Blu-ray: A Primer
Blu-ray is an optical disc format which is set to rival HD-DVD (http://www.the-hdtv-tuner.com/high-definition-dvd.html) in the race to be the de-facto standard storage medium for HDTV. The HD-DVD vs Blu-ray battle resembles that between Betamax and VHS and DVD+RW and DVD-RW.Currently, the major Hollywood film studios are split evenly in their support fro Blu-ray and HD-DVD, but most of the electronics industry is currently in the Blu-ray camp. The key difference between Blu-ray disc players and recorders and current optical disc technology is that Blu-ray, as its name suggests, uses a blue-violet laser to read and write data rather than a red one. Blue light has a shorter wavelength than red light, and according to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), which is made up of, amongst others, Sony, Philips, Panasonic, and Pioneer, this means that the laser spot can be focussed with greater precision.Blu-ray discs have a maximum capacity of 25GB and dual-layer discs can hold up to 50GB - enough for four hours of HDTV. Like HD-DVD, Blue laser discs don't require a caddy and the players and recorders will be able to play current DVD discs.
Codecs supported by Blu-ray include the H.264 MPEG-4 codec which will form part of Apple's QuickTime 7, and the Windows Media 9 based VC-1.The BDA says that although blue laser discs and players are already shipping in Japan, they won't ship in the US until the end of 2005 at the very earliest. It is likely that players will be very expensive initially, compared to DVD players. In Japan, they cost the equivalent of $2000. However, as with all new technology, prices will quickly fall - particularly as Blu-ray will be competing with HD-DVD for that space under your TV..
Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner (http://www.the-hdtv-tuner.com) - a guide to the kit, the technology and the programming on HDTV.Free DISH Network HDTV Receiver Guide
DISH Network HDTV Receiver
When you subscribe to DISH Network's satellite TV service you get all the equipment you need for satellite TV viewing - a dish and a four-room receiver system. But what if you want to watch your programs in high definition?
Well, you're in luck. You can upgrade your system and get an HDTV receiver for free when you place your order
DISH Network HDTV Receiver Features
DISH Network HDTV receivers have a host of features including:
* An integrated off-air tuner for high-definition and standard over-the-air
reception.
* An electronic program guide with on-screen navigation so you can see what's on satellite TV.
* Parental locks so you can prevent your children from watching inappropriate programs.
* Interactive TV so you can watch six screens at once, and on-demand...
Hdtv > Free DISH Network HDTV Receiver Guide
EDTV: What You Should Know Before You Make That Purchase
Enhanced Definition Television ? also known as EDTV ? is one of the many modern viewing technologies of our time. Often confused with HDTV capability, this is actually a compromise between standard TV and HDTV. In fact, the visual benefits are at least twice that of standard television, since EDTV technology offers a minimum resolution of 480p when used on a monitor. As a result, you'll find that this type of system is more expensive thanstandard television, yet cheaper than HDTV technology.While there's been a hew and a cry to purchase the more expensive ? and higher quality ? HDTV, there are actually some advantages to the "second best" EDTV version. First, there can be as much as a $1200 price difference between the two, and ? in some scenarios ? the viewing quality of EDTV is superior to that of its pricier counterpart.
For instance, there's only a 10% difference in quality when you're viewing two plasma TVs that have been produced by the same manufacturer, but the EDTV soars...
EDTV: What You Should Know Before You Make That Purchase
Hdtv > EDTV: What You Should Know Before You Make That Purchase