Media mastering and duplication provides a number of format options. For visual programs and presentations, the decision for which format—DVD or Blu-ray—on which to distribute the program hinges on a number of particulars.

What type of equipment is in the end user’s home or conference room?
Especially for B to B and B to E audiences, knowing what type of equipment is being used to view the program on the disc is probably information that should be known much earlier in the process. Duplication / Replication is the final opportunity to make sure your content is provided on a format that can be viewed. A DVD can be played on a Blu-ray player but DVD players cannot play Blu-ray discs.

On what native resolution was the program produced?
Blu-ray disc resolution is 1,920 x 1080 dots per inch (dpi). DVD’s resolution is 720 x 480 dpi. This means if the program is produced in high definition and/or if the end users will watch on a high definition screen, Blu-ray is the optimal choice.

Are there features on the program that are unavailable on the DVD format?
If the program was produced to include special features—interactive cameras, for example—not supported on the DVD format, this decision becomes very easy.

How much data needs to fit on the disc?
DVDs store between 4.7 and 8.5 gigabytes (GB) of data. Blu-ray discs store 25 to 50 GB.

How detailed are your images?
Blu-ray gets its name from the blue colored laser that reads the disc (DVD’s are read by a red laser).
Blu-ray laser wavelength is 405 nanometers (nm), and the DVD’s is 650 nm, which basically means the Blu-ray provides sharper images.

Does the disc need to last a long time?
Will the disc be stored in an environment that requires extra protection? While DVD and Blu-ray discs are identical in thickness (120 mm), protection coatings are different. Blu-ray protection coating is hard; DVD’s coating is not. DVD coating is 0.6 mm thick while the Blu-ray disc has one that is 0.1 mm thick.

Both formats provide great features, such as extra content—additional scenes, games, interviews—that can usually be included on the same disc as the main programming.

For more information or to get started, contact American Digital Media.