Answer:

Hello, Bob,

Blu-ray Disc is indeed a new disc format.  It looks like a CD or a DVD (same size) but it uses a new blue laser technology with a tighter beam focus vs. the DVD system's red laser.  This more precise laser beam allows Blu-ray discs to hold almost 6 times the capacity of a standard DVD and it's where the name "Blu-ray" came from.  With this increased storage, Blu-ray discs can offer much higher video and audio quality than standard definition DVDs, as well as new interactive and Web-based special features.    There was a competing format called HD DVD (backed primarily by Toshiba), but shortly after Warner announced exclusive support of the Blu-ray format earlier this year, Toshiba threw in the towel and gave up on the HD DVD format.  So now there is only one high definition disc format on the market and it's called Blu-ray Disc, BD, or simply "Blu-ray."

You can currently find Blu-ray players from Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer and others, starting at under $300.  New movies, nature shows and concert titles are being released on Blu-ray every week from all of the major studios including Disney, Sony Pictures, Warner, Universal, Fox and Paramount.  Titles are generally more expensive than DVD - about $20 to $40 MSRP though you can get good deals on places like Amazon.com's Blu-ray store .

The upconverting DVD players you see advertised for $99 (and sometimes even less) are a totally different animal.  These take existing DVDs (which are actually in standard definition format) and "upconvert" the output to high definition resolutions (720p, 1080i and 1080p).  Some of these are very good at upconverting standard DVDs to HD, but many are no better than the upconversion circuitry built into most HDTVs.

None of the upconverting DVD players can make a standard DVD look as good as a Blu-ray Disc, with its superior detail, color reproduction and sound quality.  If you've got a nice HDTV or projection system, buying a Blu-ray Disc player and some movies will make a big difference in picture and sound quality to your system.

You can find out more about Blu-ray right here on Big Picture Big Sound:

• Blu-ray Player Reviews
• Blu-ray Movie Reviews
• Home Theater News (including Blu-ray and HDTV)
• Our Blu-ray Forum
  

Hope that helps.

-Chris

Current Hot Titles on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com):