Will DVDs die?

Question

HD DVDs already lost AND Blu Ray won.. Do you think that people will eventually do complete switches to Blu Ray discs or do you think Blu Ray discs are only for the people with HDTVs and people with regular TVs should stick with plain old DVDs (and maybe VHS, Betamax, and Video CDs too).

Answer 1

Yes DVD will die in later 5 or 7 yrs later. Why? Because technology change. The "problem" is that the HDTV it needs to lower the prices & Sony Co. needs to cut the prices of the Blu-ray players. Same thing of the cables company like DirectTV,Charter & ect. Every entertainment company are switching to Hi-Def.

Answer 2

I can't imagine DVD dying anytime soon.  I definitely don't want to have to replace my dvd collection with a new format.  The thing about the change from VHS to DVD is that it was such a leap in quality and technology. Remember the frustration of having to rewind and fast-forward through half a tape just to get to the great part?  Seems ancient compared to now.

That's why DVD ultimately became "the" way to watch movies at home.  I don't see the same giant leap with Blu-Ray.  Sure, the picture looks pretty sweet, but other than that it doesn't have the cool new features that DVD has over VHS.  The technology would have to grow by leaps and bounds before DVD would really die off.

You're right about having to own a HDTV to experience Blu-Ray too.  I'm sure it doesn't look as pretty on anything below 30 inches.  

Now I'm going to go and watch the first DVD I ever bought.  The Matrix!

Answer 3

Someday...but people still have VHS's so it wont be for a long while

Answer 4

Simple answer: Eventually, and you got it!  But the bottom line is Blu-ray will probably die before DVD.

Some "experts" claim the studios want to kill DVD and replace it with Blu-ray so they can get back to profitable margins on disks. (Note .. this means higher prices). They also want us to (once again) buy new Blu-ray copies of what we already have on VHS/Beta, Laserdisc, DVD, etc. But this time most of us are quite satisfied with the quality of DVD and see little benefit in paying a premium for Blu-ray. let's face it -- do you watch movies for the story or the ability to see all the zits on an actor's face instead of just some of them?

In my view Blu-ray hasn't a chance to replace DVD. What WILL happen is a greater choice of formats (physical and electronic) instead of one dominent one, we will have DVD, Blu-ray, downloads, on-line video via internet, cable and satellite, and flashdrive rental/transfer ... and HD home media servers (See Xstream.com)

Blu-ray is ONLY beneficial to those with a HDTV and willing to pay a premium price. This is a minority of consumers.

The only way Blu-ray could be positioned to replace DVD is if players and disks were the same price AND almost everyone had a Blu-ray player. This won't happen for several reasons:

- the technology is more complex and more costly to produce therefore will always be more expensive and since studios won't accept lower profits they might as well stick with DVDs and sell Blu-ray as a premium alternative.

- There are hundreds of millions of DVD players and billions of DVDs, and most important, other options for getting HD content (i.e Video on Demand, download services). These alternatives are actually the growth area since they appeal to consumer interest in convenience (which Blu-ray actually reduces since you can't play a Blu-ray in a car or portable player).

- The library of DVD titles (83,000 and increasing (actually 10x faster than Blu-ray)) will never be reissued on Blu-ray. So DVDs are still necessary.

- any attempt to discontinue DVDs artificially (which some Blu-ray fans are suggesting) would trigger government action.

- most people are quite happy with DVD and have no interest in technology they don't see any (or at most little) benefit from.

So ... in the long run everything get's replaced, but most of us will be long dead before it happens. Stick to DVD unless you can afford and benefit from the technology.

Answer 5

pfft. I don't use blue ray. too complicated. I just use normal DVDs I think a lot of people do too.

Answer 6

All technology eventually dies.

Answer 7

I believe that eventually DVD's will run its course.  Just like when they first came out people were hesitant to use them as they knew VHS.  All new technology is expensive and hard to use, the longer it is out the better it gets.  Just as VHS and Beta have been outdated it is just a matter of time before DVD's do too.  At some point Blu Ray will fall to the same fate.  Things are ever changing and we must change with it.

Answer 8

physical media is dying. everything will be downloaded eventually

Answer 9

yes with new technology

Answer 10

Yeah.

VHS used to be a big deal. now its dead.

DVD will die. Blue ray will die.

in the future, they'll like project pictures in our heads somehow or something.

nothing lives forever.

Answer 11

eventually.