What is the difference between blue-ray disks and DVDs?

Question

at first i thought that it was that blue-ray was just hd but then i found out that you can buy hd dvds so what is blue ray and what makes them so different to dvds that they are more expensive?

Answer 1

The biggest difference is the picture resolution.  A standard DVD has 480 lines of resolution per inch, but a Blu-Ray has 1,080 lines of resolution per inch.  That's akin to the difference between the resolution of a videotape as compared to the resolution of a DVD.  One word of warning, however:  To get the full effect of Blu-Ray you need an HDTV that is a 1080i or a 1080p, or else your TV won't have the resolution to reproduce the Blu-Ray image in full definition.

Blu-ray players also use a blue laser to read the disc, as opposed to a standard DVD player that uses a red laser (hence the term "Blu-Ray").  The storage capacity on a Blu-Ray DVD is also a lot greater than a standard DVD -- it needs to be to give you that higher picture resolution.

The major motion picture companies are moving toward Blu-Ray as opposed to HD DVD, which boasts the same picture resolution but has a different encoding system.  HD DVD will probably go the same way BETA tapes did when the major motion picture companies favored VHS in the '80's.

P.S.:  Not all Blu-Ray players play standard DVDs, but most of them do.  Before you buy, be sure any new Blu-Ray player you're considering also plays standard DVDs.

Answer 2

HD DVDs are high deffinition but not as much as blue-rays.

Answer 3

HD DVD and Blue-Ray are brand names of high def dvd's, with technology differences, sort of like the difference between beta-max and vhs, and laser-disc and dvd's.  

Basically they are both high definition dvd's but blue-ray will probably win out like vhs and dvds did.

Answer 4

PLEASE READ THIS!!  It is because they can hold so much more info. i think a normal DVD holds about 4GB per side (not sure about HD DVDs) and BlueRay are like 25GB on each side. (or 50 i can't remembor).

LAUZ dosn't know what she's talking about. The reason bluleray's are HD is because they can store so much more info. it isn't possible to store a whole movie in HD on a regular DVD. bluray can

Answer 5

Blu Ray is alot better than HD dvds. But you need a Blu Ray player or PS3. If money's no object, i recomend Blu Ray.

Answer 6

Blue ray is very high definition graphics, better than hd, i think you have ot have a blu ray tv to play blue ray to its full advangtage

Answer 7

Blue ray is a dvd that needs a special player. Blue ray players will play regular dvds as well. Blue ray discs are high def, and also has interactive special features that you can access while watching the movie.

Answer 8

Blu-ray and HD Dvd are 2 separate companies both making High Definition DVD's. Bluray has won the battle so you will stop seeing the HD dvd brand and only be able to get blu-ray high def dvd's. You can still get the regular dvd's too. The difference is bluray is more crisp, better in picture and sound and able to hold much more on one disk. You do need a bluray player to play them. Most bluray players will also play regular dvds and upconvert them to make them look nicer. But you do need a new hd tv to be able to get the full benifit of bluray.