Blu-ray and accessibility

What is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray is an optical format, similar to DVD. The difference is that it has five times more storage capacity than DVD, allowing for higher quality audio and video, as well as extra features.

To watch Blu-ray you need a specific Blu-ray player. These players often play standard DVDs as well.

Do Blu-ray discs have access features?

Yes.You will find that if a title has audio description and captions on the standard definition DVD, the Blu-ray edition will generally match.

Access features are advertised on the Blu-ray cover but the use of logos and terminology, as adopted by members of AHEDA for DVD, is not as good.

How can I watch a Blu-ray disc?

You will require a Blu-ray player to watch these discs. Whilst you can also watch DVDs on a Blu-ray player you cannot watch Blu-rays on a standard DVD player.

Besides standalone Blu-ray disc players, these discs can also be watched on some gaming devices including the Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii 2.

For best audiovisual results, a Blu-ray player should be connected to a high definition television set. It can be connected to a standard definition television set as well and still provide superior quality audio and visual compared to a DVD.