When will I be able to buy Blu-ray products

FAQs

When will I be able to buy Blu-ray products?
You will be able to buy Blu-ray products from this website very shortly.
Blu-ray players from Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Philips and Pioneer are currently available in High Street stores, and an ever increasing number of Blu-ray movies are also available. We will see Blu-ray players and recorders from LG and Sharp introduced in the near future.

Will Blu-ray products be very expensive?
The Blu-ray Disc Association advises that the cost of producing Blu-ray Disc media will eventually be no more costly than the current cost of producing a DVD. As sales volumes increase the production costs of Blu-ray products will fall and be similar to DVDs.

Why should I opt for Blu-ray?
1. Blu-ray is fully supported by the largest electronics manufacturers such as Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and Pioneer.
2. With the PS3’s built in Blu-ray drive, more people will have access to Blu-ray technology.
3. Blu-ray has full support from seven of the biggest film studios that have a huge catalogue of back titles, and continue to make new films for release on Blu-ray. These incorporate Warner Bros, Disney/Buena Vista, 20th Century Fox, Columbia/Tri-Stars and Sony Pictures.
4. Large IT manufacturers including Apple and Dell will be adding support for Blu-ray.
5. The capacity of Blu-ray discs is unmatched.

What advantages are there to Blu-ray?
1. Immaculate Picture - 6X resolution of DVD
Blu-ray Disc is the finest home video technology ever used.

Technically, the picture quality depends on bit rates, which are measured in Mbps (megabits per second). Standard DVDs deliver 8Mbps, but Blu-ray will deliver up to 48Mbps! That is an astonishing leap in the picture quality from DVD to Blu-ray.

2. Finer Sound Quality - up to 7.1 channels lossless audio
Your music videos will have never sounded better! And now most big concerts and music videos will be recorded in HD and available on Blu-ray.

3. The extra storage capacity of Blu-ray discs allows the bigger HD files to be stored giving best picture and sound quality possible.
4. Interactivity Like Never Before
The interactivity of Blu-ray is unrivalled. With some new movie releases, there is currently availability of bonus features and live updates built around your disc content, which could be downloaded online to be watched on Blu-ray. The integration with gaming includes linking to the Sony PSP and walkmans, and obviously the Blu-ray compatibility with the PS3. There will also be full internet connectivity through some Blu-ray players.

6. Excellent backward compatibility with DVDs
Blu-ray Discs are the same size as standard CDs and DVDs which will support backward compatibility with your existing collections.

7. Blu-ray is future proof!

Offering so many functions and so much compatibility with other electrical items, Blu-ray Disc is providing a very good platform for use in the home. Not only movies, but also gaming, music, internet connectivity and unrivalled file storage, Blu-ray is very versatile.

Do I need an internet connection for Blu-ray to work?
The simple is answer is No, basic playing of any Blu-ray movies does not need an internet connection. However, you will need an internet connection if you want to download extras, or use the internet, etc.

What equipment do I need for the finest Blu-ray Disc experience?
For the best possible Blu-ray experience, your setup should include the following:
1 HDTV with 720p, 1080i or higher resolution
2 Blu-ray Player
3 HDMI connector cables
4 Digital optical cables or top-quality analogue cables
5 Surround sound speaker system—5.1 channel or 7.1 channel

What Blu-ray products can I buy today?
There are currently some standalone Blu-ray players and Blu-ray recorders available to buy, and and there are also Blu-ray drives available in many new PCs and laptops. Not forgetting the Sony’s PS3 games console which features a Blu-ray player as standard.

What is the storage capacity of a Blu-ray disc?
Depending on whether you buy a single layer or dual layer disc, the capacity is 25GB or 50GB, compared to 7GB on DVDs.

Am I able to buy a multi Blu-ray burner so I can burn more than one disc at a time?
There are entry level Blu-ray duplication systems available on the market which will duplicate Blu-ray discs. For the commercial market there are also high end systems for industrial use, For personalisation of duplicated Blu-ray discs, the blank Blu-ray Discs are also available with a printable surface.

Will my normal home PC be Blu-ray compatible or will I need to buy other things as well?

Blu-ray drives are available for PCs and are also being shipped with some new PCs. Recording Blu-ray HD data requires a PC with at least 16x DVD recording which will then support 4x Blu-ray recording. To get the most out of retail Blu-ray titles your PC will need an HDCP compatible graphics card and monitor. For optimum performance you will also need a high spec PC and graphics card.

Will there be region encoding with Blu-ray as with DVD?
Yes. The world has been divided into 3 regions, A, B and C, broken down as follows:.

A US, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia
B Europe (EU), Africa, Middle East, Australia
C China, India, Russia, Rest of the World

How do I know which movies are available on Blu-ray?

All Blu-ray movies that have been officially announced will soon be listed on our site, however with 7 out of the top 8 movie broadcasters announcing their support for Blu-ray as the next generation, most new movies will be available soon on Blu-ray.