BluRay for Idiots

[movieguru]

This book probably does not exist, but something like it would be useful to me to clear up all the muddle of BluRay technology. There are several file types, playing features, playing restrictions, various formats, etc. that have confused me ever since I started burning these
BD disks. Are there no standards for various players? Aside from region restrictions, are there any other parameters that will vary from
burner hardware, burner software, media type, player hardware, etc.? Can an expensive player do more things than a cheaper one? Why
do some functions like reverse play only work on certain players? There just seems to be no consistency in this technology.

[Baldrick]

I don't think you will find any standard for reverse play and similar functions. And yes, an expensive player can have more (or sometimes less) playback features.

Detailed technical specification:
http://www.hughsnews.ca/faqs/authoritative-blu-ray-disc-bd-faq/4-physical-logical-and-...ifications#4.6

[Hoser Rob]

... There just seems to be no consistency in this technology.

I've found that's true for digital video in general, and that's what prevented me from wanting to be a real video geek. There's a woeful lack of standardization. I don't think there ever really be any. Video is too hardware dependent.

Definitely read anything baldrick suggests though.

[movieguru]

Seems like a big dividing issue is BDAV vs. BDMV. I have seen things on the web where people say that BDMV would not be supported by their future models of BluRay players. Will BDMV compatible machines play BDAV and visa versa? I see different behavior when playing
BDMV and BDAV versions of the same video.