How long will DVD be with us?

Dunno, but I would think that there are many users who would prefer to keep DVDs and/or BluRay discs for the indefinite future.

Can't see commercial film downloads allowing you to keep a second copy for "safety backup", and I have no great faith in the longevity of any particular hard disc - the though of losing a large collection due to a single hard drive failure fills me with horror. Then there are those who don't want to HAVE to learn a new system every few years. Also not everybody has a good high speed broadband connection which would be necessary for any download option.

So? I suspect they will be around for quite a few years yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Dungassin:
Dunno, but I would think that there are many users who would prefer to keep DVDs and/or BluRay discs for the indefinite future.

I was thinking more along the lines of, when will blue ray discs replace DVD discs.

quote:

Originally posted by GreenAlex:
A long long time

That's good to know. I was thinking of selling my SVHS player, but I think I'll hang on to it.

quote:

I was thinking more along the lines of, when will blue ray discs replace DVD discs.

I don't think they will, unless the price comes down to the same level as DVDs. Cost is still a factor for many punters. After all, CDs and Cassettes coexisted happily for many years.

I buy both DVDs and BluRay discs. I tend to reserve my bluray purchases for things which I think will either receive multiple viewings or will really benefit from the extra resolution.

quote:

That's good to know. I was thinking of selling my SVHS player, but I think I'll hang on to it.

I've put mine in the loft.

Somehow, I think that blu-ray will never replace DVD because the situation is convenient to content providers. Some people (many, acutally, but not everybody) will agree to pay more to get better picture and sound quality. Some people don't give a damn. Offering two or more versions of the same product is known to boost sales (see cars, game consoles, tvs, food... anything that can be sold in fact).

I think the price of BluRay will drop and DVDPlayers will become extinct once the BluRay players drop to around 50€.

But the DVD itself will be sold long after that.
s long as notebooks still have DVD-drives and no BluRay, as long as people still own a DVDP and can buy one for 30-50€, BluRay won't become the primary disc based media.

And with internet speeds now up to an average of 16-20MBit/s, online movies have gained momentum.

Plus, BluRay is facing two enemies: the internet and now satellite tv. Whilst DVD was only facing mediocre satellite tv, BluRay has multiple HD tv stations against it. Even the first few 3D stations have started to broadcast. All factors that make it more difficult for BluRay to take other.

But then it's their own fault for fighting HDDVD v. BluRay for so long. They missed their window.

quote:

And with internet speeds now up to an average of 16-20MBit/s

You've obviously been reading the suppliers blurb - these speeds probably only apply to large conurbations and only if there aren't too many people on line at the same time. I get 5MBit/s on a good day. I live in a large (pop >5000) village 5 miles from Burton-On-Trent. God knows when (if ever) the internet speed will improve where I live.

Yours, cynically ....

OK, true. Some unfortunately still have slow connections. Especially DSL users.
I personally get my internet via cable (TV) and have true 20MBit/s. So can't complain.

Still, I think on average the coverage in Germany for most people is pretty good. Ironically especially people in locations with fibreglass have slow connections and limited choice in suppliers.

Anyhow, just like for music with MP3s, I think the internet will be a serious problem for BluRay.
Only time will tell

We're heading for a repeat of the SACD/CD/download experience here, I think...

quote:

We're heading for a repeat of the SACD/CD/download experience here, I think...

quote:

Originally posted by GreenAlex:
OK, true. Some unfortunately still have slow connections. Especially DSL users.
I personally get my internet via cable (TV) and have true 20MBit/s. So can't complain.

Lucky you. You probably are not familiar with my locale, but I was trying to show that I don't live in the middle of nowhere.

The 5mb/s figure I gave is actually the maximum obtainable locally according to British Telecom. I occasionally stream video from BBCiPlayer, and certainly see "stutters" and pauses, so I suspect the actual speeds obtained are much lower than that - especially in the evening when lots of people go on line. You are quite correct, BTW - it is a DSL (copper line) type connection.

My point is that DVD/Bluray will be around for a long time, as I can't see BT improving the local connections anytime soon, and much of the UK is in a similar situation as regards Broadband speeds. SWMBO point blank refuses to even contemplate a satellite dish, and as we are not on fibreoptic link, cable TV etc would probably suffer from the same problems as iPlayer - so no point in even thinking about that route.

Me? I'm going to give one of the local aerial firms a ring to see if we can improve our TV reception for freeview to eliminate the occasional dropout. Perhaps I should get a second TV aerial - after all, I now count 8 items with freeview tuners connected. Even with aerial boosters, that is a LOT. Partially due to me and SWMBO having very different viewing tastes. Whatever they do will not be allowed to interfere with my Galaxie 17 FM aerial.

There seems to be a trend to sell a Blu-ray with a DVD included and even a code to get yourself a download of a digital file for playing on your PC.

Bluray is very variable in resolution quality, especial on so called 'remastered' films which I reckon are often just given a cursory clean up to the point where the original DVD version ends up being as good when sensibly upscaled by the latest processor chips.

Based on the above I reckon DVD will actually do a 'vinyl' and never really fade away.

regards
geoff

My "Broadband" doesn't even make 1G, and For those of us who live in the sticks that's quite normal - indeed, a bit further down our road you can't get broadband at all. 3G doesn't work well either.

Geoff's right regarding the variable picture quality of BluRay, but for those of us who like HD multichannel sound, this isn't currently available from anything other than BluRay.

So if we lose the BluRay format we'll lose a very high-quality video and audio source.

quote:

Originally posted by tonym:
My "Broadband" doesn't even make 1G, and For those of us who live in the sticks that's quite normal - indeed, a bit further down our road you can't get broadband at all. 3G doesn't work well either.

Geoff's right regarding the variable picture quality of BluRay, but for those of us who like HD multichannel sound, this isn't currently available from anything other than BluRay.

So if we lose the BluRay format we'll lose a very high-quality video and audio source.

Hi, Tony!

I can't get 3G here, alas. Useful elsewhere though.

The Bluray disc set of Doctor Who (newer series) has at least one SD episode upscaled by the Beeb for the Bluray edition (it's the David Morrisey Christmas one). The quality of that disc is very close to the pure HD ones, so they did a good job.

I agree totally with your comment re. HD multichannel audio.

Probelm is, that even upscaled movies look better than the DVD.
Just like profesionally upscaled SD content on TV looks better than the SD version although the source is the same.

And lets be honest, hardly anybody uses external scalers. Especially not ones that can actually compete with studio equipment.

So the worst BluRay is probably still better than it's DVD version. So once the prices drop, there will be no benefit to buying the DVD.

Multichannel HD sound, hmmmm, not tried it at home and I am not sure how much better it really is. Especially on a 5.1 system and compared to a properly mastered DTS track on a DVD.

quote:

Originally posted by GreenAlex:
And lets be honest, hardly anybody uses external scalers. Especially not ones that can actually compete with studio equipment.

I do (a Lumagen Radiance), and I thoroughly recommend them to anyone who's got a large HD display.

quote:

Multichannel HD sound, hmmmm, not tried it at home and I am not sure how much better it really is. Especially on a 5.1 system and compared to a properly mastered DTS track on a DVD.

Provided you've got a suitable system (i.e. one that is a reasonable quality match with your stereo, if it's an add-on) then it most definitely is better. Try it...

Try musicmagpie, if you're thinking of selling your old CD's or DVd's