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

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Ender14

Y

At the bottom of the article it states the following:

"At the same time that the DEG released its annual year-end numbers, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment shared some of its “Attitudes and Usage” study findings.

The key point: Home entertainment has evolved into a true multi-platform business. Universal found that consumers are using around three platforms on average, the most common bundle being disc purchase, disc rental and subscription streaming."

Notice that EST is not mentioned in Universal's findings when it comes to the most common 3 platforms being used. I'm sure they are not the only studio to observe this trend.

So as usual, nothing to worry about for those of us that enjoy discs.

Universal's findings align perfectly with my own anecdotal observations and we all know how much some of our members value anecdotes.

Many people use SVOD, but when they do actually buy something, they buy discs, not EST.

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by Ender14

Laserdiscs were around for years and had much less market share. There will always be a profitable market for discs because some of us have more refined tastes and common sense .

Different era. Some of the best and critically acclaimed tv/movies are released on Netflix/Prime...etc and not all get a physical release. And the 'not all' number ain't getting smaller in the future

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

There will be at least another 20% drop by this time next year. Might be something to be a little worried about..

Buying content is becoming ever more niche, that is all. EST won't change that nor will 4K discs, both of which are the only two areas of growth in purchased content. 4K disc sales are expected to be up about 15% for 2019.

We are still seeing more titles released on disc each year, so while that continues to be the case I have zero concerns. The disc market, niche though it may be, continues to be very well served with a plethora of new titles released each year.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Different era. Some of the best and critically acclaimed tv/movies are released on Netflix/Prime...etc and not all get a physical release. And the 'not all' number ain't getting smaller in the future

The number of critically acclaimed movies available only on Netflix can be counted on one hand, two hands if you are being extra generous, and these may yet see a disc release at some point as Netflix is deeply in debt. The vast majority of Netflix's unoriginal content is dreck and they can keep it.

Roma is being released on blu-ray on Feb. 11 and that is a precedent for more to follow.

As for Amazon, they may release some of their stuff yet, too, as they are not exclusively in the streaming business and they seem to like making money any way that they can.

[avs commenter]

I can think of quite a bit of original Netflix that is not on disc. Still no word on if The Irishman will come to disc

[Vilya]

Netflix offers about 6000 movies at any given time and that number has dropped substantially as more studios pull their content from them.

There have been 247,581 titles released on disc, all formats, up thru Oct. 25, 2019. It is not hard to see which really offers the best selection.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

I can think of quite a bit of original Netflix that is not on disc. Still no word on if The Irishman will come to disc

And most of it is forgettable fodder. Netflix offered 371 "original" series and movies in 2019 and I can count about 4 titles from that junk heap that I find to be worth owning.

They cancel their series as fast as they start them and I have seen better production values in the stuff shown on the SyFy channel. Much of it is just filler to replace all of the movies that they are losing from the studios.

It is too soon to know about The Irishman; we had to wait roughly a year to get a release announcement for Roma.

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by Vilya

And most of it is forgettable fodder. Netflix offered 371 "original" series and movies in 2019 and I can count about 4 titles from that junk heap that I find to be worth owning.

They cancel their series as fast as they start them and I have seen better production values in the stuff shown on the SyFy channel. Much of it is just filler to replace all of the movies that they are losing from the studios.

It is too soon to know about The Irishman; we had to wait roughly a year to get a release announcement for Roma.

Regardless, Netflix and Amazon more than hold their own when it comes to awards/critical acclaim. Last year Netflix set a record for Emmy noms

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

So this is the year I go 4K and Atmos. Budget is a definite consideration. I've already bought the Atmos speakers (satellites) and the 4K player. This means that I am halfway there and just need the new receiver and television. The majority of my audio set-up will be legacy equipment. It's a blend of JBL and Infinity speakers and they still rock hard to this day.

I still live with and am okay with both formats (digital/physical), but it was time to gradually upgrade. Since the AVR/TV will be the more expensive of the new components, I have no timeframe as to when I will get the new equipment.

Congratulations on your speaker purchases! Have fun researching TVs and AVRs and take all the time that you need. More time allows you to budget more money and that means more and better options.

Like Steedy said, when you have it all done, feed it the good stuff, discs, and limit that digital junk food.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It is too soon to know about The Irishman

Watched The Irishman just a few nights ago. IMHO, a fair movie but not worth a purchase. I do have several other Martin Scorsese movies in my collection:

Hugo 3D, Shutter Island, The Departed, Gangs of New York, Casino and Goodfellas.

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Regardless, Netflix and Amazon more than hold their own when it comes to awards/critical acclaim. Last year Netflix set a record for Emmy noms

Yes, there is some good content on streaming. But as soon as you cancel your subscription you lose access to all of it. If I buy a disc I have it as long as I want it for the price of 1-2 streaming services. With streaming you don't own or have rights to anything once you cancel your subscription and nothing to show for the money spent. Why champion something that removes your options? I honestly find this baffling.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Regardless, Netflix and Amazon more than hold their own when it comes to awards/critical acclaim. Last year Netflix set a record for Emmy noms

Shame Netflix can't actually make a profit despite it all. How long can losing money in record amounts be sustained? Emmy nominations don't pay stock dividends to shareholders.

Netflix has had to borrow over $1 billion eight times in the last 5 years. They were $12.43 billion in debt at the end of 2019, up from $10.36 billion the previous year. They sold $2.2 billion in junk bonds in April of 2019. Their ink is running ever redder.

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by Ender14

Yes, there is some good content on streaming. But as soon as you cancel your subscription you lose access to all of it. If I buy a disc I have it as long as I want it for the price of 1-2 streaming services. With streaming you don't own or have rights to anything once you cancel your subscription and nothing to show for the money spent. Why champion something that removes your options? I honestly find this baffling.

Yes, buying and owning one movie is about the cost of one month of 1 or 2 streaming services. And the majority of people would rather watch a ton of different shows/movies for one month than forever own one title. You're surprised most people would choose this option?

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Yes, buying and owning one movie is about the cost of one month of 1 or 2 streaming services. And the majority of people would rather watch a ton of different shows/movies for one month than forever own one title. You're surprised most people would choose this option?

Never cared one iota about what most people do. Most people are overweight in this country; should I want to be like them just so that I blend into the herd?

When I spend money buying a movie on disc, I actually own something that I can literally show for the money spent.

Paying a monthly subscription fee just grants me temporary access to whatever drivel services like Netflix have on tap at that time. I have nothing to show for the money spent at the end of the month.

I would rather buy and actually own 12-18 movies over the course of a year that I genuinely want than to throw away the same money for mere access to their mostly mediocre content. I have never been able to keep a Netflix subscription for more than a few months because they bore me that fast.

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Yes, buying and owning one movie is about the cost of one month of 1 or 2 streaming services. And the majority of people would rather watch a ton of different shows/movies for one month than forever own one title. You're surprised most people would choose this option?

I am because one day they may want to watch that movie or show again and it might not be there. This is all too common with streaming services. I guess if you like gambling they make sense. You pay your money and hope what you want to watch comes up on the wheel. You are at the mercy of the company you pay monthly. I would much rather have a sure thing when I spend my money. Disc provides that.

I use streaming services as well simply because if I want to watch something I may not have another option. It doesn't mean I have to like it or talk about how great it is. Because at the end of the day it really isn't. You have sacrificed ownership, quality and given more power to the corporations for a little convenience. Poor trade off in my opinion.

[avs commenter]

It's a trade off no matter what you choose. But like I said, most people will continue to chose the option of more content for less money

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Watched The Irishman just a few nights ago. IMHO, a fair movie but not worth a purchase. I do have several other Martin Scorsese movies in my collection:

Hugo 3D, Shutter Island, The Departed, Gangs of New York, Casino and Goodfellas.

I have yet to see The Irishman, but of my friends that have seen it, their reactions have been the same as yours. They describe it as "fair" and "underwhelming" and none of them care to own it on any format. Even so, I will watch it at some point and decide for myself.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

It's a trade off no matter what you choose. But like I said, most people will continue to chose the option of more content for less money

I don't see it as a "trade-off", but rather as a choice. I choose the quality and genuine ownership of physical media for any content that I deem worth owning. Everything else is just a rental method for titles of casual interest.

Most of us here are film and home theater enthusiasts, to one degree or another, and we don't care what most people do.

Telling us that "cheap and convenient" is more popular with the masses is no revelation. There are few instances where that would not be the case.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Ender14

Yes, there is some good content on streaming. But as soon as you cancel your subscription you lose access to all of it. If I buy a disc I have it as long as I want it for the price of 1-2 streaming services. With streaming you don't own or have rights to anything once you cancel your subscription and nothing to show for the money spent. Why champion something that removes your options? I honestly find this baffling.

You're right. There is some good content on SVOD. It takes me all of two or three months to watch it all and then I cancel. For me it is really no different than pay TV, but it is much cheaper and far easier to cancel.

[Scottish Punk]

Looking at the numbers and the numbers for the past few years. As stated, online streaming via subscription is where the future is like it or not. Not surprising to anybody paying attention of course. I do agree with Vilya, if purchasing a movie, most people will opt for physical disc rather than EST. Makes a lot more sense to spend $14 dollars and get a disk rather than just online.

Given this trend, in a few more years, that 62% market share for subscription will likely get into the 75% range. When more and more things get pulled to streaming only to entice subs, than that number may grow even bigger. At some point it will plateau and disk sales will bottom out. Even that will slowly erode as the older generation dies off.