First there were CDs, and then came DVDs, and now we have Blu-ray. More than just a technology for

watching movies

on your

high-definition screen

,

Blu-ray is an optical storage medium

that can

store many gigabytes of files

, not just video. In this series, we explain further

what Blu-ray is

and show you

how to install a Blu-ray drive

and

burn a Blu-ray disc

.

Some

terms used in computers and computing

are a little bit strange. Some of them, like POP and FTP, are acronyms that stand for something. Then there are terms like "ripping" or "burning," which sound like ways to destroy data. Far from it. Here's a tech

definition of "burning."

You may have bought a lot of music online. You may now want to play it in your car or your camper. Well, it's easy to do! Simply "burn" the music onto a CD. We'll show you how to

record a mixed CD with Windows Media Player

. You can

burn an MP3 disc

to play in a compatible stereo or

burn an audio CD

that will play in any CD player.

You may be familiar with ISO files that are images of a CD or DVD. However, IMG files are becoming increasingly popular and work in much the same way as an ISO file. Here's

how to burn an IMG file

on your Mac.

Cheryl Poirier, AKA Miss Download went on the hunt for fast, simple and effective

CD and DVD burning software

and found the answer to her disc-authoring woes with Ashampoo Burning Studio. This powerful and streamlined

CD and DVD authoring software

is simple and does everything you need to do with discs! Plus, if you're rocking a

Blu-ray burner

, Ashampoo has you covered as it even lets you

burn Blu-ray discs

.

When you have lots of media getting it all organized can sometimes be a problem, but not with Winamp Media PLayer. It gives you a variety of ways to sort, organize, and categorize your media so you can find what you're looking for.

Before long, you may have so much media that iTunes that finding the song, movie or TV show you're looking for becomes a chore. Playlists to the rescue! These little container files act like folders on your computer. You can sort your music and videos into numerous different playlists as well as create new playlists easily.

At CES 2009 in Las Vegas, Microsoft used Steve Ballmer's keynote address to announce the public beta of Windows 7. That means that anyone can download the free, not yet finished code for Windows 7, install it and try out Microsoft's latest operating system. Follow this step-by-step tutorial on how to
download the beta and burn it to disc.

Andy and Sean get jiggy on how to rip tunes to MP3 from a record player.

First there were CDs, and then came DVDs, and now we have Blu-ray. More than just a technology for watching movies on your high-definition screen, Blu-ray is an optical storage medium that can store many gigabytes of files, not just video. In this series we explain further what Blu-ray is and show you how to install a Blu-ray drive and burn a Blu-ray disc.