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Hi Debra, BluRay players DO play regular dvds -- at least all models I've worked with have. Our Viewing Room facility in the Library, which can be scheduled by instructors for classes, is equipped with a BluRay player and we use that as our 'main' player for all DVDs except those that require multi-region / PAL playback. A few thoughts: We have added a small number of BluRay titles to our circulating collection -- ~45. Compared to our standard-def DVD collection, which is approaching 10,000 titles, it really is a drop in the bucket. They do circulate -- not a ton, but almost all if the titles have circulated at least several times since we began purchasing a few here and there a little over a year ago. The titles that have circulated most, not surprisingly, are the big, special effect films like Avatar, however the BBC educational titles like Planet Earth and Wild China aren't far behind. The Disney Pixar films also get checked out a decent amount, and new(er) releases, like Inception. I don't order anything on BluRay that we don't have in the collection in standard-def, since I'm not convinced Blu-Ray will ever reach the kind of critical mass that we'd need to justify only providing titles in that format. (This may have to change when titles start being released *only* in BluRay packages, such as the forthcoming Illusionist and PBS's Salt.) Some BluRays come packaged with a standard definition disc, which has served as a good fallback when our standard-def version of the title is checked out. In these cases though, I wonder whether or not it would have been just as or more helpful to purchase multiple copies of the title in standard-def. All in all, I think they fit into our collection mostly a novelty, as there are as yet few titles that come to mind where I think there is a dramatic enough improvement between standard-def and BluRay versions. I've noticed that, just as with standard-def, not all Blu-Rays are created equally. It's worth looking into reviews on sites like DVD Beaver for older films that are released to see if there is any value added in the BluRay transfer, since many (especially the cheapest titles) don't look much different on BluRay. Some remasterings even look worse -- for instance, I'd choose the standard def. restoration over the BluRay of North by Northwest any day. The notable exception in these cases are the beautifully remastered Kubrick films. The Shining, 2001, etc. (Barry Lyndon upcoming) -- these truly are stunning in HD, and film studies folks are very likely to glean a lot of new detail and information from these titles. Same for the Criterion BluRay of Tati's Playtime. I do not believe BluRay is widely supported in classrooms on our campus, and don't know that there are plans to move in that direction. Hope this is helpful, ************************* Meghann Matwichuk, M.S. Associate Librarian Instructional Media Collection Department Morris Library, University of Delaware 181 S. College Ave. Newark, DE 19717 (302) 831-1475 http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/instructionalmedia/ On 5/3/2011 8:35 AM, Mandel, Debra wrote:
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VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
