Blu-ray Frequently Asked Questions

After yesterday’s article about Blu-ray and HD-DVD technology, I received several private messages from readers who wanted to know more about this technology. Most of the questions were about Blu-ray, so I thought I would start there. 1. Will I be able to play my old DVDs on a new Blu-ray player? Yes, definitely. Blu-ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, meaning that they will be able to play movies and other content that are on standard DVDs. The players come with multiple heads to support the different formats. You are likely to notice an improvement of quality in your … Continue reading

Blue-ray vs. HD DVD

Earlier, we discussed next generation DVDs that are ready to take the market by storm. Now, I want to give brief introductions to the two competing formats. I’ll save the technical discussion for another time and place, but want to give you just a few bits of information about both Blue-ray and HD DVDs. Blue-ray The Blue-ray format was first created and developed by the Blue-ray Disc Association, which includes the electronics giants, Sony and Phillips. Blue-ray discs (BD) can hold more data than HD DVDs, but also will probably cost a little bit more to buy. BD capacity is … Continue reading

Next generation DVDs

Have you amassed a large collection of DVDs? Well, I have (well over 300). I just love watching movies and old TV shows on DVD over and over again. And when I read in the newspapers that my DVD collection is going the way of cassette tapes, I get a little worried. I have had others ask me if they should stop buying DVDs in their current format and wait until the next generation of DVDs hit the market. That’s a tough question to answer, but so far I usually answer something along the lines of “it’s up to you,” … Continue reading