Easy DVD Burning

There are three groups in the world today.

• People who watch movies
• People who make movies and
• People who make equipment to allow you to watch movies

There will always be movie makers and movie watchers. What has changed in recent times and what is still changing today is the equipment used to enable people to watch movies.

Video tapes still exist but we know that discs as in CDs and DVDs have long replaced audio and video tapes. But there’s been a recent development in the field of video discs in the form of BDs or Blu-ray discs.

These discs are in competition with DVDs and more recently with HD DVDs. It’s a worldwide battle with vast fortunes to be made or lost.

A Blu-ray disc gets its name because of the blue laser used in the manufacture of the disc. The laser used with DVDs is red. The blue laser can operate much closer to the disc enabling the data to be packed closer together. This means the storage capacity of a Blu-ray disc is superior, up to five times the amount stored on a traditional DVD.

Experts say that the technical quality of a Blu-ray disc is superior to a high definition DVD. Measuring the storage capacity is easy but deciding on the quality of the picture is subjective. Some say that a movie which doesn’t have spectacular special effects is just as enjoyable on a HD DVD as it is on a Blue-ray disc. This of course is a matter of opinion.

And opinions are what make the world go round. If movie studios decide to only release movies on the Blu-ray format then customers will no longer have the choice. At least not in purchasing from a store.

But movies are still available in DVD format and many are rented in this format as well. Then there are movies able to be downloading from web sites. These can be downloading to a DVD.

So the war, if that is the word, is still being waged. High definition television is here and is about to be launched in a much more detailed way – more channels, more programs. Viewers will be able to download programs onto DVD discs and watch their favorite shows at leisure. Some HD television sets allow viewers to stall live telecasts and catch up with them later.

The technology keeps changing and improving. For any company to put all their eggs in one disc basket is high risk business.

With many manufactures of players and many Hollywood and other movie studios opting to deal exclusively with Blu-ray discs, the future of the DVD is under somewhat of a cloud. But it is not as simple as that. Cost is a factor. People are not rushing to Blu-ray discs in huge numbers because the cost of the movies in this format is much higher than on DVD.

Who will win the disc battle? Watch this space.