Hoo-ray for Blu-ray

America quote of the day:
"The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. ... We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last, best hope of earth.”
--Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural speech

America quote of the day no. 2:
“Making duplicate copies and computer printouts of things no one wanted even one of in the first place is giving America a new sense of purpose.”
--Andy Rooney

Several years ago, Keith York, the program director of KPBS, said, “Once you see high-definition television, you’ll never want to go back.” This is where I am right now. The first thing I check on TV is what is on the HD channels. And there has been a load of great stuff, including all the episodes of Law and Order since 1996 or so.

We have also been watching movies in the new Blu-ray high-definition format. They are stunning. I am enjoying movies more than ever.

It’s not just because the visuals are beautiful and the picture is sharp. It goes beyond this. Same with the audio. I don’t know what they’ve done to it, but it is extraordinary. It may be that the technology enables me to see so well into the movies that the “stuff” no longer calls attention to itself.

I expected to see sharp and beautiful pictures and hear good sound. But I didn’t expect my whole experience to be so enriched. It’s an amazing sensation to finish watching a good movie and feel like you have really been inside it.

Sony’s Blu-ray is one of two new competing DVD technologies. The other is Toshiba’s HD-DVD. My guess is that the Blu-ray technology will eventually prevail, but that’s not certain.

If you have an HD television and don’t want to spring for either format yet, get an inexpensive upconverting DVD player. It uses very clever technology to simulate HD, and it makes a difference.