On Thu, 20 Aug 2015 06:53:42 -0400 ken <geb...@mousecar.com> wrote: > One of the build options for a laptop I'm looking at buying is DVD vs > Blu-Ray.
> I've never used Blue-ray before, so is there some compelling reason, > as a Linux guy, to want to get Blu-ray? > Hi Ken! Hope you are having a fabulous day. I have a BD drive and if I might say so, the answer is "no". No, there is not a reason to prefer Blu-ray over DVD when using Linux. In fact, there good reasons to stick with DVD. 1. Embedded DRM Depending on your country, movie playback can be illegal. Setting that aside, DVD movies can be played more easily on Linux at present. Bluray and DVD encryption are not widely supported on Linux in any case. Not only do the Blu-ray players/disc drives carry DRM, but the DRM is designed to be "annealing" - meaning that it updates itself. Blu-ray discs carry updates and blacklists that your Blu-ray drive is required to accept on a hardware level. Whenever you insert a disc into the drive (OS makes no difference), the firmware is checked and possibly updated. If for any reason, the drive refuses the update, the disc becomes unplayable. Software and discs that are blacklisted in the drive's DRM will no longer function with the drive after that, regardless of what disc you put in it. Flashing the drive to restore the original firmware probably will not work, the manufacturers are expected to prevent such obvious tricks. The chances of it becoming a real problem are very remote, BUT it should be said that there is no guarantee that these DRM updates won't cause software problems for you, even if you are using legitimate software. 2. Cost of backups. As for backups, using Blu-ray RWs are an expensive media and eventually a non-degradeable plastic waste material. They average about $20 USD for 10/25 GB discs or 250GB. For about the same cost, you can buy 100/4GB DVD or 400GB. You're better off buying an external 1TB drive at a cost of about $60 for 1000GB. The external drive can be reused, unlike the BD or DVD. For permanent recordings, DVD is far more cost effective and widely supported on more hardware at present. 3. Getting Downloads When getting Linux ISOs and other materials, it's far more common to use DVDs rather than BDs, as download size can be factor. Take care! T.J.
