The introduction of high definition TV necessitated the need for a new standard of DVD recorders and players and hence the emergence of the blue ray recorder.

The name of this type of recorder comes from the blue violet laser that is used to read the disc, in contrast to the red laser used for the standard DVD. Its main uses are for storing PlayStation 3 video games, data and high definition video.

Blue ray brings the next generation of recorders and optical disc players, which give a much higher quality picture than the standard DVD discs, players and recorders. For sometime now there has been a war going on between HD DVD and blue ray, but as the big names such as Toshiba stop producing HD DVD, blue ray will lead the way.

The main idea behind this format is that it will record a HD video, playback and rewrite as well as have five times more capacity than the digital versatile disc. It is also possible to support multi layer disks so that it can be extended easily meaning twenty three hours of standard video or nine hours of high definition video can be recorded on a 50GB disk.

Another format, HD VMD is cheaper, but is not a major competitor as it lacks the support of the studios etc. You may have been told that it’s not a good time to buy blue ray, as it is still evolving. However, you don’t have to listen to the skeptics, as there are more reasons to get involved with this technology than to sit back and wait:

Most people see television an essential part of their life and the cost of large screen high definition televisions is continuing to drop, which makes screens of 46 inches and above assessable to more people.  When all’s said and done, you are going to want the best picture possible from your TV and blue ray is significantly better for larger screens than HDTV broadcasts or DVD.

If you are waiting for digital downloads to eliminate the need for discs, then this is not going to happen in the near future. Bandwidth issues that can affect audio and video quality limit streaming video platforms and such products and pricing is also another factor. Having on defined standard is a great advantage and a problem with digital video downloads and streaming is that it’s a hodgepodge with no clear standard.

The price for a blue ray recorder has continued to drop and the gap between these and DVD is smaller.

It’s also good to remember the Sony connection and the fact that they can’t afford to see blue ray fail as they include this type of player with every PlayStation 3.

You may have an electronics shop in your locality where you can get good information about which particular product to buy.  However, the best way to find a bargain recorder, a great deal of information and free postage is to visit the online shop, Amazon. You will also be able to read reviews written by customers who have recently purchased a blue ray recorder.