Blu-Ray set to take the world by storm!
By Paul Colbert

 

The Disc belongs to a new generation of optical discs capable of staging high density data. technology is based on a blue-violet coloured laser. The blue laser operates at a wave length of 405 nm, while older technology such as DVDs and CDs are based on red and infrared lasers that works at 650 and 780 nm. Since the wave length is shorter with a blue laser, the new technology makes is possible to store much more information

The advantage with the technology is that the laser beam can be focused much more tightly at the surface of the disc. Tight focus means that a smaller spot will be produced on the surface on the disc, and when the spots become smaller there will naturally be room for more information on each disc. The minimum spot size of any laser depends on a naturally accruing phenomenon called diffraction. The narrow beam of light sent out from a laser will always diverge into a wider beam eventually, due to the natural diffraction of waves. Diffraction will also occur the waves meet an obstruction. By reducing the wavelength of a laser, we can affect the diffraction.

In technology, the diffractions is also affected by the fact that the lens used to focus the light has a higher numerical aperture than the lenses found in ordinary DVDs - 0.85 instead of 0.6. technology based appliances are also equipped with a dual-lens system of supreme quality, and the cover layer has been made thinner in order to prevent unwanted optical effects. All this makes it possible for a laser to focus on much smaller spots. The optical improvements are accompanied with a new method for encoding data which makes it possible to store even more data on the disc.

The standard for technology has been developed as a joint venture between several major manufacturers of PCs and consumer electronics, including Sony and Philips. The group is called the Disc Association (BDA). The first recorder was launched in Japan in 2003, by Sony. Today, Samsung, JVC, Matsushita (Panasonic) and LG Electronics are all examples of companies using technology in their products. Hewlett Packard has announced that they will release desktop PCs equipped with technology in late 2005.

The main competitor for the technology is the HD DVD format which is also capable of storing more information than a normal DVD. The technology does however allow for more information per layer than the HD DVD format - 25 GB compared to 15 GB. The technology will on the other hand most likely be more expensive to support, at least initially, which can make the HD DVD a tempting alternative. In a disc, the data is stored extremely close to the surface. This made the first discs extremely vulnerable to scratching and many users preferred the tougher HD DVD discs. Since 2004, all discs are coated with a clear polymer called "Durabis" which makes them much more durable. According to the developers of Durabis, the TDK Corporation, a coated disc will work even after being attacked with a screwdriver.

Author Bio
Paul Colbert of Blu Ray World is an author of various articles relating to new technology and innovations.

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