Which Player is Right For You

Samsung offers numerous Blue ray players, and there have been recent developments you might not know about if you're looking to upgrade to Blue ray. Firstly, their much hyped about hybrid player which plays both HD-DVD's and Blue ray discs has been canceled due to faltering support for Blue ray's rival format and the Warner Bros. Announcement throwing their exclusive support behind Blue ray near the beginning of 2008. Therefore, Samsung only offers Blue ray players now as their hybrid player has been officially canceled, but Blue ray appears to be winning the format war anyway, so the consumer will be less confused about which choices to pick.

Samsung Blue ray players are top notch, but that doesn't mean you'll pay top dollar for them. You can expect to find them for very reasonable prices, and you'll get all the features that the most expensive players have, such as the ability to play standard DVD's (keeping your old movie library from becoming obsolete) and CD's (allowing your Samsung Blue ray player to double as your stereo). In the back, you'll find a variety of connections allowing you to connect your Samsung Blue ray player to a wide range of electronics, so you won't have to worry about which ones are compatible with your television or other pieces of home theater equipment.

With the majority of new movies coming out exclusively on Blue ray, any consumer looking to upgrade to the next generation of video formats can now choose and rest easily without fearing that their money might be wasted. Just a few months ago, this was not the case as Blue ray and HD-DVD appeared to be neck and neck, but recent developments have put more movie studios in the Blue ray camp than the HD-DVD camp, and consumers win by finally having the stability offered by a winning format. To see all the new, hit movies in beautiful 1080p and digital surround sound audio, a Samsung Blue ray player will make your new home theater set up complete.

Red Versus Blue Lasers

When a person asks,  what is Blue ray? they probably don't know that the answer lies within the question itself. The average consumer is unlikely to be able to tell the difference between a Blue ray and DVD disc because they're the same shape and size. However, a Blue ray player uses a blue (and violet) laser to record and read data, be it video, audio, or any other type of data found on optical media, hence the name  Blue ray. Because the technological processes to achieve this require much smaller and finer equipment, the initial costs of Blue ray are higher than DVD's. However, as the manufacturing process matures, the costs will come sharply down over the following years.

As a point of comparison to learn what Blue ray is, think of it to a standard DVD as a personal computer to a calculator. Both the PC and calculator can perform math, but the PC is much more powerful. Just like that example, both DVD's and Blue ray discs play movies, but Blue ray is capable of doing that much better by playing better video and audio.

While learning what Blue ray is, it is also useful for the consumer to understand which major movie studios support the format. Some popular titles are only available on HD-DVD, while many others are available on Blue ray. As of January 2008, a person with a Blue ray player won't be able to get the hit 2007 blockbuster Transformers on Blue ray, while the hit James Bond flick Casino Royale is available only on Blue ray (however, all movies are still released on standard DVD; these comparisons are just for next gen video formats). There are hybrid players which can play both movie formats, but some movies are only available on one format or another. Ultimately, you should now know what Blue ray is to help you decide when you want to upgrade and to which format.