High-Def Computers

What is it? Any laptop or desktop computer with a drive capable of playing (and/or burning data to) a Blu-ray disc.

Why do I need it? If you're upgrading to high definition and regularly enjoy watching DVDs on your computer, it may make sense to add a high-def-capable laptop or desktop to your shopping list. Blu-ray discs can also store significantly more data than a standard DVD.

What's the next step? For those who are currently upgrading to high-def, visit our High-Def Movies and Disc Players for more information.

High-Def Playback on a Computer or Laptop
Burning Data on High-Def Discs

High-Def Playback on a Computer or Laptop

Remember when your PC or laptop came with a newfangled DVD drive? That time is here again with new, high-definition optical drives that can read (and store) more data--which is perfect for playing high-def movies and other content. The world of high-def content is increasing, and whether you enjoy in-flight movies on your laptop or have an entertainment center on your home computer, you'll appreciate your favorite shows' and movies' boost in quality that comes with a high-def computer disc drive.

PC makers are currently offering high-definition drives in Blu-ray format, and whether you're interested in a drive by itself or in a system that already comes with a high-def drive installed, prices are dropping enough to make these a reasonable addition to any home computer or laptop.

All Blu-ray drive-enabled laptops will have a high-definition screen, but if you're buying a desktop PC, make sure you're hooking it up to the right display. You should look for appropriate outputs which give you the best options for connecting to an HDTV. S-video and VGA outputs transfer audio at a lower quality and video at a lower resolution. If you want to use your HD-enabled laptop to watch 1080p high definition on your HDTV, you will need to use an HDMI cable. With a laptop, you can always watch HD movies on the go, and the boost in visual quality is even more noticeable when watching a laptop's up-close display.

Make sure your computer is high-def ready, since playback of high-definition content requires some serious processing power. With Blu-ray movies, for example, the new video encoding system (AVC, or Advanced Video Coding) results in fewer of the visual defects found in standard-def DVDs, but this system requires newer processors and video cards to capably handle the increased quality. Brand-new systems that come equipped with Blu-ray drives should be powerful enough, but if you add a high-def drive to your older computer, check system requirements to ensure that movie playback is as smooth as possible.

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Burning Data on High-Def Discs

Whether you're looking to store high-def memories or back up your computer's data, recordable high-def discs offer the massive storage necessary for the next generation of entertainment. Both formats will allow you to replay your homemade videos on computer and living room high-def drives.

Just like DVD computer drives, you will need to check whether your computer's high-def drive is burning-capable. Currently, pre-installed drives generally are not writable, while burn-ready Blu-ray drives cost over $500. In addition, creating and editing high-def video to burn requires a considerable amount of hardware: a high-def camcorder, a powerful computer (and accompanying software) to process the video, and a large hard drive to manage the audio and video data before burning to high-def disc.

But as high-def player prices have dropped considerably in the past year, so too will their burnable versions. If you're eager to jump in right away, be sure to check the layer capabilities of the drive you purchase, as these specify how much video, sound, and other data can fit on one disc. Single-layer burners will restrict your maximum movie and data sizes to roughly half the standard's size, while dual-layer burners are pricier (as are their blank discs).

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