Blu-ray technology just got a boost this week as Apple Computer has signed on to the board of directors backing this new technology. Toshiba and NEC are backing the other format, HD-DVD, as competition will now begin to heat up in order to find a new standard for high definition DVD’s.

Sony, Dell, HP, Sharp, Philips, Panasonic, Hitachi and eight other companies already sit on Blu-ray’s board of directors.

The low cost of making HD-DVD discs is influencing Hollywood studios such as Warner Brothers, Universal and Paramount, to release movies this way, since it is easier on the pocket. However, nothing is set in stone. If the customers prefer the more expensive product, these companies will not hesitate to change to Blu-ray, who claim its format has more storage capacity than the HD-DVD.

With Apple being a major computer company, the move would seem beneficial to Blu-ray, but some remain sceptical. Apple continues to support HD video with a series of programs such as iMovie HD and Final Cut HD. But with the support of Walt Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Pictures, Blu-ray may have nothing to worry about after all.






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