When HDTV was released in 1998, people could barely believe their eyes. There was a time when people thought that any new technologies couldn't make that much of a difference, but suddenly they realized they were wrong. Since then millions have made the switch to HDTV and enjoyed thousands of hours of entertainment. But then something even better came along. High definition players such as Blu-Ray have pushed HDTV to it's limit. Many people knew that the last generation DVD's were going by the wayside, but they had no idea what it would be replaced by.
Research on the Blu-Ray technology started in the year 2000, but it wasn't until six years later that a final product was finally unleashed on the masses. Many wonder why it is called the Blu-Ray player, and in all actuality it is just referring to the blue laser that is used to read the disc. In addition to this change, the Blu-Ray discs also had much more space than their DVD predecessors. They hold a whopping fifty gigs of data, while DVD's could only hold eight. This meant higher resolutions and more extra content. If you have purchased an HDTV, then you could surely benefit from buying a Blu-Ray player in the near future.
On release prices for Blu-Ray players were well beyond what an average user wanted to spend. Prices between $700 and $1000 were common for first generation Blu-Ray players. Plus, there was another competing standard on the market that created a lot of confusion. Toshiba and NEC introduced their own DVD successor with release of the HD DVD format. HD DVD, with a capacity of 15 gigabytes, was an improvement over standard DVDs but didn't match the specifications of Blu-Ray. But HD DVD did have some market advantages. First, they made it to store shelves 3 months before Blu-Ray. Second, HD DVD devices where a little cheaper to produce and were sold cheaper as a result. Finally, HD DVD had more movie studios on board at launch than Sony did which meant more movies were initially available while Blu-Ray remained scarce.
But you cannot expect the creator of the highly successful PlayStation 2 to stand by and take this beating. In fact, they did not. They released the Playstation 3 with full Blu-Ray capabilities, making it the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. The sales of Blu-Ray movies crushed HD DVD's, and it wasn't long before movie makers chose the superior Blu-Ray format. HD DVD's were rapidly phased out to a point that only a few companies still use them. They have finally gone the way of the Betamax player, and a footnote in the hsitory of multimedia.
Prices have dropped quite a bit as of late. Most of the brand name Blu-Ray players out there can now be purchased for a fraction of their original cost. Even the recorders have dropped in price. This is a great investment for someone who has purchased an HDTV. It brings out the full potential of your television, and quite honestly, the picture quality is amazing.
Research on the Blu-Ray technology started in the year 2000, but it wasn't until six years later that a final product was finally unleashed on the masses. Many wonder why it is called the Blu-Ray player, and in all actuality it is just referring to the blue laser that is used to read the disc. In addition to this change, the Blu-Ray discs also had much more space than their DVD predecessors. They hold a whopping fifty gigs of data, while DVD's could only hold eight. This meant higher resolutions and more extra content. If you have purchased an HDTV, then you could surely benefit from buying a Blu-Ray player in the near future.
On release prices for Blu-Ray players were well beyond what an average user wanted to spend. Prices between $700 and $1000 were common for first generation Blu-Ray players. Plus, there was another competing standard on the market that created a lot of confusion. Toshiba and NEC introduced their own DVD successor with release of the HD DVD format. HD DVD, with a capacity of 15 gigabytes, was an improvement over standard DVDs but didn't match the specifications of Blu-Ray. But HD DVD did have some market advantages. First, they made it to store shelves 3 months before Blu-Ray. Second, HD DVD devices where a little cheaper to produce and were sold cheaper as a result. Finally, HD DVD had more movie studios on board at launch than Sony did which meant more movies were initially available while Blu-Ray remained scarce.
But you cannot expect the creator of the highly successful PlayStation 2 to stand by and take this beating. In fact, they did not. They released the Playstation 3 with full Blu-Ray capabilities, making it the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. The sales of Blu-Ray movies crushed HD DVD's, and it wasn't long before movie makers chose the superior Blu-Ray format. HD DVD's were rapidly phased out to a point that only a few companies still use them. They have finally gone the way of the Betamax player, and a footnote in the hsitory of multimedia.
Prices have dropped quite a bit as of late. Most of the brand name Blu-Ray players out there can now be purchased for a fraction of their original cost. Even the recorders have dropped in price. This is a great investment for someone who has purchased an HDTV. It brings out the full potential of your television, and quite honestly, the picture quality is amazing.
About the Author:
Anna Sussman delves into the complicated world of cable providers to find the offers that deliver the biggest savings for consumers. Anna looks for the lowest Time Warner digital cable rates and discounts on Time Warner bundled services.
0 comments:
Post a Comment