Best Time Warner Cable Promotions

When high definition TV sets first started showing up on the market about 10 years ago folks were amazed at the clearness hi-def delivered over standard television screens. Since then millions of men and women have upgraded their TVs to enjoy wide screen flicks with DVDs and high definition cable and satellite broadcasts. While some people still haven't made the leap, a recent technology breakthrough has made even HDTV fans take notice. Developed by Sony, Blu-Ray has pushed television resolutions to the next level. Just a few years ago, nobody knew what standard would become the successor to DVD, but now Blu-Ray has won and I'll tell you why you should consider adding Blu-Ray to your home entertainment system.

Though research commenced in 2000, Sony and its partners didn't release a final commercial product until mid 2006. The name Blu-Ray comes from the blue laser that is used to read info from a Blu-Ray formatted disc. This contrasts with the red laser used to scan standard DVD discs. But why is Blu-Ray better than current DVD formats? Even though Blu-Ray discs and players don't appear any different than regular DVDs, they can save much more data which means sharper picture, better audio, and more special features. DVDs can hold up to eight gigabytes of info while Blu-Ray discs can hold 50 gigs. Quite a difference. The maximum resolution of a DVD is 720x480 lines whereas Blu-Ray has a maximum of 1920x1080 (also called full high definition). If you have spent $1000 or more on a 1080p TV, you're really not utilizing all the set can deliver when watching standard DVDs.

In the beginning prices for Blu-Ray players were well beyond what a typical home user wanted to pay. Prices between $700 and $1000 were not unusual for first generation Blu-Ray players. And, there was another competing standard on the store shelves that made lots of bewilderment. Toshiba and NEC produced their own DVD successor with release of the HD DVD standard. HD DVD, with a capacity of 15 gbs., was an improvement over regular DVDs but didn't equal the specifications of Blu-Ray. However HD DVD did have some market advantages. First, HD DVD was on the market a quarter before Blu-Ray. Second, HD DVD devices where a little cheaper to make and had a cheaper price tag as a result. Finally, HD DVD had more movie studios on signed up at launch than Sony did which meant more pictures were at first available while Blu-Ray remained scarce.

Sony had a big ploy up their sleeve that quite potentially saved Blu-Ray from a Betamax fate. Sony incorporated a Blu-Ray player into their long awaited PlayStation three and sold the whole device for a bit less than many stand alone players were being sold for at the time. Soon after, Blu-Ray started making strides until soon it outsold HD DVD 2-to-1 by late 2007. More and more Hollywood studios began to commit to the Blu-Ray format totally, beginning 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 stores, said they would no longer carry HD DVD films. Currently all major studios release their pictures on Blu-Ray. A few have continued to produce HD DVD and Blu-Ray releases concurrently.

Prices have fallen significantly during the last few years as well. Many name brand Blu-Ray players from firms like Panasonic and LG can easily be found between $150 and $250. Blu-Ray disc recorders are in the $200 - $400 range and falling. For anyone who likes viewing films from home and has invested in an HDTV, now is a great time take a look into adding a Blu-Ray player to your home entertainment system. Even those that could be skeptical about Blu-Ray's improvements over DVD owe it themselves to go down to their local home entertainment store and ask for a Blu-Ray demonstration. The picture clearness and audio fidelity from Blu-Ray is truly superb.

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