Blu-ray disc capacity to get larger

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Six months ago I was having a discussion with a friend who is a big whig at Sony. I told him that I was concerned that 3D was going to gobble up the 50gb BD-50 disc, and that would lead to compromised audio and video streams with more compression than 2D presentations. He told me Sony and Panasonic were working on a way to increase the layer capacity on the Blu ray disc while remaining compatible with current players in the field. Well, they finally finished testing and approving of i-MLSE (Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation) evaluation index and are ready to submit it for approval from the BDA. If this is accepted, it will increase a single layer capacity from 25gb to 33.4gb, which when applied to a two layer disc would result in a disc that goes from 50gb to 66.8gb. This is perfect for very long movies and 3D.

Given that Sony and Panasonic are big players in the BDA, I look for this to be approved some time this year, probably sooner than later.

[kexodusc]

That would sure beat flipping discs. Sir T, would 3D demands really use up that much extra storage? What does a typical 2 hour movie use now?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

That would sure beat flipping discs. Sir T, would 3D demands really use up that much extra storage? What does a typical 2 hour movie use now?

3D does take up quite a bit of storage based on the length of the movie. When you consider the fact that you are encoding a single larger stream (two 1080p encodings multiplexed together) with more bandwidth(60mbps versus 54mbps) with less compression than a 2D stream, you can eat up a 50gb disc pretty quickly depending on the length of the movie.

Typically most two hour movies do not take up a single 50gb disc, and will log in at anywhere from 30-35gb without extras. If the compressionist is instructed to upen up the pipeline(use less compression) you could spread a 2.5 hour movie over a 50gb disc. Most Disney movies do this which is why most of their titles look so good. 50gb would just hold a movie like the extended version of Lord of the Rings.

[poppachubby]

Is there any audio implications for all of this?

[GMichael]

Is there any audio implications for all of this?

Like high bit rate 7.1 audio?

[Hyfi]

Are people really ready to wear crappy little red and blue cardboard glasses every time they watch a 3d tv or movie. I heard at CES that so far there is only one 3dtv that does not require glasses but has a limited sweet spot.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Is there any audio implications for all of this?

No audio implications as the Blu-ray format specifications are really built out to the hilt already.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Are people really ready to wear crappy little red and blue cardboard glasses every time they watch a 3d tv or movie. I heard at CES that so far there is only one 3dtv that does not require glasses but has a limited sweet spot.

The glasses are not red and blue, they are clear with a slightly dark tint to them. The frames are made of strong plastic not cardboard. This is not your grandfather's 3D...LOL

I have already seen the demo's that are being shown at CES, and it is damn impressive. The way directors and DP's use 3D these days is very non gimmicky.

Based on theater goer's response to Avitar, they are ready to wear the glasses.

[pixelthis]

Are people really ready to wear crappy little red and blue cardboard glasses every time they watch a 3d tv or movie. I heard at CES that so far there is only one 3dtv that does not require glasses but has a limited sweet spot.

Thats what I read in an article today.
A LIMITED SWEET SPOT AND a darker pic with less quality.
I get a slight 3d effect from HD done really well.
Works for me.
The new system, BTW will use "shutter" glasses with batteries.
No headaches like with the older systems, so they claim.
Remains to be seen.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Like high bit rate 7.1 audio?

You already get 7.1 high bit rate audio via Dts-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Dts offers 24.8mbps max bit rate for Blu-ray, and Dolby 18mbps. That is far larger a pipeline than both SACD and DVD-A could dream of having.

[GMichael]

You already get 7.1 high bit rate audio via Dts-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Dts offers 24.8mbps max bit rate for Blu-ray, and Dolby 18mbps. That is far larger a pipeline than both SACD and DVD-A could dream of having.

Is that the BR standard for all movies?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Is that the BR standard for all movies?

The standard includes movies and audio only applications.

[bfalls]

I spoke with one of our Mastering engineers at Sony. He reported last year that tests have been conducted on multi-layer Blu-ray discs, with working prototypes of up to six layers. I believe it was tested for data, not movies. Just some additional insight into the media's capabilities.

[GMichael]

The standard includes movies and audio only applications.

Cool. Now I need something that takes HDMI.

[L.J.]

Cool. Now I need something that takes HDMI.

You got a lot to look forward too when you decide to upgrade. Your still getting decent sounds with full bitrate DTS/Dolby on bluray though. I had considered pairing my Emotiva amp with their latest pre/pro but my 2700 does the job well for now. Always something to look forward to when the time is right

[GMichael]

You got a lot to look forward too when you decide to upgrade. Your still getting decent sounds with full bitrate DTS/Dolby on bluray though. I had considered pairing my Emotiva amp with their latest pre/pro but my 2700 does the job well for now. Always something to look forward to when the time is right

My upgrades have been on hold for so long that I have a ton of them in mind. Hope I get to at least see some of them.