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.
As you probably know, Blu-Ray players were extremely expensive when they were first launched. In fact it wasn't too uncommon to see one for over one thousand dollars. Then you had the other competitors fighting for their place as the next major media type. The biggest contender was HD DVD. It had a 15 gig capacity, but that was nowhere near the size of a Blu-Ray disc. The only major advantage they had was that more movie studios and suppliers had committed to using the HD DVD format. The devices to play them were also a bit cheaper, meaning more people would buy them. Things did indeed look dark for the Blu-Ray player.
Sony had one big trick up their sleeve that quite possibly saved Blu-Ray from a Betamax fate. Sony incorporated a Blu-Ray player into their highly anticipated PlayStation 3 and sold the whole device for less than many stand alone players were going for at the time. After that, Blu-Ray began making strides until soon it outsold HD DVD 2-to-1 by late 2007. More and more movie studios began to commit to the Blu-Ray format exclusively, starting with Warner Brothers in early 2008. Shortly after Toshiba stopped making HD DVD players and recorders. By years end rental companies Netflix and Blockbuster, as well as major retail outlets, announced they would no longer carry HD DVD movies. Currently all major studios release their movies on Blu-Ray. A couple have continued to produce HD DVD and Blu-Ray releases simultaneously.
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.
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