Blu-ray is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-definition video (HDTV 720p and 1080p). Blu-ray discs can hold more information than other optical media, because of the blue lasers that the disc drives use. A single Blu-ray disc can hold up to 25GB of data, and dual-layer Blu-ray discs can store 50GB of data, equivalent to four hours of HD content. The main application of Blu-ray is as a medium for video material such as feature films and for the physical distribution of video games for various gaming consoles.

Blu-ray presents a few game-changing quality improvements over DVD, including:

• Storage space: A Blu-ray disc fits over five times more data than a DVD by default, meaning you can fit larger files onto the disc.
• Fine grooves and blue lasers: These enable 4K Ultra HD and Dolby TrueHD lossless audio.

While DVD is still a viable video format, there are more than enough reasons to switch over to Blu-ray.