HD DVD and Blu-ray drives, like their predecessors the CD and DVD formats will be tested in order to provide information on the quality of the media. In order, to design a Blu-ray or HD DVD test system, the manufacturer needs to understand the main differences between the new and old formats. New quality measurements adapted to next-generation optical drives will also make their appearance. The following article explains the main challenges that technicians and engineers are facing with the upcoming optical storage.