LG BD370 Facts

Is Blu-ray Technology Really Better?

I think so!  The technology will enable consumers to store large amount of data (5 to 6 times more than DVD), record/rewrite digital content, and watch high definition videos via Blu-Ray devices.  The LG BD370 is  current leader of the pack for entry level Blu-ray disc players!

Blu-Ray technology is the next generation of optical disc format developed by the Blu-Ray Disc Association(BDA) and major developers of consumer electronics, computers, and media manufacturers around the globe.

It’s Time To Move Away From The Old Technology And Go Blu-Ray!

The current optical disc technology such as DVD utilizes red laser to read and write data. However, the Blu-Ray technology uses blue- violet laser to read and write.

Additional LG BD370 Facts

There are several differences between the red laser and blue laser.   Foremost, the wavelength of a blue-violet laser is shorter (405nm) than the red laser (650nm). Second, the numerical aperture has been improved to 0.85 from .60.  The shorter wavelength of a blue-violet laser leads to more accurate focus on the laser spot, which makes it possible to pack more data onto a DVD sized disc. The numerical aperture measures the ability of a lens to gather and focus light. The aperture number 1 represents the greatest focusing power and smallest laser spot. The DVD?s numerical aperture ranges from .50 to .65 compared to the Blu-Ray?s numerical aperture of .85, making it a big improvement over the existing optical disc technology.

LG Is  The Leader In Blu-ray Disc Player Technology

LG was first to introduce the Blu-ray/HDDVD hybrid back when there was two competing formats.  I am not surprised that LG was the first to introduce network capable Blu-ray player in the LG BD 300 with Netflix streaming. At this year’s CES, most of the Blu-ray manufacturers announced their second generation players. Samsung also included Netflix streaming with their new players while Panasonic added Viera Cast streaming to their players. LGBD370 is no exception. This model continues the inclusion of Netflix as well as addition of Youtube compatibility.

Why switch to BD370 Blu-ray?

DVD  is probably the greatest success in the high tech consumer electronics history.   Following its 1997 introduction, it took the format just a few years to reach critical mass in the home-video market previously dominated by VHS tapes. VHS has gone on the wayside with 8 track tapes.

Fast forward 10 years, we are witnessing the fast death of DVD being replaced with Blu-ray.  Blu-ray is already taking over the the consumer home-video format of choice.  It offers high-definition video and high-resolution audio, providing a superior viewing experience to DVD.  Before you get too excited about the benefits, you need to replace your outdated DVD player with an Internet readyBlu-ray player to take advantage of it.

With every new format that hits the consumer market, Blu-ray comes with a whole host of new terminology, like 1080p, Blu-ray profiles, and on-board decoding. It can be overwhelming, but remember that Blu-ray is very similar to a  DVD: pop in the disc, then kick back and watch movies in high-def.  The kids in diapers will never remember what a DVD was.  It’s way too Y2K!

Blu-ray had a rough start right out of the gates, with the format war against HD DVD, high prices, and hardware that wasn’t fully ready.  Blu-ray has made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, so for movie lovers who want the most out of their high definition home theaters the time is now to get your new player.

What’s better about Blu-ray?

Superior Image quality/smaller pixes size  is a big part of what makes Blu-ray look great. In ordinary persons terms, this means the minute details of the image such as facial wrinkles, strands of hair, and weaves of fabric will be more clearly seen more clearly.

In geek terms, the Blu-ray’s maximum resolution is 1,920×1,080 (1080p), while DVD is limited to 720×480 (480p).  Other than these seemingly enormous numbers,Blu -ray also uses better video-compression methods, resulting in more contrast and richer colors.  Consider how much better HD from your cable or satellite provider looks,Blu -ray looks even better.  It’s the highest-quality video format available in the market, in many experts opinions it surpasses the picture quality of your local movie theater, especially when shown on a good-performing HDTV or projector screen TV.

Audio quality of Blu-ray is greatly improved.   New high-resolution soundtrack formats, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, are essentially identical to the studio master, so you’ll be hearing things exactly as the director and audio engineers intended. For more information check out the Blu-ray Disc Association site.

Blu-ray also provides additional features over DVD. T he most basic innovation is the pop-up menu, which allows you to access the menu functions while the movie continues playing.  Other benefits include picture-in-picture video commentary and the ability to download new content right from yourBlu-ray player, although your player needs to have the right Blu-ray profile to access these features.   In our opinion, the special features on Blu-ray are astounding and a very reason to upgrade.

Blu-ray’s main hurdle is cost. Prices for players start just under $199 and movies cost about $25.  The cost of an player like the BD370 isn’t that bad, the cost of building up a newBlu-ray library really adds up.  At least it’s possible to pick and choose which movies you buy that are Blu-ray since every Blu -ray player can also play standard DVDs.  But let’s really be honest, when you buy the networked BD370, you are paying for instant streaming content!  Now that’s a bargain!  Free!  Well, at least fromYoutube the content is free.  Netflix does offer a free trial period.

The available titles is not at great as standard DVD.  However, that will soon catch up.  Think of DVD verses VHS.  Do you see any VHS movies for rent? There are currently about 970Blu -ray titles available, compared with more than 90,000 (!) on DVD.   Even if you watch as many as 3 movies a week, you are not going to run out of titles that you like.    If you want HD video quality, you are gonna needBlu-ray.

When the home video format changed from VHS to DVD, it was a bumpy transition for consumers whose existing tape collection was slowly rendered obsolete.  Fortunately, that’s not the case with the transition toBlu-ray as every Blu-ray player is capable of playing back standard DVDs.  In fact, every Blu-ray player is also an upconverting DVD player, but remember the benefits from upconversion good, but not great.  In summary, all your existing DVDs will play in your new Blu-ray player.   Got it?