Gaming fans got news this month that Sony's PlayStation 3 will take a few extra months to hit store shelves because the company must wait for finalization of the Blu-ray disc's integration in the system.

Developed by consortium of more than 170 leading technology companies, the Blu-ray disc aims to offer more than any other recordable medium to date.

At the core of this new technology is a blue violet laser, a development that allows disc manufacturers to pack more data into the same amount of space.

While current DVD technology provides up to 10GB of space, a double-layer Blu-ray disc offers an unprecedented 50GB per disc.

In addition, the Blu-ray disc expands exponentially on the DVDs maximum video quality. In today's world of digital imaging, megabits per second equates to picture quality.

While the DVD can output up to 10 Mbps, the Blu-ray disc supports an astounding 40 Mbps, promising unparalleled resolution and quality.

In addition to expanding overall capacity and quality, the Blu-ray disc also offers support for more file formats than DVDs. Currently, all DVDs operate in MPEG-2 format, and the Blu-ray disc takes this steps further adding MPEG-4 support as well as Windows Media compatibility.

The Competition

One of the common misconceptions about Blu-ray is that it is same as HD-DVD.

While both formats offer increased disc capacity and features currently unavailable on a DVD, Blu-ray excels in several important categories. A dual-layer HD-DVD carries a maximum capacity of 30GB, while a dual-layer Blue-ray Disc offers 50GB of recording space.

In addition, Blu-ray discs feature a scratch resistant coating aimed at prolonging lifespan and providing greater durability.

Both formats are capable of a similar data transfer rates of about 36 Mbps, but the Blue-ray format dramatically accelerates the transfer of audio and video, boasting an impressive 54 Mbps, in comparison to HD-DVD's 36 Mbps. That boost, coupled with a dramatically faster maximum video bit rate, offers a sharper, more detailed viewing experience.

The Industry

One of the challenges faced when developing a new medium has always been gathering support from competing companies and industries to reach a common goal. However, unlike the film industry's early resistance to DVD technology, Blu-ray media has been widely accepted by hardware manufactures worldwide.

In fact, companies like Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Panasonic and Samsung have already hit the market with Blu-ray recorders, players and HD computer drives.