Blu-Ray - The New Standard For Home Entertainment

Blu-Ray is not only the latest but, since Toshiba withdrew its HD-DVD competing product from the market, the greatest replacement for DVDs and CDs. The HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray battle had close parallels between the VHS versus Betamax contest of the video age in the early 80`s.

This type of battle between mega-corporations is not only interesting for business analysts. The emergence of a clear winner in this battle allows the industry standard to be clearly defined and allows consumers to invest their hard earned cash with confidence.

Without going into too much technical detail, the new Blu-Ray technology is really quite similar to CDs or DVDs. One main difference is that, instead of using a red laser beam to read and write information, it uses a blue-violet beam. It is from this that it derives its name.

The blue laser beam has a shorter wavelength than the "traditional" red one and this allows the laser to be focused on a more precisely defined point on the disc. This allows the information to be packed more closely together and effectively increases the storage capacity of the disc.

The end result is that all of the extra information required for new high definition television (HD TV) can be fitted onto one disc and the consumer can enjoy high quality movies on their lovely big LCD TV set. The extra disc space will also allow lots of room for the cut scenes, alternative endings, interactive games, interviews and "the making of..." type of bonuses which have now become expected since the advent of "special edition" dvds.

A dual layer Blu-Ray disc can store around 50 GB of information - which is approximately six times more than a dual layer DVD. Four layer Blu-Ray discs capable of holding 100 GB of information have already been demonstrated and TDK announced that they have created a working experimental disc with a capacity of 200 GB. 250 GB discs are currently under research.

In order to play Blu-Ray discs a special Blu-Ray disc player is required. Whilst not compulsory, most manufacturers have been producing Blu-Ray disc players which have the capability to play both audio CDs and standard DVDs in addition to the Blu-Ray format.

It is interesting to note that the most popular Blu-Ray disc player is undoubtedly the Sony PS3. Ten million of these have shipped to date and it seems as if Sony's decision to make their new console not just a gaming machine but a home entertainment system has paid dividends.

Considering that Toshiba shipped approximately one million HD DVD machines, the tenfold difference in potential customer base is so large that Sony's triumph was more a matter of time than a great surprise.

Hamish Hayward
Blu-Ray DVDs
Buy or rent online - from Amazon.

My Links : Cheap Handbags4u Buy Furniture Stores

LCD TVs Are Fast Becoming the TV Standard

If you look around, you can easily see LCD technology. From the digital clock that beeps away at you in the morning to the microwave that served up your last late night snack, you have been utilizing LCD technology for years, most likely without even being aware of it. The digital watch on your wrist, the laptop at your office, even the MP3 player in your gym bag makes use of LCD innovations.

These are only a couple of examples of everyday electronics that use LCD technology. The most trendy and frequent use of LCD technology nowadays is the ever popular LCD television.

Liquid Crystal Displays or LCD TVs are those that use flat, thin displays made up of a series of monochrome pixels that are in turn displayed in front of a reflector or other source of light. That is where the image display comes from. In most cases, the technology used is that of the Thin Film Transistor or TFT that is a specific type of field effect transistor made by layering thin films intended for metal contacts along with dielectric and semiconductor layers. As such, the LCD television is more different than other image producing technologies such as a plasma display or older cathode ray tubes.

At one time, the general consensus was that LCD technology was only good when used on televisions of smaller size and that it could not contend with plasma technology when it came to larger screen sizes. With the advent of seventh generation panels by such giants as Samsung, Sony, Westinghouse Digital, Sharp and LG Philips, those beliefs have proven to be false.

In October of 2004, LCD screen sizes where as large as 45 inches and were readily accessible by several companies and the Sharp Corporation took center lead with the introduction of the first 65 inch panel TV in history. By 2006, LG Philips had introduced the largest display yet with their 100 inch LCD television.

Today's LCD TVs are universal, in that they include a multi system tuner that displays NTSC, SECAM and PAL standards. They also offer electronic transformers that automatically use 110/250 voltage without any issues, as well as universal grounded adapter plugs. Also, LCD televisions are not going to be limited to the living room and now serve as computer monitors across the world.

According to recent news, manufacturers continue with plans to invest obscene amounts of money on the production and development of LCD television technology for a long time. It is highly un-likely that LCD technology is going anywhere, in fact, if recent trends continue for LCD TVs, then better advancements are yet to come!

Find out About The Best LCD TVs [http://www.allabouttvs.com/best-lcd-tvs.php] on the market by visiting AllAboutTVs.com below.

Ricky Richter

Find out about the best LCD TVs on the market, TV news, and Resources by visiting our website: AllAboutTvs.com [http://www.allabouttvs.com/best-lcd-tvs.php]

Recommend : Buy Furniture Stores Cheap Clothing Optional Galleries Store Best Cameras Digital Store