Blu Rays operate on a shorter wavelength of 405 nm which allows them to read the optical information more accurately. Nerd fun fact: DVDs use a red laser technology to read their optical disks at a wavelength of 650 nm. Basically-an around better movie experience. This allows for higher resolution and better sound.

Blu-rays can hold up to 50GB of data, compared to the up to 8.7GB offered by DVDs. The main difference, then and now, between the two is quality. Around 2008 Blu-Ray technology snuck through the back door through Sony’s PlayStation and didn’t stop until DVD had to scootch over and share the hilltop real estate.

However, even with the later HiDef DVD tech, DVDs didn’t have much time being the king of the hill. To watch movies at home, back in my youth, we’d make a family trip to the local video store, check out a VHS player housed snugly in a giant briefcase, and argue over whether we’d rent Wargames or Return of the Jedi VHS tapes.ĭVD, or digital versatile disc, came onto the scene in the mid-nineties and in less than a decade made new VHS technology obsolete. If you simply want to know how what to buy and where so you can get to watching your Blu Ray today, head on down to the HOW TO PLAY BLU-RAYS ON YOUR MAC section and go from there. In this article, I’ll share with you why Blu-Ray technology is different as well as highlight a few software and hardware offerings that are popular right now. You’re set to listen to CDs or watch DVDs, but Apple passed on Blu-Ray technology, leaving you in the same Blu-Ray-less boat as the rest of us.) (This applies to your beloved iMac that comes with a built-in optical drive. All you need to play Blu-Ray discs on your Mac is a third-party Blu-Ray player software and an external Blu-Ray drive. Luckily, for us movie lovers, there is an easy workaround. One thing, however, the MacBook (Air and Pro), iMac, or the Mac Mini, cannot do is play Blu-Ray discs. I have done all of these with my MacBook Air and have been more than pleased with the outcome. You can edit photos, make professional-grade movies, form a one-person band, and stream online entertainment.

There are tons of things your Mac can do besides office work.

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