Blu-ray Disc

Blue ray" redirects here. For the fish, see Neoraja caerulea.

Blu-ray Disc

Media type High-density optical disc

Encoding MPEG-2, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, and VC-1

Capacity 25 GB (single-layer)

50 GB (dual-layer)

100/128 GB (BDXL)

Block size 64 kb ECC

Read mechanism 405 nm laser:

1× @ 36 Mbit/s (4.5 MByte/s)

Developed by Sony

Blu-ray Disc Association[1]

Usage Data storage

1080p High-definition video High-definition audio

stereoscopic 3D

Future possibility:

Quad HD

2160p

Ultra HD

Blu-ray Disc (official abbreviation BD) (Japanese: ブルーレイディスク Burū-Rei Disuku) is a high definition media format designed to supersede the DVD format. The format defines as its standard physical media a 5-inch (same as DVDs and CDs), 25 GB per-layer optical disc, being dual layer discs (50 GB) the norm for feature-length video discs, and the addition of more layers left open as a future possibility.

The name Blu-ray Disc refers to the "blue laser" used to read the disc, which allows for five times more storage than on a DVD.

Blu-ray Disc was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group representing makers of consumer electronics, computer hardware, and motion pictures. As of June 2009, more than 1,500 Blu-ray Disc titles were available in Australia and the United Kingdom, with 2,500 in the United States and Canada.[2] In Japan as of July 2010 more than 3,300 titles were released.[3]

During the high definition optical disc format war, Blu-ray Disc competed with the HD DVD format. Toshiba, the main company that supported HD DVD, conceded in February 2008,[4] releasing their own Blu-ray Disc player in late 2009.[5]

Contents [hide]

1 History

1.1 Origins

1.2 Launch and sales developments

1.3 Competition from HD DVD

1.4 End of the format war and future prospects

2 Physical media

2.1 Laser and optics

2.2 Hard-coating technology

2.3 Recording speed

2.4 Variants

2.4.1 Mini Blu-ray Disc

2.4.2 Blu-ray Disc recordable

2.4.3 BD9 and BD5

2.4.4 BDXL

2.4.5 IH-BD

3 Software standards

3.1 Filesystem

3.2 Directory and file structure

3.3 Media format

3.3.1 Container format

3.3.2 Codecs

3.3.2.1 Video

3.3.2.2 Audio

3.3.3 Bit rate

3.4 Application format

3.5 Java software support

3.6 Player profiles

3.6.1 BD-Live

3.7 Region codes

3.8 Digital rights management

3.8.1 HDCP

3.8.2 AACS

3.8.3 BD+

3.8.4 BD-ROM Mark

4 Backward compatibility

5 Ongoing development

5.1 Blu-ray 3D

6 Variants

6.1 AVCHD

6.2 AVCREC

7 Criticism

8 See also

9 References

10 External links