Blu-ray |
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 Think you've seen the best HD can get with HD TV, well, think again! Blu-ray offers an even better quality picture than HD TV and is the best format for getting the most out of your 1080p HD Ready TV. Some of the key advantages of Blu-ray are listed below.
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Picture
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Full 1080p resolution |
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 Currently, this is the highest resolution available on commercial video. The term 1080p means that there are 1080 horizontal lines that are produced using a progressive scan technique rather than the, inferior, interlacing (1080i). Progressive scan draws each line of the image sequentially as opposed to interlacing which draws only odd lines then even lines. Although interlacing is fine for normal TV, it can lead to flicker. This isn't immediately obvious until you see a progressive image alongside, which has added depth and appears more 'solid'. HDTV uses either 720p or 1080i. 720p uses the same progressive scan technique but fewer lines and, therefore, gives a less detailed picture. 1080i uses the same amount of lines but the image is less stable as it's only interlaced. Blu-ray has the best of both worlds and gives you the very best resolution!
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24fps |
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24fps or 24p stands for 24 frames per second and is the standard used by most film studios to film and edit material. By using a Blu-ray player and compatible 24p TV you are, in effect, seeing the film exactly as it's meant to be seen. There is no conversion to PAL 50 or NTSC 60 and, therefore, no chance of image glitch or annoying digital artefacts. What you see on the screen is exactly what the director intended.
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x.v.Color |
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This colour system is used by most, current Blu-ray players (using HDMI v1.3 onwards). It supports a colour gamut 1.8 times larger than sRGB - the traditional system. A larger colour gamut essentially means more colours so that, for example, cyan is more precisely produced than before. The result is more natural looking colours, whatever the genre of film.
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Deep Color |
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Deep Color is another feature of the HDMI v1.3 connection. It increases the bit depth of each colour component in effect giving a wider pallet of colours. With 12-bit Deep Colour, for example, there are up to 68.4 billion shades available. With 8-bit this figure is 16.7 million. This may still sound like a lot of colours but the higher bit rates really do produce a more subtle and realistic picture.
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1080p upscaling |
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Blu-ray is backwards compatible. What this means is that you can not only keep your current DVDs but view them in higher quality than ever before. 1080p upscaling takes the standard 480i or 480p signal and upscales it to 720p, 1080i or 1080p resolution (depending upon your TV set). While upscaling should improve the picture quality by enhancing the resolution, it can never be as good as a 1080p signal (from a Blu-ray disc) in the first place as, in effect, the extra lines are 'put in' by sampling existing pixels.
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Sound
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Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio |
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 These sound enhancements feature widely in Blu-ray players. They give surround sound coding in 7.1 channels and at High Definition audio quality. Simply put, these processors give a breathtaking sound quality to match the HD picture. To get the best from Dolby HD or DTS HD you need to connect your Blu-ray player up to a home cinema system. If the AV system or receiver has Dolby HD and DTS HD processors built-in then connect via HDMI for best results. If it's an older AV receiver, but still has a 7.1 RCA multi-channel input then you need a Blu-ray player with a 7.1 RCA multi-channel output. Examples of Blu-ray players with and without this output are the Panasonic DMP-BD80 and DMP-BD60. Either way, by not making the most of the Blu-ray's sound potential through a home cinema system, you're only getting half of the full High Definition experience.
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Other great features with Blu-ray
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BD-Live |
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Almost all Blu-ray players now meet the BD-Live specification. This takes interactivity one stage further by offering a connection to your Internet. This connection can either be via LAN cable or, increasingly so, via a wireless connection. Once connected, BD-Live gives access to extra film information and firmware upgrades. In some cases this is bolstered by applications that give you access to sites such as YouTube and Flickr. In short, you can now enjoy the many of the best sites on the Internet through your TV, via a Blu-ray player!
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Full backwards compatibility |
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Play your DVDs and CDs on any Blu-ray player.
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What you'll need for full Blu-ray viewing |
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* Blu-ray player
* 1080p HD Ready TV
* HDMI lead of v1.3 quality or above
* Broadband Internet connection with home hub - optional
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