Sony will include Blu-Ray support to the Vaio systems

During a conference organized at Bordeaux, Sony has announced that it will offer Blu-Ray and DSD (Direct Stream Digital) support to the Vaio notebook and desktop family.

DSD represents the main component of the HD audio technology which is the base of the Super Audio CD platform developed by Sony and Philips. The SACD format is backed up by over 250 companies and is considered the successor of the Compact Disc, although until now, it only succeeded in creating a market segment.

Although Sony discussed the support for DSD, the Super Audio CDs will not work with the future Vaio systems because the only way of putting to good use the quality of the sound is by attaching high-end speakers and amplifiers.

Sony has announced that starting with the next series of Vaio series, Sony will also offer support for the Blu-Ray medium. Producers like Matsushita, Philips and Sony estimate that production costs for a BD-ROM will be close to those of a DVD. The difference between them is in the storage capacity which in the case of the single layer BD-ROM is 25GB, and for a double layer disc the capacity reaches 50GB.

A very important thing differentiating the DVD from BD-ROM is the encryption of the latter in the AES (128 bit) standard which prevents unauthorized duplication.

Still, the availability of the Vaio systems fitted with Blu-Ray support is uncertain, and the systems presented by Sony at Bordeaux didn't benefit from the support of the new storing technology.