Because Blu-Ray will "obviously" be replaced rapidly by streaming only...

[bttfiii]

personally I rather buy music from iTunes than going into a store to buy a CD. I have to end up ripping it anyway

however, watching a movie is an in-house experience much like going to a theatre. I can't imagine watching movies in future becoming dominated by portable devices - who wants to watch a HD movie on a 4" or 10" screen?

[JavaJulien]

Which is why I prefer the itunes method of downloading the digital copies onto my computer.

[DealsR4theDevil]

Originally Posted by bttfiii

personally I rather buy music from iTunes than going into a store to buy a CD. I have to end up ripping it anyway

I prefer CDs, you get higher quality audio + you can rip it to iTunes (at 320 kbps instead of the 256 they offer) + you can sell the CD when your done and get most of your money back.

[Steedeel]

We face a much bigger worry than streaming hd and downloads. The real threat to bluray and home cinema's future is the rise of people watching movies on their smartphones and tablets. Many have argued with me that these devices are just more options. I don't agree. The living room tv is slowly fading from younger people's routines, that is fatal in my opinion. The experience of watching a HD movie on a nice big set could be gone within ten years. That is why I think fibre optic could be a BAD thing for home cinema and bluray. Once people are watching their smartphones and tablets with better quality and a more reliable service, they will care even less about living room tv.
To make matters worse, I think seven inch tablets will phase out bigger tablets meaning in future a lot of squinting will be required for people who want to attempt to watch a movie on a tolerable screen. The death of film (in my eyes anyway)is close unless people change their habits.

[Terjyn]

Even young people go to TVs for things like sports (group watching activities).

Unless these things die off, TVs won't be replaced by tablets. The disappearance of TVs is not a threat.

You won't see a group of 20 friends gathering to watch the Superbowl on 4" phones. It just won't happen.

[Steedeel]

They may all watch the game on their phones and tablets and keep in touch via social tv. I would hate the demise of TV, but I really fear the possibility.

[DealsR4theDevil]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

They may all watch the game on their phones and tablets and keep in touch via social tv. I would hate the demise of TV, but I really fear the possibility.

Trends change. Right now people want portability and convenience ... In a decade or two they will want quality

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

[Steedeel]

Doubt it. The world is becoming more reliant on portable devices no less. No big screen tv would be unthinkable. I am surprised more people don't pick up on this threat.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Doubt it. The world is becoming more reliant on portable devices no less. No big screen tv would be unthinkable. I am surprised more people don't pick up on this threat.

because it is only in your mind.

I used to travel a lot with work, sometimes flying somewhere for 4-5 hours and then off to somewhere else. I used to always bring some DVDs with me and I would watch films on my PC while waiting. Just because I used my laptop that way did not and does not mean that I would rather watch thing on my laptop, just that it was not realistic at the time to watch things at home on my projector and 8' (I had an 8' screen back then). Yes a kid might watch something on his phone/tablet/laptop/portable DVD player in the back seat of a car. But when that kid decides "I want to watch a film with friends" or "I want to watch a film with my GF/BF" that phone/tablet/laptop/portable DVD player no longer does the job.

There is nothing wrong with becoming “reliant on portable devices” but that only talks about ¼ the story. The average doisplay device in homes is also getting bigger, not smaller, and is growing faster. Why don’t you focus on that fact and that people want “bigger and better” when it comes time to enjoy themselves while watching a film, instead of if someone says “cool, I would have had a painfully boring 2h to kill and now I can watch something on my portable device to kill that time”

[Steedeel]

How is it in my head? Tablets could replace bedroom tv for a start. Also, your theory is wrong in my opinion. Kids are relying on smartphones/tablets as their sole device. Not just for holidays, waiting rooms etc.. Learned behaviour suggests future generations will bypass the big tv altogether. If they are not concerned about quality, why should they be concerned about size? Anthony, these are my opinions or fears if you like. I used to think audio quality would get better and better but look where that road led to. Horrific compressed crap. if that is the standards that kids have, they are not going to worry about 4k and even hd quality on a big tv. I fear the worst for my beloved hobby, I really do.

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Doubt it. The world is becoming more reliant on portable devices no less. No big screen tv would be unthinkable. I am surprised more people don't pick up on this threat.

Because it is not a real threat:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/22/n...usage-hdtv-pc/

As it turns out, the general public -- even us heathens who've cut the cord -- like watching video content on televisions rather than monitors.

A mere 13 percent are using the service on tablets, and a paltry 8 percent are streaming on smartphones (a stat David Lynch would assuredly relish). Unsurprisingly, users are primarily of the younger variety: over 50 percent of 18 to 25-year-olds make up the HDTV statistic, and that group makes up nearly a full quarter of PC folks. Of course, none of this is a huge surprise to anyone that's ever tried comfortably watching anything longer than a few minutes on a 13-inch laptop screen. Check out the full chart just below.

The majority of people streaming on tablets and phones, IMHO, are probably watching Youtube, some TV shows, etc. I think most people prefer to watch movies on their bigger screen and the above article really shows that.

I think the bigger threat is that people will just do other things versus watching movies. Like Facebook, gaming, message boards, etc. So it eats into their movie/TV watching.

[pagemaster]

The next big thing is going to be smart television.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

How is it in my head?

I don't know, somehow it got in there and you won't let it go.

Tablets could replace bedroom tv for a start.

and I could be crowned king of the world, but at some point saying "could" and it really happening are two different things. Even if one wants to assume that there will be a day without bedroom TVs how does that change anything?

Also, your theory is wrong in my opinion. Kids are relying on smartphones/tablets as their sole device

name me one kid where that is true. And get them on here, so we can find ou=t how true that is.

Not just for holidays, waiting rooms etc.. Learned behaviour suggests future generations will bypass the big tv altogether. If they are not concerned about quality, why should they be concerned about size?

no man, like I said TV sizes are still growing in peoples homes. People do care about quality and size, but they sometimes have other priorities. The guy that goes jogging is more interested in having some noise than listening to music, the teen that watches crap on his tablet is more interested in being "independent".....

yesterday evening I was at my sisters it was a bit past 5 when the power went off the 5 year old took the ipad mini and started playing something, the 3 and 1 year old were jostling around pushing each other in order to have a better view of the screen. Do you think in 10 years when they are 11, 13 and 15 that it will make even more sense for them to be around an ipad mini because they did so when they were extremely young and it was learnt during a power failure? no a small screen from several inches away is not an issue when someone is by themselves. But when you grow up and get GF/BF it gets a bit tight and annoying, get a bit older and have a few kids. Personally I see the opposite. It is like in the other thread where some moron said that the average TV size was 32", he linked to a thread on some other site where not only was the average much larger than 32" but one of the persons said "80 cm / 32 It doubles as my desktop PC monitor so naturally I sit only about 1-1.5m away from it. ". Now I don't know this person but my guess is that he is a young single person. If one day he does meet a special someone and he has kids do you think he will still be watching only on his PC monitor or that he will get a proper TV and then say "hey I am used to watching between 1-2 screen diagonal and I want that as a min or the image will be too small?” don’t you think that in the future he will want to be able to have friends over for the game or a film?

I used to think audio quality would get better and better but look where that road led to. Horrific compressed crap.

how has it led to that? I am buying high quality audio on BD, over a decade after itunes came out IU can still buy any album on CD I want, digital audio(compressed crap or not) was less than 1/3 at the end of 2011 (unfortunately the ifpi report for 2013 with the 2012 numbers is not out yet) of the market and CD is still king? http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/...nd_figures.pdf and there are only 3 countries (China, Korea and the US) where digital (which does include some high end) are over 50% of the market

Originally Posted by ifpi

Digital channels now account for an estimated 32 per cent of record company revenues globally, up from 29 per cent in 2010.

if that is the standards that kids have, they are not going to worry about 4k and even hd quality on a big tv. I fear the worst for my beloved hobby, I really do.

maybe that is your fear but if that is true than it is all in your head, there are no stats that would support it. Be it music (as above) or movies (3D BDs in the US have almost the same market share as EST, Netflix has half the number of members as households with BD players.

[Blu666]

I prefer CDs and BDs over streaming. Higher quality+you can have them on the shelf and they will never go away.

[Clark Kent]

It won't be rapidly, but the market trends are unmistakable. Streaming will eventually replace Blu-ray in the marketplace as the common format. The next physical format from the studios will be targeted at the ultra-rich consumer. The mass market for physical media is getting chipped away at by the Millennials, who prefer watching their entertainment via platforms like tablets, cellphones and computers.

The death of retail stores is also hurting Blu-ray. It's simply becoming tougher and tougher to find a deep stock of Blu-ray product in stores, beyond the newest releases.

If you think Blu-ray is the most affected, think again. The Millennials will also destroy the conventional economics of the cable and television business.

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

It won't be rapidly, but the market trends are unmistakable. Streaming will eventually replace Blu-ray in the marketplace as the common format. The next physical format from the studios will be targeted at the ultra-rich consumer. The mass market for physical media is getting chipped away at by the Millennials, who prefer watching their entertainment via platforms like tablets, cellphones and computers.

The death of retail stores is also hurting Blu-ray. It's simply becoming tougher and tougher to find a deep stock of Blu-ray product in stores, beyond the newest releases.

If you think Blu-ray is the most affected, think again. The Millennials will also destroy the conventional economics of the cable and television business.

I agree that we will continue to see the market shift towards digital, but I think there will always be a place for packaged media. Streaming is very limited. You mostly get B content, hardly any good new releases, and movies and TV shows get pulled with no warning. Streaming will certainly affect the rental market as well as the cable business, but unless they drastically change the streaming model, I just don't see the death of packaged media.

We have heard the same arguments about packaged music forever and yet CD and Vinyl are still very much alive. I think there will always be a market for packaged media in some form or another to at least cater to those that have low bandwidth or to those that are collectors and prefer quality and to hold something in your hand.

4K could became an expensive niche product, but it depends on the final specs and what technology they use. If they can fit 4K movies on a BD50, I think the format could have a chance of being affordable for mass consumers.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by ack_bak

We have heard the same arguments about packaged music forever and yet CD and Vinyl are still very much alive.

Exactly. The issue is none of the people that believe in the doom and gloom of packaged high quality media being replaced by low grade DL have a leg to stand on because there is nothing to support that conclusion. The guy can talk about "market trends" but what is really meant is "with my tunnel vision"

[Steedeel]

Streaming future I could just about cope with. 4 inch smartphone as only viewing choice unthinkable.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Streaming future I could just about cope with. 4 inch smartphone as only viewing choice unthinkable.

but why do you pretend it can happen? Hey that reminds me, weren't you convinced that there would be no new CDs in 2013? sure looks like there are a lot of new titles on CD every week.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

It won't be rapidly, but the market trends are unmistakable. Streaming will eventually replace Blu-ray in the marketplace as the common format. The next physical format from the studios will be targeted at the ultra-rich consumer. The mass market for physical media is getting chipped away at by the Millennials, who prefer watching their entertainment via platforms like tablets, cellphones and computers.

The death of retail stores is also hurting Blu-ray. It's simply becoming tougher and tougher to find a deep stock of Blu-ray product in stores, beyond the newest releases.

If you think Blu-ray is the most affected, think again. The Millennials will also destroy the conventional economics of the cable and television business.

as a rental market, very well could be. but as sellthrough??/ sorry, but streaming sell through is dead in the water.