The advent of Blu-ray technology has led to the introduction of high capacity storage discs to meet the demand caused by the rapid growth of high definition television (HDTV).
The Blu-ray discs get their name from blue laser technology. The shorter wavelength of the laser is the reason that it is blue in colour. The blue laser has a wavelength of 405nm compared with the wavelength of 650nm for DVD which utilises red laser technology. The benefit of having a blue laser with a shorter wavelength means it is possible to write smaller data pits and therefore vastly increase the amount of data on the disc.