How to Move to Bluray from DVD

Blu-ray is a CD and DVD format that plays pre-recorded visual items. Touted as the next generation from DVDs, Blu-ray uses a blue-violet laser—hence the name. The discs are thinner but hold more data. Some product and technology knowledge is helpful in making the transition from DVD to Blu-ray.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Product reviews

1. Look at compatibility. Your investment in DVDs is protected as the players on the market have what's called backward compatibility, a fancy term meaning you can play DVDs on the Blu-ray.

2. Investigate the Blu-ray format, and compare it to HD-DVD. They are rivals in the next generation technology. Basically, Sony developed the Blu-ray and Toshiba developed HD-DVD. They both use the blue-violet laser, but the formats are not compatible.

3. Read product reviews, just as you would for any transition in the electronics realm.

4. Look at your budget. If you are the type who likes to collect movie titles, the Blu-ray discs can set you back at least $20 to $25 each. Prices on players may go down as the sales increase.

5. Decide on a transition date. The number of video titles available on Blu-ray increases with each year, but it might take some time for the selection to catch up to DVDs.

6. Feel confident in the transition. The experts think Blu-ray technology is going to around for a while.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a comparison chart to look at DVD, Blu-ray and HD-DVD. These charts go into a lot of technical detail, but allow for a well-informed decision. CNET has a chart comparing all formats.
• Look at compatibility with gaming systems, if they are part of your Blu-ray plans.