# New DVD format: Blu-ray **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059 "2004-06-01T12:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/1 "2004-06-01T12:59:48Z")
I just heard that there is a new DVD format coming out called [Blu-ray](http://www.blu-ray.com/info/). > [@](#): > > Blu-ray makes it possible to record over 2 hours of HDTV, or more than 13 hours of SDTV on a 27GB disc. There are also plans for higher capacity discs that are expected to hold up to 54GB of data. > > [snip] > > While current optical disc technologies… use a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue laser instead… Blu-ray Disc recorders can be made backwards compatible with current red-laser technologies and allow playback of CDs and DVDs. > > [snip] > > Blu-ray is expected to replace VCRs and current DVD technology within a few years. The format is also likely to become a standard for PC data storage and high-definition movies in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/2 "2004-06-01T13:25:41Z")
I’ve read about this for a couple years at least, and even told myself I’d wait before buying a DVD burner to see if this pans out. It sounds cool, but it seems to be taking a long time to get to market. That site says on its home page that there are products due this year though, hopefully that will indeed come to pass. ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/3 "2004-06-01T13:49:55Z")
> [@](#): > > You’ll probably have to wait until 2005-2006 for Blu-ray recorders to become commonly available. So, give it another year for the price to drop, and I’ll be looking at getting one of these burners in 2007. Back up my entire hard drive in 5 CD’s. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/4 "2004-06-01T14:55:07Z")
I can’t wait to get one of those; being able to back up my pr0n collection with only 15 disc will be very nice. ---
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/5 "2004-06-01T16:49:48Z")
…I can’t wait till they re-release DVDs in Hi-Def. Good think I haven’t bought any now… as an aside, I believe Sony is seriously considering this technology for Playstation 3… ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/6 "2004-06-01T18:00:04Z")
> [@P\_T\_](#): > > So, give it another year for the price to drop, and I’ll be looking at getting one of these burners in 2007. Back up my entire hard drive in 5 CD’s. Of course the size of a hard drive in 2007 will be much bigger as well. These things always seem to be proportional. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dvd-format-blu-ray/248059/7 "2004-06-01T19:48:37Z")
Note that there are _two_ competing blue laser DVD formats being developed. (Blue light has a shorter wavelength, allowing a higer density on the discs.) Sony is behind Blu-Ray and Philips (which developed the CD and DVD formats) leads the other group. There’s no question that Sony’s format is better, but Philips has a lot more companies lined up behind it. In other words, the crappy Philips format is likely to win out over Blu-Ray. (Although, as with DVD-R and DVD+R, there’s a chance for multi-format systems.) It has been my experience the last 20 years, that the consumer electronics/computer market always makes the worst choice. Esp. if Sony is involved. The really, really, really, awful, horrible, unbelievably bad, terrible part is that the Philips system uses Microsoft compression technology. I can’t imagine anything worse. BTW: China is developing its own royalty-free DVD-like format, and will then also have a blue laser format later on. Since so many DVD players are made in China, you can expect players in the future than can play standard DVDs as well as the Chinese type. Bye-bye region codes. So look out for a huge greymarket in Chinese made discs.