Illinois - Hardware

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-15T20:24:10Z

Good catch, Ross: Carnoy's column is particularly on the money. The "streaming video will kill Blu-ray" idea is so far ahead of actual bandwidth (and presumes $-neutral pay-per-view, which I wouldn't).

(The previous article noted was good also--and, for once, seems to include PS3's in total player count.)

Blu-ray isn't putting DVD out of business any time soon. Nor does it need to in order to be significant.

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-15T20:09:28Z

Another blog -- "9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed" Posted by David Carnoy -- http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10142913-82.html

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-14T19:38:32Z

Nice article, Ross. It looks like Blu-ray *is* taking off.

I regard that as good news for public libraries since our "public habit" is to circulate atoms rather than simply provide access.

On another note, I do wonder if the Blu-ray coating is the one developed a few years back for DVDs, but never made available for public consumption. I suspect because it would cut into repeat sales.

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-13T21:23:43Z

Another article -- "Blu-ray discs seen as bright spot in glum season" By Associated Press http://www.technologyreview.com/wire/21948/?a=f

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-12T22:05:32Z

Don't know yet ... I'll report if I learn anything from our tech services department (who are stuck with doing repairs).

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-05T18:25:00Z

Which is true for some people, not for others, but pundits seem to have a problem with situations that aren't black and white.

I composed a comment on the NYT piece earlier, but WebJunction apparently rejected it (unclear why). Briefly, the pundit who says optical discs are all going away in a few years is almost certainly wrong unless "a few" translates to ten-15 years. (Netflix' CEO, who understands this stuff, thinks downloads might pass DVDs for movie-length material in another decade or more.) The person who says Blu-ray probably won't entirely replace DVD, and may never actually surpass it, is probably right--but that doesn't keep Blu-ray from being a success. Unless, of course, "success" requires market domination. (How many folks call the Macintosh a failure, with 5% of the market? None that I know of.)

I use the "Target test," checking my local Target occasionally to see how space in the music-and-videos sector is allocated. What I see there is that Blu-ray has more than twice the shelf space it had three months ago, and roughly one-fifth of the total movie space. That's hardly a sign of failure.

Library question, where real-world feedback would be great to have: Does the hardcoat on Blu-ray actually make the discs more durable than DVDs? It should...but "should" is a tricky word.

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-05T17:57:23Z

Interesting article. The issue doesn't seem to be the "format" per se, but an industry belief that people people do not want to own movies and would prefer to rent them for each viewing.

I dunno.

RE: High Definition DVD

2009-01-05T17:08:05Z

FWIW, a NYT article -- "Blu-ray’s Fuzzy Future" By MATT RICHTEL and BRAD STONE
Published: January 5, 2009 -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/technology/05bluray.html

RE: High Definition DVD

2008-10-30T23:06:49Z

I suppose it's worth noting that when digital broadcasting is mandated this February a lot of people will be buying new TVs, a lot of them HD since they are out there.

Costco hopes so anyway.

I suspect the current recession will have an effect on this, but do expect the HD penetration to go up a few percentage points and with that the penetration of Blu-Ray will also go up.

RE: High Definition DVD

2008-10-30T19:43:46Z

Exactly. 4% of a library's community is enough to be worth serving--especially now that Blu-rays are frequently available for $20 or less (and even the newest are coming down in price).

I'm gratified that my predictions--of lower player prices--were true, but hardly surprised. Now, that name-brand DVD players are now typically $200 to $299...that's a surprise. (By name-brand I mean actual manufacturers--Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, etc.--as opposed to shell brands like Westinghouse and Magnavox.)

At this point, PS3s are in fact substantially more expensive than rock-bottom Blu-ray drives--but they're faster than most, more capable than most, and I suppose you could play games on them too.

As to the cited article: Pundits are paid to provide punditry. The fact--and this is simply a fact--that U.S. broadband infrastructure can't really handle on-demand true high-def movies on a large scale is irrelevant to good pundits. The fact (and this, too, appears to be a fact) that most people really don't "get" high-def is more significant, and mostly means that plain ol' DVD isn't anywhere near dying.

Now, let's say that ebooks had 4% of the U.S. book market. Can you imagine the crowing there would be over this incredible level of success? DVDs took a long time to be fully established. I don't believe Blu-ray will wholly replace DVD unless studios do something stupid and potentially suicidal (like stopping DVD production). But that doesn't mean Blu-ray is dead. (Actually, anyone who says 4% is an unsupportably tiny niche should talk to Steve Jobs about the unsupportability of a 4% market share...)

RE: High Definition DVD

2008-10-30T19:14:24Z

We bit the bullet in July and ordered a few blockbuster Blu-Ray movies ... they don't stay on the shelves, so we'll be getting more.

The library users have answered.

On another note, I saw that Ghostbusters was released in flashdrive format a month or so ago.

RE: High Definition DVD

2008-10-30T18:21:00Z

Interesting.... I would say thought that from a very practical perspective I now plan to buy a Sony PS3 which I will use to play both DVD's (including Blu-Ray) and games. Seems like the exact same sort of decision most libraries would be wise to consider, especially if they need new DVD players (that they could then use for multitasking on a gmae night, eh?).

RE: High Definition DVD

2008-10-30T14:06:05Z

The title is a bit sensationalist, but this blog post has some interesting information:

"Blu-ray is dead - heckuva job, Sony!" -- http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=365

Display Technology Advances and Information Access

2008-07-14T00:06:31Z

As processing power, nearly ubiquitous internet connectivity (in *some* places anyway), battery capacity and other technologies advance, one of the the things holding back a new generation of connectedness is display technology. Even with amazing advances like the iPhone's touch screen interface, tiny, difficult to read screens keep many people from more deeply integrating info access into their everyday lives. Especially when they are on the go, away from a desk or a laptop. But that will change soon, as things like Flexible Screen Technology and tiny in phone screen projectors march toward production.

What do you think? How will libraries respond in a time when people have their computers with them even more, with whatever size screen they want to use, at any moment?

Re: Receipt Printers

2008-06-23T03:33:20Z

I was able to increase the line feed at the bottom of our receipts by adding empty lines to the end text of our ILS' receipt template. We use Star TSP and Epson printers w/ VTLS Virtua. The lines collapsed, though, unless I added a character (like a period) in the last line or set up the printer to add a logo to the bottom of the receipt.

Cheers,
Gunther

Re: using rackmount server without a rack

2008-06-06T13:32:05Z

If you have adequate clearance in front of and behind the unit, then the only other concern would be stability. Just make sure you have it on a good, sturdy shelf and not precariously balanced. You can buy half height racks, but if this is the only rackmount you will be using, it probably isn't worth the expense.

Re: Receipt Printers

2008-06-06T13:25:20Z

This is usually done in your circulation software if it has the ability to input a line feed code at the end of the receipt. I don't know of any way to do that through the printer itself as the printer has no way of knowing where the end of one receipt is.

I would contact your ILS vendor on that one.

Good Luck!

Wendell

Re: Receipt Printers

2008-06-06T13:17:27Z

You may be able to do this through the footer settings within your circulation software rather than the printer itself.

Re: using rackmount server without a rack

2008-06-06T13:14:42Z

If the server fits in your existing network rack, you can install it at the very bottom as long as you have an open space in the rear to install all your cabling.

Rackmount servers typically have vents in the front and the back to circulate airflow allowing them to be stacked one on top of another. There should not be any problems using the server without a rack if this is also the case for this model.

John

Receipt Printers

2008-05-06T21:47:56Z

Hi,

Does anyone use the Star SP200 receipt printers?
We use them and would like to know how to increase the number of blank spaces after each check out.
Example: at our reserve desk, we do not tear of each receipt. Rather, we leave them on and cross off each check out when the material is brought back (2 hour in-house check outs only).
Maybe someone out there knows how? Or can point me in the direction of who to contact?

Many thanks,
Jocelyn