Blu-ray and DVD sales - We're number 2, but we try harder
06-11-11, 04:16 PM
#301
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
Perhaps I don't quite get your point, but I disagree that BD was just another marketing ploy and that DVD (or VHS) would have been good enough for decades if only those greedy movie studios and their cronies would just stick with it. For me, the plain fact is that BD is vastly superior to DVD. If that means that studios get to resell their catalogs, so what?
However, with BD we have reached the point of diminishing returns for home theater. Would a 4K format make much of a difference in PQ (let alone "improving" on lossless audio)? Perhaps you could see a difference but I doubt that I could. But DVD compared to BD? I'd have to be blind not to see and enjoy the improvement.
That's not to say that there might not be some sort of home holographic format someday that would be a significant technical improvement over flat or 3D high def as it currently exists. But until that day, I tend to agree with those who forecast that the convenience of downloading will supplant physical media for the most part. And that we collectors of media on BD will remain something of a niche market.
My 2¢.
However, with BD we have reached the point of diminishing returns for home theater. Would a 4K format make much of a difference in PQ (let alone "improving" on lossless audio)? Perhaps you could see a difference but I doubt that I could. But DVD compared to BD? I'd have to be blind not to see and enjoy the improvement.
That's not to say that there might not be some sort of home holographic format someday that would be a significant technical improvement over flat or 3D high def as it currently exists. But until that day, I tend to agree with those who forecast that the convenience of downloading will supplant physical media for the most part. And that we collectors of media on BD will remain something of a niche market.
My 2¢.
Features being dropped from DVD versions when ported over to BD is also a major peeve of mine. What the fuck, I say.
Downloading is certainly convenient, and I have to say I use Netflix mostly for this more than I ever thought I would (refer to my posts a few years ago). But the quality is still not the same as an HD movie, and because there are pauses and delays when downloading--and just today a movie wouldn't download from Netflix so I had to choose another one--I still prefer having my favorite movies on disc.
06-11-11, 07:13 PM
#302
DVD Talk Hero
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
The reason that DVD (and blu-ray) sales are taking a nosedive is because DVDs were a fad there for a while. People were buying DVDs just to be buying DVDs for the first few years of the format, and the drop in sales we're seeing is the demand to a more realistic level.
This is why you're seeing Big Lots getting flooded with $3 DVDs. People aren't going to pay $20 for that stuff and no stores are going to bother shelving it, so they're remaindered in bulk to places like Big Lots.
People are looking around their homes and why they paid $250 for all of those "Desperate Housewives" season sets that they never finished watching.
I predict that
1) Blu-ray will be the last physical video format, just like CD is the last physical music format. The bottom line here is that demand for movies on disc has dropped so low that nobody will want to put the money to develop the next one.
2) Blu-ray and DVD will exist for quite a while, but you'll see fewer and fewer catalog releases. Expect to see more special packaging to appeal to the collector market. The focus will be more and more on collectors, as the average consumer has mostly abandoned buying movies. The focus will be on new releases and evergreen classics. I would add cult films licensed by smaller labels, but those seem to be dying off. Unless someone starts another Anchor-Bay-circa-the-late-90s, I wouldn't expect to see much more of this stuff released.
3) The generation coming up isn't going to give two shits about things like movies, music, and books. They're all reading the same handful of books (Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games) and view movies and music as social events rather than art. When I see these thirteen year-old kids with their noses permanently stuck on their smart phone touchscreen, I don't exactly see them growing up to care about things like "The Godfather."
This is why you're seeing Big Lots getting flooded with $3 DVDs. People aren't going to pay $20 for that stuff and no stores are going to bother shelving it, so they're remaindered in bulk to places like Big Lots.
People are looking around their homes and why they paid $250 for all of those "Desperate Housewives" season sets that they never finished watching.
I predict that
1) Blu-ray will be the last physical video format, just like CD is the last physical music format. The bottom line here is that demand for movies on disc has dropped so low that nobody will want to put the money to develop the next one.
2) Blu-ray and DVD will exist for quite a while, but you'll see fewer and fewer catalog releases. Expect to see more special packaging to appeal to the collector market. The focus will be more and more on collectors, as the average consumer has mostly abandoned buying movies. The focus will be on new releases and evergreen classics. I would add cult films licensed by smaller labels, but those seem to be dying off. Unless someone starts another Anchor-Bay-circa-the-late-90s, I wouldn't expect to see much more of this stuff released.
3) The generation coming up isn't going to give two shits about things like movies, music, and books. They're all reading the same handful of books (Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games) and view movies and music as social events rather than art. When I see these thirteen year-old kids with their noses permanently stuck on their smart phone touchscreen, I don't exactly see them growing up to care about things like "The Godfather."
06-14-11, 02:03 AM
#304
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
The reason that DVD (and blu-ray) sales are taking a nosedive is because DVDs were a fad there for a while. People were buying DVDs just to be buying DVDs for the first few years of the format, and the drop in sales we're seeing is the demand to a more realistic level.
This is why you're seeing Big Lots getting flooded with $3 DVDs. People aren't going to pay $20 for that stuff and no stores are going to bother shelving it, so they're remaindered in bulk to places like Big Lots.
People are looking around their homes and why they paid $250 for all of those "Desperate Housewives" season sets that they never finished watching.
I predict that
1) Blu-ray will be the last physical video format, just like CD is the last physical music format. The bottom line here is that demand for movies on disc has dropped so low that nobody will want to put the money to develop the next one.
2) Blu-ray and DVD will exist for quite a while, but you'll see fewer and fewer catalog releases. Expect to see more special packaging to appeal to the collector market. The focus will be more and more on collectors, as the average consumer has mostly abandoned buying movies. The focus will be on new releases and evergreen classics. I would add cult films licensed by smaller labels, but those seem to be dying off. Unless someone starts another Anchor-Bay-circa-the-late-90s, I wouldn't expect to see much more of this stuff released.
3) The generation coming up isn't going to give two shits about things like movies, music, and books. They're all reading the same handful of books (Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games) and view movies and music as social events rather than art. When I see these thirteen year-old kids with their noses permanently stuck on their smart phone touchscreen, I don't exactly see them growing up to care about things like "The Godfather."
This is why you're seeing Big Lots getting flooded with $3 DVDs. People aren't going to pay $20 for that stuff and no stores are going to bother shelving it, so they're remaindered in bulk to places like Big Lots.
People are looking around their homes and why they paid $250 for all of those "Desperate Housewives" season sets that they never finished watching.
I predict that
1) Blu-ray will be the last physical video format, just like CD is the last physical music format. The bottom line here is that demand for movies on disc has dropped so low that nobody will want to put the money to develop the next one.
2) Blu-ray and DVD will exist for quite a while, but you'll see fewer and fewer catalog releases. Expect to see more special packaging to appeal to the collector market. The focus will be more and more on collectors, as the average consumer has mostly abandoned buying movies. The focus will be on new releases and evergreen classics. I would add cult films licensed by smaller labels, but those seem to be dying off. Unless someone starts another Anchor-Bay-circa-the-late-90s, I wouldn't expect to see much more of this stuff released.
3) The generation coming up isn't going to give two shits about things like movies, music, and books. They're all reading the same handful of books (Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games) and view movies and music as social events rather than art. When I see these thirteen year-old kids with their noses permanently stuck on their smart phone touchscreen, I don't exactly see them growing up to care about things like "The Godfather."
I agree, media is going to take quite the evolutionary step in the next few years. Movie labels should have stuck to a discipline with offering the same features and content as the DVD version on BD, in addition to adding a few (as well as putting a brand new DVD version in with the BD case as well).
I suppose I could go with disc-less content but here are my stipulations:
1) I'd want a high-res cover to put in DVD Profiler and;
2) A key which would allow me to download the movie for life if it becomes corrupt on my hard drive;
3) Unlimited usage as long as it's within my own personal network (NAS for example).
And another factor is if all the above are allowed...the cost of storage. Hard drives still are not cheap enough to make a serious dent into a movie collector's shelf of BD movies. For maybe 20% of them, I'd say this is currently feasible. But storage needs to get even cheaper.
So, if we, the consumer, can get outrageously cheap storage and guaranteed/unlimited access to content we paid for up-front, I'd say the disc would soon become extinct.
06-14-11, 12:33 PM
#305
DVD Talk Limited Edition
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06-15-11, 07:16 PM
#308
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
Blu-ray will be the last physical video format, just like CD is the last physical music format.
06-15-11, 07:52 PM
#309
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
So, it's probably more accurate to say "the last physical video format with any significant mass market penetration"
06-16-11, 12:07 PM
#310
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Thread Starter
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
True Grit - Sold 53% of Blu-Ray vs DVD Last week. That is very impressive for a non Big Sci-Fi movie.
It outsold the next DVD on the DVD sales chart "3 to 1", it out sold the next BR on the BR chart "4 to 1".
You put out a good product and people will buy it - Listen up Hollywood.
It outsold the next DVD on the DVD sales chart "3 to 1", it out sold the next BR on the BR chart "4 to 1".
You put out a good product and people will buy it - Listen up Hollywood.
06-16-11, 12:23 PM
#311
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
True Grit - Sold 53% of Blu-Ray vs DVD Last week. That is very impressive for a non Big Sci-Fi movie.
It outsold the next DVD on the DVD sales chart "3 to 1", it out sold the next BR on the BR chart "4 to 1".
You put out a good product and people will buy it - Listen up Hollywood.
It outsold the next DVD on the DVD sales chart "3 to 1", it out sold the next BR on the BR chart "4 to 1".
You put out a good product and people will buy it - Listen up Hollywood.
06-16-11, 02:16 PM
#312
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
Also, availability is part of the problem. Most stores nowdays only stock the newest releases. You have to go online to find older titles, and there are still plenty of people who do not shop online. Even Best Buy now reflects this trend. I notice their tv on dvd section has been reduced by 50% from previous years. If you want an older title like Alias, you are SOL. Blu-rays are taking over their shelf space now.
06-16-11, 06:33 PM
#313
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Thread Starter
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
But, as I have past the same spot a few times in the last few days I took a double take, both the DVD and BR had the same price - and I think the BR had both BR and DVD.
This would really mess up the true percentages.
07-08-11, 04:25 AM
#316
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
Don't blame me, I did my part this week.
07-22-11, 04:23 PM
#321
DVD Talk Legend
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
DVD sales are constantly dropping, yet Blu-Ray continues to account for only 20% of sales.
I remember how some claimed BD would surpass DVD sales (50%+) a couple years ago. 2 years later and BD still can't hit the 25% mark.
I remember how some claimed BD would surpass DVD sales (50%+) a couple years ago. 2 years later and BD still can't hit the 25% mark.
07-22-11, 05:34 PM
#323
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Thread Starter
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
Up 22% from the year before, but each week does differ. In last 3 weeks of July in 2010, BR sales were around $11-13 million. Now they hover around the $20 million mark. A year from now that number will even be much higher.
BR sales have increased a ton over the past year, 20 to 50 percent. But, man DVD sales numbers are really falling and they had a long ways to fall over the past 3 years.
This maybe the 1st year that we do not have a DVD that sells over $100 million dollars in one calendar year.
http://www.the-numbers.com/dvd/chart...y/thisweek.php
As matter of fact, this could be the 1st year in a long time (don't have the entire year stats past 2007) that we do not have a DVD title that sales over 7 million copies. Every year since 2006 (in 2006 "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" sold 16,692,604 copies and Cars sold around 12 million copies), there have been multiple titles on DVD sell over 8 million. But, this year there maybe none that go over 7 million.
Most of the Movies that top the 8 million mark are those that people want on BR - Transformers, Superhero Movies, Action, Animated...
07-22-11, 11:59 PM
#325
DVD Talk Hero
re: Blu-ray and DVD sales - #2, but we try harder
Do these sales figures include sales to rental outlets like Blockbuster, Netflix, and Red Box, or are they only based on retail sales to consumers?
The changing landscape of the rental industry could certainly account for the drop in sales; a few years ago Blockbuster had thousands of stores that stocked new releases in depth.
The changing landscape of the rental industry could certainly account for the drop in sales; a few years ago Blockbuster had thousands of stores that stocked new releases in depth.