Know Your Blu-ray DVD Player's Profile (Before You Buy Your Next DVD Player)

When buying a Blu-ray disc Player you will see a new feature that may be unfamiliar to you. It is called the Blu-ray Profile. It is an important feature you need to know because it is one of the main differences between blu-ray players and DVD players.

With DVD players there was a single hardware requirement but this is not the case for Blu-ray players. It may be confusing at first but it is easy but once you know what each profile means. And even though Blu-ray technology is rather recent, you will find it is moving forward at a rapid pace so the format is constantly changing and evolving. If you're not careful you may end up with an "older" Blu-ray player.

So, what exactly is a Blu-ray Profile? Well, they are used to catalog Blu-ray players and it determines the standard features and specifications of audio and video codec abilities found in Blu-ray Players. What a certain Profile a DVD player has tells you what set of features it supports. Blu-ray Profile 1.0 was the first set of features and functions labeled for discs and players. Then came Profile 1.1 and the latest is Profile 2.0 (BD-Live).

Now, any type of blu-ray profiles will play a blu-ray disc but with the different Profiles you get different extra features available to you.

Blu-ray Profile 1.0

The first Profile was 1.0, it has no extra features. You may also hear it referred to as "Initial Standard Profile" or "Grace Period Profile". Being the first generation of Blu-ray players it meets the very basic standards and minimum requirements. It has 64 KB of built-in persistent memory. Local storage capability, Secondary video decoder, Secondary audio decoder and Virtual file system are all optional. But it would be rare to find any Profile 1.0 Blu-ray player with any of these features.

After Nov 27, 2007 all of Blu-ray players manufactured were required to support Profile 1.1. But you still can find Profile 1.0 Blu-ray players being sold. The Sharp BD-HP20U or the Pioneer elite BDP-95FD, for example, are still available. If you are someone who does not care for extra features and only interested in the movie, these Profile 1.0 blu-ray players maybe the right one for you.

Blu-ray Profile 1.1

Since Profile 1.1 is now the basic mandatory requirement of all players, these types are the most common. The profile 1.1 Blu-ray Players have 64 KB built-in persistent memory, 256 MB of local storage and a Virtual file system. But the main difference with Profile 1.1 players is the addition of picture-in-picture function, also known as Bonus View. This is mainly use to show a smaller picture in the corner of the movie. Usually having a director or actor providing comments about the movie or a particular scene being displayed in the larger picture. A secondary video and audio decoders are required for the smaller picture. Most movie studios now apply this feature to all their standard releases.

Blu-ray Profile 2.0

Although Profile 2.0, also known as BD-Live, is not mandatory for new players, more and more manufacturers are beginning to producing these Profile types. The major different feature in Profile 2.0 is the ability of an internet connection, usually through an Ethernet port, and it is capable of interactive features when playing a blu-ray disc. Features such as movie-related games, blogs and other content. While movie studios are excited about this features and see it as the next "big thing" in home entertainment, so far interactive content has been not been all that spectacular or riveting. However, the possibilities to use this technology are vast and will surely improve.

The other technical details of Profile 2.0 are similar to Profiles 1.0 and 1.1. It has built-in persistent memory, Secondary video and audio decoders(for picture-in-picture), a Virtual file system and 1 GB of local storage. This large increase in storage from 256 MB that is in Profile 1.1 is to accommodate downloaded material from the internet. One thing you should be aware of is that some Profile 1.0 and 1.1 Blu-ray players have Ethernet ports. This is not for download extra content but for firmware updates.

When looking to purchase a Blu-ray, you are most likely to come across all three Profile Types. So the question is, which one should I buy? Since the prices of Blu-ray Players are rapidly coming down, your best option would be the Profile 2.0 because it's the latest and the most future proof of all the Blu-ray Players. But if you're not interested in special features or interactive capabilities, than considering a Profile 1.0 or Profile 1.1 Blu-ray Player is a very reasonable choice and will save you some money. Besides, you still be able to enjoy all and future Blu-ray disc movies; you just won't be able to download extra content.

For a more information on Blu-ray and Blu-ray Players try this handy comparison guide:
Blu-ray DVD Players

Or try checking out the latest deals on Blu-ray Players here:
Best Blu-ray Deals.
Curtis Hoskins Copyright © 2008. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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What's the Difference Between DVD Upscaling and Blu-Ray?

With the arrival and popularity of high definition TV sets over the recent decade, there have been many developments made to players trying to fit and utilize the high resolution which HDTV offers. One of these developments was the 'upscaling' capabilities of the standard DVD player, which allowed the DVD player to perform much better with HDTV and produce a superior quality picture.

But now that Blu-ray players are on the scene, how efficient are these 'upscaling' DVD players? Some may get confused as to what to purchase and which device is best? What is the difference between the upscaling of standard DVD and Blu-ray?

The answer all comes down to resolution output.

The everyday, standard DVD player that you can find in most homes has an output video resolution at 480i(720x480), this is without upscaling of course. A progressive scan DVD player can produce an output video resolution of 480p (720x480).

Most HDTV have the capability to display video resolution up to 720p (1280x720) - 1080p (1920x1080). (Remember 1080p is the highest video resolution.) So you can clearly see that just using a standard DVD player you will not get the full benefit of your High Definition TV. What the upscaling DVD feature does is mathematically formats the pixel count of the output to the DVD signal to the pixel count on a High Definition TV. The resulting effects produces a superior picture display better suited to your HDTV.

But while the upscaling method does a very good job upscaling the pixel output of a DVD so that it corresponds to the pixel display resolution of the HDTV, it can not convert a standard DVD pictures into real High Definition pictures. What DVD upscaling mostly accomplishes is smoothing out the edges of the images, but it does not add extra details to them.

Some points to remember:

* 480i: 720 pixels per line which has 480 horizontal lines displayed alternately. In other words Interlaced Scanning where all the odd lines are displayed, then followed by all the even lines.

* 480p: 720 pixels per line which has 480 horizontal lines which uses Progressive Scanning each line displayed following another. Progressive scanning is the better because it produces a smoother video which has a clearer image, especially with fast-moving scenes.

* 720p: 1,280 pixels per line which has 720 horizontal lines - displayed thru Progressive Scanning - each line displayed following another. (720 High Definition TV)

* 1080i: 1,920 pixels per line which has 1,080 horizontal lines - displayed alternately. Interlaced Scanning - all the odd lines are displayed, then followed by all the even lines. (1080i High Definition TV)

* 1080p: 1,920 pixels per line which has 1,080 horizontal lines - displayed progressively. Progressive Scanning - each line displayed following another. (1080p High Definition TV/ Blu-ray Disc)

In conclusion, you can only get high definition images through the use of a Blu-ray player and blu-ray disc. An upscaled DVD will look slightly blandish and balmy compared to a Blu-ray player. When dealing with colors such as reds and blues, the difference is very noticeable. DVD upscaling tend to eliminate details, while in a blu-ray player these details are very sharp and clear. DVD upscaling produces a very good similarity to the High Definition experience, but to truly get the best high definition experience you need to have a Blu-ray player (with a Blu-ray disc) connected to your HDTV via an HDMI cable.

For more information on Blu-ray and Blu-ray Players try this handy comparison guide: bluray dvd players.

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