What is Blu-ray disc?

Blu-ray is the next-generation of media storage designed to meet the high standards of high definition (HD) video and high density data storage. The Blu-ray technology standard was created by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a consortium of some of the top technology and content companies in the world.

The Bluray board of director companies include Apple, Dell, hp, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Thomson, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney and Warner Brothers. There are over 170 other companies that are supporting this project.

Bluray is designed to take CD storage to the next level. The CD now in common use was designed 20 years ago, primarily for the music industry. While it was a huge leap forward from albums and cassette tapes, the storage limit eventually became too limiting.

About 10 years later, a new generation of media was introduced: the DVD. This new media could hold up to 10 times the information than a CD. It was perfect for video distribution and storage for large amounts of data.

Now, we are ready for the next step: Blu-Ray. This is a technology that can store 25 to 50 GB of data - perfect for the growing amount of data we use today and for distribution of the large files involved in High Definition (HD) video.

Similar to the move from CD to DVD, Bluray is based on the same physical dimensions, allowing for compatibility between all three formats.
 
Why is it called "Blu-Ray" disc?

The term Bluray comes from the color of the laser used to read and write data to the disc. On the CD and DVD equipment in use today, you see a red laser. The bluish laser used in Blu-ray is a shorter wavelength allowing a more high density storage. 

Future is already here :)