An overview of the Blu-ray disc application format for HD-movie distribution

Abstract

Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the next generation optical disc format, currently being standardized by a large consortium of leading CE, PC, authoring companies and major movie studios. BD offers more than five times the capacity of DVD at 25 GB and 50 GB (dual layer). The BD application format addresses the limitations of DVD-Video by providing a complete user experience. The high storage capacity guarantees the best quality HD video available to the consumer. BD standardizes how content publishers can include executable applications on the disc to realize fully enhanced interactivity. By using a programming platform like Java, the standard need not define the allowable set of features, instead it defines the playback platform and disc publishers are free to implement any features they desire. Furthermore, BD supports seamless integration of Internet content with disc content, allowing synchronized presentation of updated content from the Internet with disc content. With this combination of features, highest quality HD video, enhanced interactivity and Internet connectivity, BD offers consumers a compelling experience. This paper will present an overview of the features that will be supported by the BD application format and the technical solutions used to realize these features.