Blu-Ray technology has been in the pipeline for a decade or so, ever since the first inklings of high definition home displays for the consumer. It is commonly known as BD or Blu-Ray disk, and is a format that is physically very similar to CD and DVD technology, but gets its name from the colour of the laser which is used to read data from and burn data to the disk. Blu-Ray is essentially a much larger capacity optical format than its predecessors, with over six times more storage than a dual-layer DVD, which made it perfect for storing HD content, which takes up a lot more space. Blu-Ray players are now more available and far more affordable than they were, and this is partially due to the fact that it won the format war against the Toshiba-backed HD DVD format. Sony and Panasonic were the key Blu-Ray backers during the war, and are still the most comprehensive supporters of the format. But what does all this history and technology mean for the average consumer, and what are the benefits and functions of Blu-Ray Technology?