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Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc, is the
name of the next-generation optical disc format.
The format was developed to handle high-definition
(HD) audio-visual content.
The format provides, at minimum, five times
more capacity than today's DVDs. The unprecedented
storage capacity of 25 GB (single-layer) and
50 GB (dual-layer) enables the disc to deliver
entertainment in full high-definition quality.
The name comes from the blue-violet color of
the laser beam that reads the data from these
discs. (DVDs and CDs use red and infrared lasers,
respectively.)
The primary difference is that the Blu-ray Disc
includes higher resolution video and audio.
In particular, the Royal Albert Hall material
as well as many of the bonus features are presented
in full 1080 high definition resolution. DVDs
are not capable of displaying high definitions.
Likewise, the Blu-ray Disc includes a master
quality surround sound audio stream – Dolby
TrueHD. A Dolby TrueHD stream is bit for bit
the same as an uncompressed PCM stream; however,
it takes up less space (much like a Zip file).
This extra space has been used to encode the
video at as high a bandwidth as can be fit.
The DVD contains a compressed surround audio
stream (Dolby Digital).
The Blu-ray Disc also includes lyrics under
the subtitle feature.
The Royal Albert Hall material was all shot
in high definition, although there are a few
shots within the Royal Albert Hall that were
pulled from the standard definition version
and uprezzed for production reasons.
While different discs will contain different
features, all Blu-ray discs allow for superior
video and audio quality, with the capability
for full HD resolution (1920 x 1080p) as well
as uncompressed surround sound audio.
High storage capacity means there is often room
for additional content and special features.
Unlike DVDs, you can bring up the menu system
without stopping the main program.
Blu-ray technology allows a level of interactivity
with the content and artist not possible to
date. For example, some titles may allow you
to seamlessly control multiple viewing angles
of a concert, call up related information about
an artist, song or venue, scroll through song
lyrics, get artist insights, and more.
This advanced interactivity, combined with the
ability for Blu-ray players to connect to the
Internet, will enable new innovative features
such as downloading extras, updating the disc
content via the Web, and watching live broadcasts
of special events.
Blu-ray Discs can be played in any Blu-ray player,
including the PlayStation 3. They cannot be
played in a regular DVD player.
Yes, but the video resolution will be scaled
down to meet your television's capabilities
and thus you will not be watching the high definition
picture.
— A high definition television (720P, 1080i,
or 1080P resolution).
— A Blu-ray player connected to an
appropriate processor/receiver via analog
component audio/video cables or digital HDMI
cable.
— A surround sound processor or receiver
with HDMI or analog multi-channel inputs.
— A good surround speaker setup (six speakers properly
placed).
All Blu-ray Disc players should play traditional
DVDs.
It depends on the content. Different footage
looks better when encoded in different codecs
and at certain bit rates. We always strive to
provide the highest possible video quality.
Typically, we encode using either MPEG2 and
AVC (H.264).
Typically, SONY BMG Blu-ray titles feature uncompressed
LPCM stereo and surround sound mixes as well
as a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix (for use with SPDIF
connections).
Uncompressed audio allows the music to be heard
as it was intended to be – in full fidelity
and with the proper aural spacing as originally
intended by the artist and audio engineers.
Indeed, the LPCM audio options on SONY BMG Blu-ray
Discs feature higher fidelity than traditional
CD quality audio. On some titles, in order to
fit a higher fidelity (e.g. 96khz/24-bit) surround
sound audio stream we may use a lossless codec
instead.
Most SONY BMG titles default to the uncompressed
LPCM Stereo stream so you will need to change
the audio selection from the disc menu if you
want to hear the other audio streams (like surround
sound).
That depends on the title.
Typically, the entire main program is presented
in full 1080p high definition. The general exception
to this would be when a show is filmed with
multiple cameras, not all of which are high
definition. In such cases a few camera angles
in the final edit will appear either in standard
definition or upsampled to high definition.
An example of this can be seen with 'Incubus
– Alive at Red Rocks', where the darker
audience shots were captured using standard
definition cameras and so have a slightly lower
resolution. For some titles, it is not uncommon
for the bonus features to be in standard definition.
We believe it is better to include such content
than omit it simply due to the lower resolution.
No, you do not need an Internet connection for
basic playback of Blu-ray Discs. An Internet
connection is only needed for value-added features
such as downloading new extras, connecting to
the artist's Web site, or other similar features
that will be available in the future. Not all
discs will contain these features.
1080i refers to the resolution of a picture
with interlaced (i) fields which fit together
to form one full frame, producing an image which
has a TV-like quality. 1080p refers to the resolution
of the picture with progressive (p) multiple
full frames, producing an image which appears
more like film.
Please click here
for more information.
HDMI delivers uncompressed high-definition video
and multi-channel digital audio signals through
a single cable to compatible components, producing
the best Blu-ray Disc experience possible.
In order to maximize your Blu-ray player's functionality
and take advantage of potential disc features,
we strongly encourage you to regularly visit
the web site of your player's manufacturer to
check for available software updates. In order
to get the highest quality audio experience,
use the HDMI connection or the multi-channel
analog connections on your Blu-ray player.
Links to updates may be found
here. |
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