Ever popped in a DVD lately? I bet you’ve already seen those annoying Blu-ray commercials. Blu-ray, the ultimate hi-def blah blah blah. We’re constantly reminded that Blu-ray is so much better than DVD. But is it really?

First off, what is Blu-ray? Blu-ray is a proprietary media format produced by a little company named Sony. These are the same folks who introduced us to the failed UMD, mini-discs, and even Beta tapes. This format is called Blu-ray since these discs are literally made using a blue laser. DVDs on the other hand, are produced with a red laser. Because blue has a much shorter wave length than red, a blue laser can burn more data onto a disc. Imagine writing with a fine-tipped pen vs. writing with a highlighter marker.

From the naked eye, there isn’t much distinction between Blu-ray and DVD discs. But what makes Blu-ray so special is that it can hold about 6x more data than DVD. Dual-layer Blu-ray discs can hold up to 50 GB while a dual-layer DVD can only hold up to 8.5 GB. With DVDs, movie studios need to compress and reduce the video quality so that it can fit onto the disc. Watch a DVD movie on an HD display and you will notice quite a bit of pixilation and artifacts that degrade the picture quality. Blu-ray movies are clear as day since the video looks extremely vibrant and crisp. That’s because it also provides 6x the resolution of a standard DVD movie. The higher the resolution, the better the picture will look.

Video games are getting quite a bit of Blu-ray action as well. With the rising costs of video game development, one way to save publishers money is to produce games on a single disc. This is becoming a greater challenge for platforms as the Xbox 360 because developers are reaching the limits of what a single DVD can hold. Like DVD movies, game developers also need to compress the hi-def textures in order to fit it onto a DVD disc. With Blu-ray, that problem is almost non-existent. Since Playstation 3 games exclusively use the Blu-ray format, it allows developers to use uncompressed textures to provide stunning images. As developers continue to push the hardware capabilities of the Xbox 360 and PS3, having a built-in Blu-ray drive will definitely help make it future-proof.

You might have noticed that Blu-ray players are much more expensive than their DVD counterparts. Although Blu-ray players are coming down in price, the cheapest player I found is $230 at Costco. This may seem like a good value, but I wouldn’t recommend getting it. A new profile dubbed Blu-ray 2.0 will be arriving shortly that will integrate online Internet connectivity with your movies. Blu-ray 2.0 will allow you to download additional special features and games that your movies support. The new profile requires that your player has an Ethernet connection as well as a hard drive. Only one Blu-ray player on the market has these key features, the Playstation 3. The PS3 is arguably the best Blu-ray player currently on the market. Not only do you have a dedicated gaming machine, but you also get a Blu-ray player that can be easily updated to Blu-Ray 2.0, 3.0, etc. without needing to buy new hardware. You can snag a 40GB PS3 for a mere $399.

Will Blu-ray replace DVD? Not anytime soon. Right now, Blu-ray doesn’t come anywhere close to matching DVD sales. It probably won’t reach DVD status until it drops in price. Blu-ray is still an expensive format if you consider that most movies cost about $30, compared to $15-$20 DVDs. To the general audience, the difference between Blu-ray and DVD is not nearly as noticeable as it was with DVD and VHS. Some players now include upconverters that upscales regular DVD movies to HD resolutions. Although it’s not true HD quality, it’s pretty darn close. Also, companies like Netflix are leading the charge for digital distribution. Not only do they provide on demand internet movie streaming to your computer and TV, Netflix has landed deals with television studios to streamed shows the day after it airs. Even though Blu-ray has won the war with HD-DVD, it still has a lot to prove in order to win a spot in your living room.

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