Should I install a Blu--Ray optical drive on my computer?

The prices of Blu-Ray players have been dropping consistently over time, much like those of DVD players about a decade ago. Price should not be my main motivation to get a Blu-Ray drive. I recall in 2004 having bought a DVD burner for 100$ and it was thoroughly used by a friend who inherited it ( I really wanted a copy of some of his films before I took off to travel).

I have yet to handle a Blu-Ray disc. I know that they won't seem any different than DVDs or CDs, however the quality of programming and menus on Blu-Ray is supposedly better.

So is it worth it spending the extra 40-45$ to get a Blu-Ray writer instead of a  DVD drive? Storing information on Blu-Ray is not cost effective with discs being more than a dollar a piece, however you should consider that burning something to disc is not for yourself, but more about sharing your videos. I hate it when I have to put a disc in my laptop!

The cost of a standalone Blu-Ray player is just a little bit more than an internal drive at about 70$. It may be then be a no-brainer for many to just get the optical drive which connects to your computer and can perhaps be used for software or other applications. If you live in place where bandwidth is capped, or can't deal with the mediocre quality of streamed video, a Blu-Ray drive is worth considering.

I hope software distributors will use Blu-Ray to release games in addition to downloading.