

What Is BluRay?

Helen from Morrisville, PA writes:

I have seen many notes about Blu-ray. I have no idea what this is. Could you explain it?

Sure Helen.  Blu-Ray is a format for digital storage on discs. It is the same size and shape as a conventional DVD or CD, but can hold much more information, giving you a much clearer high-definition picture. The first Blu-Ray player was released in 2003.

You cannot play a Blu-Ray disc on a standard DVD drive. Though you can play a standard DVD in a Blu-Ray drive. So be careful when you’re purchasing DVDs to make sure you’re not buying Blu-Ray if you don’t have a player.

Blu-Ray players are generally more expensive than standard DVD players. Though, these days you can find a basic Blu-Ray staring around $50 and running up over $1000 for fancy models with streaming features. Blu-Ray discs will often cost $4 or $5 more than standard DVDs. 

If you own a HDTV or HD monitor, a Blu-Ray is worth the cost for the improvement in picture.

One last thing, don’t confuse Blu-Ray with Bluetooth. Bluetooth refers to the ability to connect devices like headphones and keyboard wirelessly.

~ Cynthia