With Blu-ray Disc technology firmly entrenched in the market, now is the time to brush up on the winner of the 2007/8 format war.

Now that the battle between Blu-ray and Toshiba’s HD-DVD is long over (Toshiba pulled out in February 2008), Blu-ray has proven to be the logical progression beyond DVD. A Blu-ray disc can store up to 50GB while a dual layer DVD can only store 8.54GB. This extra storage capacity allows Blu-ray to store much more information and so offer significant advantages in picture and sound quality over DVD.

So how does the technology work?

Blu-ray video at a glimpse
Blu-ray audio at a glimpse

It would be remiss of me to say that Blu-ray has had a smooth ride to the top, or that it is a flawless technology. In fact, in order to understand the technology, it is important to understand its journey into your living room.

Blu-ray… almost as good as HD DVD
Blu-ray audio blues
Is Blu-ray losing its sting?

But, despite its flaws, Blu-ray technology is here to stay. After a tumultuous three year existence, the technology has finally found its place in the home.

Blu-ray in 2010.