Take a closer look at the benefits of Blu-ray Disc and what this means for movie entertainment.

Recently conducted research suggests a bright future for the Blu-ray Disc (BD) format. Key factors, driving this projected growth are the launch of PLAYSTATION 3 and the range of films offered by BD exclusive studios (Disney, Fox, Sony, MGM and Lionsgate) and its supporters (Warner and Paramount).

A quick look at the top selling DVDs of 2006 reveals that almost all of these were released by the studios supporting BD, meaning blockbuster movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Night at the Museum and Casino Royale will be available on BD.

Blu-ray Disc benefits

This confidence and support from the film industry has been earned by the benefits BD is able to provide. Two types of Blu-ray Disc are currently available, a 25GB single layer and 50GB dual-layer, both of which are playable on PLAYSTATION 3.

Dual-layer BD has roughly six times the storage capacity of dual-layer DVDs (8.5GB) and 77 times that of Compact Discs (650MB).

In January the move to dual-layer BD titles in Europe began with the release of Black Hawk Down, Click and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

This greater capacity fuels the true High Definition movie experience, improving picture and sound quality far beyond the information a typical DVD can store, while still providing ample room for extras and bonus features.

It is not just capacity though, the speed and accuracy at which the blue wavelength lasers can read information results in an impressive output to your TV. BD enables a progressive resolution of 1080p, significantly higher than standard PAL DVDs, resulting in a smoother, vastly more detailed picture with next to no flicker.

Feature presentations

This is just a small sample of the films available now and in the coming months on Blu-ray Disc.

Disney and Buena Vista
Cars, Con Air, Crimson Tide, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and The Rock.

Twentieth Century Fox
A Night at the Museum, Eragon, Ice Age 2, Kingdom of Heaven, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Sony Pictures
Big Fish, Casino Royale, Hellboy, Layer Cake, Open Season and Stranger Than Fiction.

MGM
A Bridge Too Far, Platoon, Rocky, The Graduate, The Silence of the Lambs and the Usual Suspects.

Lionsgate
Crank, Dirty Dancing, Employee of the Month, Rambo: First Blood, Reservoir Dogs and Saw III.