Why are DVDs still so popular?

Discussions about Movies & TV shows not "Super" related.
Post Reply
User avatar
Maskripper
Millenium Member
Millenium Member
Posts: 1091
Joined: 7 years ago
Contact:

I am wondering: Why are DVDs still so popular?
Yes, due to streaming the sale numbers must be decreased a lot in comparison to 10-15 years ago......BUT they are still being sold!
The technology is now around 20 years old and we have Blu-rays and 4K Ultra Blu-rays nowadays.
But still the NEW movies are being sold on DVD!
We have gigantic 4K TVs nowadays and only very few should still have a TV, that hasn't at least a full HD panel (1920*1080).

There are examples from NEW movies and TV shows where a DVD is available but NOT a Blu-ray....
Black Lightning:
Season 1 is available on Blu-ray and DVD // Season 2 is ONLY available on DVD // Season 3 isn't available on physical copies at all!?!
etc.

I am a big collector of DVDs and Blu-rays and still have a lot of DVDs. But I would never buy a DVD of a NEW movie when a Blu-ray is available.
Watching a DVD on a somehow modern TV is really absurd, if you don't have a Blu-ray player which upscales it.
I'm not a high end tech guy as I don't even have a 4K TV, but I don't understand it....

Are there so many folks who own (just) a DVD player and a (at least) 15 year old TV?
I mean the difference from DVD to Blu-ray is HUGE in terms of picture quality. A far bigger difference then from Blu-ray to 4K.
TVs are rather cheap nowadays and Blu-ray players are also easy to get for little money.
But the market for DVDs must be still big enough that even the new movies get a DVD release even there are 2 more advanced generations available.

Since Vinyl is so popluar nowadays in comparison to CDs.....perhaps VHS and Betamax will have a comeback too? :giggle:
-
Do you folks buy DVDs and Blurays? Do you buy a DVD even when Blu-ray is available? Do you have a DVD player but not a Blu-ray player?
Would love to know your opinion on this topic!
Vist my blog and its Youtube channel:
http://www.maskripper.org
https://www.youtube.com/c/MaskripperOrg

Masked women in action! Superheroines, burglars, villainesses are waiting for you...
Damselbinder

DVD are cheap. They're still being made because anything that can play a blu-ray can play a DVD. With the 4k stuff, most people don't own compatible televisions.
User avatar
Maskripper
Millenium Member
Millenium Member
Posts: 1091
Joined: 7 years ago
Contact:

Damselbinder wrote:
3 years ago
DVD are cheap. They're still being made because anything that can play a blu-ray can play a DVD. With the 4k stuff, most people don't own compatible televisions.
Well, yes DVDs are cheaper. But if you take new movies the difference is rather small, at least here in germany.
Some random examples from Amazon:
Outlander - season 5 on Blu-ray 28,50 (euro)
Outlander - season 5 on DVD 24,50
Deep Blue Sea 3 - Blu-ray 8,76
Deep Blue Sea 3 - DVD 7,01
The hunt - Blu-ray 13,99
The hunt - DVD 11,40

Older movies are extreme cheap on DVD, while a new print on Blu-ray is much more expensive in comparison.
There I see the best argument for DVDs.
-

Perhaps I'm just a too "extreme" ...as a movie-junky/collector....
Vist my blog and its Youtube channel:
http://www.maskripper.org
https://www.youtube.com/c/MaskripperOrg

Masked women in action! Superheroines, burglars, villainesses are waiting for you...
Visitor
Legendary Member
Legendary Member
Posts: 926
Joined: 14 years ago

Unless you are watching on a screen larger than a 40 inch, there isn't that much difference in picture quality for TV sets. Computer screens do have higher resolution and people are more willing to upgrade soon than for their TVs.

My main reason for buying a Blu-ray over a DVD is what extra features are included. Most have the exact same bonus features so cost for something I may not watch that often is a factor. I do have several hundred DVDs and most are shows that I can't stream or bought for future viewing when I have nothing else to see. A few I pass along to a friend because his wife won't let him spend that much money on buying them for his family.
ivandobsky
Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Posts: 316
Joined: 10 years ago

Blu Ray sucks. I forked out £50 for a blu ray disc player for my PC, and the only way I managed to get it to it to actually play the cursed things is to use some software to "rip" them to a huge file on my hard disc, taking about half an hour. DVDs still have some bullshit region protection, but I was able to play DVDs on my computer directly from the disc.

Also, I don't have a UHD TV, and am averse to getting one because I have a 3DTV, and the powers that be have, in their infinite wisdom, regressed on that front. Even if you can find a 3D UHD TV, good luck finding content for it.

This explains why I don't buy Blu Rays any more. Possibly others have other reasons.

Most people don't really care that much about the additional fidelity.
User avatar
Maskripper
Millenium Member
Millenium Member
Posts: 1091
Joined: 7 years ago
Contact:

ivandobsky wrote:
3 years ago
Blu Ray sucks. I forked out £50 for a blu ray disc player for my PC.....
Well, so why didn't you buy a blu-ray player for your TV? :hmmm:
Would be the first step for me to watch Blu-rays on the TV.
I would say the only reasons to get one for a PC are ripping and burning.
Well, unless your PC monitor is bigger than your TV...
Vist my blog and its Youtube channel:
http://www.maskripper.org
https://www.youtube.com/c/MaskripperOrg

Masked women in action! Superheroines, burglars, villainesses are waiting for you...
ivandobsky
Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Posts: 316
Joined: 10 years ago

Maskripper wrote:
3 years ago
Well, so why didn't you buy a blu-ray player for your TV? :hmmm:
...
Well, unless your PC monitor is bigger than your TV...
PC has HDMI output. A TV can be used as a monitor, and a PC can be used as a "set to box".
User avatar
Mr. X
Millenium Member
Millenium Member
Posts: 4597
Joined: 11 years ago
Contact:

I used to use my ps3 for a blu-ray player but then the new movies had some newer sound format that would not play on the ps3 and sony wouldn't upgrade drivers. Luckily blu-ray players are less than $100.
Visitor
Legendary Member
Legendary Member
Posts: 926
Joined: 14 years ago

Mr. X wrote:
3 years ago
I used to use my ps3 for a blu-ray player but then the new movies had some newer sound format that would not play on the ps3 and sony wouldn't upgrade drivers. Luckily blu-ray players are less than $100.
Where are you buying because a few years ago I got a basic version for under $30 at Best Buy.
User avatar
Maskripper
Millenium Member
Millenium Member
Posts: 1091
Joined: 7 years ago
Contact:

Visitor wrote:
3 years ago
Where are you buying because a few years ago I got a basic version for under $30 at Best Buy.
Here in germany the solid blu-ray players are at about 60 Euro (around 70$) right now.
A blu-ray player for under 30$? Is that one from Kazakhstan where you must run on a treadmill to provide power to it? ;)
Or is Best Buy selling blu-ray players they stole from the competition? :hmmm:
Vist my blog and its Youtube channel:
http://www.maskripper.org
https://www.youtube.com/c/MaskripperOrg

Masked women in action! Superheroines, burglars, villainesses are waiting for you...
Visitor
Legendary Member
Legendary Member
Posts: 926
Joined: 14 years ago

It's one of those cheap name brand Japanese models from before the Trump tariffs.
User avatar
Mr. X
Millenium Member
Millenium Member
Posts: 4597
Joined: 11 years ago
Contact:

Visitor wrote:
3 years ago
Mr. X wrote:
3 years ago
I used to use my ps3 for a blu-ray player but then the new movies had some newer sound format that would not play on the ps3 and sony wouldn't upgrade drivers. Luckily blu-ray players are less than $100.
Where are you buying because a few years ago I got a basic version for under $30 at Best Buy.
Oh, well even better.
Lurkndog
Elder Member
Elder Member
Posts: 375
Joined: 13 years ago

ivandobsky wrote:
3 years ago
Blu Ray sucks. I forked out £50 for a blu ray disc player for my PC, and the only way I managed to get it to it to actually play the cursed things is to use some software to "rip" them to a huge file on my hard disc, taking about half an hour. DVDs still have some bullshit region protection, but I was able to play DVDs on my computer directly from the disc.

Also, I don't have a UHD TV, and am averse to getting one because I have a 3DTV, and the powers that be have, in their infinite wisdom, regressed on that front. Even if you can find a 3D UHD TV, good luck finding content for it.

This explains why I don't buy Blu Rays any more. Possibly others have other reasons.

Most people don't really care that much about the additional fidelity.
Blu-Ray does suck on PCs. Copy protection overkill makes it easier to pirate a movie than play it legally.

I suspect the big reason DVDs are still around is that A) many people won't upgrade until their DVD player dies, and B) they are incredibly cheap to produce.

I consider myself a bit of a snob, but I can only think of a handful of movies that I owned on DVD and bothered to buy again in HD. Basically Aliens and some of the Studio Ghibli movies. And I still occasionally buy a DVD when something isn't available on Blu-ray.
Post Reply