Blu-ray Discs: What the New HD Disc Format Means for Filmmakers

[aPerfectCircle]

Anyone hear about the Blu-Ray discs that are being developed and released in Japan? It's the new HD-DVD technology. A lot of major manufacturers formed the Blu-ray Alliance, like Sony, JVC, Hitachi, LG, etc...

Each DVD is at least 25 GB in storage capacity, max of 53 GB.

The 25GB disc is said to hold about 2 hours of 1080i footage.

LG just released a consumer HD-DVD player on the market for about $450. This model projects standard DVD's into at least 480p quality (that I've tested on a Sony XBR TV) but it's a tight 480p... I was drooling when I watched X2

 

[Digigenic]

Yeah, I've known about Sony implementing Blu-Ray into their cams, but I wasn't aware of all the other applications.
I know that the argument of mechanical wear brings up reliability issues against Blu-Ray, whereas Solid State memory, used by Panasonic, employs no mechanical operation, therefore no wear. It’s identical in principle to compact flash cards used in digital cameras, but Blu-Ray still has Solid State Memory beat hands down in terms of storage size.
Where Blu-Ray can hold up to 53 GB of data, Solid State is still drifting somewhere between 8 and 15 GB max.

 

[MarkG]

And the flash new 53GB disks are already almost obsolete for computer use... I'd need nearly ten of them to back up my PC. At least when writable CDs first appeared they could hold the entire contents of my hard drive with room to spare.

 

[cintellect]

Although there are still some wrinkles to be worked out regarding Blu-ray (backward compatibility issues)...projected entry into the consumer marketplace is within the next 2 years.

 

[Digigenic]

That sounds plausible, it's already in their ENG style cams, and I know that Sony has expressed their intent to incorporate the technology into upcoming prosumer HDV camcorders.
Sony has always had an advantage in their development and execution of new media manufacturing and incorporating it into their products with excellent timing.
If BluRay is at our fingertips within the next two or three years, providing 80+ gigs of storage space onto a single disc, then their advantage in the camcorder marketplace will increase greatly across the board from consumers to professionals. Panasonic's Solid State is also great in concept, but it lacks greatly in capacity and price compared to BluRay.