Blu-Ray Balloons (to 50GB disc)
The Sony Blu-Ray has gone through a number of stages. First just a rumor and nothing more, it has since become the next-gen DVD "diamond in the rough." No one can deny its potential; the storage space for each disc offers almost unlimited possibilities. As a result, many initially tagged Blu-Ray as the wave of the home movie future. That is, until HD-DVD showed up and started showing a comparable display for nearly half the price. Today, it seems, Blu-Ray is once again trying to reassert itself, with the announcement of a 50GB disc.
Sony Pictures will release the vaunted disc when Adam Sandler's "Click" makes its way to home theatres Tuesday. The 50GB of space actually doubles previous Blu-Ray storage space, which was already an impressive 25GB.
The 25GB surely can't be exclusively meant for "Click". That movie certainly deserves no special advance in technology. Instead, the 25GB of additional space will be used for greater interactivity and a variety of bonus features, including high definition selections and uncompressed PCM audio. For those who aren't following, the storage increase will simply allow for better looking and sounding DVDs.
"Click" isn't the only flick receiving the 25GB+ treatment. Will Ferrel's summer Nascar comedy "Talladega Nights" and the Somali war action drama "Black Hawk Down" will both be boosted to 50GB before the end of the year (just in time for a techie Christmas).
The entire process of doubling Blu-Ray disc storage capacity is actually the employment of a second data layer. Despite the fact that the much-hyped Blu-Ray has been available in limited quantities (for mucho moneys) since June, none of the released movies have attempted the double-layer process. The added features may or may not help Blu-Ray along, which has experienced an unhealthy helping of bad press with its cost and limited improvement over the cheaper HD-DVD.
Although an arguable point, Blu-Ray may be hurting from its exclusive association with the Playstation 3, which is also receiving not-so-hot reviews for its cost (ironically enough, because of its inclusion of the Blu-Ray player).
Although the increased storage space is hardly going to win over the next-gen DVD crowd with a handful of extras, if utilized properly by Sony in the near future, it could potentially reverse the declining fortunes of the Blu-Ray player.
