Blu-ray 50Gig Discs

Post by natslovR @ 09:18am 20/02/02 | 42 Comments

SONY unveiled its Blu-ray Disc technology which it claims, thanks to the backing of nine major firms, will eventually replace DVD.

I love it how increasing the storage capacity of a disk by changing the colour of a laser is touted as the death of the original technology, when actual significant technology changes have taken years to kick in and still haven't wiped out the original markets. Look at how long CDs took to take hold, and you still find tapes everywhere, and most people are only just catching on to DVD now.

"It is a truly remarkable format, marking a new era... (The Blu-ray) is of great significance in terms of the further development of the electronics industry and the high definition broadcasting sector."

Yes, remarkable. It's a size of a CD, it looks like a DVD, but the laser's blue. Sell your DVD drives why they still have some value guys, this is revolutionary! Why don't they do something useful and fix some of the real issues with DVD technology such as DVD rot, introducing scratch-resistant media, and reducing the significant pause that accompanies a layer change on most players?

Latest Comments

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verticalseafoodtaco
Posted 09:28am 20/2/02

name one person you know that has a dvd with dvd rot

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cerb
Posted 09:34am 20/2/02

taco: Please change your sig.
/me vomits

Oh, and I've lost a disc to DVD rot. :(

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Stokesy
Posted 09:35am 20/2/02

dvd rot??

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Shotty
Posted 09:41am 20/2/02

Just look at SACD (super audio CD), another one of SONY's inventions. Not exactly popular despite it has been out for a while.

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natslovR
Posted 09:41am 20/2/02

DVD ROT aka Deterioration in Dual-Layer DVDs.

I've got two DVDs that fark up some point after half way.

I was watching one for only the second time (i.e. it is not scratched) when it froze some point after half way. Tried on my PC's DVD ROM to experience the same thing.

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scuzzy
Posted 09:43am 20/2/02

is that like scurvy?

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Saint
Posted 10:03am 20/2/02

Have you tried sending it back?

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teen
Posted 10:06am 20/2/02

lol @ sony and their innovations.

Sony has invented so much s*** over the last few years that never caught on.

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Zyan
Posted 10:06am 20/2/02

I have one disc that's developing DVD rot however it's a pre-production review disc only (released from PMI early with just their type pre-pro blue label and matrix number).

Most problems with DVD rot have been sorted out now due to better manufacturing processes.

Whatever the new format does, it will have to allow playing older material, i.e. DVDs and CDs, to really take off with any speed.

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Frag Terminator
Posted 10:24am 20/2/02

I would be a bit peeved if this new technology takes hold, i only just recently got a new dvd player :(

But 50 gig - imagine what you could do with that!

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MotorAce
Posted 10:29am 20/2/02

i might be wrong but I always thaught DVDs were prety out dated even when they were released. I mean we goto DVD for larger capacity but arent the largest DVDs 5gb? Going 5-6 times the size of a normal cd doesnt realy warrent the cost of upgrading. I always thaught it was stupid some dvd movies are on 2 cds because its too big for 1. But as far as getting it to catch on now that dvd has only just started to take off I dont think it will have any luck. I realy do hope im wrong though :p

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Cailean
Posted 10:53am 20/2/02

DVD Movies are generally on 1 DVD. The extra DVD is for special features etc.

I say generally because there are some on two.

God Father part 2 comes to mind. I *think*.

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Rodolphe
Posted 11:00am 20/2/02

I though some DVD's were way more than 5gig... like double layer and double sided or some s*** ??

Anywho they will need something that is new that people will want over DVD as DVD burners etc will become cheaper and more mainstream.

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Shotty
Posted 10:59am 20/2/02

I always thaught it was stupid some dvd movies are on 2 cds because its too big for 1

Yeah, i'm with Cailean, you'd be lucky (or not) to find more than 2-3 DVD's (out of 1000's that are out) on more than one DVD. The second is for special features usually.

50gig is pretty impressive however!

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Drail Siege
Posted 11:07am 20/2/02

Well FMD (fluorescent multilayer discs) have been in development by constellation 3d for the last few years and are supposed to have a 140gig/disc capacity with 2nd gen discs a 1 terrabyte cap.
so 50gigs isnt really that impressive.

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Zen Apathy
Posted 11:21am 20/2/02

But the Blu-ray will use a blue laser to burn codes on to the disc instead of red -- multiplying the maximum data capacity of a single density, one-sided disc by five, to 27 gigabytes.

I think they solved the skiping problem whne changing layer, make the layer really big.

I wonder how long we have to wait till we can get movies on them. I'd rather they removed the very homosexual region coding.

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Shotty
Posted 11:31am 20/2/02

I wonder how long we have to wait till we can get movies on them. I'd rather they removed the very homosexual region coding.

Why should they? I mean seriously, all that means is lots and lots of people will buy there DVD's cheap from china or somewhere and undermine the local market. Thus less DVD's will be sold here, thus less money in the economy. The only possible reason i could think for it is to buy DVD's you can't get here (like japanese anime DVD's), and then you can play them.

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natslovR
Posted 12:06pm 20/2/02

Huh? If i pay $40 for a hollywood dvd it probably sees $10 go to australian distributors and $30 to the yanks, or i can spend $5 on a chinese dvd that sees $5 go to chinese pirates, then i have $35 to spend on ciggies, beer and hot chips, which results in a lot more staying in the australian economy.

DVD region coding is a tool of price fixers, and price fixing is illegal. We have to suffer through lower incomes and poorer services thanks to globalisation, at least we should see SOME of the benefits.

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MotorAce
Posted 12:11pm 20/2/02

my point was if the dvd technology was so good they would be able to fit everything on one dvd, including the features that comes with the 2nd cd.

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Zen Apathy
Posted 12:23pm 20/2/02

Exactly natslovR Price Fixxing sucks especially when the american DVDs have more features. I hope the ACCC kicks them in the arse.

Motorace they probably could fit them all on if the used dual layer disks but they cost more than two disks. So that might be the reasoon they often come with two discs.

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Creepy
Posted 01:34pm 20/2/02

Firstly, the ACCC are a waste of space.

Secondly, it the MPAA (American) that is ultimately responsible for the existance of region locking...in conjunction with the majoc Hollywood studios. It's designed to have control over releases to maximise profits - since they want you to see the movie in the cinema a few times...then rent the video or dvd...then buy it.

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thraxjor
Posted 01:38pm 20/2/02

New dvd technology eh?

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natslovR
Posted 01:57pm 20/2/02

The primary purpose of DVD Region Coding is price fixing. A secondary minor 'benefit' of it is staggered releasing.

Late last year some professors at the University of Melbourne's Business School released an interesting paper about it titled The Economic Consequences of DVD Regional Restrictions. They look at just how it works and what effects it has.

It is price fixing. It is illegal. It should be stopped.

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Justice
Posted 10:51am 21/2/02

* N U K E D *

By Saint

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Justice
Posted 02:19pm 20/2/02

.....Format c: mwahahah

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Tollaz0r!
Posted 02:42pm 20/2/02

The 27 GB capacity will increase later to 50GB, thanks to dual layer discs, proposed by Panasonic.

The Blu-Ray group is still discussing whether the disc can be naked or must be housed in a protective cartridge.

Existing CD and DVD players and recorders will not be able to use Blu-Ray discs. New Blu-Ray players will need infra-red, red and blue lasers if they are also to play all kinds of CD and DVD recordings.

Speaking from the press launch in Tokyo, Chris Buma of Philips, says: "Except for the size of the disc, everything is different".

Hmm, when you say 50meg you mean 27meg untill a later date ;p

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fpot
Posted 02:43pm 20/2/02

I own all your man pr0n =D

I wonder how many more newbies will post that gay joke.

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Hunter
Posted 03:00pm 20/2/02

Huh? If i pay $40 for a hollywood dvd it probably sees $10 go to australian distributors and $30 to the yanks, or i can spend $5 on a chinese dvd that sees $5 go to chinese pirates, then i have $35 to spend on ciggies, beer and hot chips, which results in a lot more staying in the australian economy.

Ha, I hadn't thought of it THAT way, but now that you suggest it piracy is looking a whole lot more attractive... arg me hearties.

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Cailean
Posted 03:19pm 20/2/02

I couldn't really buy pirate DVD's. i like owning the original. Nice apcakging etc.

I just wish they would make DVD's more worthwile and cheaper.

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Justice
Posted 10:51am 21/2/02

* N U K E D *

By Saint

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Ad
Posted 10:51am 21/2/02

* N U K E D *

By Saint

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Raven
Posted 04:33pm 20/2/02

Man, all this whining about the layer changes - don't be such a cheapass and buy a decent player if you want to get rid of them! I've never noticed a layer change while watching movies on the PC, and layer changes are ~0-2 seconds on our Pioneer player.
It seems to be the cheaper players that have the longer transitions.

The worst thing about DVD is the NTSC/PAL encoding and Region CSS. All discs should be shipped in some kind of multi format (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) encoding, with no bloody CSS/region encryption.

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Justice
Posted 05:43pm 20/2/02

Our player in very noticeable when changing layers, but that�s the price u pay for old unlocked DVD players.

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Draffa
Posted 06:39pm 20/2/02

Huh? If i pay $40 for a hollywood dvd it probably sees $10 go to australian distributors and $30 to the yanks, or i can spend $5 on a chinese dvd that sees $5 go to chinese pirates, then i have $35 to spend on ciggies, beer and hot chips, which results in a lot more staying in the australian economy.

No, but close. $10 goes to the retailer, ~$5 goes to the Aussie distributer, the rest goes to the Yanks. Even if region coding is not allowed here, DVD,'s won't get much cheaper. Ever imported a DV from America? After postage, the value is about the same, and if region coding isn't allowed, the studios might just no bother releaseing stuff here, we'd have to import the things. Oh, and how much money of that $35 you spent on smokes, beer and chips do you think stays in Oz?

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Zen Apathy
Posted 10:04pm 20/2/02

At least we'd get the same features

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verticalseafoodtaco
Posted 10:15pm 20/2/02

draffa what you said is wrong on so many levels

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Pharcyde
Posted 10:25pm 20/2/02

well thats just f*****g homo... I just got around to getting all my DVD s*** set up, and NOW look what happens

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Zen Apathy
Posted 10:56pm 20/2/02

It'll be a few years Pharcyde

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Draffa
Posted 02:21am 21/2/02

draffa what you said is wrong on so many levels

[sarcasm]care to point it out, or are you going to leave us all hanging in suspense?[/sarcasm]

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Otacon
Posted 02:34am 21/2/02

It'll be a few years Pharcyde

I doubt it - I smell another expensive, under-advertised waste of research. Someone else will always develop something better, bigger or faster - it all comes down to functionality and cost.

I.E. VHS and BETA
CD and Mini-Disc
DVD and this new blue laser thing.

Mini-Disc as a format is cheap as chips. Mini-Disc as a player/recorder is $600. No thanks. BETA owned VHS in quality..but it was too expensive and SONY and the other big boys wanted VHS to be the continued standard because of its cheapness and already widespread popularity...so it was.

Dont get me started on region locks - f*****g useless things they are. Especially when you can only get decent anime DVD's from America.

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natslovR
Posted 08:29am 21/2/02

I would own a quality DVD player, if when I bought my dvd player the quality machines came decent (any?) features.

Instead, I have an elcheapo but useful player (region free, no macro vision, plays mp3/vcd/svcd, and karaoke, with dolby + DTS).

On to more important things.. i picked beer, ciggies and hot chips to spend my (now) $25 on as they were consumable things that i thought a lot of the purchase price would remain in australia, considering two of them are the most highly taxed items around (isn't something like 70% of a pack of ciggies just tax?) and the other is a low priced but labour intensive product which we produce here (hot chips).

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Tollaz0r!
Posted 11:44am 21/2/02

Damn only 70%, cig'ies need to be taxed more. 99% thats sounds good. The more people forced to stop smoken ciggies the better :p

I hate seeing people ash OUTSIDE their car, its like the ASH isnt good enough for their car, but it is ok for the rest of the world... I hate it soo much. Dirty cigy smokers.

O and blu-ray looks cool.

But SR is right about product vs cost -effiecncy.

You could have the worlds best thingmi better then the thingos that out, if your thingmi cost 2x as much asa thingo then thingmi wont sell to well..

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