The New Type of Disc

Monday, March 3, 2008

Technology with CDs is not backing down from the abilities to create possible solutions for the future of CDs.  With the growth and demands for main stream technology are also experiments and options that are leading into new innovations within the industry.  For CDs, this is leading to a new frontier in how music is listened to, not only with the online options, but also with the CD capacities. 


The newest CD technology that is hitting into the mainstream is known as Blu-Ray.  This is an advanced type of CD that is allowing for more compatible options for consumers.  While this is still a development in CDs, it is beginning to hit the main streams and become a main way of listening to music or displaying information.  Not only does this CD allow for these two options, but also has created a space in which video can be placed onto the same CD.  The effects that this may have on CD duplication leads into a new era of copying music, information or duplication of different ideas. 


The largest component of the Blu-Ray is the ability for the disc to do more than the average of CD.  Most know that CDs will only contain a specific amount of information, whether it is through data or through musical needs.  This averages with about eighty minutes of music or 2 MB of information.  Blu-Ray disks have tripled the amount of information that can be stored.  You can typically hold about 25 MB of information on these disks, no matter what type of format. 


Beyond the larger storage spaces for capabilities, is also the ability for the formatting to move from one to the other.  For example, if you want to record on the disc you can.  However, if you are more interested in putting data on the CD, you can still use the same disc.  Not only can you record or store data, but you can also re-write on the same disc in a different format or even put high definition capabilities in the same space. 


With all of these benefits that have increased the technology use for CDs is also the question of what makes the difference between Blu-Ray and a normal CD.  The answer is simple.  The capacities of Blu-Ray come from the optical abilities.  The optical lenses used in CDs are lasers that are used in order to read a disc.  For CDs, this is used with a red laser that is able to track all of the information. 


With the Blu-Ray, the main information is stored in the same way, but is built with reading from a blue laser.  The difference is in the frequency of light that moves into the CD.  Because the blue laser has a higher wave frequency than a red laser, it is able to read the information faster.  The result is that more information can be stored and more possibilities for storage are read into through one disc. 


Not only do the Blu-Ray discs offer this as a capability, but are also creating more capacities within the CD.  The CD can come with more than one layer of information stored inside of it.  Within each layer are sectors that are divided in the CD.  These sectors contain the storage data within the CD.  Most CDs will only have one layer with the storage.  However, Blu-Ray discs now come with the option of having a single layer or a double layer in order to make it compatible to save more information.  These layers are now allowing for the ability to save up to 50 GB of storage in one disc. 


The Blu-Ray technology that is moving into the field of CDs is one that is quickly changing and revolutionizing CDs in a new way.  The components that allow the CDs to do a large amount more than regular CDs are becoming another option from the current trends in both CD capacities as well as MP3s or downloads, leading to a future with higher technology options. 

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