Imation BD-R SL, 1x-4x, 25GB, Jewelcase I24264 Merkblatt

Blu-ray (BD), governed by the BD-Association (www.blu-raydisc.com), set out 
to produce a disc that balanced superior performance with reproducibility

The way we watch television and video is about 
to change... forever
Q  

A  

High definition broadcasts are now starting right across Europe. The first big new event will be The World
Cup. This whole event is being broadcast in the new high definition format. 

Very shortly, the major Hollywood studios will start issuing films in ‘High Definition’. These films will appear
on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. In addition satellite broadcasters will be amongst the first to start
broadcasting High Definition sports and film content. This new technology is set for rapid adoption by
consumers as the price of High Definition Televisions continues to fall and the cost of the new recorders /
players continues in the same direction.

HD DVD features and benefits

• Based on proven DVD format and backed by the DVD forum

• Massive storage capacity by increasing size of existing DVD format allowing closer writing

• Downward compatibility means drives will play and read existing DVD and CD formats

• Many Hollywood studios are producing films in HD DVD format

• Technology already in market

What is High

 Definition Television?

Closely following the advent of HD ready plasma and LCD screens in our homes, HDTV will capitalise 
on the increased resolution available through this technology and deliver pictures of unsurpassed clarity 
and brilliance.

However, this extra quality comes at a price: there’s much more information involved, and being transferred
at a much faster rate - a high definition screen processes 62 million pixels per second, that’s around six
times more than a standard definition screen. In order to provide content for this new breed of television,
Hollywood and the TV studios have had to look to optical storage manufacturers to develop a new breed of
disc to capture the new high definition content. 

The Blu-ray diagram on

the right illustrates the

new concept of this

technologies’ disc

structure. Blu-ray is built

to different standards

and formatted in a new

way enabling it to

accomodate even greater

capacity than HD DVD.

HD DVD structure is

based on existing DVD

technology. Take a look at

the diagram and you’ll

see that HD DVD is a

compressed version of

existing DVD technology

thus allowing the delivery

of greatly enhanced

storage capacity.

HD DVD, governed by the DVD forum (www.dvdforum.org/form.shtml),
needed to maintain the mechanical structure of DVD

Blu-ray features and benefits

• All new technology that is built around the High Definition platform

• Massive storage capacity

• The latest Blue Disc technology

• Recorders, Drives and Players are backwards compatible with current DVD and CD technologies

• Many of the new game formats are going to use Blu-ray discs

• Very fast access speeds will allow interactive use via broadband web and satellite 

• Many Hollywood studios are launching films on the Blu-ray format in 2006

• All popular formats of disc will be available from launch

Common features of HD DVD and Blu-ray

Both employ Blue laser technology. The greater capacity requires smaller pits; smaller pits require smaller
read-spots, smaller read-spots require a shorter wavelength. Blue laser technology uses a shorter wavelength
(405nm). Both formats have their Read-Only, Writable and Re-Writable sub-formats with the option of single
and dual layer versions and there are already multi-layer formats being discussed for the future.

Backwards compatibility

Although it will be necessary to purchase new hardware in order to record and play both Blu-ray and HD DVD
discs, most manufacturers have decided to ensure that their players, recorders and drives are capable of
reading and writing existing CDs and DVDs, so previous movie and music collections can remain intact.

Blu-ray’s main strengths are it’s higher capacity which means it will have greater longevity. It also uses
standard MPEG-2 so there is no need to compress and decompress video streams.

HD DVD’s main strengths is that manufacturing is less costly as it uses existing DVD principles. 

Owing to the large capacities of both formats they are both likely to become firm favourites for data backup
and storage.

Hard coating

Cover layer

Dielectric layer

Recording layer

Dielectric layer

Reflective layer

Substrate