Blu-rays are 8 years old and DVDs still cling to them like a cancerous tumor. Why?

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Even then, we are just covering the same ground but wording it differently. The picture quality was a happy coincidence. It was the ease of use that was the driving force. Non techie people are ignorant (IMO) when it comes to that stuff. If DVD was nothing more than VHS quality on a disc it still would have taken off. Just let them get on with it. I will seek out the best quality like I have always done.

Not sure I agree with that. Remember 16 or so years ago when DVD came out, a half decent player was a $1k investment, kinda steep for only convenience. Everyone I know loved the better PQ it delivered (if you had a good TV even more so) but the players had to come down in the few hundreds for people to decide to upgrade.

[CranBack]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Pretty sure DVD was all about convenience. It was just a happy coincidence that picture quality was better. No rewinding the tape, no tape stick in machine, chapter selection, clear screen when rewinding and fast forwarding and no static or lines across image and much better audio quality.

DVD did have a convenience advantage over VHS, but it also had the picture quality advantages and extras as well. It was all of those things that drove its adoption, IMO.

[evilswift]

Originally Posted by Blu-21

4K home media doesn't stand a hope in hell in getting anywhere near the mass popularity of BD let alone DVD. It will be the niche that ends all niches.

I can see the new 4K format ending up like D-VHS..

I also give my parents the DVD copy and my brothers the digital. So I find it useful.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by CranBack

DVD did have a convenience advantage over VHS, but it also had the picture quality advantages and extras as well. It was all of those things that drove its adoption, IMO.

I disagree.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I disagree.

I think there is a difference between people not noticing an improvement and people just not caring for it. It stands to reason that if people cared or it was a high priority for them they would embrace it. But obviously most out there just don't consider HT more than a dream if they won the lottery. There are so many way more important things in life that eat up any discretionary income for most, and then cinema, or even music is just not their thing. Many hobbies out there and most do use up all of the extra so little to none for the lesser needs is all.

[CranBack]

Originally Posted by pentatonic

I think there is a difference between people not noticing an improvement and people just not caring for it. It stands to reason that if people cared or it was a high priority for them they would embrace it. But obviously most out there just don't consider HT more than a dream if they won the lottery.

That's true, but you didn't have to be an HT enthusiast to notice the picture advantages of DVD over VHS. In 1997, I readily noticed it on my Sony 27" CRT i had bought at Circuit City for $250 and that was the only "HT equipment" i owned at the time.

So is the consensus here that BD has failed to compete with DVD the way DVD was versus VHS because of the convenience issue?

[Steedeel]

[quote=CranBack;9116404]That's true, but you didn't have to be an HT enthusiast to notice the picture advantages of DVD over VHS. In 1997, I readily noticed it on my Sony 27" CRT i had bought at Circuit City for $250 and that was the only "HT equipment" i owned at the time.

So is the consensus here that BD has failed to compete with DVD the way DVD was versus VHS because of the convenience issue?[/quote

There are many factors that have been discussed at length. Factors that worked against bluray but ultimately the general public don't give a crap about quality.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by CranBack

That's true, but you didn't have to be an HT enthusiast to notice the picture advantages of DVD over VHS. In 1997, I readily noticed it on my Sony 27" CRT i had bought at Circuit City for $250 and that was the only "HT equipment" i owned at the time.

So is the consensus here that BD has failed to compete with DVD the way DVD was versus VHS because of the convenience issue?

Oh I agree, my main reason for DVD was PQ and AQ, the same with HD DVD and BD (I'm not picky, went with both, got access to way more content). I don't think BD failed at all but like in any hobbies, for the non interested the point of diminishing returns is way earlier than for us. But if you look at the general reaction to UHDTV here, it seems we are not immune to that either

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Blu-21

I can see the new 4K format ending up like D-VHS..

I believe UHD will become the norm, it is just a question of how much time it will take. Just remember that RS-170a (a.k.a., NTSC) video was authorized in 1953. It took many years before color TV became the norm. It was similar for ATSC. The real expansion of UHD will occur when it becomes a broadcast standard. IMO, that is several years away.

As to D-VHS, JVC even stated that it was an interim format. I still have one machine left because there is a few D-Theater titles that have not made it to Blu-ray.

[Tok]

The problem with that is you see major retailers steering away from physical media. Soon you will be lucky to see any thing beyond the top 20 titles at major B&M retailers.

UHD at best is going to be a niche. Think laserdisc type market for its best outlook.

[blonde_devil]

Does it really matter that we still have dvd? Is it causing any other technology to be held back? Studios/retailers could push blu-ray more if they wanted to but they don't. dvd isn't hurting it any and in the end, it is all about choices for the consumer so who cares? It is kind of like complaining your car comes with a regular radio when you could get Sirius XM instead. Let people buy what they want until that format is no longer worth the cost and then get rid of it but until then, to each their own.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Tok

The problem with that is you see major retailers steering away from physical media. Soon you will be lucky to see any thing beyond the top 20 titles at major B&M retailers.

UHD at best is going to be a niche. Think laserdisc type market for its best outlook.

UHD is a standard not a format. Same way HD is a standard. There is more at play than movies here. People laughed several years ago when it was suggested phones would be full HD in the future. Look where we are.

[Tony208]

Saying DVD's should be phased out cause we have Blu-ray is like saying get rid of diner steaks cause we have steakhouses or get rid of flip phones cause there's smartphones. It's economics. More people buy DVD's and more people buy McDonald's cause it's cheaper.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

UHD is a standard not a format. Same way HD is a standard. There is more at play than movies here. People laughed several years ago when it was suggested phones would be full HD in the future. Look where we are.

DVD and blu ray are formats though.

When blu ray came out, people said that not a single DVD would be sold by this time, look where we still are.

FLAC is a format that was also supposed to be the standard by now. Look where we are. MP3 is still way more popular.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

DVD and blu ray are formats though.

When blu ray came out, people said that not a single DVD would be sold by this time, look where we still are.

FLAC is a format that was also supposed to be the standard by now. Look where we are. MP3 is still way more popular.

Shock revelation! There are still millions of muppets who buy inferior quality goods. Cheap and nasty will always win the day. We all know that by now.

[Steedeel]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/1/567...rges#230866887

Depressing reading!

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/1/567...rges#230866887

Depressing reading!

oh man.

Sony is now accepting that its disc business is not worth as much as it hoped.

jeez. so even though bluray disc sales are up, it was still a down year?

Sony is warning shareholders to expect poor financial results for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. The electronics giant previously expected to pull in an operating income of 80 billion yen ($782 million) over the financial year, but is today adjusting that figure down to just 26 billion yen ($254 million).

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

oh man.



jeez. so even though bluray disc sales are up, it was still a down year?

Bluray sales are down YOY as I understand it but the last few weeks have been excellent. Still, on a major website like that it is very worrying news. Hope it does not affect 4k disc. They might decide it isn't worth it.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/1/567...rges#230866887

Depressing reading!

That link: Reality.

This link: Imagination fantasy dream land where 4K discs will rule the world a couple of years from now.

Personally, as a lover of physical media, I am grateful for every blu ray release we are fortunate to get. I just hope that as many movies get released on blu ray as possible before the physical media seriously begins to die out.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Bluray sales are down YOY as I understand it but the last few weeks have been excellent. Still, on a major website like that it is very worrying news. Hope it does not affect 4k disc. They might decide it isn't worth it.

I thought blu disc sales went up slightly each year? I read they were up 10% in 2012, 2013... so assumed now, 2014, with better prices and more HDTVs in homes (and hopefully more DVD players breaking and people having to replace them with bluray players), they'd still rise