Blu-Ray, the newest competitor of the DVD player, is making its way into Andover. Andover currently has three Blu-Ray projectors on campus: one in the DeFelice Theater classroom and two in art classrooms. The newly renovated Ryley Room and Addison Gallery will also be equipped with Blu-Ray media players when they open. Blu-Ray players use a blue-violet laser while other media players, such as the DVD, use a red laser. The blue-violet laser creates more precise and vivid images. Expected to be the successor of DVD players, the Blu-Ray disc also has larger storage space than a DVD of the same size. A Blu-Ray can hold up to 50 gigabytes while the maximum storage of a DVD is 8.5 gigabytes. According to Blu-Ray.com, the Blu-Ray format, created by the Blu-Ray Disc Association, was “developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video, as well as storing large amounts of data.” “However, the two formats [Blu-Ray and DVD] will most likely co-exist for quite some time until HDTVs become more widespread,” according to Blu-Ray.com. The cost of Blu-Ray players currently ranges from 250 to 500 dollars, compared to DVD players, which often sell for less than 100 dollars. Michael Crouse, manager of the Polk-Lillard Center, wrote in an email to The Phillipian that he expects that “these prices [of Blu-Ray players] will start to come down soon.” No Blu-Ray players have been used in any classes so far, since the equipment was installed very recently, according to Crouse. However, Valerie Roman, Director of Technology, stated that Kemper currently has a HD player that will soon be replaced by a Blu-Ray player. Installing Blu-Ray players in new classrooms or buildings is a less costly option. Once construction is completed, the new Ryley Room in Commons, to open in Spring 2009, and the new education center in the Addison Art Gallery, to be finished in 2009, will be equipped with Blu-Ray media players. “We may install [Blu-Rays] at other locations as we replace older equipment and do new installations, but those two are the only ones planned for now,” wrote Crouse. Many campus buildings, including Samuel Phillips Hall and Gelb Science Center, are not scheduled to receive Blu-Ray players, because current equipment would need to be replaced by the newer 16×9 projector and screen. In the case of Gelb, “new cables would have to be pulled to the projector and the flush mount ceiling screen would have to be replaced,” said Roman. Serena Gelb ’10 said, “I think that buying Blu-Rays is a good investment because it seems to offer more advantages than DVD players. However, I feel that we should wait until they become popular to start using them widely on campus.” Michelle Ma ’11 disagreed and said, “Right now, people are not using Blu-Ray players as much as they are using DVD players. I don’t think it is a wise decision to buy Blu-Ray players, especially when prices will start to decline soon.” “We should definitely wait for Blu-Rays to catch up to DVD players before buying them in a large scale,” said Midori Ishizuka ’11. Julia Zorthian ’11 added, “After all, we can never have too much ‘blu’ on campus.”
