The Future of Physical Media
Just as VHS gave way to DVD, audiences continue to transition towards digital streaming and away from physical media. In this video, we cover the history of physical media sales, various facts, and my personal prediction on what the future of physical media and home cinema looks like.
This research took over one year, involved rigorous review of data sources, sales numbers, social media commentary, opinion articles, and general observations on what’s occurring within the film industry as a whole.
Direct References on the Future of Physical Media
- https://www.statsignificant.com/p/the-rise-fall-and-slight-rise-of
- https://popculture.com/entertainment/news/disney-announces-stop-selling-dvds-blu-ray-discs-in-australia/
- https://www.degonline.org/walmart-reduces-dvd-blu-ray-disc-footprint-by-20-media-play-news/
- https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/best-buy-ending-dvd-blu-ray-disc-sales-1235754919/
- https://x.com/DramaAlert/status/1758936673797231053/photo/1
- https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/netflix-mail-final-dvd-customers-can-keep-last-discs-1235739486/
- https://people.com/redbox-shuts-down-after-22-years-business-as-parent-company-moves-bankruptcy-liquidation-8676812
- https://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1713869188
- https://thenextweb.com/news/a-nostalgic-look-back-at-digital-music-piracy-in-the-2000s
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_file_sharing#2001
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2018/03/21/what-happened-to-the-piracy-sites-that-nearly-destroyed-the-music-industry-part-1-napster/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/the-death-of-the-dvd-why-sales-dropped-more-than-86percent-in-13-years.html
- http://archive.thedigitalbits.com/articles/ces2006/gallery01.html
- https://lsc-pagepro.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=53795&l=1&p=&pn=
- https://www.gamesindustry.biz/videogames-outsell-dvd-and-blu-ray-in-2008
- https://www.denofgeek.com/games/ps2-best-selling-console-ever-record-history-explained/
- https://www.cnet.com/culture/how-the-venerable-ps2-made-it-to-9-years-old/
- https://www.fastcompany.com/849726/how-blu-ray-lost-then-won-and-may-lose-again
- https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2006/03/6400-2/
- https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=295935
- https://www.ommdvd.com/4k-hd-sd-disc-replication.html
- https://www.cinematiq.com/dvd-bluray-mastering-duplication
- https://gearspace.com/board/post-production-forum/425256-film-mastering-rates.html
- https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/thumbs/62409/og.jpg
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/sep/27/videogames-hollywood
- https://www.driverlesscrocodile.com/sustainability-and-change/when-did-the-video-game-industry-overtake-hollywood-and-the-music-industry/
- https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/4/20992215/playstation-3-ps3-blu-ray-disc-hd-dvd-sony-25th-anniversary
- https://www.engadget.com/2016-10-26-dolby-atmos-xbox-one-s.html
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2019/01/27/xbox-is-about-to-get-another-great-new-feature/
- https://www.tvfindr.com/guides/streaming-vs-bluray/
- https://corporate.tubitv.com/press/tubi-surpasses-74-million-monthly-active-users/
- https://amplify.nabshow.com/articles/capitalize-so-what-do-streaming-video-subscribers-value-convenience-choice-and-content-originality/
- https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/08/30/netflixs-quality-control-problem-is-getting-worse-not-better/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/NetflixBestOf/comments/1460c9i/discussion_can_never_find_anything_i_really_want/
- https://dataprot.net/statistics/piracy-statistics/
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/joker-folie-a-deux-box-office-d-cinemascore-1236025168/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biggest_box-office_bombs
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/192868/consumer-expenditures-on-motion-picture-theaters-in-the-us-since-1999/
- https://think.ing.com/articles/your-culture-influences-your-money-choices-more-than-you-think/
- https://magazine.artland.com/value-art/
- https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0245429/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
- https://variety.com/2017/film/news/blade-runner-1982-unloved-classic-1202476755/
- https://variety.com/vip/viewer-data-suggests-many-netflix-hits-go-from-sizzle-to-fizzle-quickly-1235165681/
- https://medium.com/@sharonaharonoff/the-evolution-of-movie-franchises-how-sequels-and-spin-offs-can-lead-to-long-term-triumph-f40e32b0aca7
- https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/
- https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/sound-and-vision-4k-blu-ray-is-getting-a-little-too-expensive-4445383
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/187122/movie-releases-in-north-america-since-2001/
- https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/09/06/five-insights-into-the-popularity-of-short-form-video-content/
- https://x.com/ponysmasher/status/1316183417197744128/photo/2
- https://www.reddit.com/r/DC_Cinematic/comments/ja9bol/other_how_batman_v_superman_looks_on_bluray/
- https://www.engadget.com/2019-05-01-netflix-audio-bitrate-adaptive-streaming.html
- https://www.essenceelectrostatic.com/specifications-of-blu-ray-primary-audio-streams/
- https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/lossless-spatial-audio-dolby-atmos-music/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Audio#:~:text=Audio%20is%20stored%20on%20the%20disc%20in%20Linear,total%20bit%20rate%20is%209.6%20Megabits%20per%20second
- https://help.netflix.com/en/node/50464
- https://thetechylife.com/can-i-legally-backup-my-dvds/
- https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/features/streaming-services-are-removing-original-tv-and-films-will-they-be-lost-forever-2619364/
- https://slate.com/technology/2018/09/apple-remove-purchases-itunes-digital-ownership.html
- https://cordcuttersnews.com/what-is-going-to-happen-to-all-of-the-movies-people-bought-on-redbox-streaming-ask-luke/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtTdOBCLsyo
- https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/19/23729642/disney-plus-hulu-remove-pull-shows-willow-streaming-bob-iger
- https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/hbo-max-originals-removed-1235344286/
- https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/leaving-soon/every-netflix-original-removed-from-netflix/
- https://arstechnica.com/culture/2024/02/funimation-dvds-included-forever-available-digital-copies-forever-ends-april-2/
- https://www.howtogeek.com/funimation-is-shutting-down-and-wiping-users-digital-libraries/
- https://www.ft.com/content/ec0f7996-fae9-4e80-baa9-020ad470c25a
- https://www.vulture.com/article/disney-plus-hulu-combined-streaming-app.html
- https://whatsondisneyplus.com/disney-star-to-merge-in-latin-america/
- https://thestreamable.com/report-roku-bidding-on-minority-stake-in-starz
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showtime_(TV_network)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang_(TV_network)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UltraViolet_(website)
- https://variety.com/2024/film/news/disney-sony-pysical-media-dvd-blu-ray-disc-business-1235917294/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Motion_Picture_Group
- https://hd-report.com/2022/07/03/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-releasing-on-4k-blu-ray-blu-ray-walmart-exclusive/
- https://www.ft.com/content/0c5ccd2e-09d3-11e5-a6a8-00144feabdc0
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-13/hollywood-steps-up-fight-against-71-billion-piracy-industry
- https://piracymonitor.org/survey-more-than-a-third-of-us-adults-admit-to-pirating-tv-or-movies-in-past-12-months/
- https://www.wired.com/2010/06/0621first-lp-released/
- https://vinyl-club.com/history/complete-history-of-vinyl-records/
- https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/081723-0700
- https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-major-piracy-group-that-bootlegged-blu-ray-movies-and-tv-shows-is-dismantled
- https://www.ranker.com/list/nosferatu-vs-dracula-copyright/michelle-nati
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/26/study-piracy-actually-helps-small-films-make-money/
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2176246
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A24#Highest-grossing_films
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Everywhere_All_at_Once#Box_office
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_to_Me_(2022_film)
- https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=909402
- https://insidethemagic.net/2024/01/disney-cancels-new-movie-release-pressured-censor-ab1/
- https://nichegamer.com/the-abyss-4k-cancelled-rat-scene/
- https://www.techradar.com/news/8k-blu-ray-players-are-possible-but-will-they-happen
- https://www.whathifi.com/news/200tb-optical-discs-are-on-their-way-but-8k-blu-ray-certainly-isnt
- https://www.coolest-gadgets.com/smart-tv-statistics
- https://www.ign.com/articles/upcoming-4k-uhd-and-blu-ray-release-dates
- https://www.techhive.com/article/578376/8k-vs-4k-tvs-most-consumers-cannot-tell-the-difference.html
- https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/hmv-boss-says-dvd-blu-33294600
- https://www.theverge.com/23901586/streaming-service-prices-netflix-disney-hulu-peacock-max
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/netflix-keeps-canceling-shows-prematurely-why/ar-AA1sykiQ
- https://movietradingcompany.com/
- https://www.ign.com/articles/oppenheimer-4k-and-blu-ray-are-selling-out-at-retailers-universal-working-to-get-restocked
Additional References on the Future of Physical Media
- https://www.videohelp.com/vcd
- https://www.diffen.com/difference/Blu-ray_vs_HD_DVD
- https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/the-death-of-the-dvd-why-sales-dropped-more-than-86percent-in-13-years.html
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/sep/27/videogames-hollywoodhttps://www.driverlesscrocodile.com/sustainability-and-change/when-did-the-video-game-industry-overtake-hollywood-and-the-music-industry/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/187122/movie-releases-in-north-america-since-2001/
- https://dataprot.net/statistics/piracy-statistics/
- https://comicbook.com/movies/news/apple-removes-purchased-movies-from-itunes-libraries/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/29/streaming-services-remove-movies-shows-heres-why.html
- https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/piracy-effective-film-preservation/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/26/study-piracy-actually-helps-small-films-make-money/
- 4K UHD vs Blu-ray comparison by Forgotten Tomatoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqMiw8k07sU
- https://thestreamable.com/which-streaming-services-may-give-up-and-shut-down-next
- https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/internet/streaming-stats/
- https://corporate.tubitv.com/press/tubi-surpasses-74-million-monthly-active-users/#:~:text=With%20nearly%2080%20million%20monthly%20active%20users%2C%20Tubi,the%20Nielsen%20Gauge%20just%20over%20a%20year%20ago.
- https://www.indiewire.com/news/analysis/how-many-subscribers-every-streaming-service-has-spring-2024-1234965031/#:~:text=How%20Many%20Subscribers%20Each%20Streaming%20Service%20Has%20%E2%80%94,subscribers%29%20…%208%20Hulu%3A%2049.7%20million%20subscribers%20
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/910875/us-most-popular-video-streaming-services-by-monthly-average-users/#:~:text=The%20most%20popular%20video%20streaming%20service%20as%20of,followed%20by%20Hulu%20with%20just%20under%2026.5%20million
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