Physical media are having a bit of a revival as I write this, as old and new generations discover the weaknesses in the streaming model. Shows and movies become available nowhere, and digital platforms offer no way to truly own and control the media you care about.
Blu-ray is the pinnacle of video media. Maybe it should have been replaced by something even better by now, but streaming put an end to any hope for a successor. Yet Blu-ray is still around. No one knows for how long, but somehow it’s hanging on.
Blu-ray is clearly on life support
It’s time for CPR
You might have read in the news that Blu-ray recordable discs and burners are being phased out or that major drive makers are ending PC Blu-ray drive production (both via Tom’s Hardware). Yet, at the same time, there are still drives and discs for sale for those who need them.
Likewise, many streaming shows are no longer getting physical versions, leaving collectors with no way to own a high-quality physical copy of that movie or show. Video games are still being released on Blu-ray, but the vast majority of console video game sales are digital.
Everywhere you look, the demand for Blu-ray is shrinking, and it’s on the decline overall, and yet enough of us aren’t ready to let go, so this aging format is still around and still relevant. Why? I can think of a few reasons.
The PlayStation effect kept drives in millions of homes
It’s a strategy that’s worked since the PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling home console of all time, though the original Switch might still beat it if people keep buying them. It certainly deserved to be sold in those numbers based on the games alone, but many people chose a PS2 because it’s also a DVD player.
It was certainly my DVD player as well as my console, and I still use a PS2 as a DVD player today, paired with my lovely Sony Trinitron.
This genius move was repeated with the PlayStation 3, which was too expensive but still somehow less expensive than a standalone Blu-ray player. It’s my least favorite PlayStation, but it was my first Blu-ray player, and that was the plan. Get the player into homes, and once that hurdle is cleared, it’s easy to rent or buy discs.
Sony repeated this trick with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It also sold an enormous number of consoles. There are hundreds of millions of Blu-ray players in the homes of people who didn’t necessarily set out to buy one.
Picture and sound quality still embarrass streaming
People don’t know what they’re missing
If you’ve only ever watched streaming content, you might not want to watch a Blu-ray, because it will be hard to go back. Even a normal FHD Blu-ray will thrash a bitrate-starved 4K stream. There’s more to image quality than resolution, and Blu-ray has it. Even DVDs often look better than the streaming equivalent thanks to better and consistent mastering.
One worry of mine is that the true death of physical media will make people forget what good quality video looks like. Hopefully, by that time, streaming might match the quality of Blu-ray, but that’s a big ask in terms of storage and global bandwidth.
Collectors, cinephiles, and boutique labels kept the ecosystem alive
It’s a better investment than vinyl audio
I’ve said before that Blu-ray isn’t really dead; it’s just become the new vinyl. Since 4K UHD Blu-ray is the pinnacle of home movie media when it comes to quality, the market has shifted to focus on collectors and cinephiles. Just about every movie worth owning has an expensive 4K version that comes with a lot more besides the movie itself.
Boutique publishers are having an impact as well, and so we have this interesting situation where you can buy the standard FHD version of a movie for a very affordable price, but a “standard” 4K release isn’t always easy to find. I can’t imagine that these more expensive collector’s editions of movies and shows sell in great volume, but the margins have to be pretty good.
Blu-ray serves roles streaming cannot replace
We need it to hang on as long as possible
Blu-ray is, so far, the last optical medium. In some ways it’s being outgrown by our needs. Some video games need multiple discs or additional downloads, because they won’t fit in the 100GB size limit of the biggest discs. Yet archival Blu-ray discs still have an important part to play in some businesses and in the homes of some people.
Just because something has become niche doesn’t mean it’s entirely gone. I don’t know if the Blu-ray will have the incredible staying power of the floppy disk, but I do hope that its last gasps are drawn out and far apart.
