And as demand for DVDs has plummeted, video streaming has risen in its place. Subscriptions to services like Netflix have increased from 39 million worldwide in 2011 to 1.2 billion today—almost swallowing the DVD industry whole. Almost, but not quite.
Streaming is a popular way to consume media these days, and DVD sales have declined by 86% since 2008. Curiously, many stores fill their shelves with DVDs and Blu-rays, and Technicolor Home Entertainment Services plans to ship as many as 750 million discs in 2022.
Well there are other forms of physical media such as VCD, VHS, laserdisc, blu-ray, 4K, or the granddaddy of them all a 16 mm print. The next level would be digital and streaming.
One of the few existing articles on DVD lifespans notes that “little information is available” on “DVD-ROM discs” and that there is therefore “an increased level of uncertainty for their life expectancy. Expectations vary from 20 to 100 years for these discs.”
I hope you Kept all your DVDs | Why I Still Recommend Physical Media
Is DVD become obsolete?
Are DVD's obsolete? No, in fact, now might be the time to begin adding new movies and series sets to your collection because the future of DVD's is looking bright, shiny, and silver.
While other retailers, such as Target TGT +1.3% and Walmart WMT +0.4% , still sell DVDs and Blu-ray, the market has been shrinking in recent years due to streaming. In many ways, this seems like natural progress. However, many still cling to physical media.
Streaming services have increasingly cut into DVD and Blu-ray purchases over the past decade, and other physical media is having its moment in the spotlight. Now, your options for buying physical movies are slimming, as Best Buy is set to end selling discs.
DVDs Often Have Better Quality Than Their Streaming Versions
With streaming you may get artifacts, worse colors, and smeary motion. However, that depends on your internet connection and the compression quality. So this isn't true for everyone, but at least with DVDs, you know what you're getting.
While the physical media business has been in freefall over the last decade, THR is reporting that DVDs and Blu-rays might be making a comeback similar to those experienced by CDs and Vinyl Records.
Yes and no. In terms of DVDs as a medium for watching films, they will almost certainly be available in 20 years' time, albeit in less supply in response to lower demand for DVDs, as online streaming becomes more of a medium for watching movies.
And as demand for DVDs has plummeted, video streaming has risen in its place. Subscriptions to services like Netflix have increased from 39 million worldwide in 2011 to 1.2 billion today—almost swallowing the DVD industry whole. Almost, but not quite.
Blu-ray than just the quality. Storage capacity is measured in gigabytes, similar to computers and storage drives. A DVD will only be able to store about 4.7 GB of data, which equals about two hours of a movie. A Blu-ray can hold about 25 GB of data, which allows for more high-definition information.
The introduction of the VCR in the late 1970s made home movie viewing easy. The VCR was replaced by DVD technology in the late 1990s, which is currently being replaced by Blu-ray Disc technology.
DVDs and Blu-ray discs will be replaced by streaming services. Consumers head to streaming services to watch movies, and the addition of Disney+ to the mix will only make DVDs and Blu-Ray discs even less of a necessity.
Part of that is probably the availability of titles on DVD that aren't available elsewhere. Another reason DVDs are still being produced and sold is, counterintuitively, the end of physical media rental culture. Now, many consumers have no choice but to buy a movie if they want to see it at all.
Unwanted CDs, DVDs and records can be donated to charity shops or sold on sites like Zapper and Ziffit. Some Recycling Centres accept these items but this service does vary across the country. It's best to check with your local authority.
DVDs are still selling, still vended in Redbox and by Netflix. People make copies of streaming video on flash drives with a program called Playon.com The DVD will continue to be used because it is still a great storage medium.
It's the end of an era for Best Buy. The Minnesota-based retailer will stop sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs later this year. The company says their move is in response to the changing ways its customers are consuming media - these days, mostly through online streaming.
The consumer electronics retailer plans to phase out its DVD and Blu-ray sales by early 2024 — with physical movies set to be sold in-stores and online as they are today through the holidays, Best Buy confirmed to The Associated Press Friday. Video games will not be impacted.
