Physical & Digital EST: The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread

[CrowKiller]

Originally Posted by 78deluxe

Correct, my point here was to note that even with physical you have to actually buy it to have it "forever.".

True, but it most likely it will last forever (or your life time), unlike buying a digital copy that could randomly vanish forever. Unlike buying a hard copy where nobody can take that from you. Both examples are about buying, but only the hard copy you can actually call your own. Digital, you never really own it, no matter how much you pay.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by MrVorhees

The responds here make it sound like physical media sales are indeed decreasing.
I can't see why i should give up on Netflix etc., their stuff is not available on Blu-ray. I don't get the "if you want physical media to survive, don't support streaming services.". Why can i not enjoy both? I'm still supporting Blu-rays. I prefer Blu-rays over streaming any day.

Back to my question: are Blu-ray sales decreasing or not? Can anyone please with actual infos inform me?

Data for 2018, up to May 12th, shows a decline in disc sales, all formats combined, of 13.2%. In 2017, that decline was 13.4%. Blu-ray disc sales are down just 4.1%.

On the positive side, 4K disc sales are up 130% compared to last year.

1st quarter 2018 sales figures can be found here:

https://degonline.org/wp-content/upl...ent_Report.pdf

Data up to May 12th (blu-ray figures include 4K UHD):

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=913

I would recommend following the Home Video Sales thread as it posts information about disc sales on a regular basis. Just be wary of the weekly comparisons that contrast a given week of this year with the same week of the previous year; these vary widely and are just snapshots of sales performance over a very small time period, a week.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...+sales&page=48

The quarterly and annual reports are the most useful.

[thecalm_7]

Originally Posted by MrVorhees

The responds here make it sound like physical media sales are indeed decreasing.
I can't see why i should give up on Netflix etc., their stuff is not available on Blu-ray. I don't get the "if you want physical media to survive, don't support streaming services.". Why can i not enjoy both? I'm still supporting Blu-rays. I prefer Blu-rays over streaming any day.

Back to my question: are Blu-ray sales decreasing or not? Can anyone please with actual infos inform me?

I watch Blu-ray primarily, Hulu 2nd, DVD, Netflix, and trailing way in last, 3
Laps behind is Prime Video. Will I give up streaming? No and the primary reason is not me, but my 3 year old son. All those children’s shows and it can be watched on the road. PJ Masks on repeat and he’s happy. It’s a long drive to see my family. We still but the movies of course.
Without a video store, I use streaming as a trial. If I like it, I then buy it if it’s available. I Tonya comes to mind. Free on Hulu, watched it, liked it, went to Target and bought it. Same with many others. Some things I can’t justify. I am a Law and Order/SVU/etc fan. Much of which was shot in HD, no HD physical release, no go on the sale for me. Gotta keep it.
Don’t feel guilty about streaming, as they say, you do you. That’s all that matters is your own level of satisfaction for your money.

As for the charts, I can’t find them annual sales comp charts only the weekly selling lists.

[MrVorhees]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Data for 2018, up to May 12th, shows a decline in disc sales, all formats combined, of 13.2%. In 2017, that decline was 13.4%. Blu-ray disc sales are down just 4.1%.

On the positive side, 4K disc sales are up 130% compared to last year.

1st quarter 2018 sales figures can be found here:

https://degonline.org/wp-content/upl...ent_Report.pdf

Data up to May 12th (blu-ray figures include 4K UHD):

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=913

I would recommend following the Home Video Sales thread as it posts information about disc sales on a regular basis. Just be wary of the weekly comparisons that contrast a given week of this year with the same week of the previous year; these vary widely and are just snapshots of sales performance over a very small time period, a week.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...+sales&page=48

The quarterly and annual reports are the most useful.

This is worrying. Each year 13% down in sales. I mean streaming services doesn't even have 1% of all movies available, and the movies they do have, are time limited. No movie will ever be yours. Same goes for a digital online collection, the movies are on a server, which means they never are truly yours.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by MrVorhees

This is worrying. Each year 13% down in sales. I mean streaming services doesn't even have 1% of all movies available, and the movies they do have, are time limited. No movie will ever be yours. Same goes for a digital online collection, the movies are on a server, which means they never are truly yours.

Disc sales will level off at some point. They are not going to disappear from the market despite the tendency of some here who see every decline as a death spiral. These same people have been telling us that the compact disc was surely doomed and they have been telling us this for more than a decade now. Yet, despite the "certainty" of their predictions, the cd remains. While markets change and market corrections occur, few products utterly vanish.

Purchases, disc or digital, are not where the strong growth lies (except for 4K discs). In 2017, discs still outsold digital by more than 2:1. Subscription streaming is experiencing robust growth year over year, up 31.05% in 2017 and 29% through May 12th of this year. People really like their inexpensive, all you can watch, monthly plans.

Personally, I found the movie selection on Netflix to be very poor. There are just so many great movies they do not offer. They only have one original series that interests me. They are a cheap and convenient service and those two things alone are very appealing to many people.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by MrVorhees

This is worrying. Each year 13% down in sales.

If you look at the box office reports you will see YoY decline as well for at least the last five years. As to BD sales, it is really simple, a few desirable titles will result in fewer sales. As suggested, follow the sales thread.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yes, it’s dead. It passed away yesterday.

Please don't mimic you know who. He won't recognize the sarcasm and will instead see you as a convert to his misguided beliefs. You will be welcomed as the newest acolyte to his disc doomsday cult.

You do not want to know what the initiation ritual involves.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Personally, I found the movie selection on Netflix to be very poor. There are just so many great movies they do not offer. They only have one original series that interests me.

It appears all the SVOD providers know that original series or unique content is the ONLY thing that will keep them afloat. IMO, anyone looking for A movies (new or catalog) from SVOD providers will be sorely disappointed.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

If you look at the box office reports you will see YoY decline as well for at least the last five years.

Well, the only "logical" conclusion to be made is that movies theaters MUST be dying and soon they will disappear altogether. Declines mean only death. Five years of decline makes it even more dead, even most sincerely dead.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yes, it’s dead. It passed away yesterday.

Originally Posted by Vilya

Please don't mimic you know who. He won't recognize the sarcasm and will instead see you as a convert to his misguided beliefs. You will be welcomed as the newest acolyte to his disc doomsday cult.

You do not want to know what the initiation ritual involves.

I guess you guys are talking about me.......Yes Discs RIP! Even though all the signs point to a decline in Disc Sales, they will be around for a while. The Average Person or General Public watches a Movie one time, so Streaming from a Provider is perfect for them. Now the people that want to Collect or don't have the Bandwidth or have to deal with Caps, will have to buy Discs. The only problem is that the Discs will cost more. It's always about Supply and Demand!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I guess you guys are talking about me.......Yes Discs RIP! Even though all the signs point to a decline in Disc Sales, they will be around for a while. The Average Person or General Public watches a Movie one time, so Streaming from a Provider is perfect for them. Now the people that want to Collect or don't have the Bandwidth or have to deal with Caps, will have to buy Discs. The only problem is that the Discs will cost more. It's always about Supply and Demand!

Talking about you, maybe, but not to you.

There is zero evidence that discs prices will rise due to any supply or demand problems. Have compact discs prices soared after many years of sales decline? No, they have not. Stop making baseless predictions and perhaps more people will talk to you instead of, maybe, about you.

Incidentally, there are 1,323 titles on blu-ray and 4K UHD discs, combined, on sale at Amazon alone. There are no shortage of deals on discs. Why, there is even a Deals link atop every page of this website that will let you browse them right now!

I did not include the link; I want to see if you can find it all by yourself. You can stop clicking on the red word.

I buy movies on disc routinely, virtually every single week, and I have done so since laserdiscs were the state of the art format. If anyone would notice an inordinate increase in the price of discs, it would be someone like myself who actually buys the things, not someone like yourself who streams and sniffs around for free, or deeply discounted, codes traded on these forums.

Hell, you don't even fully support your chosen format: that of digital codes. If discs were to fade away (they won't), you would have to actually pay the retail price for your codes instead of scrounging here for freebies and bargain basement prices. You should be grateful that people buy discs and then give away, or sell for next to nothing, the codes included with their disc purchase.

Bottom line is do not speak to the prices of things you rarely, if ever, buy. You just demonstrate another area in which you do not know what you are talking about. I do not speak to the retail prices of digital codes for that exact same reason: I do not buy them.

Speak to what you do know so that we may all enjoy the coming silence.

[MrVorhees]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

If you look at the box office reports you will see YoY decline as well for at least the last five years. As to BD sales, it is really simple, a few desirable titles will result in fewer sales. As suggested, follow the sales thread.

As i said, i'd be interested in european numbers as well. Are there numbers?

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

There is zero evidence that discs prices will rise due to any supply or demand problems.

Some folks just never learn . Below is just a few of the LaserDisc that I once owned.

2001 A Space Odyssey    03/28/1989    29.95
2010    02/09/1989    34.95
Above The Law    03/31/1989    24.95
Alien [LB 1.85:1]    08/04/1989    69.98
Back In The USSR    07/01/1992    34.95
Batman Forever [LB 1:85:1]    05/05/1994    39.99
Battle Of The Bulge [LB 2.35:1]    08/11/1989    39.98
Ben Hur [LB]    01/16/1990    49.95
Black Rain [LB 2.35:1]    01/16/1990    14.98
Black Stallion, The    03/01/1987    34.95
Blade Runner    03/09/1989    34.95
Blade Runner [LB]    03/09/1989    49.98
Blue Velvet [LB 2.35:1]    04/08/1988    29.98
Body Music    03/01/1987    19.95
Broken Arrow [LB 2.35:1]    07/28/1996    39.98
Buddy Rich - Mr. Drums    01/10/1989    29.98
Bugs Bunny Superstar    07/01/1991    24.98
Canyon Dreams    03/01/1987    29.95
Cat People    03/01/1987    34.95
Clash Of The Titans    03/01/1987    34.95

Folks should note the year purchased and what the title cost. An example, 2001 A Space Odyssey cost me $29.95 in 1989, that is $61.71 in June 2018 dollars. This title can be pre-ordered today for $22.48, in true UHD (with HDR and most likely immersive audio). I know facts are lost on some folks but life continues on .

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Some folks just never learn . Below is just a few of the LaserDisc that I once owned.

2001 A Space Odyssey    03/28/1989    29.95
2010    02/09/1989    34.95
Above The Law    03/31/1989    24.95
Alien [LB 1.85:1]    08/04/1989    69.98
Back In The USSR    07/01/1992    34.95
Batman Forever [LB 1:85:1]    05/05/1994    39.99
Battle Of The Bulge [LB 2.35:1]    08/11/1989    39.98
Ben Hur [LB]    01/16/1990    49.95
Black Rain [LB 2.35:1]    01/16/1990    14.98
Black Stallion, The    03/01/1987    34.95
Blade Runner    03/09/1989    34.95
Blade Runner [LB]    03/09/1989    49.98
Blue Velvet [LB 2.35:1]    04/08/1988    29.98
Body Music    03/01/1987    19.95
Broken Arrow [LB 2.35:1]    07/28/1996    39.98
Buddy Rich - Mr. Drums    01/10/1989    29.98
Bugs Bunny Superstar    07/01/1991    24.98
Canyon Dreams    03/01/1987    29.95
Cat People    03/01/1987    34.95
Clash Of The Titans    03/01/1987    34.95

Folks should note the year purchased and what the title cost. An example, 2001 A Space Odyssey cost me $29.95 in 1989, that is $61.71 in June 2018 dollars. This title can be pre-ordered today for $22.48, in true UHD (with HDR and most likely immersive audio). I know facts are lost on some folks but life continues on .

If people were asked to pay what amounts to $60+ per title for a movie, as was the case with laserdisc, they would be outraged. At one time, I owned over 1,200 of those giant 12" platters. Some box sets cost as much as $250 (Star Wars Trilogy, Definitive Collection) in 1993; that's $435.97 today.

The quality of discs have never been better or more affordable. It is a fantastic time for movie fans.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Folks should note the year purchased and what the title cost. An example, 2001 A Space Odyssey cost me $29.95 in 1989, that is $61.71 in June 2018 dollars. This title can be pre-ordered today for $22.48, in true UHD (with HDR and most likely immersive audio). I know facts are lost on some folks but life continues on .

Originally Posted by Vilya

If people were asked to pay what amounts to $60+ per title for a movie, as was the case with laserdisc, they would be outraged. At one time, I owned over 1,200 of those giant 12" platters. Some box sets cost as much as $250 (Star Wars Trilogy, Definitive Collection) in 1993; that's $435.97 today.

The quality of discs have never been better or more affordable. It is a fantastic time for movie fans.

So you guys proved my point, you'll pay just about anything for a High End Disc. I was thinking that 4K/8K Discs would creep up to the $50 range, but you guys have paid even more. Well there is another update on my observations. I stopped at our Best Buy today, and all the Movie Disc Aisles are gone, they rearranged the store. Only a few 4K Displays, and when I talked with the Sales Reps they said they are getting rid of all Disc Sales at the Store, maybe OnLine for a while longer. So maybe Discs are headed for an early departure....May they RIP!

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So you guys proved my point, you'll pay just about anything for a High End Disc. I was thinking that 4K/8K Discs would creep up to the $50 range, but you guys have paid even more. Well there is another update on my observations. I stopped at our Best Buy today, and all the Movie Disc Isles are gone, they rearranged the store. Only a few 4K Displays, and when I talked with the Sales Reps they said they are getting rid of all Disc Sales at the Store, maybe OnLine for a while longer. So maybe Discs are headed for an early departure....May they RIP!

Amazon! Click, click job done. 50 discs in my basket, 50 discs on their way. Not hard to comprehend? 4K, 3D, regular Blu-ray whatever. One day shipping.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Please don't mimic you know who. He won't recognize the sarcasm and will instead see you as a convert to his misguided beliefs. You will be welcomed as the newest acolyte to his disc doomsday cult.

You do not want to know what the initiation ritual involves.

Didn’t you hear? Best Buy in his area are stopping disc sales. That huge increase in 4K discs has come from a cartel that wants to burn all remaining discs this year.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So you guys proved my point, you'll pay just about anything for a High End Disc. I was thinking that 4K/8K Discs would creep up to the $50 range, but you guys have paid even more. Well there is another update on my observations. I stopped at our Best Buy today, and all the Movie Disc Isles are gone, they rearranged the store. Only a few 4K Displays, and when I talked with the Sales Reps they said they are getting rid of all Disc Sales at the Store, maybe OnLine for a while longer. So maybe Discs are headed for an early departure....May they RIP!

Alchav, you should try watching GOTG2 in 3D Blu-ray. Just watch it and weep, because streaming will not even come close to that. The sharpness and background detail is out of this world! (Pun intended)

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So you guys proved my point, you'll pay just about anything for a High End Disc. I was thinking that 4K/8K Discs would creep up to the $50 range, but you guys have paid even more. Well there is another update on my observations. I stopped at our Best Buy today, and all the Movie Disc Isles are gone, they rearranged the store. Only a few 4K Displays, and when I talked with the Sales Reps they said they are getting rid of all Disc Sales at the Store, maybe OnLine for a while longer. So maybe Discs are headed for an early departure....May they RIP!

You have no point, except the one atop your skull.

We value the best quality presentation available for a movie, then as now. Our willingness to pay more for that quality does not in any way prove your prediction that disc prices will rise. They haven't and they won't.

You seriously think the prices of 4k discs are going to double? You are so completely clueless. 30 years of buying movies on physical media has proven that movies have become vastly more affordable. We are getting much, much better quality for a fraction of the price we used to pay. You predict, with no evidence of any kind, that a three decade trend in ever increasing value is not only going to cease, but reverse itself. All you have done is provided us with another reason to laugh at you- like we needed another one.

During a very rare visit, I purchased A Quiet Place 4K UHD at my local Best Buy yesterday- damn fine movie, by the way. My local store still has its movie aisles. They are still selling CDs, too. My anecdote just cancelled out yours- that's one of the many reasons why such stories are worthless.

Furthermore, what Best Buy does, or does not, sell in its stores matters little. The best selection and the best prices for discs are to be found online. Someone who pretends to be internet savvy like yourself should already be aware of this.

I am no fan of digital purchases and I barely use streaming, but I do not wish either to disappear. Doing so would be petty and vindictive. The market is more than capable of supporting all viewing options; there is no good reason for me to wish that someone else's choice cease to exist.

You can wish for discs to "RIP" all you like; it will remain a wish unfulfilled. You will be dead long before physical media is. It will outlast me as well.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

You are so completely clueless.

IMO, that poster does not know what we are talking about.

Does anyone else not see that BD and UHD BD are a fraction of the price of LaserDisc?