Blu Ray Recorders
Presently increasing numbers of users are turning to High Definition TV to watch the latest digital TV. And with this, the demand for recording high-definition content is also rising. However, high definition video consumes a lot of hard drive space. Blu ray technology has been devised for this purpose. This technology makes use of similar MPEG-2 compression standard as DTV making it greatly compatible with the international standard for digital broadcasting. One dual-layer blu ray disc of fifty GB can store up to 6 hours of HD content. Though blu ray players are now available in the US and are more than capable of playing such high definition content, these lack the facility for recording high-definition content.
For this end, blu ray recorders have been created. These devices make use of 36Mbps data transfer rate which is sufficient for recording and playing back digital HD transmissions whilst retaining the original picture quality. Blu ray disc recorder can play video discs and at the same time record HD video telecast on television.
Blu ray recorders are presently on sale only in Japan and began as a remarkable innovation in digital broadcasting. Several of the producers of blu ray recorders are Zenith, Yamaha, Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Pioneer, Philips, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, JVC, Hitachi, and Amex. Consumers in the US have been waiting the longest time for blu ray manufacturers to introduce blu ray recorders in the US. It is anticipated but has not still come true. In the first 6 months of 2009, Panasonic, nevertheless, is slated to introduce the first freestanding blu ray recorder in the United States of America. Though the anticipation for blu ray recorders make the market prospective, blu ray recorders face heavy competition from other existing high definition recording devices like the HD-TIVO and Cable/Satellite HD-DVRs. Movie studios and other content providers are also demanding certain copy-protection requirements to be met by blu ray recorders. Additionally, as experienced by Japan, the price of blu ray recorders is very much on the higher side than the price of a standalone blu ray player (by now available in the US) which the US market deems to be quite pricey. Another factor to consider here is the price of HD DVRs. One twenty-five GB blank BD-R disc is sold for USD eight to ten and it is inexpensive and practical too.
In spite of all these minuses, the induction of blu ray recorders to the United States is a long-awaited occurrence.