Bracing for Blu-ray

It's been over a year since Blu-ray defeated HD-DVD in the battle of high-definition discs. Despite the economic crunch, Blu-ray is continuing to gain momentum in the consumer and library markets.

It is seeing broader adoption owing to several factors. First, Blu-ray's sound and picture quality, storage, and interactivity capabilities are superior to those of standard DVDs. Second, costs have dropped for both Blu-ray players (a basic model now sells for as little as $150) and discs: the average retail price of new Blu-ray releases fell 12 percent to $23.47 from July 2008 to July 2009, while catalog titles fell 33 percent to $17.23, reports Video Business. Finally, several major film studios have recently begun selling two-for-the-price-of-one Blu-ray/standard DVD “combo packs.” (See “Books Born Digital,” LJ 5/15/09, p. 26–28.)

According to an April 2009 Harris Interactive poll, seven percent of U.S. adults own a Blu-ray player, and another nine percent own a PlayStation 3 video game console, which includes a Blu-ray player. And, as a survey of LJXpress subscribers conducted by LJ and Video Business in that same month attests, some libraries are tentatively following suit.

The survey, which drew 204 responses from public libraries/library systems and 92 academic libraries, showed that 12 percent of public libraries and 11 percent of academic libraries currently circulate Blu-ray discs—up from three percent and two percent, respectively, in 2008. Of those not currently carrying Blu-ray, 48 percent expect “definitely” and 85 percent expect “probably” to add Blu-ray to their collections.

While the economic crisis has hindered mass adoption of the format, and the growing popularity and quality of video-on-demand and web downloads suggest Blu-ray may never enjoy the penetration of standard DVDs, some market indicators point to Blu-ray discs shortly superseding standard DVDs as standard DVDs once superseded VHS tapes.

An October 2009 study by Futuresource Consulting, for one, predicts that by 2010 Blu-ray adoption will surpass standard DVD adoption at the same five-year point in their life cycle by nearly two percent and that by 2013 adoption of Blu-ray will rise to 67.8 percent.

For libraries still slow to give up VHS, the transition to yet another format may seem daunting and—depending on patron interest and the questionable long-term viability of Blu-ray—may not even be necessary for many libraries. But reports from a selection of libraries that have adopted the format are encouraging and address concerns worth exploring.

Manchester Public Library (MPL), CT, first added Blu-ray discs to its collection of standard DVDs in 2007. “It seemed to make sense when people were buying high-def TVs and disc players from the big-box stores,” says Director Douglas McDonough. “We knew local residents were going to want [Blu-ray] content, and at the time they couldn't rent the discs from local video stores.” The library purchased 450 Blu-ray discs in the first year and has bought some 150 additional titles since. (Its collection of standard DVDs is currently 12,000 titles.)

Not waiting for the outcome of the high-definition format battle, MPL simultaneously invested in 120 HD-DVDs. Thanks in part to compatibility with Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game consoles, those titles still circulate well enough to justify maintaining, even with shelf space at a premium.

As increasingly more titles became available on Blu-ray, McDonough says, “our assumption was that patrons would want the kinds of films—epics, action, science fiction–type movies—that would leap off their big-screen TVs. [But] it turned out that patrons were willing to watch romantic comedies on Blu-ray, too.” (MPL typically buys one standard-DVD copy and one Blu-ray copy of each major new release.)

Loan limits and checkout periods are the same for Blu-ray discs as for standard DVDs (a maximum of eight titles can be borrowed at once, for a period of up to seven days), and overdue fines are 15¢ per day, regardless of format. The library uses security-stripped locking cases with all its disc software, and no major problems with theft or damage have thus far occurred.

“The biggest problem in the first year was that we had to do original cataloging because so few titles had bibliographic records in OCLC, but that's no longer an issue,” McDonough says. “Other than that, a few people borrowed Blu-ray discs not realizing they wouldn't work in their DVD players, even though we used separate shelves, signage, and red dots on the spines of HD-DVD cases and blue dots on Blu-ray cases.”

Overall, McDonough has found the addition of Blu-ray discs a real boon to the library. “They attract a new client base,” he says, “and they're particularly attractive to twentysomethings.”

Schaumburg Township District Library (STDL), IL, has been carrying some 200 new-release Blu-ray titles since early 2008. “When I first added them,” says AV services director Judy Napier, “everyone else in the [North Suburban Library] system thought I was nuts because it was way ahead of the curve.”

Napier estimates the Blu-ray titles circulate about 700 times per month—a turn rate of 3.5, compared to new-release titles on DVD, which turn at about six times per month. What's more, she says, Blu-ray circulation rates are growing while DVD circulation rates have leveled off.

Loan periods are the same for Blu-ray discs as for standard DVDs (a maximum of one of each format can be borrowed at once, for a period of up to three days), and overdue fines are 50¢ per day. Because of heightened concern about theft, STDL uses “old-fashioned, big and clunky Kwik cases” for its Blu-ray discs, as well as for its video games. “They're pretty indestructible [and] can't be pried open easily,” Napier says.

Though in Napier's experience Blu-ray discs aren't any more susceptible to damage than standard DVDs, when scratches do occur, she says, there is increased likelihood of playback problems because of the discs' greater data compression. Should patrons report a problem, library staff use an RTI (Recycle/Recovery/Recharge) machine to buff out minor scratches. (See “Nurturing Your Media,” LJ 11/15/08, p. 32–35.)

Napier's biggest concern at this point is space. Blu-ray discs must be shelved separately from standard DVDs to avoid confusion, “and space is already a problem because a lot of libraries are holding onto older AV formats,” she says.

Nevertheless, she says, within the last six months several of the largest public libraries in the suburban Chicago system have also adopted Blu-ray.

Washington Centerville Public Library (WCPL) in Dayton waited for the format dust to settle before venturing into Blu-ray. The library debuted its collection of 1200 discs (including some multiple copies) in March 2009. It has since added 800 more Blu-ray titles alongside its current collection of 29,000 standard DVDs.

“We did some research, as we do periodically when we're considering any new format,” says community relations manager Georgia Mergler. After tracking sales of Blu-ray players, looking into how well Blu-ray discs were circulating in demographically similar libraries in the Columbus area, and taking into consideration what Mergler calls “a healthy amount of patron requests,” they felt the time was right.

WCPL's Blu-ray collection is divided into “express” titles, made up of recent releases, and “general,” or less current, nonfiction and fiction titles. Loan periods and fine amounts are identical for all formats—Blu-ray, standard DVD, and VHS tape—but vary depending on whether the title falls under the category of express (two days; $1 per item per day overdue), fiction (seven days; $1 per), or nonfiction (21 days; 10¢ per).

In six months, Mergler reports, circulation of Blu-ray titles exceeded 26,000 (compared to more than 330,000 for standard DVDs), contributing to a 21 percent increase in circulation for all AV materials over the previous year. Since their introduction, Blu-ray titles have circulated an average of 15.6 times (vs. 21.8 times for standard DVDs).

The library uses signs and brochures to inform patrons about Blu-ray and to point out the discs' incompatibility with standard DVD players. In addition, circulation staff offer reminders.

Usage has shown in WCPL's case that Blu-ray discs tend to come loose more easily from case hubs, causing minor scratches that can be buffed out. Initially, they also proved to be more susceptible to theft, so the library now uses locked cases along with security strips/RFID tags.

WCPL has an operating levy that makes up 57 percent of funding, so the library is less affected by cuts in state support. The money for Blu-ray, says Mergler, “came out of the same pot used for books and other materials.” Still, she says, “we did have some pushback from people who questioned whether this was the best way to use our resources.”

Many of the issues discussed here—e.g., limited shelf space, confusion over format-player compatibility—will no longer be a concern once streaming and downloadable media dominate the market, as they are largely expected to do. But when that will happen, exactly, and whether/how long Blu-ray can coexist with these formats is still unknown.

In the interim, Blu-ray may be the way to go for many more libraries, depending on customer interest and demand. As WCPL's Mergler says, “You have to take a hard look at your community and, to the extent that your library reflects their interests, then that should drive your decision making.”