The end of Blu-ray?

Gnoswal · 2025-01-24T02:53:13+00:00

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/after-18-years-blu-ray-media-production-draws-to-a-close-sony-shuts-its-last-factory-in-feb While not directly related...you can see what the effects of streaming have done.

ElQuintron

digitalfutur I got a good deal on a 4K HDR 1982 Bladerunner Bluray I'm going to do some testing are report back.

ElQuintron

lesmikesell If you're not transcoding on a local local network it's your options are pretty good.

lesmikesell

ElQuintron

ElQuintron If you're not transcoding on a local local network it's your options are pretty good.

But apps on a TV where you'd want to play them can't send TrueHD 7.1 or other lossless formats to your receiver even if it has earc. And a lot of devices won't handle it either.

ElQuintron

lesmikesell This is true, the way I got around this on my C1 is that I put everything that needed VRR on EARC, (because my Amp supports 4K/60 only, but no fancy newer gaming features) and I connected the Nvidia Shield directly to the Amplifier, so if I want to watch something with 7.1/Atmos etc. I just go through the Shield instead.

grand_total

px_eliezer_ I've never owned a Blu-ray disc or player either. I worked out that I've been streaming for 17 years now, of course it was not the smooth experience it is now. I gave up Cable TV 11 years ago, and to be honest barely watched it for a couple of years before that, it was just difficult to persuade other family members that it was the way to go.

ElQuintron

grand_total I own a few, but ripped them to my NAS and have Plex serve them up to my Nvidia Shield or other media player.

Stembolt

Verbatim pledges 'stable supply of optical disks' after Sony Japan's recordable Blu-ray exit

Says it will continue to supply recordable Blu-ray, DVD, and CDs to the Japan market.

timcuth

This sucks quite a bit. Bluray has been the only reliable way to get 4K content. Will they figure out some way to actually provide a full slate of 4K programming via streaming? They certainly haven't made much movement toward that, yet.

Stembolt

timcuth This

Their talking about not manufacturing writable Blu-ray discs. Not commercial Blu-ray's that movies and tv shows are released on.

lesmikesell

timcuth This sucks quite a bit. Bluray has been the only reliable way to get 4K content. Will they figure out some way to actually provide a full slate of 4K programming via streaming?

They are just talking about discs you can write yourself or copy to. There's not a lot of that happening.
But as for streaming quality, if money is no object for you: https://www.kaleidescape.com/

timcuth

Stembolt

Stembolt Their talking about not manufacturing writable Blu-ray discs. Not commercial Blu-ray's that movies and tv shows are released on.

But, the writing is on the wall.

timcuth

Why does my first post show as "deleted"?

Bink63

lesmikesell anyone over 50 or so isn't going to hear it even if the speakers are capable.

Wait...

whaaaaaaat?

I'm over 50 and I can still hear the squeak in Bonham's Ludwig Speed King Bass Pedal on the Song "Since I've Been Loving You", with generic speakers.

You were saying?

lesmikesell

Bink63 I'm over 50 and I can still hear the squeak in Bonham's Ludwig Speed King Bass Pedal on the Song "Since I've Been Loving You", with generic speakers.

Anything over 3k or so sounds squeaky high and isn't a problem to reproduce until you get to 15k or so. And most of the improvements in new technology (TrueHD 7.1. DTS:X, etc. are above that and about multiple channels and imaging that take more speakers and good ears.

Listen to some YouTube frequency sweeps. I can't hear anything above 10k although I know I used to (I'm 75)/ But music still sounds the same. I think your brain fills any anything that seems to be missing anyway.

Myrddin

The best way we can keep Blu-Ray going is to buy Movies/TV/Etc on Disc.
I've recently gone ahead and purchased a Panasonic DP-UB820 for entertainment room and plan to get one of their lesser cost ones for my bedroom.
If you, like me, have become concerned about movies & tv shows vanishing from your Digital Media libraries.. it appears there's more than a little justification to those worries.! As I understand it, purchasing digital versions of any sort of video has a few drawbacks; You don't actually own a copy of the digital media and, cannot legally create a local file from it. On top of that, you've got no recourse if titles vanish from your digital collections since the fine print loopholes them the ability to remove access to it whenever they may have to or want to. If the place you made your digital purchase of the stream-able media vanishes or goes out of business none of the other services which may have listed it in their library have any requirement to keep honoring that and could want you to "buy" it's use rights all over again.

I'm trying to find deals on anything I don't want to lose and get physical media for it now.. before the situation has the chance to get any worse. Just like the advent of people wanting to have Vinyl albums again.. if we support these outlets for our physical media with our "dollars" we help insure they stay around.

Sorry if I'm just repeating things you've heard before but felt like it was worth mentioning again in the light of losing Broadband Reports.

Okay.. steppin' off my soapbox.

*Cheers to you all.!

digitalfutur

Good explainer about 4K DVD sound vs streaming sound. Of course, if you don't have the proper equipment, plain old 1980s stereo will sound just fine.

One interesting thing about Dolby Atmos on disc and Dolby Atmos on digital is the huge difference in sound quality. Streaming video services and digital to-own services tend to promote "Dolby Atmos" audio front-and-center as a major selling point on big blockbusters. The lack of full transparency in descriptions can lead to consumer confusion about the differences in Atmos playback. The Dolby Atmos presentations provided on disc are lossless, with the 24-bit depth core, and part of the TrueHD lossless encoding a staple of Blu-ray and the physical media format. Pop on a Atmos 4K UHD disc, and you'll get the high-resolution clarity of physical media.

On streaming services, such as Netflix and Apple TV+, the Dolby Atmos is presented at approximately CD quality at best audio – usually topping out around 600kbps – without lossless encoding. What's interesting is the variance in Atmos encoding on streaming services. The biggest blockbuster new releases tend to top out around 600kbps compared to several thousand kbps and true lossless Atmos on disc. Likewise, older catalog titles equipped with Atmos on streaming services (such as Pirates of the Caribbean) top out about 320kbps, mere MP3 quality Atmos encoding, compared to the several thousand kbps of UHD disc. There is some great assurance in owning a physical 4K UHD disc with Dolby Atmos audio, providing a more immersive experience with several thousand kbps higher bit-rates and true 24 bit depth encoding (compared to streaming platforms serving 16 bit quality Atmos).

BTW the 4K DVD being reviewed, Godzilla Minus One, has an average video bitrate of 69.80mbps, more than 3x the bitrate of 4K streaming on Netflix.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Godzilla-Minus-One-4K-Blu-ray/367738/#Review

shamair

ElQuintron One thing I will add, is that while ATV and HBO releases seem to be pretty decent. Netflix is egregious when it comes to how compressed some of their video looks when compared with rips from 4K BluRays especially when looking at the crushed black levels.

tiredrunner

Blu-Ray uncompressed disc rips still look better than streaming. And it's not exactly easy to find older movies in this quality via streaming.

4K rips average 50-100-gig. Hard drive companies are raking in the dough these days.

telcodad

On the TV Answer Man site today:

Are 4K Blu-ray Discs Worth It? A Comparison to 4K Streaming
TV Answer Man - April 10, 2025
https://tvanswerman.com/2025/04/10/are-4k-blu-ray-discs-worth-it-a-comparison-to-4k-streaming/

If you love watching movies on Blu-ray HD, you might sometimes wonder if it’s worth buying a 4K Blu-ray disc and Blu-ray 4K player. The 4K Blu-ray discs and players are more expensive (sometimes by $10 a disc) but do you get your money’s worth? Is the Blu-ray 4K picture really that much better? Answer: Yes! Let us explain.

What Makes 4K Blu-ray Picture Quality Better?

First, let’s understand what 4K and HD mean. HD stands for high definition, which is a resolution of 1080p (1920 × 1080 pixels), while 4K refers to a resolution of 2160p (3840 × 2160 pixels). This means that 4K has four times as many pixels as HD, resulting in a much sharper and more detailed picture.

When it comes to picture quality, 4K Blu-ray discs have a significant advantage over HD Blu-rays. The increased resolution means that 4K discs offer a level of detail that HD discs simply cannot match. Colors are richer and more vibrant, and textures and patterns are much clearer and more defined. 4K discs also offer improved contrast and brightness levels, resulting in a more dynamic and realistic picture.

Another factor that contributes to the superior picture quality of 4K Blu-rays is the use of HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology. HDR allows for a wider range of colors and brightness levels, resulting in a more lifelike picture. While some HD Blu-rays also offer HDR, the effect is much more pronounced on 4K discs due to the increased resolution.
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4K Blu-ray vs. 4K Streaming

Netflix, Max and Hulu are among the streaming services that offer 4K programming. However, 4K streaming does not display with the high bitrate of a 4K Blu-ray disc (streaming displays at around 20-30 Mbps while a 4K Blu-ray might be around 80 Mbps) and that tends to limit the detail and vividness of the online picture. With a 4K Blu-ray disc, the colors are more vivid and the details are sharper thanks to the higher bitrate.

4K Blu-ray discs also offer a significantly better picture quality than HD Blu-rays, thanks to their increased resolution and HDR technology. While they may be more expensive, the improved picture quality is well worth the investment for anyone who wants the best possible viewing experience.

telcodad

telcodad Are 4K Blu-ray Discs Worth It? A Comparison to 4K Streaming
TV Answer Man - April 10, 2025
https://tvanswerman.com/2025/04/10/are-4k-blu-ray-discs-worth-it-a-comparison-to-4k-streaming/

While DVD & Blu-ray disc sales have dropped steadily over the last decade, sales of Ultra-HD Blu-ray discs have grown:

DVD & Blu-ray Sales Have Dropped 90% Since 2014 As Streaming Grows
By Luke Bouma, Cord Cutters News - April 19, 2025
https://cordcuttersnews.com/dvd-blu-ray-sales-have-dropped-90-since-2014-as-streaming-grows/

As streaming dominates home entertainment, with 59.6 million U.S. households cutting the cord per Evoca.tv, the physical media market for DVDs and Blu-rays has seen a dramatic fall over the past decade. New data reveals that combined DVD and Blu-ray sales in the U.S. dropped from $10.1 billion in 2014 to an estimated $900 million in 2024, a decline of over 91%. While boutique collectors and hits like Oppenheimer keep Ultra HD Blu-ray afloat, the broader market’s collapse reflects a shift to digital platforms, leaving physical discs a niche relic.
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Why the Collapse?

Streaming’s dominance—Netflix hit 300 million subscribers in 2024—shifted consumer habits, with 85% of U.S. homes using devices like Fire TV, per Deloitte 2025. Digital sales ($2.98 billion) outpaced physical ($1.85 billion) by 2020, per FlatpanelsHD. Retail exits hurt: Best Buy stopped DVD sales in 2024, Target slashed shelves, and Netflix ended rentals in 2023. Rising disc prices—$44.06 average in April 2024, per Statista—deterred casual buyers, though collectors snapped up 4K titles like Deadpool & Wolverine, which led 2024’s charts.

A Niche Revival?

Despite the downturn, Ultra HD Blu-ray grew to 16.2% of units in 2023, up from 5.3% in 2018, driven by films like Oppenheimer (15% Q4 spike), per FlatpanelsHD.

Looking Ahead

With the growth of streaming, the role of physical media shrinks. The $900 million market in 2024 is a far cry from 2014’s $10.1 billion, and 2025 may see further erosion as Walmart and Amazon focus digital. Yet, for collectors, Blu-ray’s crisp visuals keep the flame alive—just don’t expect a blockbuster revival.

telcodad

You Can Still Rent DVDs & Blu-rays By Mail in 2026 Almost 3 Years After Netflix Shut Down Its DVD Rentals
By Luke Bouma, Cord Cutters News - February 24, 2026
https://cordcuttersnews.com/you-can-still-rent-dvds-blu-rays-by-mail-in-2026-almost-3-years-after-netflix-shut-down-its-dvd-rentals/

In an era dominated by instant streaming services, where viewers can access thousands of titles with a single click, the once-revolutionary concept of renting physical discs by mail has nearly faded into obscurity. Yet, amid this digital transformation, one company continues to offer this nostalgic service: GameFly. Best recognized for its video game rentals delivered through the postal system, GameFly quietly maintains a selection of DVDs and Blu-rays available for rent by mail, providing a lifeline for enthusiasts who prefer tangible media over cloud-based alternatives. This persistence stands out especially after the shutdown of similar offerings from larger competitors, marking GameFly as a unique survivor in a shrinking market.

You can sign up for 30 days free trial at Gamefly and rent DVDs and Blu-rays by mail: https://www.gamefly.com/registration
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…. GameFly, a service founded in 2002 primarily to cater to gamers by mailing console titles for platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and others. While video games form the core of its business, GameFly expanded into movies years ago, offering DVDs, Blu-rays, and even 4K UHD discs as part of its subscription plans. This lesser-known feature allows users to build a queue of films, much like the old Netflix system, and receive them via U.S. Postal Service first-class mail. Delivery typically takes two to eight business days, with no due dates or late fees, giving renters the freedom to watch at their own pace. Subscribers can also opt to purchase rented discs at pre-owned prices if they decide to keep them.

GameFly’s movie library, though not as expansive as Netflix’s was in its heyday, includes hundreds of titles across genres, with around 292 DVD options alone, not counting Blu-rays. Pricing starts at approximately $8.95 per month for a basic plan allowing one movie at a time, scaling up to higher tiers for multiple discs or combinations with game rentals. For avid users, plans can go as high as $79.99 monthly for up to eight discs at once, with a limit of 16 per month. This flexibility appeals to niche audiences, such as collectors of physical media, fans of high-definition formats like 4K that may not stream well in all areas, or those in regions with unreliable internet. Unlike streaming, physical rentals ensure access to bonus features, director’s cuts, and uncompressed audio-visual quality that digital compression sometimes diminishes.

Despite its advantages, GameFly’s service isn’t without challenges. Availability can be spotty for popular titles, often marked as “low” or “very low” stock, leading to longer wait times. Delivery delays through the postal service remain a hurdle, especially compared to instant streaming. Customer feedback has highlighted issues with disc conditions upon arrival and occasional service hiccups, though the company continues to operate from its Los Angeles base. ….

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