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Before you begin giving guided tours of your new DVD library, be warned: there is a new technology format on the loose. Initially, Blu-ray and HD-DVDs were in direct competition for the home entertainment market. But it became evident, however, that HD could not compare to Blu-ray with regards to data storage or audio and video transfer rates. This short-fall made Blu-ray, which will allowed studios to release superior quality films, the de facto heir apparent to DVDs. Moreover, when Sony enabled their PS3 with a Blu-ray player and reader, the race was all but over — Toshiba quickly pulled the plug on HD-DVD. So what is Blu-ray and how long do you have before your DVDs are obsolete?

Blu-ray is the newest high definition technology developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (which includes such diverse companies as Apple, Dell, Hitachi, Sony, and others). The moniker is based on the fact that the new laser reader uses a blue-violet laser instead of red laser. What difference does the color of the laser make? For starters, it means that the Blu-ray image is more detailed as the blue-violet laser spectrum can be better focused than that of the red laser. Furthermore, the narrower focus of the laser equals more storage room on the disk, in this case that’s approximately double that of a standard DVD! This powerful capacity will lead to new innovations in interactivity; for example, would you like to bring up the menu while the movie is playing? No problem, you could play a commentary about the location shoot while the movie plays in the background.

So what does all this mean for the average consumer? It means he or she will have a series of bold new choices. For the near future, DVDs will be released in conjunction with Blu-ray technology. However, seven of the eight top studios, including Disney, are bringing out their new releases exclusively on Blu-ray discs. They are anticipating the cost of Blu-ray players to begin to come down from the $400 mark relatively soon. Anticipating this, Disney began a Blu-ray tour that included Disney DVDs such as “National Treasure,” “The Game Plan” and “Finding Nemo.”

“Finding Nemo” promises to deliver an exciting experience; it was such a well-received DVD that the Blu-ray release is expected to have twice as much features and bonus materials. The fall of 2008 will see the first ever platinum release on Blu-ray of “Sleeping Beauty.” Not only will the film be formatted in Blu-ray high definition, but it will also include many features and materials not available on DVD. It will contain a virtual castle for exploration and the beautiful interactive game, “Maleficent’s Challenge.” If that wasn’t enough, it will also be released with 7.1 Dolby surround sound.

While the excitement builds over which Disney DVDs will be released next, the average film buff will have to exercise a bit of patience. When buying a new player, he or she is encouraged to check all the player specs and make sure it is Blu-ray capable. So, before you run out and grab “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas,” be sure both the film and the player are Blu-ray friendly. It would be a shame to miss out on the wealth of new special features.

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