3.1 What is Blu-ray Disc?
3.2 Why the name Blu-ray Disc?
3.3 What is the Blu-ray Disc Association?
3.4 What are some notable milestones in the life of BD?
3.1 What is Blu-ray Disc?
Blu-ray Disc (BD) is an optical storage technology designed with capacity and performance sufficient to meet the demands and expectations of high definition (HD) movie distribution and personal video recording.
The same physical size and appearance as CD and DVD, BD operates using like principles whereby data is written to or read from a rotating disc by means of a focused laser light beam. However, whereas CD and DVD hold up to 700 MB and 8.5 GB respectively, BD stores as much as 50 GB. The increased capacity (areal density) of BD is achieved by employing smaller sized pits/marks and lands more tightly packed together to encode the data in the disc. These physical disc features can be read or written thanks to a smaller laser spot size created with a shorter blue wavelength laser focused through a larger numerical aperture objective lens (see figure 3.1). In part, higher performance comes by rotating the disc faster so that, whereas CD transfers 153,600 bytes of user data per second and DVD 1,385,000 bytes per second, BD transfers 4,495,625 bytes per second (see table).
As a movie platform, BD supports both standard (SD) and high definition (HD) video, the latest multi-channel audio technologies as well as more sophisticated navigation, elaborate visual and interaction possibilities than those employed in DVD. To deter unauthorized copying of commercial material, BD also incorporates more robust content management and protection mechanisms. Other personal and professional uses include computer data storage, archiving and software distribution as well as television broadcast and camcorder recording where up to 4 hrs (HD) or 24 hrs VHS-quality (SD) analog and digital material can be captured and edited.
| Characteristic | BD | BD9 | DVD | CD |
| Capacity | 12 cm: 25 GB (SL), 50 GB (DL), 8cm: 7.79 (SL), 15.58 (DL) | 12 cm: 4.7 GB (SL), 8.5 GB (DL) |
12 cm: 4.7 GB (SL), 8.5 GB (DL), 8 cm: 1.46 (SL), 2.66 GB (DL) | 12 cm: 700 MB 8 cm: 185 MB |
| Wavelength (nm) | 405 (blue) | 650 (red) | 650 (red) | 780 (infared) |
| Numerical aperture (NA) | 0.85 | 0.60 | 0.60 | 0.50 |
| Substrate/cover thickness (mm) | 0.1 (SL), 0.075 (DL) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| Laser spot size (µm) | 0.58 | 1.32 | 1.32 | 2.11 |
| Track pitch (µm) | 0.32 | 0.74 | 0.74 | 1.6 |
| Minimum pit/mark length (µm) | 0.149 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Areal density (Gb/in2) | 14.73 | 2.77 | 2.77 | 0.41 |
| Channel bit rate (Mbps) | 66.000 | 78.46875 | 26.15625 | 4.3218 |
| User data rate (Mbps) | 35.965 (data), 53.948 (movie) | 33.24 | 11.08 (data), 10.08 (video) | 1.2288 |
| Reference velocity (m/s) | 4.917 (data), 7.367 (movie) | 10.47 (SL), 11.52 (DL) | 3.49 (SL), 3.84 (DL) | 1.3 |
| Rotation | CLV (CCW) | CLV (CCW) | CLV (CCW) | CLV (CCW) |
| Physical formats | ROM, R, RE | ROM | ROM, ±R, ±RW, RAM, ±R DL, ±RW DL | ROM, R, RW |
| Application formats | ROM, BD-R/RE AV, BD-ROM AV (HDMV, BD-J) | BD-ROM AV (HDMV, BD-J) | ROM, DVD-V, DVD-A, DVD±VR, DVD-AR, DVD-SR, DVD-ENAV | ROM, DA, VCD, SVCD, CD-i, CD+G/M |
| Content protection | AACS, BD+, ROM Mark | AACS, BD+, ROM Mark | CSS, CPPM, CPRM, VCPS | NA |
3.2 Why the name Blu-ray Disc?
The name Blu-ray Disc describes its essential nature as an optical disc storage technology employing a 405 nm (blue) wavelength laser to read and write information. Its misspelling is adopted to make it distinctive for trademark protection. BD is the common abbreviation used to designate Blu-ray Disc.
Misspellings: Bluray, Blueray, Blue ray, Blue-ray, Bluewray, Blue wray, Blue-wray, Bluwray, Blu wray, Blu-wray, Blewray, Blew ray, Blew-ray, Blewwray, Blew wray, Blew-wray, Disk.
Incorrect abbreviations: BR, BRD, BW, BWD, BD-RW, BDRW, BDR, BD-WO, BDWO, BDROM, BD-9, BD-nine, BDnine, BDvideo, BDlive, Bonus View, BonusView.
3.3 What is the Blu-ray Disc Association?
All BD formats are created and supported by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), originally formed from the Blu-ray Disc Founders (BDF), an alliance of manufacturers initiated in 2002 by Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Pioneer, Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, Sony, and Thomson.
Generally speaking, membership in the BDA is open to any entity interested in developing, improving and supporting the Blu-ray Disc format. As of Mar. 2009, the BDA consisted of 187 members and is lead by its board of directors composed of representatives from Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Intel, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, Sun Microsystems, Sony, TDK, Thomson, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Entertainment. A variety of subordinate committees (see figure 3.2) are responsible for all technical matters (Joint Technical Committee), compliance issues (Compliance Committee), promotional activities (Global Promotion Committee) and legal dealings (Legal and Licensing Committee).
The BDA offers two classes of membership (Contributor and General), each with its own rights and obligations. Members pay annual fees of $3,000 (General), $20,000 (Contributor) or $50,000 (Contributor serving on the Board of Directors).
| Date | Event |
| Feb. 19, 2002 | Establishment of basic Blu-ray Disc specifications |
| May 20, 2002 | Formation of Blu-ray Disc Founders (a voluntary coalition consisting of Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita Electric, Pioneer, Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, Sony, and Thomson) |
| Mar. 15, 2004 | Blu-ray Disc Founders charter effective date |
| Sept. 20, 2004 | Incorporation of Blu-ray Disc Administration Corp. (a California mutual benefit nonprofit corporation [under IRC 501(c)(6)]) |
| Oct. 4, 2004 | Blu-ray Disc Association charter effective date (an unincorporated organization established within Blu-ray Disc Administration Corp.) |
| Apr. 5, 2007 | Blu-ray Disc Administration Corp. merges with Blu-ray Disc Association and changes name to Blu-ray Disc Association |
Blu-ray Disc Association Membership List (as of Jan. 2009)
Board of Directors: Apple, Inc., Dell, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc., TDK Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, Thomson, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Contributors: Acer Incorporated, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Almedio Inc., Alticast, Aplix Corporation, ArcSoft, Inc., AudioDev AB, Broadcom Corporation, Canon Inc., CESI Technology Co. Ltd., China Hualu Group Co., Ltd., CMC Magnetics Corporation, Corel Corporation, Cryptography Research Inc., CyberLink Corp., Daxon Technology Inc., DCA Inc., Deluxe Media Services Inc., Dolby Laboratories Inc., Dreamer Co., Ltd., DTS, Inc., Eclipse Data Technologies, Fraunhofer IIS, FUJIFILM Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd., Funai Electric Co., Ltd., Gibson Guitar Corp., Industrial Technology Research Institute, Kenwood Corporation, Lionsgate Entertainment, LITE-ON IT Corporation, Macrovision Corp., Magnum Semiconductor, Inc., Marvell International Ltd., MediaTek Inc., Meridian Audio Ltd., Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co.Ltd., Monster Cable Products, Moser Baer India Limited, NEC Electronics Corporation, Nero, Osmosys SA, Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd., Ritek Corporation, Sensio Technologies Inc., ShibaSoku Co. Ltd., Sigma Designs Inc., Singulus Technologies, Sonic Solutions, ST Microelectronics, Sunext, Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.,, Testronic Laboratories, Inc., Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd., Visionare Corporation, Zentek Technology Japan, Inc., Zoran Corporation.
General Members: Adobe Systems, After Hours Inc., Allion Test Labs, Inc., Alpine Electronics Inc., Arima Devices Corporation, ashampoo GmbH & Co. KG, ASV Corp., Avid Development GmbH, Bang & Olufsen, BASF AG, B.H.A. Corporation, BluFocus Inc., Brickbox Digital Media, CANVASs Co., Ltd., Cheertek Inc., Cinram Manufacturing Inc., CustomFlix Labs, Inc., Custom Technology Inc., D-Box Technologies Inc., D&M holdings, Inc., Daewoo Electronics Corporation, Daikin Industries, Ltd., ELEKTROFILM, Elpida Memory, Inc., Emfasys Corporation, Esmertec, Expert Magnetics Corp., Falcon Technologies International, Flag Co., Ltd., Fujitsu Ten Ltd., Gear Software, General Displays & Technologies, Global Machinery Co., Ltd., Gowell Electronic Limited, Hie Electronics, Inc., Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd, IM Co., Ltd., IMAGICA Corp., Imation Corp., INFODISC Technology Co., Ltd., INFOSCIENCE Media Limited, Infomedia Inc., Info Source Multi Media Ltd., Intersil Corporation, Kenmec Mechanical Engineering Co., Ltd., Kobe Steel Co. Ltd., Konica Minolta Opto Inc., Lauda Co. Ltd., Lead Data Inc., LEADER ELECTRONICS CORP, Lenovo, LINTEC Corporation, MainConcept AG, Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd., MIT Technology Co., Ltd., Mozaik Multimedia, MoSys Incorporated, Must Technology Co., Ltd., MX Production Services, My Eye Media LLC, NEC Personal Products Ltd., NetBlender, Inc., Netflix Inc., Newtech Infosystems Inc., NHK Media Technology, Nichia Corporation, NTT Electronics Corporation, nVidia Corporation, Omnibus Japan Inc., Onkyo Corporation, Online Media Technologies Ltd., Ono Sokki Co., Ltd., Oppo Digital, Inc., OPT Corporation, OPTIM Corporation, Optodisc Technology Corporation, Origin Electric Co., Ltd., Pico House, Pixela Corporation, Plannet Associates, Pony Canyon Enterprise, Primera Technology, Inc., Prodisc Technology Inc., Q-TEC, Inc., Quantized Systems, Quanta Storage Inc., Realtek Semiconductors, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Dr. Schwab Inspection Technology GmbH, TEAC Corporation, Technical Staff Co., Ltd., Teijin Chemicals Ltd., 3rd i QC, Inc., THX Ltd., Toei Video Company Ltd., Toho Company, Ltd., TOPTICA Photonics AG, Trailer Park, UmeDisc Ltd., Universal Music Group, Inc., VideACE Inc., Videon Central, Vinpower Digital Inc., Yamaha Corporation, ZOOtech Ltd., 1K Studios, LLC.
Blu-ray Disc Association Board of Directors List (Jan. 1, 2009 – Dec. 31, 2010)
Benn Carr (Disney)
Andrew Hackett (Thomson)
Yukinori Kawauchi (Sony)
Danny Kaye (20th Century Fox)
Kenjiro Kime (Mitsubishi Electric)
Masayuki Kozuka (Panasonic)
Roel Kramer (Philips)
Clifford Loeb (Hewlett Packard)
Sumitaka Matsumura (Pioneer)
Lewis Ostrover (Warner Bros.)
Yasuo Otsuka (Hitachi)
Insik Park (Samsung Electronics)
Yongcheol Park (LG Electronics)
Keith W. Rowe (Intel)
Bill Sheppard (Sun Microsystems)
David Singer (Apple)
Akira Takahashi (Sharp)
Toshifumi Tanaka (TDK)
Brian Zucker (Dell)
Office:
Blu-ray Disc Association
10 Universal City Plaza, T-100
Universal City, CA 91608
USA
Association web site: www.blu-raydisc.com
Licensing web site: www.blu-raydisc.info
3.4 What are some notable milestones in the life of BD?
Since its initial format announcement on Feb. 19, 2002 and market introduction in Apr. 2003, significant milestones in the life of BD include:
| Date | Announcement/Event |
| 19 Feb. 2002 | Establishment of basic BD specifications |
| 20 May 2002 | Disclosure of BD-RE specifications |
| 17 Feb. 2003 | Start of licensing for BD-RE format |
| 11 Aug. 2004 | Approval of BD-ROM 1.0 physical specifications |
| 1 Sept. 2004 | MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1 added to BD-ROM specifications |
| 27 Sept. 2004 | DTS added to BD-ROM specifications |
| 9 Aug. 2005 | AACS, BD+ and ROM Mark added to BD-ROM specifications |
| 26 Dec. 2005 | Start of licensing for BD-R and BD-RE 2.0 format |
| 2 Jan. 2006 | Approval of BD-ROM, BD-R and BD-RE specifications |
| 17 Dec. 2009 | Blu-ray 3D added to BD-ROM specifications |
| 25 June 2010 | Approval of BDXL specifications |
| Release Date | Model | Manufacturer | Accomplishment |
| Apr. 2003 | BDZ-S77 | Sony | First BD CE recorder |
| July 2004 | DMR-E700BD | Panasonic | First dual-layer BD CE recorder |
| Dec. 2004 | BD-HD100 | Sharp | First BD CE recorder w/built-in HDD |
| June 2006 | BD-P1000 | Samsung | First BD-Video CE player |
| Nov. 2006 | PlayStation 3 (PS3) | Sony | First BD game console |
| Feb. 2007 | BH100 | LG | First BD/HD DVD CE player |
| Aug. 2007 | DZ-BD7H / DZ-BD70 | Hitachi | First BD camcorder |
| Nov. 2007 | DMP-BD30 | Panasonic | First BONUSVIEW CE player |
| June 2009 | DMP-B15 | Panasonic | First portable BD CE player |
| Sept. 2009 | CY-BB1000D | Panasonic | First automotive BD CE player |
| Mar. 2010 | BD-C6900 | Samsung | First Blu-ray 3D CE player |
| July 2010 | BD-HDW700 / BD-HDW70 | Sharp | First BDXL CE recorder |
| Release Date | Title | Studio | Accomplishment |
| June 2006 | The Fifth Element | Sony (SPE) | First BD (MPEG-2) |
| Oct. 2006 | Click | Sony (SPE) | First BD50 |
| Oct. 2006 | Firewall | Warner Bros. | First VC-1 encoded BD |
| Oct. 2006 | Eight Below | Disney/Buena Vista | First AVC encoded BD |
| Oct. 2006 | Legends of Jazz | LRSmedia | First Dolby TrueHD encoded BD |
| Nov. 2006 | Mission Impossible III | Paramount | First day-and-date BD release with DVD |
| Nov. 2006 | League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | 20th Century Fox | First BD-J authored BD |
| Dec. 2006 | The Descent | Lions Gate | First BD video commentary |
