Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray Disc (also known as Blu-ray or BD) is an optical disc

storage media format. Its main uses are high-definition video and
data storage. The disc has the same dimensions as a standard DVD
or CD.

The name Blu-ray Disc is derived from the blue laser (violet
coloured) used to read and write this type of disc. Because of its
shorter wavelength (405 nm), substantially more data can be stored
on a Blu-ray Disc than on the DVD format, which uses a red
(650 nm) laser. A dual layer Blu-ray Disc can store 50 GB, almost
six times the capacity of a double-dual layer DVD (or more than
10 times if single-layer).

Blu-ray Disc was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a

group of companies representing consumer electronics, computer
hardware, and motion picture production. As of July 30, 2008 more
than 720 Blu-ray Disc titles have been released in the United States
and more than 460 Blu-ray Disc titles have been released in
Japan.[2][3]

During the high definition optical disc format war, Blu-ray Disc
competed with the HD DVD format. On February 19, 2008,
Toshiba — the main company supporting HD DVD — announced
it would no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD
players and recorders,[4] leading almost all other HD DVD
supporters to follow suit, effectively ending the format war.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
o 1.1 Origins
o 1.2 Blu-ray Disc format finalized
o 1.3 Launch and sales developments
o 1.4 Competition from HD DVD
o 1.5 End of the format war
• 2 Technical specifications
o 2.1 Laser and optics
o 2.2 Hard-coating technology
o 2.3 Recording speed
• 3 Software standards
o 3.1 Codecs
o 3.2 Java software support
o 3.3 Region codes
o 3.4 Digital rights management (DRM)
• 4 Player profiles
• 5 Backward compatibility
• 6 Ongoing development
• 7 Variants
o 7.1 Mini Blu-ray Disc
o 7.2 BD9/BD5 Blu-ray Disc
o 7.3 AVCREC
o 7.4 Blu-ray Disc recordable
• 8 See also
o 8.1 Alternative disc technologies
• 9 References

• 10 External links

[edit] History

Optical disc authoring

v•d•e

• Optical disc
• Optical disc drive
• Optical disc authoring
• Authoring software
• Recording technologies
o Recording modes

o Packet writing
Optical media types
• Laserdisc (LD), Video Single Disc (VSD)
• Compact Disc (CD): Red Book, 5.1 Music Disc,
SACD, PhotoCD, CD-R, CD-ROM, CD-RW, CD
Video (CDV), Video CD (VCD), SVCD, CD+G,
CD-Text, CD-ROM XA, CD-i
• MiniDisc (MD) (Hi-MD)
• DVD: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL,
DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RW DL, DVD+RW
DL, DVD-RAM, DVD-D
• Ultra Density Optical (UDO)
• Universal Media Disc (UMD)
• HD DVD: HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, HD DVD-
RAM, HD DVD-ROM
• Blu-ray Disc (BD): BD-R, BD-RE
• High-Definition Versatile Disc (HVD)

• High definition Forward Versatile Disc (HD-FVD)

Standards
• Rainbow Books
• File systems
o ISO 9660
 Joliet
 Rock Ridge
 El Torito
 Apple ISO 9660 Extensions
o Universal Disk Format (ISO 9660) (UDF)

 Mount Rainier
Further reading
• History of optical storage media

• High definition optical disc format war

A blank rewritable Blu-ray Disc (BD-RE)

In 1998, commercial HDTV sets began to appear in the consumer

market; however, there was no commonly accepted, inexpensive
way to record or play HD content. In fact, there was no medium
with the storage required to accommodate HD codecs, except
JVC's Digital VHS and Sony's HDCAM.[5] Nevertheless, it was
well known that using lasers with shorter wavelengths would
enable optical storage with higher density. When Shuji Nakamura
invented practical blue laser diodes, it was a sensation, although a
lengthy patent lawsuit delayed commercial introduction.[6]

[edit] Origins

Philips and Sony started two projects applying the new diodes:
UDO (Ultra Density Optical) and DVR Blue (together with
Pioneer), a format of rewritable discs which would eventually
become Blu-ray Disc (more specifically, BD-RE).[7] The core
technologies of the formats are essentially similar.

The first DVR Blue prototypes were unveiled at the CEATEC

exhibition in October 2000.[8] Because the Blu-ray Disc standard
places the data recording layer close to the surface of the disc,
early discs were susceptible to contamination and scratches and
had to be enclosed in plastic cartridges for protection. In February
2002, the project was officially announced as Blu-ray,[9] and the
Blu-ray Disc Association was founded by the nine initial members.

The first consumer devices were in stores on April 10, 2003. This
device was the Sony BDZ-S77; a BD-RE recorder that was made
available only in Japan. The recommended price was US$3800;[10]
however, there was no standard for pre-recorded video and no
movies were released for this player. The Blu-ray Disc standard
was still years away as a newer, more secure DRM system was
needed before Hollywood studios would accept it, not wanting to
repeat the failure of the Content Scramble System used on DVDs.

[edit] Blu-ray Disc format finalized

The Blu-ray Disc physical specifications were finished in 2004.[11]

In January 2005, TDK announced that they had developed a hard
coating polymer for Blu-ray Discs.[12] The cartridges, no longer
necessary, were scrapped. The BD-ROM specifications were
finalized in early 2006.[13] AACS LA, a consortium founded in
2004,[14] had been developing the DRM platform that could be used
to securely distribute movies to consumers. However, the final
AACS standard was delayed,[15] and then delayed again when an
important member of the Blu-ray Disc group voiced concerns.[16]
At the request of the initial hardware manufacturers, including
Toshiba, Pioneer and Samsung, an interim standard was published
which did not include some features, like managed copy.[17]

[edit] Launch and sales developments

The first BD-ROM players were shipped in the middle of June

2006, though HD DVD players beat them in the race to the market
by a few months.[18][19]

The first Blu-ray Disc titles were released on June 20, 2006. The
earliest releases used MPEG-2 video compression, the same
method used on DVDs. The first releases using the newer VC-1
and AVC codecs were introduced in September 2006.[20] The first
movies using dual layer discs (50 GB) were introduced in October
2006.[21] The first audio-only release was made in March 2008.[22]

The first mass-market Blu-ray Disc rewritable drive for the PC was
the BWU-100A, released by Sony on July 18, 2006. It recorded
both single and dual layer BD-R as well as BD-RE discs and had a
suggested retail price of US$699.

[edit] Competition from HD DVD

Main article: High definition optical disc format war

The DVD Forum (which was chaired by Toshiba) was deeply split
over whether to develop the more expensive blue laser technology
or not. In March 2002, the forum voted to approve a proposal
endorsed by Warner Bros. and other motion picture studios that
involved compressing HD content onto dual-layer DVD-9
discs.[23][24] In spite of this decision, however, the DVD Forum's
Steering Committee announced in April that it was pursuing its
own blue-laser high-definition solution. In August, Toshiba and
NEC announced their competing standard Advanced Optical
Disc.[25] It was finally adopted by the DVD Forum and renamed
HD DVD the next year,[26] after being voted down twice by Blu-ray
Disc Association members, prompting the U.S. Department of
Justice to make preliminary investigations into the situation.[27][28]

HD DVD had a head start in the high definition video market and
Blu-ray Disc sales were slow at first. The first Blu-ray Disc player
was perceived as expensive and buggy, and there were few titles
available.[29] This changed when PlayStation 3 launched, since
every PS3 unit also functioned as a Blu-ray Disc player. At CES
2007 Warner proposed Total Hi Def which was a hybrid disc
containing Blu-ray on one side and HD DVD on the other but it
was never released. By January 2007, Blu-ray discs had outsold
HD DVDs,[30] and during the first three quarters of 2007, BD
outsold HD DVDs by about two to one. Finally, by February 2008,
Toshiba announced it was pulling its support for the HD DVD
format, leaving Blu Ray as the victor in the video wars.[31]

Some analysts believe that Sony's PlayStation 3 video game

console played an important role in the format war, believing it
acted as a catalyst for Blu-ray Disc, as the PlayStation 3 used a
Blu-ray Disc drive as its primary information storage medium.[32]
They also credited Sony's more thorough and influential marketing
campaign.[33] More recently several studios have cited Blu-ray
Disc's adoption of the BD+ anti-copying system as the reason they
supported Blu-ray Disc over HD DVD.[34]

[edit] End of the format war

In January 2008, a day before CES 2008, Warner Brothers, the

only major studio still releasing movies in both HD DVD and Blu-
ray Disc format, announced it would release only in Blu-ray Disc
after May 2008. This effectively included other studios which
came under the Warner umbrella, such as New Line Cinema and
HBO, though in Europe HBO distribution partner the BBC
announced it would, while keeping an eye on market forces,
continue to release product on both formats. This led to a chain
reaction in the industry, including major U.S. retailers such as Best
Buy, Wal-Mart, and Circuit City dropping HD DVD in their stores.
A major European retailer, Woolworths, dropped HD DVD from
its inventory. Netflix and Blockbuster, major DVD rental
companies, said they would no longer carry HD DVDs. Following
these new developments, on 19 February 2008, Toshiba announced
it would be ending production of HD DVD devices,[35] allowing
Blu-ray Disc to become the industry standard for high-density
optical disks. Universal Studios, the sole major movie studio to
back HD DVD since inception, shortly after Toshiba's
announcement, said "while Universal values the close partnership
we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to
releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray Disc."[36] Paramount
Studios, which started releasing movies only in HD DVD format
during late 2007, also said it would start releasing in Blu-ray Disc.
Both studios announced initial Blu-ray lineups in May 2008. With
this, all major Hollywood studios now support Blu-ray.[37]

Former HD DVD supporter Microsoft has stated that they are not
currently pursuing a Blu-ray Disc drive for the Xbox 360, and will
instead focus on their digital downloads from the Xbox Live
Marketplace.[38]

Blu-ray Disc began making serious strides as soon as the format

war ended. Nielsen VideoScan sales numbers showed that with
some titles, such as 20th Century Fox's "Hitman," up to 14% of
total disc sales were from Blu-ray, although the average for the
first half of the year was around 5%. Shortly after the format war
ended, a study by The NPD Group found that awareness of Blu-ray
Disc had reached 60% of U.S. households, with most experts
predicting the business will take off in a significant fashion in the
fourth quarter of 2008, when BD Live software and players--which
offer a variety of Web-enabled features, from downloadable trailers
to chat and instant-messaging functions--start hitting the market.

According to Singulus Technologies AG, Blu-ray is being adopted

faster than the DVD format was at the same period of its
development. This conclusion was made due to the fact that
Singulus Technologies has received orders for 21 Blu-ray dual-
layer machines only during the first quarter of 2008, while only 17
DVD machines of this type were made in the same period in
1997.[39]

[edit] Technical specifications

Physical size Single layer capacity Dual layer capacity

12 cm, single sided 25 GB (23.28 GiB) 50 GB (46.56 GiB)

8 cm, single sided 7.8 GB (7.26 GiB) 15.6 GB (14.53 GiB)

[edit] Laser and optics

Blu-ray Disc uses a "blue" (technically violet) laser operating at a

wavelength of 405 nm to read and write data. Conventional DVDs
and CDs use red and near infrared lasers at 650 nm and 780 nm
respectively.

The blue-violet laser's shorter wavelength makes it possible to

store more information on a 12 cm CD/DVD sized disc. The
minimum "spot size" on which a laser can be focused is limited by
diffraction, and depends on the wavelength of the light and the
numerical aperture of the lens used to focus it. By decreasing the
wavelength, increasing the numerical aperture from 0.60 to 0.85
and making the cover layer thinner to avoid unwanted optical
effects, the laser beam can be focused to a smaller spot. This
allows more information to be stored in the same area. For Blu-ray
Disc, the spot size is 580 nm.[40] In addition to the optical
improvements, Blu-ray Discs feature improvements in data
encoding that further increase the capacity. (See Compact disc for
information on optical discs' physical structure.)

[edit] Hard-coating technology

Because the Blu-ray Disc data layer is closer to the surface of the
disc, compared to the DVD standard, it was at first more
vulnerable to scratches. The first discs were housed in cartridges
for protection. Advances in polymer technology eventually made
the cartridges unnecessary.[41]

TDK was the first company to develop a working scratch

protection coating for Blu-ray Discs. It was named Durabis. In
addition, both Sony and Panasonic's replication methods include
proprietary hard-coat technologies. Sony's rewritable media are
spin-coated with a scratch-resistant and antistatic coating.
Verbatim's recordable and rewritable Blu-ray Disc discs use their
own proprietary hard-coat technology called ScratchGuard.

[edit] Recording speed

 Data rate Write time for Blu-ray Disc (minutes)
Drive speed
Mbit/s MB/s Single Layer Dual Layer

1× 36 4.5 90 180

2× 72 9 45 90

4× 144 18 23 45

6× 216 27 15 30

8×* 288 36 12 23

12×* 432 54 8 15

*Theoretical

[edit] Software standards

[edit] Codecs

Codecs are compression schemes that store audio and video more
efficiently, either giving longer play time or higher quality per
megabyte. There are both lossy and lossless compression
techniques.

The BD-ROM specification mandates certain codec compatibilities

for both hardware decoders (players) and the movie-software
(content). For video, all players are required to support MPEG-2,
H.264/AVC, and SMPTE VC-1. MPEG-2 is the codec used on
regular DVDs, which allows backwards compatibility. H.264/AVC
was developed by MPEG and VCEG as a modern successor of
H.263 . VC-1 is another MPEG-4 derivative codec mostly
developed by Microsoft. BD-ROM titles with video must store
video using one of the three mandatory codecs. Multiple codecs on
a single title are allowed.

The choice of codecs affects the producer's licensing/royalty costs,

as well as the title's maximum runtime, due to differences in
compression efficiency. Discs encoded in MPEG-2 video typically
limit content producers to around two hours of high-definition
content on a single-layer (25 GB) BD-ROM. The more advanced
video codecs (VC-1 and H.264) typically achieve a video runtime
twice that of MPEG-2, with comparable quality.

MPEG-2 was used by many studios, including Paramount Pictures

(which initially used the VC-1 codec for HD DVD releases) for the
first series of Blu-ray discs that were launched throughout 2006.
Modern releases are now often encoded in either H.264/AVC or
VC-1, allowing film studios to place all content on one disc,
reducing costs and improving ease of use. Using these codecs will
also free many GB of space for storage of bonus content in HD
(1080i/p) as opposed to the SD (480i/p) typically used for most
titles. Some studios (such as Warner Bros.) have released bonus
content on discs encoded in a different codec than the main feature
title; for example the Blu-ray release of Superman Returns uses
VC-1 for the feature film and MPEG-2 for bonus content
(presumably because it is simply ported from the DVD release).

For audio, BD-ROM players are required to support Dolby Digital,

DTS, and linear PCM. Players may optionally support Dolby
Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, as well as
lossless formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. BD-
ROM titles must use one of the mandatory schemes for the primary
soundtrack. A secondary audiotrack, if present, may use any of the
mandatory or optional codecs.[42]

For users recording digital television programming, the recordable

Blu-ray Disc standard's initial data rate of 36 Mbit/s is more than
adequate to record high-definition broadcasts from any source
(IPTV, cable/satellite, or terrestrial). Blu-ray movies have a
maximum data transfer rate of 54 Mbit/s, a maximum AV bitrate of
48 Mbit/s (for both audio and video data), and a maximum video
bitrate of 40 Mbit/s. This compares to HD DVD movies which
have a maximum data transfer rate of 36 Mbit/s, a maximum AV
bitrate of 30.24 Mbit/s, and a maximum video bitrate of
29.4 Mbit/s.[43]

[edit] Java software support

 Main article: BD-J

At the 2005 JavaOne trade show, it was announced that Sun

Microsystems' Java cross-platform software environment would be
included in all Blu-ray Disc players as a mandatory part of the
standard. Java is used to implement interactive menus on Blu-ray
Discs, as opposed to the method used on DVD video discs, which
uses pre-rendered MPEG segments and selectable subtitle pictures,
which is considerably more primitive and less seamless. Java
creator James Gosling, at the conference, suggested that the
inclusion of a Java Virtual Machine as well as network
connectivity in some BD devices will allow updates to Blu-ray
Discs via the Internet, adding content such as additional subtitle
languages and promotional features that are not included on the
disc at pressing time. This Java Version is called BD-J and is a
subset of the Globally Executable MHP (GEM) standard. GEM is
the world-wide version of the Multimedia Home Platform
standard.

[edit] Region codes

Blu-ray Discs may be encoded with a region code, intended to

restrict the area of the world in which they can be played, similar
in principle to the DVD region codes, although the used
geographical regions differ. Blu-ray Disc players sold in a certain
region may only play discs encoded for that region. The purpose of
this system is to allow motion picture studios to control the various
aspects of a release (including content, date, and in particular
price) according to the region. Discs may also be produced without
region coding, so they can be played on all devices.
This places the countries of the major Blu-ray manufacturers
(Japan, Korea, Malaysia) in the same region as North America. As
of early 2008, about two-thirds of all released discs were region-
free.[45]

In the Blu-ray region coding system, the United States is placed in

region A while regions B and C are used for countries which can
experience localization delays before U.S. titles are officially
released. The opposite, though, is sometimes true and a few new
titles such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Running
Scared were released in certain European countries before the U.S.
release.[46] In response to the DVD region system, multi-region and
region-free DVD players became dominant in certain markets;
certain Blu-ray player models have been modified to allow for
playback of Blu-ray discs from Regions A and B and DVD discs
from Regions 1 and 2.[47]

Major studios have different preferences with region coding,

studios such as Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures and Universal
Studios release all titles region free - corresponding to their former
support of the mandatory region free HD DVD format, Lionsgate
releases all but few select titles region free, Disney and Sony
Pictures release a mix of region free and locked titles, 20th Century
Fox is the only studio that releases all titles region locked which
has led to critism because the studio releases far fewer titles
internationally and often at much higher prices.

[edit] Digital rights management (DRM)

The Blu-ray Disc format employs several layers of digital rights

management.[48][49]

AACS decryption process

Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for
content distribution and digital rights management. It is developed
by AS Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA), a consortium
that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Matsushita (Panasonic),
Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony.

Since appearing in devices in 2006, several successful attacks have

been made on the format. The first known attack relied on the
trusted client problem. In addition, decryption keys have been
extracted from a weakly protected player (WinDVD). However,
even though some AACS cryptographic keys have been
compromised, new releases will use new, uncompromised keys.[50]

BD+ was developed by Cryptography Research Inc. and is based

on their concept of Self-Protecting Digital Content.[51] BD+ is
effectively a small virtual machine embedded in authorized
players. It allows content providers to include executable programs
on Blu-ray Discs. Such programs can:[48]

• examine the host environment, to see if the player has been

tampered with. Every licensed playback device
manufacturer must provide the BD+ licensing authority
with memory footprints that identify their devices.
• verify that the player's keys have not been changed.
• execute native code, possibly to patch an otherwise
insecure system.
• transform the audio and video output. Parts of the content
will not be viewable without letting the BD+-program
unscramble it.

If a playback device manufacturer finds that its devices have been

hacked, it can potentially release BD+-code that detects and
circumvents the vulnerability. These programs can then be
included in all new content releases.

The specifications of the BD+ virtual machine are available only to

licensed device manufacturers. A list of licensed adopters is
available from the BD+ website.

BD+ was made available for content publishers in June 2007.[52]

The first titles using BD+ were released in October the same year.
Players from Samsung and LG had problems playing back those
titles until the manufacturers updated their firmware, but this
problem was later identified as being related to BD-Java use, not
BD+.[53] BD+ protection was fully circumvented with the release
6.4.0.0 of AnyDVD HD program.
BD-ROM Mark is a small amount of cryptographical data that is
stored physically differently from normal Blu-ray Disc data. Bit-
by-bit copies that do not replicate the BD-ROM Mark are
impossible to decode. A specially licensed piece of hardware is
required to insert the ROM-mark into the media during replication.
Through licensing of the special hardware element, the BDA
believes that it can eliminate the possibility of mass producing BD-
ROMs without authorization.

[edit] Player profiles

The BD-ROM specification defines four Blu-ray Disc player
profiles which includes an audio only player profile (BD-Audio)
that does not require video decoding or BD-J.[54] All three of the
video based player profiles (BD-Video) are required to have a full
implementation of BD-J, but with varying levels of hardware
support.

BD-Video
BD-
Audio
Grace Period
[d] Bonus View [e] BD-Live
Feature

Profile
Profile 1.0 Profile 1.1 Profile 2.0
3.0 [c]

Built-in
persistent No 64 KB 64 KB 64 KB
memory

Local
storage No Optional 256 MB 1 GB
capability[a]

Secondary
video
No Optional Mandatory Mandatory
decoder
(PiP)
Secondary
audio No Optional Mandatory Mandatory
decoder[b]

Virtual file
No Optional Mandatory Mandatory
system

Internet
connection No No No Mandatory
capability

^ a This is used for storing audio/video and title updates. It can either be built in
memory or removable media, such as a memory card or USB flash memory.
^ b A secondary audio decoder is typically used for interactive audio and
commentary.
^ c Profile 3.0 is a separate audio only player profile. As of 2008-06-26, only
one known Blu-ray record has been released and it has been confirmed to work
on the PS3.[55][56]
^ d Is also known as Initial Standard profile.
^ e Is also known as Final Standard profile.

On November 1, 2007, the Grace Period Profile was superseded by

Bonus View as the minimum profile for new BD-Video players
released to the market.[57] When Blu-ray software authored with
interactive features dependent on Bonus View or BD-Live
hardware capabilities are played on Profile 1.0 players they will be
able to play the main feature of the disc but some extra features
may not be available or may offer limited capability.[58]

Excepting the LG-BH100, the LG-BH200, the PlayStation 3, and

the Samsung BD-UP5000, Profile 1.0 players can not be upgraded
to be Bonus View or BD-Live compliant.[59][60][61]

[edit] Backward compatibility

Though not compulsory, the Blu-ray Disc Association recommends
that Blu-ray Disc drives should be capable of reading standard
DVDs and CDs for backward compatibility.[62] A few early Blu-ray
Disc players released in 2006 could play DVDs but not CDs (the
LG BH100, Pioneer BDP-HD1, and Sony BDP-S1)[63][64][65] but all
current Blu-ray Disc players are capable of both DVD and CD
playback. [66]
[edit] Ongoing development

Front of an experimental Blu-ray Disc

Although the Blu-ray Disc specification has been finalized,

engineers continue working to advance the technology. Quad-layer
(100 GB) discs have been demonstrated on a drive with modified
optics (TDK version) and standard unaltered optics ("Hitachi used
a standard drive.").[67][68] Hitachi stated that such a disc could be
used to store 7 hours of 32 Mbit/s video (HDTV) or 3.5 hours of
64 Mbit/s video (Cinema 4K). Furthermore TDK announced in
August 2006 that they have created a working experimental Blu-
ray Disc capable of holding 200 GB of data on a single side, using
six 33 GB data layers.[69]

Also behind closed doors at CES 2007, Ritek revealed that they
had successfully developed a High Definition optical disc process
that extends the disc capacity to 10 layers. That increases the
capacity of the discs to 250 GB. However, they noted that the
major obstacle is that current reader and writer technology does not
support the additional layers.[70]

JVC has developed a three-layer technology that allows putting

both standard-definition DVD data and HD data on a BD/DVD
combo. If successfully commercialized, this would enable the
consumer to purchase a disc which could be played on current
DVD players, and reveal its HD version when played on a new BD
player.[71] This hybrid disc does not appear to be ready for
production and no titles have been announced that would use this
disc structure.

In January 2007, Hitachi showcased a 100 GB Blu-ray Disc, which

consists of four layers containing 25 GB each.[72] Unlike TDK and
Panasonic's 100 GB discs, they claim this disc is readable on
standard Blu-ray Disc drives that are currently in circulation, and it
is believed that a firmware update is the only requirement to make
it readable to current players and drives.[73]

As of April, 2008 a joint licensing agreement for Blu-ray Disc has

not yet been finalized.[74] A joint licensing agreement would make
it easier for companies to get a license for Blu-ray Disc without
having to go to each individual company that owns a Blu-ray Disc
patent. For this reason a joint licensing agreement was eventually
made for DVD by the DVD6C Licensing Agency.[75]

[edit] Variants
[edit] Mini Blu-ray Disc

The Mini Blu-ray Disc (also, Mini-BD and Mini Blu-ray) is a

compact 8cm (~3in) diameter variant of the Blu-ray Disc that can
store approximately 7.5 GB of data. It is similar in concept to the
MiniDVD.

Recordable (BD-R) and rewritable (BD-RE) versions of Mini Blu-

ray Disc have been developed specifically for compact camcorders
and other compact recording devices.[76]

[edit] BD9/BD5 Blu-ray Disc

See also: 3× DVD

BD9 and BD5 are lower capacity variants of the Blu-ray Disc that
contain Blu-ray compatible video and audio streams contained on a
conventional DVD (650 nm wavelength / red laser) optical disc.
Such discs offer the use of the same advanced compression
technologies available to Blu-ray discs (including MPEG-4-
AVC/H.264, SMPTE-421M/VC-1 and MPEG-2) while using lower
cost legacy media. BD9 uses a standard 8152MB DVD9 dual-layer
disc while BD5 uses a standard 4489MB DVD5 single-layer
disc.[77]

Given that Blu-ray Discs are assumed to have a minimum transfer

rate of 30.25 Mbit/s, BD9/BD5 discs must be spun at high speed,
equivalent to a 3× DVD drive speed or greater.

BD9 and BD5 discs can be authored using home computers for
private showing using standard DVD±R recorders. AACS digital
rights management is optional.[78]
The BD9 format was originally proposed by Warner Home Video,
as a cost-effective alternative to regular Blu-ray Discs.[79] It was
adopted as part of the BD-ROM basic format, file system and AV
specifications. BD5 and BD9 are similar to 3× DVD.

[edit] AVCREC

See also: HD REC

AVCREC is an official[80] lower capacity variant of the Blu-ray

Disc used for storing Blu-ray Disc compatible content on
conventional DVD discs. It is being promoted for use in
camcorders, distribution of short HD broadcast content and other
cost-sensitive distribution needs. It is similar to HD REC for HD
DVD.

Note that AVCREC is not the same as AVCHD content stored on

DVD. The latter is a media independent format and is used
presently in tapeless camcorders that record onto DVD and Blu-ray
disks, as well as onto SecureDigital and MemoryStick memory
cards. Playing back AVCHD content on a Blu-ray player may
require modification of AVCHD directory structure, but does not
require re-encoding of video files themselves.[81]

[edit] Blu-ray Disc recordable

Main article: Blu-ray Disc recordable

Blu-ray Disc recordable refers to two optical disc formats that can
be recorded with an optical disc recorder. BD-R discs can be
written to once, whereas BD-RE can be erased and re-recorded
multiple times. The theoretical maximum speed for Blu-ray Discs
is about 12× as the speed of rotation (10,000 rpm) causes too much
wobble for the discs to be read properly, similar to the 20× and 52×
respective maximum speeds of DVDs and CDs.

Since September 2007, BD-RE was also available in the smaller 8

cm Mini Blu-ray Disc diameter size.[76][82]

On September 18, 2007, Pioneer and Mitsubishi co-developed BD-

R LTH ("Low to High" in groove recording), which features an
organic dye recording layer that can be manufactured by modifying
existing CD-R and DVD-R production equipment, significantly
reducing manufacturing costs.[83]
In February 2008, Taiyo Yuden, Mitsubishi and Maxell released
the first BD-R LTH Discs,[84] and in March 2008, Sony's
PlayStation 3 gained official support for BD-R LTH Discs with the
2.20 firmware update.[85]

Unlike the previous releases of 120 mm optical discs (i.e. CDs and
DVDs); Blu-ray recorders hit the market almost simultaneously
with Blu-ray's debut (at least in Japan).