical (UDO), and DVR Blue a set-up of rewritable discs that would ultimately develop into Blu-ray Disc. The base technologies of the formats are similar overall.
The first DVR Blue sample was revealed at the CEATEC exhibition in October 2000. On February 19, 2002, the project was formally declared as Blu-ray, and the nine initial members founded Blu-ray Disc burner.
The first customer device was in supplies on April 10, 2003. This gadget was the Sony BDZ-S77, a recorder that was made obtainable only in Japan. The suggested price was US$3800, yet, there was no standard movies or prerecorded video, released for this player. The Blu-ray Disc standard was yet years away, as a newer, more protected Digital Rights Management system was desired before the Hollywood studios would agree to use it. On October 4, 2004, the Blu-ray Disc Founders were authoritatively changed to the Blu-ray Disc Association and 20th Century Fox joined the Board of Directors of this association.

BLU RAY DISC

Blu-ray Disc sometimes termed as “Blu-ray,” is an ocular disc storage means designed to take the place of the customary DVD format. Its major uses are to store PlayStation 3 video games, high-definition video, and other data, with about 25 GB each single layered, and 50 GB each double layered disc. The Blu ray disc has the same substantial dimensions as customary DVDs and CDs.
The given name Blu-ray Disc is derived from the blue-violet laser used to read the disc. whilst a standard DVD use a 650 nm red laser, Blu-ray has a shorter wavelength of a 405 nm blue-violet laser, and consent to for roughly six times additional data storage than a regular DVD.
All through the format war on the high-definition optical discs, Blu-ray raced with the HD DVD format. The main company supporting HD DVD Toshiba, surrendered in February 2008, and the thus format war finished; in July 2009, Toshiba declared plans to publicize its own Blu-ray Disc device by the end of 2009.
The Blu-ray Disc Association, a group representing makers of consumer electronics, computer hardware, and motion pictures, developed Blu-ray Disc. More than 1,500 Blu-ray disc titles are existing in Australia, 1,500 in the United Kingdom, with 2,500 in Japan, and 2,500 in the United States and Canada.

Are you looking for the excellence in high definition entertainment? If yes then the Blu-ray disc is just your choice. You can watch your favorite movies now with a clear picture and startling surround sound.

Blu-ray technology came into existence in order to facilitate, rewriting, recording, and the playback of high definition video. Above all, With a Blu-ray disc you acquire more than five times the storage capacity of a customary DVD. To be detailed-these discs can hold up to 25 GB in a single layer DVD and 50 GB in a double layer DVD.

The superfluous capacity plus the combined use of superior audio and video codec is the fascinating features of Blu-ray that are being presented with unparalleled HD experience. Blu Ray disc burners offers an electrifying arrangement of superior interactive features and bonus content. These DVDs are also highly resistant to scratches and dirt. The laser used to read the disc is the actual ground of the exceptional HD display.

Existing optical disc technology, like the DVDR, DVD and DVD-RAM as well as DVD-RW also use a red laser to be read and written; but Blu-ray disc burners uses a blue-violet laser in its place, that is the reason behind its name Blu Ray.

The Blu Ray has a shorter wavelength than the red wavelength and this is its major benefit. The blue-violet laser is 405nm whereas the red laser is 650nm, which makes it doable to focus the laser spot with a greater exactitude. Many of the leading manufacturers are providing the Blu Ray disc burners , such as Samsung, Sony Panasonic, Pioneer, sharp and LG.

In the best position of these top brand Blu-ray DVD players is the Play station 3 which includes an in built Blu-ray disc player. A number of laptop computer models also have started to slot in the Blu-ray Disc burners in addition to producing add-on Blu-ray disc drives for the desktop computers.

In order to get full pleasure from all of the advanced features that Blu-ray technology has to offer, you may need a couple of things like a HDTV with HDMI cables to guarantee the finest picture quality. Above all, you will obviously need a Blu-ray player and some Blu-ray discs. Though it is possible to play ordinary DVD’s in a Blu-ray DVD player; if you are doing so you must remember that they will play in their ordinary quality and not be presented in Blu-ray standard. In addition, you are not capable to play Blu-ray DVD discs on any other DVD player except a Blu-ray player.

With its great and eminent features, Blu Ray DVD players will soon replace the ordinary DVD players. It is the indication of what upcoming home entertainment is ordained for.Right from the time of its launch, Blu-ray has incessantly advanced and there is no indication that this is going to change.

So do not waste you time any more. Get a hold on your Blu-ray technology set up straight away.

MediaStation 8x External-Blu-ray Writer from Buffalo: Buffalo Media station BR-816SU2 is an external writer that is developed by Buffalo technology. This is one of the best external blu-ray writers available in the market presently. This external writer can be connected through SATA – Serial ATA. It also supports high speed USB connection. It is backward compatible and supports all the older formats like DVD, CD, and CD-RW etc. The drive reads a BD-R at 8X speed and BD-RE at 2X speed. In addition, the device is capable of reading DVDs at 16x and CD ROMs at 48 speed. It can also burn at the speed of 48X and 16X for regular DVD discs. Rewritable CDs can be burnt at 24X and DVDs – RW at 8x. The writer is bit bulky. A Cyberlink software bundle is also provided along with the device. All in all, this is one of the best external blu-ray writers that perform well.

Plextor PX-B310U: PX-B310u is an external combo drive from Plextor. This is one of the best devices for playing high     definition videos and storing data on discs. The drive can be connected through high speed USB and the blu-ray disc reading and writing speed is 6X, reads DVD at 16X and CDs at 48X. Rewritable BD discs are read / written at 2X speed and rewritable DVDs at 6X. CD-RW can be written at 32X speed. It has a buffer size of 2MB and buffer underrun protection for error free burning experiences. A software bundle from Cyberlink is also provided. You get high quality detail and excellent storage options. The device is backward compatible and supports variety of formats like CD-R, CD+R, CD-RW etc. This provides a complete entertainment solution for the PC.

Blu-ray Burner from Norazza: Blu-ray disc burner DVDBREXT1 is an external disc burner from Norazza inc. This device is equipped with next generation storage technologies as well as the device capable of playing and burning wide variety of formats. The device can be connected to the PC either through high speed USB or Firewire (IEE 1394). The writer can read and write BD recordable and BD rewritable at 4X speed. Regular DVDs can be read at 12X speed and rewritable DVDs at 6X speed. It has a buffer size of 2 MB and a buffer underrun protection to avoid burn related errors. This model comes at a price range of $699. A software bundle from Cyberlink is provided along with the product for all blu-ray needs.

I/OMagic IBD1E – BD-RE drive – Hi-Speed USB

I/O magic has launched a new blu-ray external disc burner. The drive is a USB drive and can be easily installed without any issues that are encountered in an IDE interfaced internal drives. IBD1E is capable of handling both dual layered 50 GB discs and single layered 25 GB discs and in addition, you can play high definition videos at the maximum resolution. The drive is capable of reading and writing BD discs at 6X speed, DVDs at 16X and CDs at 40X.It comes with a buffer size of 2 MB and there is a buffer underrun protection mechanism to stop improper burning of the disc. You can get the device for over three hundred US dollars and has a one year limited warranty. Considering the price and the performance, this device is can be purchased without any second thought.

MCE 8X Blu-ray Disc External Recordable Drive

MCE blu-ray is an external disc burner made especially for MAC, but also supports Microsoft Operating System. The drive can be connected to the system through high speed USB or eSATA. This blu-ray drive supports blu-ray discs, dual layered DVDs and CDs. It is compatible with all the old optical disc formats. The drive operates at 8X speed on regular BD discs and 2X on a dual layered BD discs. Single layered DVD discs can be burnt at 16X speed and dual layered at 8X. CDROMS can be read and written at 32X speed. The drive works flawlessly in both eSATA and USB connection. Toast titanium software bundle worth $100 comes with the hardware. The only drawback is that the fan makes too much noise. This is a good – reliable and affordable blu-ray burner for MAC and Windows operating systems.

Digistor DIG-78102 Blu-ray burners

Digistor DIG78102 is a blu-ray burner for laptop and notebooks. The drive is a high speed USB drive and consists of a Li-Pol battery, so the drive does not require A/C adapter for functioning. The blu-ray writer is compatible with the older formats like DVD-R, CD–RW etc. It can burn a blu-ray disc at 2X speed. It writes DVDs at 8X speed and dual layered at 4X speed. Reads a CDROM at 24X speed and the writing speed is 8X. If you are looking for a portable blu-ray drive that works on battery, then this is the best choice, although the speed is quite less compared to other devices available in the market.

When blu-ray discs hit the market, there was tough competition from HD DVD (which is also termed format war). Toshiba was behind the promotion of HD DVDs and tried its best to make HD DVD popular. There are many drawbacks associated with HD DVDs and Toshiba had to back down. The format war came to an end in early 2008 and Toshiba started making its own blu-ray devices. Blu-ray discs superseded the HD DVDs. The blue-ray discs is developed by the blu-ray disc association which is a group comprising of computer hardware, consumer electronics and motion picture associations. In matter of just an year, thousands of movies and games were made available on blu-ray media. There were many issues for commercialization of blu-ray technology and devices. Initially, the devices were very expensive and the blue laser diode invented by the Shuji Nakamura could not be utilized because of lawsuit.

Blu-ray discs were based on optical rewritable discs which used ultra density optical diodes and DVR blue. The DVR prototypes that were developed came to known as blu-ray discs. Blu-ray discs were commercially available in the year 2003 and were only available in Japan. The blu-ray device – Sony BDZ S77 was very expensive and priced at $4000.No movies were released for the player and had no standards. The physical specifications and other standards came in to existence in 2004. Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and Pioneer were the companies that started producing blu-ray discs. The BD ROM players were actually introduced in the year 2006 and had to face competition from HD DVD ROM players since they arrived in the market 6 months earlier. Mpeg 2 codec were used, later AVC and VC1 were also implemented. 50 GB dual layer discs were commercialized in 2006. The first writer that became famous was blu-ray disc rewritable drive – BWU-100 A from Sony. The writer supported both single and dual layer discs and also BD RE discs. Blu-ray became extremely popular after the format war ended and was better accepted than DVD format. 9.6 million blu-ray devices were sold in 2008.

Blu ray discs uses Indium Gallium Nitride lasers that produce 405 nm photons without using any mechanisms like non-linear optical mechanisms or frequency doubling. The regular DVDs and CDs use red infrared lasers at 650 and 780 nm respectively.

The shorter wavelength makes it possible to focus laser light on a smaller spot size that boosts the size of the optical media. The spot size of the blu-ray disc may be equivalent to 580 nm. Data encoding techniques have also been improved that has contributed to the success of the blu-ray discs. Although the blu-ray discs out beat the DVD discs in every manner, the blu-ray discs are more prone to damage or scratching of the disc since the data layer is very close to the disc surface. Cartridges were being used, but it made blu-ray discs even more expensive. Later scratch protection coatings were developed and it was first introduced by TDK. Nowadays, many companies have their own customized hard coat technology to protect the data layer of the blu-ray discs. Blu-ray discs have come a long way and they are the next generation storage media. Many companies are trying to produce even higher storage capacity discs that can store over 100 GB.

The advantage of blu-ray disc over the DVD is that the data is placed directly on the top of a 1.1 mm thick polycarbonate layer. This avoids all the readability issues, since birefringence (double refraction) is prevented. Birefrigence is a phenomenon in which light waves are split into unequal transmitted or reflected waves through an optically anisotropic medium. The disc tilting problem present in the DVDs is completely avoided, since the data layer is situated closer to the object lens. This closeness may cause damage to the data layer and hence the layer is coated with hard coat to avoid finger print and scratches.

The design of blu-ray discs is such that it avoids manufacturing costs. DVDs are built using injection molding process, which uses two 0.6 mm discs and the recording layer is sandwiched between them. The process has to be carried out extremely carefully to avoid birefringence. After molding, the recording layer is attached to one of the discs and the two discs are glued together. In the case of the blu-ray disc, the injection molding process is carried out on a single 1.1 mm thick disc. This saves the manufacturing cost and the savings is used for protecting the layer. The data transfer rate of a blu-ray disc is 36 Mbps that is 3.5 times more than a latest DVD – 10 Mbps. Future for blu-ray discs and devices look very bright.

The Blu ray disc is similar in size with respect to CDs and DVDs, but because of the shorter wavelength, more data can be stored. The spot size on which the laser light will be incident decides the storage capacity of the optical media, which in turn depends on the diffraction and the numerical aperture used to focus the light on the media. It is not easy to focus laser on smaller spots and requires lens that have larger numerical aperture size. In addition, the cover layer should be made thinner to avoid other optical effects, so that light can be focused on the smaller spot. The encoding techniques have also been increased which has aided in increased capacity of the discs.

Unlike DVDs, the data layer of the blu ray discs is closer to the surface, making it vulnerable to damages. There is need to protect the data layer and cartridges were to used to do it. Cartridges made the expensive blu-ray discs more expensive. Later, hard coating of pick-up surface was introduced to prevent damage of the data layer. Custom made hard- coat technologies were introduced by the blu-ray disc manufacturers like Sony, LG, Verbatim etc. These materials had antistatic and scratch resistant properties. Although DVDs are safer compared to Blu-Ray discs, many companies introduced scratch-free coatings for expensive DVD discs.

Blu Ray is popular for storing HD videos and PS3 games. The BD ROM players must support the common codec like MPEG2, SMPTE VC1, and H.264/MPEG-4.The advantage of using blu-ray discs to store multimedia is that large files can fit into one Blu-Ray disc and also high resolution videos can be watched.

In any optical media, the data is stored in a particular form called pits. In a disc burner, laser beams are used to heat the dye present on the disc to form certain pattern which represents digital data – 0s and 1s.The distance between the pits is known as land and it is also known as marks in writable media. In readable media, liquid plastic is used to stamp on the discs through a molding machine and then a coat of protective metallic reflective layer is added over the disc. On the other hand, writable discs are so designed that marks can be created by heating the disc using laser beams at specific points. While the disc spins, the laser beam hits these patterns or marks and the intensity of the beams get modified and reflected back. Then they are converted into electrical signals through and the data is shown on the output device.

The process of creating pattern is not simple. Many assume that zeroes and ones are etched directly as pits and lands, but in reality this does not happen. Both pits and lands represent a series of 0s of varying lengths and the transition between them is treated as one. The patterns are designed such that data can be accurately read as string of pulses. Modulation keeps the strings of 0s in a particular range ( >=2 & <10) and the transition between them is 1. The thickness of a human hair can be equivalent to 150 pits and a small dust particle can clog thousands of pits. But the laser light focuses past the surface and hence these particles won’t affect in any way. Error correction is done in the case of slightly damaged discs and that appear as glitches. Extremely damaged discs cannot be read by the BD player and the error is reported to the computer.

100 GB blu ray discs are being produced and the future for blu ray discs look very bright. Blu-ray discs – the next generation optical media have superseded DVD data format and they are here to stay!