The Panasonic Blue Ray Story

The Panasonic Blue Ray is one interesting success story considering the controversies surrounding the technology and its number one rival – HD DVD. The great rift that was created between supporting companies of the two technologies have spurred continuous development of Blue Ray in order to stay ahead of the pack.

Panasonic Blue Ray Development

The Blue Ray disc is a high-density next generation optical disc format that primarily stores digital information. One of the main highlights is its very high storage capacity which allows several gigabytes of information unheard of before in traditional DVDs. The high storage capacity also allows high-definition video or HDV. Although Blue Ray discs were developed by the BDA or Blu-ray Disc Association, several companies including Panasonic has embraced the new technology covered by patents.

In November 2007, over 400 titles were released on Blu-Ray Disc in the United States. Some of the first titles were released in Japan. Panasonic Blue Ray has emerged as one of the top contenders in the ongoing format war as it continues to provide higher limits to consumers. The quality and definition of Panasonic Blue Ray discs is currently one of the best available.

Panasonic Blue Ray Disc Structure

Panasonic Blue Ray discs were among the first to incorporate hard-coat technologies. Panasonic also featured the 100 GB disc readable on standard Blue Ray drives. Other players and drives are said to be able to read the disc as well with some firmware updates. Panasonic uses a blue laser with a wavelength of 405 nm to read and write data. Since the cover layer is thinner and the laser beam more focused, Panasonic Blue Ray discs can then store clearer and more data. Data encoding is currently being developed to further maximize storage capacity.

The data layer of the discs is closer to the surface compared to traditional DVDs making it vulnerable to damage and weather. Panasonic then devised hard-coat enhancements to keep data safe and intact. Engineers are constantly trying to find universal specifications to merge the growing drift between Blue Ray and HD DVD. Panasonic Blue Ray discs are continuing to improve and develop to become the mainstream high-density format.

Panasonic has expanded to regions outside the United States such as Mexico. The company sees great potential in Blue Ray that it will soon become the staple media option. The company focuses on the cores of the technology namely: the layer, numerical aperture or NA and the blue laser.