by J.R. Powell

Created on: February 13, 2007   Last Updated: June 04, 2011

Blu-ray is the new next-generation disc format for the entertainment market. It won a format war with a rival disc format called HD DVD. Blu-ray is being promoted as a higher quality replacement for DVD.

The Pros:

• Blu-ray can hold a lot more data than standard DVDs. Blu-ray discs can currently hold around 50 GB for dual layer discs compared to standard definition DVD's 8.5 GB maximum for dual layer. They can also hold more data than HD-DVD discs could, which could hold 30 GB on dual layer discs.

• They can hold high-definition video (up to 1920x1080 pixels)

• They can have better sound than standard DVD.

• Blu-ray won the format war against the rival high definition format HD DVD

The cons:

• Although Blu-ray won against HD DVD, there are other formats still trying to compete to be the next generation format. For instance the optical disc formats HD-VMD, RDM (Royal Digital Media - a format with better encryption and larger disc capacity to Blu-ray, but like HD-VMD, little to no studio support). There is also the competition from digital downloads, and of course, still competition from DVD.

• Cost - Blu-ray players are currently expensive, a lot more expensive than DVD players (the PS3 games machine can play back Blu-ray discs but this may not always be the best option). People in the UK will often have to pay twice as much for the same machine as someone in the US. The films available on the Blu-ray format are also usually more expensive compared to their DVD counterparts.

• You will need a HDTV to get the best from Blu-ray. These can be quite expensive. Your HDTV should also have a HDMI socket as titles may play back at lower resolution if you do not have this socket. The quality of the picture you get from Blu-ray will be limited by the quality and resolution of your HDTV.

• No Mandatory Managed Copy - although in the specification, this option does not yet exist for Blu-ray players. Also, it may be that when Managed Copy arrives it needs extra equipment (ie. it won't be the players that make the copies), and may require connecting to the internet to allow the copy to be made, and possible subscription or other charges for making the copy.

• Blu-ray film titles are more expensive than DVD titles, and there is a limited amount of titles available - there are a great many more DVD titles available than Blu-ray ones.

• DRM - Blu-ray has the next generation of copy protection technology allowing the film company's

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