Will DVD have the same fate as VHS?

[creekin111]

I'm not so entirely sure of this for the foreseeable future. The leap from VHS to DVD created an entirely new format. The leap from DVD to Blu-ray isn't that huge. Yes you can see a much greater clarity than DVD with newer releases. But what about the older films? Would consumer demand really be that high for older releases on Blu-Ray? Would movies from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s... really have the necessity to be viewed with high definition? I've seen a few classic films on Blu-Ray and of course it looks better but not really that much.

I really don't see a good reason why any manufacturer would make a Blu-Ray not be able to play dvds. Until they come up with a wireless device you can download any film ever produced and released on DVD there's going to be a market to own classic films. Sort of like how music collectors still have records, except dvds are at least still compatible with the next generation.

So if Blu-Ray is here to stay then I see no reason why dvds would go away anytime soon as well. So hold on to your classic dvd collection!

[Tagia_Romero]

It will, that is how many of these things go. But right now, I will stick to my DVDs, given how hard I worked to get the money to buy them. The only thing I would ever consider getting Blu-Ray for is 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' which has a lot more material on it than the regular DVD I have at present.

[Ocelot_Snake]

i hope dvds will be around for atleast another 20-30 years

[The Postmaster General]

They will probably stop making standard def DVD players, but that won't be until the price of players capable of playing Blu-Ray discs drops. At some point you'll be able to get some player that does divx, blu-ray, HD, standard def and so one and so on.

I think the next major format change similar to VHS-DVD is going to be different than just how they encode the video onto the same type of format. It's going to be something more tangible, probably along the lines of USB sticks that are capable of holding HD movies. It will be like Laserdisc to DVD - the discovery of how to make an existing technology more convenient for consumption. Changes in taking a small disc and improving the way the information is stored is going to have a bigger impact on manufacturers than consumers.

[The Postmaster General]

i hope dvds will be around for atleast another 20-30 years

I kind of think that DVDs are going to have a shorter run than the cassette-based formats (BETA, VHS), just because new technology is coming out at faster rates every day. DVDs will continue to be around (just like you kind still find VHS players) but kind of think another format will come around within the next 10 years.

Hey, welcome to the boards - I grew up in FM. Not sure how old you are but just to throw the name out - Waltzing Waters.

[mick621]

No, DVD's unlike VHS provide excellent video and audio quality, they can store data to, it will become an inferior format to Blu-ray, but VHS is just total crap and useless, unless you have old home movies, cable broadcasts, sports games or porn on it. You can still watch movies on VHS that have not been introduced to the DVD format, but as I stated DVD will be known as inferior to Blu-ray not just inferior like VHS is. DVD is not an inferior format...

[ericdraven]

Here's my idea on the whole trend right now.


Blu Rays are hella expensive, and DVD's are sometimes sold at bare bottom prices. I think DVD won't be a dead medium, because isn't Blu Ray just DVD with HD? I don't think people will stop buying dvds anytime soon.

[mick621]

Here's my idea on the whole trend right now.


Blu Rays are hella expensive, and DVD's are sometimes sold at bare bottom prices. I think DVD won't be a dead medium, because isn't Blu Ray just DVD with HD? I don't think people will stop buying dvds anytime soon.

No, DVD will be around for awhile. DVD like I stated is not an inferior format, just inferior to Blu-ray. Factor to that upconvert DVD players make DVD's look incredible. Bottom line is VHS is crap and DVD is a very pleasing format, you now have the Blu-ray adopters picking on DVD, but it's a pleasing format. I know I don't need to see the wrinkles on some actors face to enjoy my home entertainment.

[scottmushroom]

Another key here is that unlike VHS to DVD, the old format (dvd) can still be utilized on the new player (BD) making it way less obsolete. I for one will not be upgrading my entire DVD collection to Blu Ray unlike I did with the majority of my VHS tapes.:)

[ericdraven]

Another key here is that unlike VHS to DVD, the old format (dvd) can still be utilized on the new player (BD) making it way less obsolete. I for one will not be upgrading my entire DVD collection to Blu Ray unlike I did with the majority of my VHS tapes.:)

Yeah, it would be stupid for people that have spent alot of money on DVDs not being able to use them on Blu Ray Players

[The Postmaster General]

No, DVD's unlike VHS provide excellent video and audio quality, they can store data to, it will become an inferior format to Blu-ray, but VHS is just total crap and useless, unless you have old home movies, cable broadcasts, sports games or porn on it. You can still watch movies on VHS that have not been introduced to the DVD format, but as I stated DVD will be known as inferior to Blu-ray not just inferior like VHS is. DVD is not an inferior format...

I know what you're saying, but you dont' seem to be accounting for the fact that you can store a movie on, for example, a USB stick and have the same video and audio quality.

Also don't forget that you can still go to WalMart and buy a VHS player. Granted, it's probably a VHS/DVD combo or something of the sort, but VHS isn't necessarily a dead format.

We seem to be in agreeance though, DVD will continue to be supported for years to come; however, I strongly believe that a new format will emerge, and push DVD into more of a fringe format like VHS is now. While DVDs are awesome, you are still prone to scratches, warping, and other goodness. With a USB stick, or hardware based mediums, like storing info on harddrives, you are elimating the physical problems associated with media, in that you don't have shelf space being taken up.

For the past several years, it's be a major trend in high end home theater systems to store music and video on harddrives, which the user can access through on screen menus. In 2001, a friend of mine installed a system for Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Bucs, and part of what he did was store Sapp's entire CD and DVD collection onto a series of high capactity hard drives. The introduction of AppleTV and the sort over the past couple years has put that idea on more of an affordable level while adding the option to download the movies. I really think we are going to be something along these lines emerging.

But yeah, again, DVDs will continue to be around, I just don't think they are going to be as sought after as they are now, and to add, I don't really consider them to be as sought after as they were 5 years ago.

[FireCaptain4]

Another key here is that unlike VHS to DVD, the old format (dvd) can still be utilized on the new player (BD) making it way less obsolete. I for one will not be upgrading my entire DVD collection to Blu Ray unlike I did with the majority of my VHS tapes.:)

Ha, I still have one of those ugly DVD-VHS combo players in my room. I didn't through away any of my VHS tapes until I started off to college two years ago. Mmm, yard sale '07...

[The Postmaster General]

Ha - that yard sale comment prompts me to mention one of my pointless anecdotes -

Before I moved out of state, I took a giant box full of VHS tapes containing every single Simpsons episode up until the 2002 season (the season after they started with DVD releases) and every single 90210 episode and sat it in the courtyard of our theater department at the University. Jack pot!

[EVILxxx]

The next step I would guess would be digital downloads. You buy a device that can store thousands of movies and download them all from the internet or you can download the dvd to the device itself similar to the IPOD. Will it replace dvds altogether? Probably not seeing as cds are still around for the moment.

[athf1980]

dvd will go away eventually but not for awhile. i just got blu-ray. from know on i will buy bluray fir new releases but not going to upgrade everything.

[The Postmaster General]

The next step I would guess would be digital downloads. You buy a device that can store thousands of movies and download them all from the internet or you can download the dvd to the device itself similar to the IPOD. Will it replace dvds altogether? Probably not seeing as cds are still around for the moment.

What do you think about having an uploadable media device, and you can go into a store and download content onto your device and transport it to store in whatever you have hooked up to the TV/Stereo?

[KcMsterpce]

(Big breath)

DVD will still be around for several more years.

I also disagree with how BR is not a leap from DVD. It is, but I think it'll be a while before people will REALLY start to notice.
The problem is that VHS to DVD - and now any format afterward - doesn't have the stranglehold on competition that VHS did. These days technology is so far advanced for audio/video playing and recording that to compare the "fate" of DVD to VHS is almost a disservice to both formats.

VHS was revolutionary because it was the FIRST widespread, in-every-home video recording format.
VHS allowed movies that didn't do well in theaters to have a new life of success on home video. The power of home video and consumers' reliance on renting movies they didn't want to see wasn't realized until around 1983.



With DVD, retail price for movies on THE DAY OF video release were AFFORDABLE instead of $120.00 each for the rental stores (like with VHS). This was very much a marketing ploy to get people to want DVD so that they can get the movie right away, instead of waiting several months for retail VHS or used copies.
DVD also provided a noticeable leap in video and audio quality (which has improved greatly since its' inception)... but if anyone remembers, there were many many people who said "I don't see a difference". And they refused to believe that VHS would ever become obsolete. I worked at a video store when DVD came out; many customers got pissed off at the THOUGHT of DVDs having any kind of success.
Netflix made mailing movies to your home commonplace, thanks to DVD being cheaper and more convenient to ship and mail out. This in turn has hurt rental store chains (which have all but bought out privately own rental stores). The other reason independent video stores went out of business; adult video became downloadable.


It's unfair to put the demise of DVD to the same standards of VHS not just for the above moments, but also because of today's technology.

These days people can copy DVDs quicker than the speed it took to press PLAY on one VCR and RECORD on another for the length of the movie. It can now be done in under 10 minutes!
Video editing programs - and PC power capable of doing so - is commonplace and taken for granted.
Hard drive storage is no longer 8MB in the early 80s, up to about a 1GB standard like it was when DVD started hitting the shelves. At the time, a 4.7GB or 8GB DVD disc was an AMAZING amount of space on a disk! It would cost a LOT to have HD space to contain all that information!

Now, even the new blu-ray format goes to 50GB (for now), but people have 1TB hard drives. The memory-to-disc space ratio has reversed.
Which also takes me to the internet....
THAT has also been a HUGE influence on obtaining movies. Which wasn't around in broadband during VHS times. 56k modems in the late 90's only allowed about 10 minutes per megabyte. Unlike these days, where you can do several GB in a day.

There are other factors involved, but...

What I'm getting at is that VHS was the first major home video juggernaut. DVD is the next generation, but over the last 10 years home PC computing has been just as big of a factor of how the fate of DVD will fall and the success of BD - or another high def format - will be. Personal computing was not even worth considering during VHS days.
With no easy video streaming on the desktop, a movie was only on VHS or DVD.
People were so used to VHS that they felt cheated they had to go to something else.
Now that there's another format threatening to take over DVD, people are bitching and moaning about the same problems they had when VHS was faced with a new foe.

Unlike those days, though, internet and PCs pose a threat to any new video format. I'm not saying it will TAKE OVER...

MINI RANT ABOUT ELECTRONIC MEDIA REPLACING PHYSICAL DISCS
I hate DRM and the electronic control put over "legit" movies from any corporation-produced product. I also don't have faith in saving tons and tons of electronic data on less reliable media (hard drives, etc...) than DVDs, which aren't as blatantly effected by natural crashes and hiccups that come with software and hardware components.
Replacing hundreds of movies that are dozens of GB each from a crashed hard drive - or worse, a wiped out remote server with all my account info GONE - can only be fathomed by my weak mind in my worst nightmares.

Also, I don't like so much control over what I own being logged by God-Knows-Who every time I watch something. And it's great to have something PHYSICAL on a bookshelf within arm's reach at all times.
Most of all, I like to share movies that I own with friends. Can't do that if it's all online, and/or only available in MY NAME on MY ACCOUNT.
END RANT

... My conclusion is that yes, DVD will be dethroned by something bigger and better in the future. NOTHING will last forever.
Will it be blu-ray? PC/internet programming and accounts?
Damned if I know.

But it's a natural cycle of any product that gets made. Something better comes along, and eventually replaces most of the stuff from the past.

DVD will have the same fate as VHS if you mean that it will become a "dead" format. I just can't say WHAT will replace it.

I also will not go too much into another major topic that has improved over the last 10 years...
Hi-def television and audio.
How many people did you know with a TV screen larger than 37", and had more than stereo audio hooked up? Usually it was a huge-ass CRT TV playing on a mono speaker.
Now, you can get for cheap some real nice products, and 5.1 audio systems are easy as hell to acquire.
Eventually hi-def television will take over even the less technologically-minded people, and after a higher quality format takes precedence, these people who say "I don't see a difference" might just start noticing. But that will take a while, and it's not a guarantee.
I'm just trying to say that home entertainment has become another factor to whatever format is going to replace DVD.

[shoe1985]

Blu Ray is the next phase of home video, but I don't see it having a long life because of digital downloads. More and more people are downloading movies. DVD sales are down this year, which is quite shocking, even in these times. But, more and more people now have broadband, and can download a movie in about an hour or less.

I do agree with the discussion about storing the movies. It will go quick.

[God of War]

Fuck Bluray. I'm not updating my entire dvd movie collection. Sometimes technology is its own worst enemy. I'm happy with my dvd format. Quite happy. I don't care how awesome bluray looks or is. I'm not made of money.

[zombievictim]

I'm in the group that can't see a difference in video. As in by doing side by side comparison. Then people who want to make love to Blu Ray come in and act like I'm some kind of moron for thinking so. I mean, I'm sure if I stand right up next to the TV and watch the screen, I'll notice quite a difference. But no. I sit back in my usual spot on the couch and look for a difference. I don't see any, so I don't care to shell out the extra cash for it. I just hope that by the time that Blu Ray becomes the new dvd, they fix those damn cases. Ugliest things to look at.

[LordSimen]

I haven't watched something on Blu-Ray yet, but I can say I notice a huge difference between my HD-Channels on my cable and my simply up-scaled DVDs so I must say I find it crazy when people say there's no difference.

[The Postmaster General]

MINI RANT ABOUT ELECTRONIC MEDIA REPLACING PHYSICAL DISCS
I hate DRM and the electronic control put over "legit" movies from any corporation-produced product. I also don't have faith in saving tons and tons of electronic data on less reliable media (hard drives, etc...) than DVDs, which aren't as blatantly effected by natural crashes and hiccups that come with software and hardware components.
Replacing hundreds of movies that are dozens of GB each from a crashed hard drive - or worse, a wiped out remote server with all my account info GONE - can only be fathomed by my weak mind in my worst nightmares.

Also, I don't like so much control over what I own being logged by God-Knows-Who every time I watch something. And it's great to have something PHYSICAL on a bookshelf within arm's reach at all times.
Most of all, I like to share movies that I own with friends. Can't do that if it's all online, and/or only available in MY NAME on MY ACCOUNT.
END RANT


I agree with what you said in your post KC - that was a good point.

What you are saying about hardware-based storage --- I don't really think that it would replace media - but that people will be having most. Design trends keep pushing toward minimalism. I believe that people will still have media storage, but will primary use hardware storage - they will still have what was purchased, and that will be there as a backup (same way people still have OS discs that are pushed off to the side, while they focus their energy working on the computer), but I think the media that it's stored on is going to get smaller and smaller - moving toward something like USB sticks, or something very small.

One of the major attractions to DVD to me was the space the media saved. DVD is like 1:3 in the space it takes up compared to VHS and my VHS catalogue was out of control.

[KcMsterpce]

I agree with what you said in your post KC - that was a good point.

What you are saying about hardware-based storage --- I don't really think that it would replace media - but that people will be having most. Design trends keep pushing toward minimalism. I believe that people will still have media storage, but will primary use hardware storage - they will still have what was purchased, and that will be there as a backup (same way people still have OS discs that are pushed off to the side, while they focus their energy working on the computer), but I think the media that it's stored on is going to get smaller and smaller - moving toward something like USB sticks, or something very small.

One of the major attractions to DVD to me was the space the media saved. DVD is like 1:3 in the space it takes up compared to VHS and my VHS catalogue was out of control.


You made some good points. I didn't think about movies being sold onto microSD or some other flash-type format that's compact.
The space-saving of DVD to VHS was also a huge deal for me. I also like the (albeit small change) reduced blu-ray cases.

__________________________________

The complaint of "I am not going to replace my DVD collection" is not as relevant to those who had that same complaint when DVD first came out.
Blu-ray players play DVDs. There's no NEED to replace the library if you don't want to. Unlike when a VCR couldn't do DVDs. THAT was a pain in the ass, but you can buy blu-rays as an addition to the DVD collection.

[FireCaptain4]

Fuck Bluray. I'm not updating my entire dvd movie collection. Sometimes technology is its own worst enemy. I'm happy with my dvd format. Quite happy. I don't care how awesome bluray looks or is. I'm not made of money.

Agreed and the exact same way I feel. I've built up an epic DVD collection over the past decade and I'm not about to let it go.

[shoe1985]

I'm in the group that can't see a difference in video. As in by doing side by side comparison. Then people who want to make love to Blu Ray come in and act like I'm some kind of moron for thinking so. I mean, I'm sure if I stand right up next to the TV and watch the screen, I'll notice quite a difference. But no. I sit back in my usual spot on the couch and look for a difference. I don't see any, so I don't care to shell out the extra cash for it. I just hope that by the time that Blu Ray becomes the new dvd, they fix those damn cases. Ugliest things to look at.

Having watched Blu Ray movies for about 2 years now, I went to a friend's house who was watching a regular DVD movie, I couldn't watch it. The quality just was not there, as say it is with Blu Ray. It is like watching a VHS movie today, it is harder to watch because of the quality.

To say that Blu Ray doesn't look better is idiotic. It looks a lot better. I remember walking into Best Buy and seeing a Blu Ray setup with HD TV. I was in awe by how amazing it looked, and this was a quick glance.

Like I said, if you watch Blu Ray movies and then go back to DVD, you notice a huge difference.

Also, DVDs are 480, while Blu Ray is 1080. Even upconverting DVDs, the quality still isn't as good as Blu Ray. There are comparisions all over the net to prove this.

A new technology will be out in 5 years that will be better than Blu Ray. Technology is advancing so fast that it is getting harder to keep up. I don't believe Blu Ray will have as long of a life as DVD because more and more people are downloading movies. The biggest issue with downloading movies is that will people want to spend hours downloading a 4.7GB movie, or bigger? It is easier to go to the store and rent a regular DVD or Blu Ray.

[shoe1985]

Agreed and the exact same way I feel. I've built up an epic DVD collection over the past decade and I'm not about to let it go.

You can still watch those movies on a Blu Ray player. The player will make it a higher quality.

I do suggest getting a PS3 because there are too many issues with buying a regular Blu Ray player, if someone is considering moving to Blu Ray. An example, sometimes you need a firmware update, but there is none yet, so, you can't watch the movie you just bought. With the PS3, I have not run into this problem, and you also get a gaming console, and so much more. And considering the better Blu Ray players are still above $200, the PS3 is still the best value.

[KcMsterpce]

To say that Blu Ray doesn't look better is idiotic...

You can't complain to people about whether or not BR looks good to THEM.
It's like arguing that the green light is blue to someone who's color blind.

Technology is advancing so fast that it is getting harder to keep up. I don't believe Blu Ray will have as long of a life as DVD because more and more people are downloading movies.

The problem with downloaded movies is that video and audio quality still aren't up to par with BR. So many people like me who have HDTVs, 7.1 surroundsound and a love of lossless audio does NOT want to own a movie he/she loves if it isn't showcasing the best quality possible.

[athf1980]

sorta of a dumb ?. will playing dvds to much on bluray player hurt the player

[KcMsterpce]

sorta of a dumb ?. will playing dvds to much on bluray player hurt the player

No. Not anymore than watching a blu-ray would.

[bigred760]

I think because DVDs can be played on Blu-ray players, they'll be around for a while. If anything, their popularity will continue to fade and maybe completely die out once the next generation of film lovers and home entertainment purchases come along. They won't buy DVDs, they'll probably go with Blu-ray or whatever else has come along by then.

[shoe1985]

The problem with downloaded movies is that video and audio quality still aren't up to par with BR. So many people like me who have HDTVs, 7.1 surroundsound and a love of lossless audio does NOT want to own a movie he/she loves if it isn't showcasing the best quality possible.

True, but you do have many people downloading camera movies, shooting a movie in a theater with people around them, who are fine with the quality. I could never watch that crap, I would either go to the theater or wait for DVD.

It will be interesting to watch and see what happens.

[Moviefan1234]

The truth of the matter is that DVD is a dying format. It is not longer the juggernaut it was five years ago. Each and very quarter Blu-ray takes a bigger percentage of the market, and there's a reason for that. Blu-ray is a phenomenal format that is undoubtedly superior to standard DVD in each and every way. The good news for DVD is that Blu-ray players are compatible with standard DVD so the discs will play with no problems. The bad news is that with more and more homes going HD every day, fourth quarter 2009 and all of 2010 will probably be when Blu-ray explodes and the flood gates really open up. We're getting to the point where as a physical format Blu-ray is about as good as it's going to get, that's why I suspect it will dominate the market for a very very very long time. The competition is going to come from downloadable formats, I really don't see that ever being much more than a glorified niche format. There's always going to be people that prefer it, and that's fine, but people are always going to want a physical format. And that right there is exactly why Blu-ray is going to dominate the home media market for a very very very long time. People would be smart to start converting over to Blu-ray, I know I have sold my entire DVD library and am in the process of building up my Blu-ray library. It's a great time to be a film lover, they look so good in HD. :)

[The Postmaster General]

You made some good points. I didn't think about movies being sold onto microSD or some other flash-type format that's compact.
The space-saving of DVD to VHS was also a huge deal for me. I also like the (albeit small change) reduced blu-ray cases.

__________________________________

The complaint of "I am not going to replace my DVD collection" is not as relevant to those who had that same complaint when DVD first came out.
Blu-ray players play DVDs. There's no NEED to replace the library if you don't want to. Unlike when a VCR couldn't do DVDs. THAT was a pain in the ass, but you can buy blu-rays as an addition to the DVD collection.

Yes, and also - don't a lot of BD players and HDTVs have slots for SD cards?

I think players that use more than one format is going to be a big thing. I'm picturing basically a decent DVR that plays DVD/BD, slots for cards, sticks, and no doubt wi-fi capability.

What you are saying about the storage - with cards not having enough storage - I don't think that will be an issue at this point, because they will have cards big enough to store as much as needed - I don't think it'll be a version of what we have know, when I said USB stick, I was just referencing some kind of thing you can plug in and bammo.

A new technology will be out in 5 years that will be better than Blu Ray. Technology is advancing so fast that it is getting harder to keep up. I don't believe Blu Ray will have as long of a life as DVD because more and more people are downloading movies. The biggest issue with downloading movies is that will people want to spend hours downloading a 4.7GB movie, or bigger? It is easier to go to the store and rent a regular DVD or Blu Ray.

The problem with downloaded movies is that video and audio quality still aren't up to par with BR. So many people like me who have HDTVs, 7.1 surroundsound and a love of lossless audio does NOT want to own a movie he/she loves if it isn't showcasing the best quality possible.

With the downloading thing, I think it's down the road and at that point connections will be faster. Right now with like the fiber optic connections, you could download an SD movie in about 50 minutes minutes, which isn't bad at all. Still, I think downloadable stuff is going to stay a fringe market. In terms of data transfer, the only thing I can see really being big is wireless connections between players and TVs. I think that's going to be a standard thing fairly soon.

[cloneofkelso]

I have thought about this so much,having not made the Blu ray switch yet.

[NuclearMisfit]

I have thought about this so much,having not made the Blu ray switch yet.

Me too. I have bigger fish to fry to care about when I should update my Television/movie player.

[shoe1985]

With the downloading thing, I think it's down the road and at that point connections will be faster. Right now with like the fiber optic connections, you could download an SD movie in about 50 minutes minutes, which isn't bad at all. Still, I think downloadable stuff is going to stay a fringe market. In terms of data transfer, the only thing I can see really being big is wireless connections between players and TVs. I think that's going to be a standard thing fairly soon.

I have been talking to people recently who have purchased Blu Ray players, and they hate them. One friend was like, "I put in this movie, and it said my player needed an update?" This has happened to many of my friends, and they returned them for a refund. I am sure this is happening to more people too. It is stupid when you think about it, that you have to download updates to a player that plays a physical format. I am not fond of the extra features, I want the high quality picture. This is why the new players better be able to play movies perfectly without updating the firmware.

Also, we might not be so far away from downloading. Sony's PSPGo is 100% downloadable games. Meaning, that you will not buy games from a physical store, but rather from their Playstation store. This is just the beginning. You can already purchase movies from the store. Also, DVD sales are down by a lot, and more and more people are downloading movies, legally and illegally.

As you said, internet speeds are still an issue. Many people will not want to wait for an hour or more for a movie to download, and go to the store to pickup a copy. But, others will find something to keep them busy until it is done.

Sony is really beginning to push their download service, which is odd when you consider they are backing Blu Ray. It will be interesting to watch this unfold. If you work for a company that sells or makes physical media, you may want to look for a new job.

[KcMsterpce]

I have been talking to people recently who have purchased Blu Ray players, and they hate them. One friend was like, "I put in this movie, and it said my player needed an update?" This has happened to many of my friends, and they returned them for a refund. I am sure this is happening to more people too. It is stupid when you think about it, that you have to download updates to a player that plays a physical format. I am not fond of the extra features, I want the high quality picture. This is why the new players better be able to play movies perfectly without updating the firmware.

I hate this, too. Thing is, internet is so commonplace now that this will most likely be the norm for all electronics.

I hated it when consoles started relying on internet updates to get games that were faulty as fuck at release (the current generation of consoles). People always said "I hate having to update patches on PC games," yadda yadda. I understood that argument. But now, if you don't HAVE online access and you buy many new games these days, you will have a game that doesn't even work right.
You HAVE to update it. Which pisses me off. I don't like the inconvenience of having a reliable game on release, and being required to download a patch UPON RELEASE because they didn't want to make a WORKING game by delaying the arrival date to store shelves.

Updating firmware for a blu-ray player isn't a big deal in my eyes. I sort of became complacent over this issue since gaming consoles have become victim to many of the problems that plague PCs.

[The Postmaster General]

What if you don't have a net connection? Can you get discs from the manufacturer or anything? That really sucks!

[KcMsterpce]

What if you don't have a net connection? Can you get discs from the manufacturer or anything? That really sucks!

I agree.
That's why I don't like game consoles demanding internet connection as well.

[shoe1985]

What if you don't have a net connection? Can you get discs from the manufacturer or anything? That really sucks!

You would have to locate the number to call them. By the time the disc came, there would be another update, and you are back to step one.

[SAI]

Well, since I certainly can't afford an HDTV anytime in the near future, and since, from what I've seen, I don't like Blu Ray at all I'll be sticking to DVD for some time. I think it's quite likely that DVD and Blu Ray will both continue until, probably in seven to ten years, downloadable movies become a truly viable proposition.

Personally I hope that we can stave off that inevitability for a LONG time to come, because I like physical formats. I love having a collection of about 2000 movies (roughly 1500 on DVD, the rest on VHS - yeah, I'm a dinosaur) and being able to display it, along with my movie books and the posters on my walls, around my room. I don't want that just to become an icon on my desktop.

[shoe1985]

Well, since I certainly can't afford an HDTV anytime in the near future, and since, from what I've seen, I don't like Blu Ray at all I'll be sticking to DVD for some time. I think it's quite likely that DVD and Blu Ray will both continue until, probably in seven to ten years, downloadable movies become a truly viable proposition.

Personally I hope that we can stave off that inevitability for a LONG time to come, because I like physical formats. I love having a collection of about 2000 movies (roughly 1500 on DVD, the rest on VHS - yeah, I'm a dinosaur) and being able to display it, along with my movie books and the posters on my walls, around my room. I don't want that just to become an icon on my desktop.

People still get movie posters, even posters in general? I remember when I was younger and buying posters. The good old days.

As for showing off movies, I remember as a kid going into Circuit City and browsing the movie collection. I wanted them all, and could be there all day just browsing. Amazing how I grew up, and can't do that anymore.

[Piltdownman]

Whatever the next format is I hope they take into account the one thing that can kill a dvd or blu-ray and that is: scratches.

Maybe a coating of scratch resistant plastic on the next disc format? Or how about this: a disc in a clam shell that only opens when it's inserted into the player.

[Moviefan1234]

Whatever the next format is I hope they take into account the one thing that can kill a dvd or blu-ray and that is: scratches.

Maybe a coating of scratch resistant plastic on the next disc format? Or how about this: a disc in a clam shell that only opens when it's inserted into the player.

Blu-rays have a scratch resistant coating on them. I've never seen a Blu-ray that wasn't able to play due to scratches. It's another reason it is so much better than DVD.

[KcMsterpce]

Whatever the next format is I hope they take into account the one thing that can kill a dvd or blu-ray and that is: scratches.

Maybe a coating of scratch resistant plastic on the next disc format? Or how about this: a disc in a clam shell that only opens when it's inserted into the player.

This is from the wiki on Blu-ray:

All Blu-Ray Disc media is required to use hard-coating. DVD media is not required to be scratch-resistant, but since development of the technology some companies like Verbatim implemented hard-coating for more expensive lineups of recordable DVDs.

TDK corporation uses Durabis:
It is claimed to be tough enough to resist screwdriver damage and make scratched optical discs (CDs and DVDs) a thing of the past.