Should DVDs be discontinued in 2021?

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

probably in general, but not entirely since there are still things like some TV shot on tape that are SD only

(although it is true that blu-ray has more DRM and for some people, in some situations and who only want to or can just pop in a disc, they may need DVD, so I guess may as well keep it going in limited numbers for them for everything)

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Best Buy still sells a $20 DVD player while Walmart sells 5 different models all under $25.

these days you can do blu-ray playback for about the same price

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW

these days you can do blu-ray playback for about the same price

Not that I saw. $50 to $60 for a cheap BD player.

[Cremildo]

No. There's a bunch of films that have only been released on DVD and are unlikely to get the HD treatment anytime soon, if ever. Better a DVD than nothing at all.

[BijouMan]

Originally Posted by WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW

these days you can do blu-ray playback for about the same price

So, what does your handle even mean? What is this "VMarsMovie" you speak of?

Also, I think we should try to bring back DVD-Audio. I don’t really care about DVD-Video especially with Ultra HD Blu-ray on the scene.

[Sage00]

No, DVD outsells everything.

[meremortal]

Originally Posted by Sage00

No, DVD outsells everything.

It's still pretty much the 'face of physical media' for the average joe. If it were to disappear I'd certainly worry for blu and uhd at the very least from an optics perspective.

[kevin87]

I definitely won't buy a DVD, but I don't mind that it's around... but I hate how new stuff filmed in HD still sometimes gets stuck in SD only, like TV shows.

I do think the studios could save money producing multiple packaging options and just make everything a combo pack though.

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by kevin87

I do think the studios could save money producing multiple packaging options and just make everything a combo pack though.

How would that save money? It would mean that the studios would have higher manufacturing costs and more customers would be selling the discs they aren't using. Both of those things are bad for business.

[Gizz]

If DVD were to be discontinued then 4K and Blu Ray would follow as well. I buy TV on DVD have had to pick up films on DVD that will never see the light of day on Blu Ray or 4K and I am happy with them on DVD. We need DVD to stick around not see it discontinued because some people think it's poor.

[canucksam]

Originally Posted by ps3bd_owner

Only 14 days till the New Year and I've been wondering why DVDs are still in production. Yes, for its time they were great, but now it's just old technology considering Blu-rays and 4K UHD exist now. Plus, streaming is normally all in HD (and even 4K).

What's your opinion?

Why? The manufacturing and sale of them keep people employed, many people enjoy watching them (we are kind of elitists here) and as pointed out, there are thousands of titles not available on BD. Yeah, keep them coming. I'd guess that nine out of ten DVD watchers have no clue what Criterion is.

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Blu-ray should drop a little in price and dvd players taken off the market. Then dvd phased out over a year. Not to diss on dvd owners but basically cause a market wide upgrade to at least Blu-ray, doing so doesn't rob dvd owners of their collection, rather it gives them the gift of enjoying better visuals and audio. I don't understand why people wouldn't want a better looking film aside from just being frugal...nothing wrong with saving a bit of money

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by Gizz

If DVD were to be discontinued then 4K and Blu Ray would follow as well. I buy TV on DVD have had to pick up films on DVD that will never see the light of day on Blu Ray or 4K and I am happy with them on DVD. We need DVD to stick around not see it discontinued because some people think it's poor.

Blu-ray players also play dvd...and they look a bit better on a HD display when played through a Blu-ray player.

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by Phillip c. Niethe

Blu-ray should drop a little in price and dvd players taken off the market. Then dvd phased out over a year.

That makes absolutely no business sense. DVDs are cheaper to manufacture so the studios would far prefer that people continue to buy DVDs instead of dropping the price of Blu-ray discs. The existence of a lower quality product also helps the perceived value of Blu-ray.

Every other product on the planet has plenty of pricing tiers: cars, houses, food, clothing, electronics, sports equipment, etc. Why do people think that having three tiers of video discs is such a terrible idea? Why should one of them be discontinued?

[jethrotull]

The only problem with this logic is they may remove the ability of the blu-ray player to be able to also play dvds. And we don't want that to happen.
Most players upscale dvd to better quality anyway, so it's better to have a choice of what format you'd like to watch.
I watch all my discs on a blu-ray player, but sometimes like to rent a dvd to see if I like the film enough to buy it on blu.
And I still have dvd, vhs, and laserdisc players in working condition, if needed.
You'd be suprised how much content is still only available on vhs and laserdisc (as we collectors already know) !

[Blu Titan]

DVD’s are a profit center for the studies and they will remain for as long as they continue to be profitable.

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

That makes absolutely no business sense. DVDs are cheaper to manufacture so the studios would far prefer that people continue to buy DVDs instead of dropping the price of Blu-ray discs. The existence of a lower quality product also helps the perceived value of Blu-ray.

Every other product on the planet has plenty of pricing tiers: cars, houses, food, clothing, electronics, sports equipment, etc. Why do people think that having three tiers of video discs is such a terrible idea? Why should one of them be discontinued?

The article I read stated the manufacturing price of dvd and Blu-ray is same, granted the disc makers currently charge more for blu because of the smaller batch orders.

[Phillip c. Niethe]

I think the real argument of DVD vs Blu would be argued in the same vein as black and white television vs. Full color television... The new color Television that took the place of black and white can still display all films in Black and white. While Blu-ray players can still play dvd. The color television has more to offer just as Blu has over dvd.

[Lee A Stewart]

[Purplenoon]

We are in the middle of a pandemic. People are struggling to eat and pay rent. Homelessness is skyrocketing. We face the largest unemployment dilemma and economic downturn since the Great Depression. And we should expect the country to turn from dvds to blurays? Whaaaaaat?
I love blurays as much as anyone out there, but now is not the time to get rid of dvds. Also, it may be shocking for many of us to hear, but I can’t tell you how often I have heard people say they can’t see any difference between the two formats. Especially when viewed on small tvs without spectacular sound systems. Hence, the lower priced dvds sell better.
Have pity on the small man. For many, they just want to see a good “show”. And yes, you’d be surprised at the number of people who have never heard of Criterion (and I own several hundred Criterions). Let’s NOT be elitist. Let the two formats coexist. In the end, it’s best for all of us.