Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
As I write this, physical media is experiencing a bit of a revival, as generations old and new discover the weaknesses in the streaming model. Shows and movies aren’t available anywhere, and digital platforms offer no way to actually own and control the media you care about.
Blu-ray is the pinnacle of video media. Maybe something even better should have replaced it by now, but the stream ended any hope for a successor. However, Blu-ray is still available. No one knows how long, but somehow it stops.
Blu-ray is clearly on life support
It’s time for CPR
You’ve probably read it in the news Blu-ray recordable discs and recorders are being phased out or he major drive manufacturers are ceasing PC Blu-ray disc production (both via Tom’s Hardware). However, discs and discs are still sold for those who need them at the same time.
Likewise, many streaming shows no longer have physical releases and do not allow collectors to own a high-quality physical copy of that movie or show. Video games are still released on Blu-ray, but the vast majority of console video game sales are digital.
Everywhere you look, demand for Blu-ray is waning and declining across the board, but not enough of us are willing to let go, so this aging format is still around and relevant. Why? I can think of several reasons.
The PlayStation effect kept drivers in millions of homes
It’s a strategy that’s worked since the PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling home console of all time, although the original Switch may still beat it if people keep buying them. It certainly deserved to sell in those numbers based on games alone, but many people chose the PS2 because it’s also a DVD player.
It was, of course, my DVD player and console, and me yet Use your PS2 paired with your favorite Sony Trinitron as a DVD player today.
This genius move was repeated with the PlayStation 3, which was very expensive but still slightly cheaper than a standalone Blu-ray player. It’s mine least favorite PlayStationbut this was my first Blu-ray player and that was the plan. Get the player into homes and once that barrier is removed, it’s easy to rent or buy discs.
Sony repeated this trick with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It also sold a large number of consoles. People who don’t necessarily want to buy one have hundreds of millions of Blu-ray players in their homes.
Picture and sound quality still puts streaming to shame
People don’t know what they are missing
If you’ve only watched streaming content, you might not want to watch Blu-ray because it’ll be hard to go back. Even normal FHD Blu-ray will crush 4K streaming in terms of bitrate. There’s more to image quality than resolution, and Blu-ray has that. Even DVDs often look better than their streaming equivalent thanks to better and more consistent mastering.
One thing that worries me is that the true death of physical media will make people forget what quality video looks like. Hopefully by then streaming can match Blu-ray quality, but that’s a big ask in terms of storage and global bandwidth.
Collectors, movies and boutique labels kept the ecosystem alive
This is a better investment than vinyl audio
I said it before Blu-ray isn’t really dead; it just happened to be the new vinyl. Since 4K UHD Blu-ray is the pinnacle of home movie media when it comes to quality, the market has focused on collectors and cinephiles. Almost every movie worth owning has an expensive 4K version that comes with more than just the movie itself.
Boutique publishers are also making an impact, and so we have the interesting situation where you can buy a standard FHD version of a film for a very reasonable price, but finding a ‘standard’ 4K release isn’t always easy. I can’t imagine that the collector’s editions of these more expensive movies and shows sell in great volume, but the margins must be pretty good.
Blu-ray serves roles that cannot be replaced by streaming
We need to hold out as long as possible
Blu-ray is by far the ultimate optical medium. In a way, because of our needs. Some video games require multiple discs or additional downloads because they won’t fit on the 100 GB size of the largest discs. However, archival Blu-ray discs still play an important role in some businesses and some people’s homes.
Just because something becomes a nest doesn’t mean it’s completely gone. I don’t know if there will be a Blu-ray incredible staying power of the floppy diskbut I hope his last breaths are drawn and far apart.
