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I filled out an ORCA grant to get funding for a 419 project that we are pitching this next week.  The research that we stated we wanted to do was on high-definition Blu-ray discs because we want to export the final film to this new technology.  I got to thinking about how rapidly technology is advancing.  VHS tapes were popular for a good 15 years.  DVD has enjoyed mass popularity during the 2000's.  Now we have high definition Blu-ray.  The question is, when will Blu-ray become superseded by the next big thing?  Will video formats become like computers, changing every 6 months?

I think that media genealogy would be a very interesting thing to study and discuss.  I've seen people wearing Nintendo shirts that say "Know your roots" on them.  Soon, children will not know about VHS tapes.  I think that this it is important to know what came before in order to more fully appreciate what we have now.  We could discuss the alternatives that were available to the formats, such as HDDVD or Blu-ray and VHS or Beta.  We could also discuss different forms of media falling into obsolescence, such as polaroid film and Super8 film.  Technology even affects film stocks as some stocks are no longer produced in order to make way for better stocks, which is why a film from the 70's looks different from one made today with the same exact camera and lenses.  Media genealogy would be a very fun and informative activity to do.  

Can't you just see the fun filled pedigree chart of a Blu-ray disc?

Here's a video for the band VHS or Beta, a group who knows their lineage.