A Blu-ray Disc is a high density
optical disc format that stores
digital information. It is primarily
used to store high-definition video.
How much information can it hold?
A single-layer disc is able to
hold 25GB of data (five times the
storage capacity of a standardlayer
DVD), while dual-layer discs
are able to hold 50GB.
Who made it?
It was created by the Blu-ray
Disc Association, which consisted
of nine of the world’s leading
electronic companies: Hitachi, LG
Electronics, Matsushita, Philips,
Pioneer, Thomson, Samsung,
Sharp and Sony. The association
now has over 250 members with
notable corporations, including
20th Century Fox, Apple, TDK,
The Walt Disney Company and
Warner Bros.
Which major studios are exclusive to Blu-ray?
Sony Pictures Entertainment,
MGM, Disney, 20th Century Fox
and Lionsgate
What is BD-J?
BD-J stands for Blu-ray Disc
Java and essentially allows
for greater interactive access
than a standard DVD. Typical
examples include access to web
content, the use of picture-inpicture
and even access to local
storage. While all Blu-ray players
that support video content are
required to support BD-J, the
actual specifications are currently
incomplete. Profile-1, which
will include a secondary video
decoder, the ability to support a
minimum of 256MB persistent
memory and secondary audio is
currently scheduled to take effect
from the end of the month.
What are region codes?
Region codes only exist for
Blu-rays, as HD DVD is currently
Region Free. The three codes
deal with the following regions: A
= Central America, Hong Kong,
Japan, North America, North
Korea, South America, South
East Asia and South Korea; B =
Africa, Australia, French Territories,
Greenland, Middle East, New
Zealand and the UK; C = Central
Asia, Bangladesh, India, Mainland
China, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia
and South Asia.
Can I play American Blu-rays on my UK player?
It’s a little more complicated
than HD DVD, but yes, it is entirely
possible to play a large amount
of American Blu-rays on a UK
player. Sadly, 20th Century Fox,
Disney, New Line, Sony and
MGM are very keen on region
protection, though, so most of
their new releases will not work.
Many of these studios do allow
their catalogue releases to be
Region Free, however. Luckily,
most websites are able to tell you
what US films you can and cannot
use. At this moment in time there
are over 156 Region Free films
available, so there are plenty to
choose from.
What is an HD DVD?
Like a Blu-ray, an HD DVD is
a high-density optical-disc format
that is primarily used to store high-definition
video.
How much information can it hold?
A single-layer HD DVD can
store 15GB of data (three and a
half times the storage capacity
of a standard-layer DVD) while
dual-layer discs are able to hold
30GB of data.
Which major studios are exclusive to HD DVD?
Current studios include Universal, The Weinstein
Company, First Look Studios and Paramount, who
until recently was format neutral.
