Hi Oksana Thanks for your usual insightful response.
As you've suggested below, it seems to me that any decision to shift to a new format or technology needs to be informed by a careful assessment of the mission and function of the media organization within its host institution. If the primary clients are in a discipline that requires the highest quality projected image possible (i.e. Film/Visual studies) then Blu-ray may be the ticket (assuming 1. Blu-ray sticks along long enough and 2. the institution has the tech and infrastructure to support the format in the manner it deserves). If, on the other hand, the media collection is broadly disciplinary and generally intended to be a study-level collection (like mine), I can see little use in a knee-jerk move to the new oohahh tech. Our hands may be forced by the vagaries of the consumer market eventually, but in the meantime, I think it's important to ask hard and realistic questions. As you've indicated, whatever the mission, $$$ will out: in these days of emaciated budgets, one has to be as critical and judicious about spending bucks as possible (assuming the bucks are there at all) gary > Gary, > > I agree with your assessment of the streaming vs. Blu-ray argument, > particularly when it has to do with the question of non-commercial > vs. academic use. If the user is simply concerned with content > access, streaming will do, but areas like Film Studies are usually > concerned with the quality of the image and sound. If I was not > supporting Film Studies I would also be questioning the never ending > process of repurchasing titles. > > The Concordia University situation is that we are now getting 2k > projectors for the auditoria where Film Studies are taught. We also > enthusiastically support 35mm films. Film Studies courses have almost > always been taught with a licensed projectionist in a projection > booth setting up clips, projecting films and digital media. I have > been buying Blu-rays for 3 years now and we have somewhere over 200 > titles. My Dean managed to argue for some badly needed capital funds > and I have been able to equip my 3 seminar rooms with 65" THX 1080p > monitors and all-region Blu-ray players. I'm also in the process > of changing the individual viewing stations to make them less > institutional and more semi-private with 32" 1080p monitors and > all-region Blu-ray players. But all this is simply because we have > an academic area that requires this and I have been able to > successfully lobby for the money (and miraculously there was some > money). The result has been very interesting: students are really > responding and actually spending a lot of time watching movies here > compared to when we had 17" monitors and DVD players. This is the > beginning of the semester and it looks like the end of the semester > in terms of student traffic. > > And as for differences in DVD vs. Blu-ray, on some films, if you have > an upconverting DVD player the differences are almost > indistinguishable. But, on other films, like Kino's The General, the > difference is completely mind boggling. Doing a side-by-side > comparison of the DVD and the Blu-ray is like watching a VHS > transfer next to a 35mm print. In this particular case, I'm not > exagerating. > > It's all a matter of budget first, and supporting client's real needs. > > Oksana > > At 11:50 AM 24/09/2010, you wrote: >>...oh, buy the way: in thinking about the next evolutionary hop in >>mediadom, I think it's important to avoid conflating issues having to do >>with media delivery and ease of access (streaming)with image quality. >>Let's face it, unless there's a some spectacular quantum technological >>leap, moving images delivered over networks are always going to be >>inferior to what can be delivered/projected locally...at least in >>non-commercial contexts). In other words, the "I'm not buying Blu-ray, >>I'm waiting for streamed delivery" is sort of a misguided argument. >> >>gary >> >> >> > Blu-What? >> > >> > Look...what exactly is the point? Does the university intend to >> install >> > Blu-ray machines (or HD projectors) in classrooms? Hell, they can >> barely >> > get it together to put in shades on the windows. Is the media center >> > going to install 42" HD monitors at individual or group viewing >> > stations??? I don't THINK so... >> > >> > Not to mention: In the past three years, I've spent maybe 10 to 15 >> grand >> > on replacing VHS titles with garden-variety DVDs...no way I can >> justify >> > rebuying the collection again for the sake of sweeter eye-candy. >> > >> > gary handman >> > >> > >> >> A perennial question, but a good one to revisit to from time to time: >> >> >> >> Are you purchasing Blu-Ray titles for your library, or are you >> holding >> >> off? (I'm especially interested in hearing from college and >> university >> >> libraries, since we're in the same boat.) >> >> >> >> If you're purchasing, what criteria do you use? Do you re-purchase >> >> titles >> >> you have on DVD, or only new titles? >> >> >> >> Having just about completed switching the collection from VHS to DVD, >> >> the >> >> thought of moving next to Blu-Ray makes me want to lie down and go to >> >> sleep, for about 45 years. And, the cost would be prohibitive. >> >> >> >> Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if libraries could go straight from >> DVD >> >> to streaming video, at Blu-Ray image quality? For feature films, not >> >> just >> >> educational and documentary titles? Oh well, a girl can dream. >> >> ______________ >> >> Pamela Bristah, Collections Librarian, Wellesley College, 106 Central >> >> Street, Wellesley MA 02481 >> >> phone 781-283-2076, fax 781-283-2869, [email protected] >> >> >> >> >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >> acquisition,bibliographic >> >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats >> in >> >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will >> serve >> >> as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a >> channel >> >> of >> >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >> >> producers and distributors. >> >> >> > >> > >> > Gary Handman >> > Director >> > Media Resources Center >> > Moffitt Library >> > UC Berkeley >> > >> > 510-643-8566 >> > [email protected] >> > http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC >> > >> > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." >> > --Francois Truffaut >> > >> >> >>Gary Handman >>Director >>Media Resources Center >>Moffitt Library >>UC Berkeley >> >>510-643-8566 >>[email protected] >>http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC >> >>"I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." >>--Francois Truffaut >> >> >>VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >>acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >>and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It >>is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for >>video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >>libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library UC Berkeley 510-643-8566 [email protected] http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." --Francois Truffaut VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
