DVD? Blu-ray? On Demand? What's Your Preferred Method of Home Entertainment?
Examining the future of home video...
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Over at The Wrap Daniel Frankel has posted a piece regarding the sales numbers for the three-year-old high-definition Blu-ray format saying "the savior format still only generates about 6 percent of total home entertainment revenue." He compares this to DVD, which at age 3 commanded 20 percent of home entertainment revenue back in 2000 when competing with the then popular VHS format.
Frankel points to additional numbers such as the following:
- Revenue from rentals of DVD and Blu-ray movies and TV shows, as well as digital downloads, had increased 8.2 percent to $5 billion through the first three quarters of this year.
- Rentals of Blu-ray high-definition disc titles increased 52 percent to $313 million.
- DVD sales declined 16 percent to $5 billion.
He mentions how this holiday season could see Blu-ray players on the market for less than $100 and Blu-ray discs as low as $10, but of course the format will still have to compete with the widespread DVD market and the up-and-coming On Demand service from cable providers, Netflix, Xbox, etc.
In my home I no longer have a DVD-only player. I still have an HD DVD player that really never gets used as I have already replaced many of my HD DVDs and I have a PlayStation 3 for my DVD and Blu-ray discs. On top of that I use Netflix by mail and also have the Roku player to make use of Netflix's Instant Play features. However, I realize I am hardly a "normal" consumer when it comes to movies. Movies are my livelihood and being able to watch as many as I can is a necessity. But I always wonder what consumers such as yourself think of the current marketplace.
I have always been a fan of creating a "library" of movies, a collection of films that people can look at and choose whatever they would like to watch. Of course, such a notion would be obsolete should there ever be a service such as Netflix's Instant Play that actually had ALL the movies available to watch as opposed to a small selection. Granted, there are currently 363 titles in my Instant Queue on top of 473 in my Delivery Queue. The chances of me getting to all of those titles over the next five years are pretty much zero, so just how important is it to have every movie at your fingertips?
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There is always the argument of "upconverting" DVD players that basically provide a faux high-definition image that when compared to a quality Blu-ray release shows its flaws, but when we get down to it I would bet most consumers don't really concern themselves with the absolute pristine picture offered by Blu-ray. Personally, I love it. When great cinematography and score combine in a fantastic movie presented in high-definition on my plasma television we are talking about a great night at home with the movies. As a result, flaws in the Netflix streaming service are more noticeable to me. While watching a DVD I tend to realize it doesn't look or sound as good as it could. Perhaps I am spoiled, but it's the truth.
I have often argued with friends over whether or not physical discs will still be around in ten-or-so-years. I tend to believe they will be simply because I think people enjoy owning and holding a physical object. However, after beginning to use the Netflix Instant Play feature I can see where the streaming option becomes more of a possibility, but I just wonder if the quality will ever be there.
Right now Netflix's Instant Play is occasionally choppy, drops service at times and even when presented in HD it can become extremely digitized. To go along with that there is continued talk of "a looming spectrum crisis" as more bandwidth needs to be provided with the increase in usage from mobile devices, so what's it going to take to begin delivering every movie and TV show in high-definition? After all, isn't high-definition the new standard in video? Even YouTube boasts the format.
The other thing to think about are special features. With current instant and on demand delivery consumers aren't offered audio commentaries and deleted scenes. Just how important are these bonuses to the consumer? Does the thought of Gone with the Wind on Blu-ray with over eight hours of extras make you change your mind?
My belief is more and more people will begin buying Blu-ray players as they need to replace their current DVD players. After all, considering Blu-ray players will play and "upconvert" standard DVDs why not go for the player you can also play the latest media on? Then again, Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group tells The Wrap, "One in four people still don’t understand that Blu-ray players play back regular DVDs." I don't know who to blame for this, but perhaps once Wal-mart offers that $99 Blu-ray player the confusion will begin to die down.
So how about you? What is your preferred method of home entertainment? Do you buy DVDs or Blu-ray discs? Do you only rent? Do you only stream your movies via Netflix or some sort of On Demand service? Would the absence of special features from streaming movies still lead you to purchase films as opposed to going 100% digital?
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DVD only. Let's say here in Russia blu-ray players and films are very far from being something for everyone. Many people are likely going to start owning them in another couple of years or so, and so am I. Plus it's wildly expensive, like blu-ray disc costs 4x as much as the DVD disc.
@Nick
Same here.
Blu-Ray is WAY too expensive here in Brazil.
We pay R$13 for an old dvd release and R$40 for a brand new dvd.
Blu-Rays range from R$60 to to older movies and from R$100 to R$130 to recent movies!
And HDTVs are extremely expensive here too and On Demand video is nowhere near being acessible to anyone. I don't know anyone who has one, for instance! I actually… Don't even know if it exists here. lol
As far as I know, if you're a first world citizen, you may have option between DVD, Blu-Ray or whatever. But if you live in the third world, not so much.
Blu-ray all the way. When I left for college in 2001, I bought a bunch of bargain VHS tapes not realizing how much the DVD industry had grown. By that Christmas, I had a DVD player and replaced all those cassette tapes I had just bought.
When Blu-ray came out, I decided that I want to be on the cusp of technology and as a lover of film, I had to take the plunge. First came the LCD TV, then the blu-ray player, then the surround sound system. There's no better way (right now) to enjoy a home viewing experience.
It's great to see that prices are going down on Blu-ray, and I truly hope the format thrives.
My question to you, Brad, is why did you buy a Plasma TV and not an LCD TV?
And yes, extra features are VERY IMPORTANT for me. For some movies I'm okay with just the movie. But if it's a movie I love (and I'm willing to buy movies I love more often than those that are 'good enough'), I want the best edition possible.
Like this Gone with the Wind Ultimate Edition from the article, I'm DEFINITELY going to buy it. I'd buy on Blu-Ray, if I had a player.
I just bought The Wizard of Oz Ultimate Edition (it comes with a watch! =P ) and it's probably one the best R$90 I've ever spent on a DVD.
On-demand and streaming just doesn't make sense right now.
(1) Picture quality is severely inferior to Blu-ray
(2) Streaming like Netflix's Roku player is great in theory…until you look at their selection
(3) It doesn't make sense monetarily. I rent blu-rays from Netflix, I'm on the 4-disc out at a time plan and I pay $25/month. I know an on-demand service like VUDU charges $3.99 for HD movies — I rented 13 Blu-ray's from Netflix last month, which would have cost me $52 had I viewed them with On-demand.
So how much should conveniene cost? I know I don't want to pay 2x as much for an inferior product.
Just think, somewhere, someone is getting paid to come up with the next big thing. Dump your VHS tapes for DVD's, dump your DVD's for Blu-ray, they are coming up with new ways to take you cash. Maybe I am not as big a movie fan as everyone else, but I almost never see the extra features, and the commentaries I can't believe anyone listens too.
Redbox might put everyone out of the rental business, (Blockbuster is about done), yes they are limited in movies, but try getting the big new release at a video store opening weekend. Now I can reserve at at any one of 10 in town from home.
It's either on TV or DVD for me.
Streaming HD on the Roku is my preferred method. I have a Blu-Ray player, two HD DVD players, and an upconverting DVD player, but streaming is FAR more convenient, and FAR less expensive. Streaming accounts at Netflix start at 9 bucks a month and the library is only going to get bigger than the current 12,000 titles available
Preferred method? Blu-ray, DVD and, yes, HD DVDs(my collection is far too big to get rid of it just yet), but I also LOVE Netflix Instant Play. To me, movies are movies…I love movies, so I'll enjoy them in pretty much anyway I can, and while the Netflix Instant library isnt as expansive as it probably could be, there are far more than enough films and TV shows available.
But also, Brad, as you said, Im the type of person that like owning the physical movie, so I still buy a lot of dvds and Blu-Ray disc.
As for special features, for me, it depends on the movie. Some movies I really don't care about how it was made(especially if it was a movie I didn't like), but for films I love, I definitely enjoy seeing how things were done.
I used to have all DVDs. A few months ago finally saw the quality of the blu-ray, and that the blu-ray player won the format war and decided to get a blu-ray player.
Now am in the process of converting all my dvds into blu-rays, which is slow and quite pricey, but well worth it considering the quality difference.
um, My parents got a free Blue-Ray DVD with their new tv last year and there really isn't a huge difference between regular DVD and Blu-Ray(at least not to me). Even if Blu-Ray players are becoming cheaper, Blu Ray Discs are still expensive. I mostly watch movies on my computer (not streaming), but I own a regular DVD. As for rentals I use netflix and redbox.
I'm a huge fan of streaming movies from Netflix or Amazon. I don't really care about picture quality (within reason) or extra features, I just like being able to watch something new without having to return a disc. And while the selection isn't so great, it has inspired me to watch more than a few movies that I wouldn't have seen otherwise.
I guess it's the same reason I like iTunes. Supposedly nothing sounds as good as a fresh vinyl record, but when you can access just about any song in minutes, that difference in sound quality doesn't matter so much to a lot of consumers.
Although I own and HD-TV and have an HD Satellite receiver, most of my movies are delivered through Roku, either on Amazon or on Netflix. There is no question that that video quality is rather poor compared to Blu-Ray or other options and the selection quite small. However, I typically only watch foreign or independent films and care far more about the content than about the resolution. I am looking forward to the time when Hulu and YouTube are seamlessly available on my trusty little Roku — so I can pull the plug on my Satellite and stop paying $65 per month for a hundred channels that I mostly don't watch.
DVD Only.
Just DVD and TV for me.
Its HD Sat, VOD, Streaming, DVD and HD DVD for me!
I have a ps3 (bought for gaming) that hardly ever use. XBOX360 with HD DVD drive gets used all the time. (go figure)
I get HD DVDs (those that remain) for less than $5 typically!
DVD's travel well and play in the car/laptop/hotel DVD player etc. Ironically some of my HD DVDs are Combo discs so they can go with me too! Can't say that with BRay as my laptop does not support it! It does do streaming video though, and that works for me! =)
Blu-ray is my prefered format, although I also download MKV 720p HD movies online, and transfer them to DVD data discs, Blu-ray movies are getting cheaper which will enable me to buy more, I also rent Blu-ray, DVD, and sometimes use On-demand (although the quality is crap).
After watching I am Legend on Blu-ray, there really is nothing that comes close except the MKV format which I use as a stop-gap until Blu-ray comes down more in price.
On Demand all the way. Haven't visited a rental store in years. I also canceled netflix. Time to move away from this ancient technology/collection mentality of storing movies on plastic discs as I don't want them crowding my house. The same with audio cds. I put all those in the attic and use high quality copies stored on the computer. Enhanced video offers little with most new movies being bad recreations of old movies and tv shows. Do I really want to see the pock marks and makeup lines on the actor I thought was hot?
Blu_Ray= PASS!
On Line and On Demand is where it's at!
Blu-ray / DVD / Downloading movies / Dramas onto DVD or Blu-ray, far cheaper than a Sky HD subscription or VoD, my movie collection doesn't take up that much space as long as it's neatly stored on shelves etc.
I love to visit blockbuster to rent a movie, and jusdging by the queues there the other day, I guess most people still prefer to do it this way.
If you're a fat coach potato and can't move about much then VoD is the way to go.
Video to DVD was a wonderful leap, from DVD to Blu Ray not so much, so I'm content with the content of DVDs and Netflix streaming. Having a HDTV was and is more important than if the content is at the extreme of highly mastered Blu Ray, as long as it is not as low as standard definition tv – which looks horrible on hdtvs.
Don't care about brick and mortar rental places, especially those that had snowballing late fees. And I've stopped buying optical media for the sake of ownership when I know and feel that I'll rarely, if ever, rewatch the material. I just buy my classics.
As for extra features, the few Blu Rays I own offer little wow for the media – nothing special that couldn't go on a second dvd ~ especially for movies that really aren't that special in the 1st place.