Last week, we took a look at whether or not it was time to go HD with your marketing materials. The answer was a firm "It depends." However, what we can do is firmly compare the technical specifications of BluRay versus standard DVD, and help you understand the differences.

First, let's take a look at the chart:



Let's take a closer look at some of these numbers.

Maximum Resolution: You'll see that DVD has a maximum resolution of 480p. The "480" refers to the number of lines that comprise the picture's vertical resolution. The 'p' refers to the fact that the video is progressive rather than interlaced (i). Progressive vs. interlaced is a complex topic in and of itself, so let's just say it refers to how the video is displayed for now. You'll see that BluRay has more options, including 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. These are common high definition standards. A regular DVD is capable of displaying 345,600 pixels on screen at any given time. At 1080p resolution, a BluRay is capable of displaying 2,073,600 pixels. This capacity for six times more pixels means that the image can be drastically sharper, clearer and more detailed.

Disc Capacity: Disc capacity refers to the amount of data that can be stored on a disk. You'll see that BluRay has about four times the capacity for data than standard DVD. This enables it to hold more video, more audio, and more data. BluRay also supports significantly higher audio standards than regular DVD.

Player Prices: DVD players are significantly more accessible and lower priced than BluRay. The average price of a DVD player is about 100 bucks, and some are significantly less expensive. It's hard to find a BluRay player for less than around 400 bucks. They are expected to drop in price and become more common in the near future though.

Labels: 1080i, 1080p, 720p, bluray, disc capacity, dvd, hd, maximum resolution