Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
Physical media will be completely gone exactly the day after Jesus Christ returns Journey Into Imagination With Figment gets replaced.
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- Thread starter MisterPenguin
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Disney Irish
Premium Member
Tell that to someone in Australia that wants a recent Disney movie. I give it 5ish years before all studios stop all but special releases to physical media and 10 years before its completely phased out.
Not only that but even the main player manufacturers are phasing out production of new players, some have stopped altogether. Even the format isn’t being refreshed to 8k even though TVs are. So yeah the end is coming and likely way before Imagination gets replaced.
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
People have been speculating that it'll be the next "couple of years" for the last 15 years when physical media finally gets completely replaced by streaming. It'll probably happen eventually, but I prefer to not make myself a Nostradamus out of myself.
For instance looking at this thread from 4 years ago:
Disney 4K UHD Blu-ray
The Little Mermaid will get a 4K release on February 26th. It will be the first time Disney releases an animated movie on blu-ray that was not inked and painted with computers. Should be interesting to see what it looks like. Lion King's 4K release was sourced from a 2K master. I think Mermaid...
You see people here predicting that the end is near, but frankly if you shop online (which I expect is the de facto for most at this point) in America or the other big markets has the experience changed that much since this thread? Prices are probably the biggest difference as to be expected with everything in our post-Covid world. But it's still easy to find a player that you'll be happy with and there are still about the same amount of discs coming out every week that are about the same quality as what came out in 2020.
The biggest thing thing that's changed since that thread has started is that Disney has gone back to releasing 4K UHD catalog releases including releasing their Disney+ shows on disc. Not a surprise since that market is still currently growing.
And frankly even if the entire market was booming and allowed for a fourth physical video format, 8K just doesn't make sense when currently most movies are finished at 4k or even 2k. Heck, I think even the large format movies shot on film would have a hard time showing an obvious enough increase in detail for there to be demand.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Don't know why anyone would have predicted physical media's end 15 years ago when 4k was still fairly new and streaming was barely even a thing. Personally I didn't even think physical media would make an exit until about 7ish years ago.People have been speculating that it'll be the next "couple of years" for the last 15 years when physical media finally gets completely replaced by streaming. It'll probably happen eventually, but I prefer to not make myself a Nostradamus out of myself.
For instance looking at this thread from 4 years ago:
Disney 4K UHD Blu-ray
The Little Mermaid will get a 4K release on February 26th. It will be the first time Disney releases an animated movie on blu-ray that was not inked and painted with computers. Should be interesting to see what it looks like. Lion King's 4K release was sourced from a 2K master. I think Mermaid...forums.wdwmagic.com
You see people here predicting that the end is near, but frankly if you shop online (which I expect is the de facto for most at this point) in America or the other big markets has the experience changed that much since this thread? Prices are probably the biggest difference as to be expected with everything in our post-Covid world. But it's still easy to find a player that you'll be happy with and there are still about the same amount of discs coming out every week that are about the same quality as what came out in 2020.
The biggest thing thing that's changed since that thread has started is that Disney has gone back to releasing 4K UHD catalog releases including releasing their Disney+ shows on disc. Not a surprise since that market is still currently growing.
And frankly even if the entire market was booming and allowed for a fourth physical video format, 8K just doesn't make sense when currently most movies are finished at 4k or even 2k. Heck, I think even the large format movies shot on film would have a hard time showing an obvious enough increase in detail for there to be demand.
As far as that thread, what has happened since then....
- Disney has stopped releasing physical media in certain regions. And has now outsourced any new physical media distributions to 3rd parties.
- Major manufacturers have all but stopped making new players.
- Many big box stores will or have stopped carrying physical media. And I suspect even soon will stop carrying the players too.
So fairly soon online will be the only place you can get physical media, and maybe soon the players. And if sales continue to decline, well.....
And while 8k content is not really a thing right now, studios are using it for filming. For example Guardians 3 was filmed completely in 8k. So its just a matter of time before content will be available in 8k, and that may end up being a streaming exclusive format. As the Blu-Ray association (which Disney is part of) has stated they will not be moving to 8k when its available, meaning 4k will be the end of that format. And I think I read that Netflix was testing 8k streaming not too long ago.
Physical media has been around for almost 50 years, its had a good run, but it was going to eventually end as newer technologies came out. So yeah its a slow march to the end. Maybe you don't want to play Nostradamus but its clear that physical media's days are numbered.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
Physical media is still alive to a degree, I imagine, because many people have an XBox or Playstation that happens to include the ability to play discs.
That's why I buy the occasional physical movie. Usually only cases where it's a specialty release like Criterion, Shout, Arrow, etc. and not available digitally.
I can't imagine paying for a standalone disc player. The people with really high end home theaters, who would truly benefit from that type of thing, are still a pretty small minority I'd think.
That's why I buy the occasional physical movie. Usually only cases where it's a specialty release like Criterion, Shout, Arrow, etc. and not available digitally.
I can't imagine paying for a standalone disc player. The people with really high end home theaters, who would truly benefit from that type of thing, are still a pretty small minority I'd think.
DryerLintFan
Premium Member
I think it’s moreso that a large percentage of the population still have dvd player’s. Heck a ton of people still have vhs players.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Rumors and leaks of the next gen consoles have indicated no optical drive are planned for the future versions. So while not immediate but I suspect gaming too will go completely digital at some point in the near future.
Heck even most hard core gaming streamers on Twitch and YouTube focus on indie titles that have no physical release anyways. And Disney just partnered with Epic games which releases their games exclusively digitally as well.
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
To clarify I meant stick around as a niche collector's orientated market. It happened with laserdisc for nearly twenty years in the shadow of VHS (similar to streaming worse video and sound, but far more convenient) for Joe Schmoe so I can't see why the same can't happen again. Especially since discs can now be made MOD-style unlike the 90's and seem to be a cheaper and more profitable way at getting lesser known stuff out there than just putting it on a streaming service indefinitely.
I assume you mean Blu-ray, as 4K UHD players launched about 8 years ago
Blu-ray sales still weren't great after winning the HD disc format war, home video sales had peaked a few years earlier, and Netflix was quickly gaining in popularity and was already considered a major attraction for the current gen. video game consoles (Which is why just a few years later, both the Xbox One and Wii U were both built around streaming being a major selling point).
I assume you mean Blu-ray, as 4K UHD players launched about 8 years ago
Disney Irish
Premium Member
This has been brought up in this thread before about the collectors market, using vinyl as an example. While I think there will be a small niche market for this I don't think this is enough to keep the physical market alive in any significant way.
When talking about 4k its the format, not just the physical media. 4k options in home theaters started being released in 2012 with the TVs. I got my first 4k UHD TV in 2015 and a player about a year later, both with the fancy 3d option (that was never used but that is another story for another time). Which is why I was saying that I don't know why you were saying anyone was talking about the death of physical media 15 years ago when it was already announced before 2012 I believe that 4k would be a physical media format, unlike 8k which will not.
Anyways only time will tell how this all shakes out. But I can foresee a future already where no physical media will be available. I'm already looking to spec out my next home theater system and it won't include any player of any kind.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
Yep. The higher-end XBox model (which was launched with an optical drive to read games on physical disks) is said to be losing that drive in its upcoming mid-cycle refresh.
Xbox kills physical media with its new Series X — for real this time
An all-digital console range — as proposed in leaked Microsoft papers — is an unprecedented step, and there’s no going back from it
www.polygon.com
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
Ah, my bad. Thought maybe you were thinking of those "mastered in 4k" releases that were around for a few years before the 4k discs.
And this is one example of an article from (actually) 15 years ago. Pretty interesting, especially with how HD DVD is pretty much forgotten now.
Poll finds that physical media is dying, HD DVD as popular as Blu-ray | TechCrunch
Blu-ray was declared the winning format last year when HD DVD threw in the towel. This victory came after major studios left the HD DVD camp and joined up with Blu-ray. But just because a victory was celebrated, that doesn't mean the format is successful. In fact, a recent Harris Interactive...
techcrunch.com
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Yeah that was premature in 2009 and really why I don’t listen to the media on things like this. I listen directly to the manufacturers and industry partners on clues on where things are going. And by and large with few exceptions they weren’t talking about physical medias demise until the last 3-5 years.Ah, my bad. Thought maybe you were thinking of those "mastered in 4k" releases that were around for a few years before the 4k discs.
And this is one example of an article from (actually) 15 years ago. Pretty interesting, especially with how HD DVD is pretty much forgotten now.
Poll finds that physical media is dying, HD DVD as popular as Blu-ray | TechCrunch
Blu-ray was declared the winning format last year when HD DVD threw in the towel. This victory came after major studios left the HD DVD camp and joined up with Blu-ray. But just because a victory was celebrated, that doesn't mean the format is successful. In fact, a recent Harris Interactive...
So unless things change dramatically, such as a reversal on 8k format not being available, I can’t see physical media making a come back in any major way. And so it’ll be a slow march to the end, maybe before the end of the decade.
Physical media will survive... as digital downloads living on the devices the consumer buys to store all that data.
What has been, will be niche, like vinyl, polaroids, or even getting film developed so you can have a stack of 3x5" pictures that you put into an album.
Anyone wanna come over an see the slides from my vacation to Podunk?
What has been, will be niche, like vinyl, polaroids, or even getting film developed so you can have a stack of 3x5" pictures that you put into an album.
Anyone wanna come over an see the slides from my vacation to Podunk?
Oscar-Nominated Film ‘Poor Things’ Is Now Streaming: Here’s Where to Watch Online
Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef, the comedy has already won two Golden Globe awards for best picture and best actress in a musical or comedy motion picture.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
Queens: Elephants Take on Hyenas in a Clip From All-New National Geographic Series (Exclusive)
Witness an epic conflict in the series before it premieres on March 4th.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
Just a correction, this is a spin off into a joint venture. No money exchanges hands, Reliance will kick in an additional amount of cash into the JV itself so that they can own a larger share of the venture than what their underlying assets would entail.
This values Disney’s India operations at 3 billion - ish. Which is significantly less than it was previously valued. Technically this should allow Disney to write down the asset and in a technical sense they will reduce their tax burden and as a result have more free cash on hand.
The company as a whole regardless this year has forecast it will generate 8 billion in free cash flow, this is what will pay for dividends and buybacks in part.
The reason to engage in the spin off joint venture is Disney essentially removes India from its books. As well as removes the urge to outbid one another for major sporting rights. The joint venture can cover its own loses or gains. If it’s quite negative and can’t obtain financing Disney would have to contribute more or lessen its share of the company. Much like Comcast hasn’t financed Hulu in recent years and no longer technically owns a third. The joint venture will pay Disney more indirectly for content licensing. In a strong probability, eventually Reliance will buy out Disney entirely and at that point Disney will see money directly, along with whatever gains in value the JV has undergone between that period.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
Details pulled from Deadline about the write down.
Disney And Reliance Clinch Joint Venture In India
Disney and Reliance have announced an anticipated deal in India to merge their respective digital streaming and television assets.
deadline.com
Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Moon Knight and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be getting physical releases on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on April 30.
"On April 30, Disney Home Entertainment will release on physical media four more of its streaming series, two from Lucasfilm and two from Marvel Studios.
“Star Wars: Andor — The Complete First Season,” “Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi — The Complete Series,” “Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight: The Complete First Season” and “Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season” will be released individually on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in collectible packaging.
The news comes after Disney announced plans in February to offload its manufacturing, distribution and marketing of physical media to Sony Pictures Entertainment. Though disc sales have steadily declined industry-wide year by year, the overlap between collectors of 4k and Blu-ray discs and fans of fantasy, sci-fi and superhero genres remains significant. It’s this demographic Disney Home Entertainment is targeting, with new box art, concept art cards and steelbook packaging for all four titles."
Details at the link below.
variety.com
"On April 30, Disney Home Entertainment will release on physical media four more of its streaming series, two from Lucasfilm and two from Marvel Studios.
“Star Wars: Andor — The Complete First Season,” “Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi — The Complete Series,” “Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight: The Complete First Season” and “Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season” will be released individually on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in collectible packaging.
The news comes after Disney announced plans in February to offload its manufacturing, distribution and marketing of physical media to Sony Pictures Entertainment. Though disc sales have steadily declined industry-wide year by year, the overlap between collectors of 4k and Blu-ray discs and fans of fantasy, sci-fi and superhero genres remains significant. It’s this demographic Disney Home Entertainment is targeting, with new box art, concept art cards and steelbook packaging for all four titles."
Details at the link below.
‘Andor,’ ‘Moon Knight,’ ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ and ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ to Bow on Blu-ray With Deleted Scenes, Featurettes
‘Andor,’ ‘Moon Knight,’ ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ and ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ premiere on 4K and Blu-ray in April with special packaging and extras.
variety.com
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Disney going more after Netflix....
variety.com
Disney Working to Get Streaming Platforms on Technical Par With Netflix, Iger Says: ‘We Need to Be at Their Level’
Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged the company is behind Netflix in terms of technical capabilities -- and that it's in the process of catching up.
variety.com
DisneyFan32
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
When The Proud Family Louder and Prouder Season 3 starts very soon?