Blu ray disc player and technology: the cinema at home

 9 Apr 2009 - By Omar Mariño+
 omar@myddnetwork.com


At first sight, one could think that all Blu-Ray discs are the same. However, it is not this way, and neither are the players. The original technology of this movie format has been evolving since its inception and now there are three very different Blu-Ray “versions” or profiles out there. This fact  is important because each version adds functions that were not present in the previous one. If we choose an old version when buying our Blu-Ray player, then we will have a limited player and won’t be able to play some movies or enjoy some features that enrich the experience.


Blu ray disc player and technology: the cinema at home

The first Blu-Ray version or profile was 1.0. It simply allowed people to play discs with this format. A short time later, it was replaced by a new generation called 1.1 or “Bonus View”. This system added other new options like playing two different audio and video streams simultaneously. In this way, for example, users are able to watch the movie, but at the same time, they can watch video commentaries by the director in a small window on the screen. Nowadays, Blu-ray profile 1.0 players are not common (at least in the stores). Since late 2007, all Blu-Ray players that have been launched include support for profile 1.1 (Bonus View).

But the same thing doesn’t happen with profile 2.0, which is better known as “BD Live”. As you can imagine, not all the Blu-Ray players were made to support this new profile or version. Profile 2.0 allow users to access other extra content categories that can be stored on the discs; for example: ringtones for mobiles, videos, music, mini-games or online discussion forums on the movie. These “content categories’” need an Internet connection and at least 1Gb of storage capacity.

At this time, many makers are producing some player models that support Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 (BD-LIVE), but  you can still find old players in the stores. Keep in mind that although those old players can have an attractive low price, they are also becoming obsolete. If you make a bad decision when buying your Blu-Ray player, then you will miss some enjoyable features that would allow you to have a more pleasant experience in your own house. And we are not only talking about watching movies.

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