When high definition TV sets initially began showing up in stores in late 90s folks were dazzled at the sharpness high definition offered over standard television screens. Since that time thousands of people have upgraded their TVs to take advantage of wide screen pictures with DVDs and high definition cable and satellite programming. While many people still haven't made the leap, a technology breakthrough has made even HDTV fans take notice. Developed by Sony, Blu-Ray has pushed screen quality to a new level. Just a few years gone, nobody had a clue what format would become the inheritor to DVD, but now Blu-Ray has won and I'll tell you why you should consider adding Blu-Ray to your home entertainment system.

Though research commenced in 2000, Sony and its partners didn't manufacture a final commercial product till mid 2006. The name Blu-Ray derives from the blue laser that's used to read information from a Blu-Ray formatted disc. This contrasts with the red laser used to scan standard DVD discs. Yet why is Blu-Ray better than existing DVD formats? Although Blu-Ray discs and players don't appear any different than normal DVDs, they can save much more info which means sharper picture, better audio, and more special features. DVDs can hold up to 8 gigabytes of info while Blu-Ray discs can hold fifty gigs. Huge difference. The max resolution of a DVD is 720x480 lines whereas Blu-Ray has a max of 1920x1080 (also called full hi-def). If you have spent $1000 or more on a 1080p TV, you're really not exploiting all the TV can deliver when watching standard DVDs.

In the beginning costs for Blu-Ray players were way above what a typical user needed to spend. Prices between $700 and $1000 were not unusual for first generation Blu-Ray players. Plus, there was another competing standard on the market that made lots of bewilderment. Toshiba and NEC introduced their own DVD successor with the delivery of the HD DVD format. HD DVD, with a capacity of 15 gigs, was a step up over regular DVDs but didn't equal the specs of Blu-Ray. But HD DVD did have some market benefits. First, HD DVD was on store shelves three months before Blu-Ray. Second, HD DVD devices where a little cheaper to make and were sold cheaper as a consequence. Finally, HD DVD had more Hollywood studios on signed up at launch than Sony did which meant more flicks were initially available while Blu-Ray remained rare.

Sony had a huge trick up their sleeve that quite potentially saved Blu-Ray from a Betamax destiny. Sony incorporated a Blu-Ray player into their long awaited PlayStation three and sold the entire device for a bit less than most stand alone players were being sold for at the time. Soon after, Blu-Ray commenced making strides until soon it outsold HD DVD 2-to-1 by late 2007. More and more movie studios began to commit to the Blu-Ray standard totally, beginning with Warner Brothers in early 2008. Right after Toshiba stopped making HD DVD players and recorders. By the end of 2008 rental companies Netflix and Blockbuster, as well as major stores, announced they'd no longer carry HD DVD flicks. Now all major studios release their films on Blu-Ray. A couple have continued to produce HD DVD and Blu-Ray releases concurrently.

Prices have fallen significantly over the last few years also. Many name brand Blu-Ray players from firms like Panasonic and LG can easily be found between $150 and $250. Blu-Ray disc recorders are in the $200 - $400 range and dropping just as quickly. For anyone who enjoys watching films at home and has already invested in an HDTV, now is a great time to look into adding a Blu-Ray player to your home entertainment system. Even people who might be skeptical about Blu-Ray's enhancements over DVD owe it themselves to go down to their local electronics store and ask for a Blu-Ray demonstration. The picture clearness and audio fidelity from Blu-Ray is truly superb.