January 7, 2025, 9:14 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Blu-ray has set out to replace DVD as the preferred storage medium for films. However, the DVD can look back on much greater success. What is the current status of Blu-ray?
When the Playstation 3 hit the market in 2006, the Blu-ray Disc had already celebrated its 4th birthday. This is because the format was adopted on February 19, 2002. Yet, as of 2006, no one had watched a movie in Blu-ray format. There simply weren’t any. Sony, therefore, went on the offensive. The PlayStation 3 was the first device to include a Blu-ray player. The Japanese company was a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, which developed the format. As befits a drama, there is, of course, an opponent: HD DVD is the name of the competitor in the format war. In short, the rollout of the new disc was not just bumpy but also staggered and disoriented.
Overview
Hollywood Decides Format War
The DVD succeeded the classic video cassette in the mid-1990s and achieved tremendous success. The same was hoped for Blu-ray, which was to follow the DVD with better picture quality. However, the disc appeared more dead than alive right from the start. When the new format was introduced in 2002, there were no affordable players. The major Hollywood studios were undecided. The big dilemma: without Blu-ray blockbusters, there is no interest among movie fans.
This tough struggle resembles the format war between VHS and Betamax in the 1970s. Blu-ray was also fighting against the annoying competition known as HD DVD. Toshiba was pushing this format at the time. Other technology giants such as Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard supported HD DVD.
In fact, a games console then got things moving. The PlayStation 3 has a Blu-ray player, allowing private users to experience the benefits of the new standard for the first time.
This sales success subsequently prompted several film studios to make the switch. In particular, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. relied on Blu-ray in the future. From 2006 onward, the first films were finally released in Blu-ray format. At the same time, affordable players for home use landed on the shelves of technology department stores.
With the entry of the major Hollywood studios, Toshiba backed down in the format war and finally discontinued the technical development of HD DVD. Blu-ray seemed to have won.
Blu-Ray Remains Only Number 2
At least from now on, the figures were rising rapidly, as the new format impresses with razor-sharp images. This is due to the significantly higher storage density, which makes it possible to record high-resolution films. Compared to DVD, the blue-violet laser beam – hence the name Blu-ray – has a shorter wavelength and can therefore be focused on smaller areas. This, in turn, allows denser data storage. There are also Blu-ray variants with several levels that can store up to 128 gigabytes of data.
Until 2013, the sales figures for Blu-ray discs increased year on year. However, not as rapidly as the developers had hoped. At the same time, DVD sales were falling, but the DVD still remains the most popular format for feature films. Why is that?
First of all, there are very pragmatic reasons for this development. Blu-ray delivers movie and audio enjoyment in excellent quality. However, brilliant colors and rapid image changes also cost more money. Many movie fans are satisfied with the quality of the cheaper DVD. Only true cinephiles are willing to spend more and indulge in the superior visual experience offered by Blu-ray.
At the same time, streaming films and series via computer or smart TV is becoming increasingly popular. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the like are also increasingly supplying exclusive titles, putting Blu-ray under further pressure. The streaming portals also offer high resolutions and often even better sound. Despite all this, many people still believed for a long time that Blu-ray would continue to exist. Some time ago, TECHBOOK also launched a survey in which 71% of respondents believed that Blu-ray would continue to exist and not disappear from the market.
However, it is now clear that Blu-ray has lost the battle against DVD. Once set out to replace DVD, both formats now have to seriously consider their future.
Optical Storage Media, a Case for the Technology Graveyard?
In 2016, the Blu-ray Disc Association attempted to establish an even better picture format on the market with Ultra HD Blu-ray. However, this attempt can be described as a failure. This is because the new format only serves a manageable target group of movie fans who are keen collectors.
Whether the age of optical storage media such as DVD, Blu-ray, or Ultra HD Blu-ray is really over cannot yet be conclusively assessed. The market for these formats has at least shrunk considerably in recent years.
However, there are still enough people who actually want to own a movie. Streaming a digital copy quickly is not something real movie lovers do. That’s why optical storage media and streaming portals will continue to share the market in the coming years.
New Opponents: Easy Access vs. Picture Quality
What comes next after Ultra HD Blu-ray? For many film enthusiasts, discerning every single speck of dust in an explosion in the latest action movie is not a priority. Often, the main criterion is the ease of access to popular films or series. This is because when watching movies on a tablet or smartphone, picture quality becomes a secondary consideration.
In this respect, “even better” in terms of picture quality seems to play a subordinate role in future developments. Many major Blu-ray developers have already said goodbye or are about to withdraw. In May 2023, Sony Pictures announced that it would stop selling DVDs, Blu-rays, and Ultra HD Blu-rays in Germany. A sign?
Opinion TECHBOOK editor on the end of Blu-ray: “I just want to cry”
End of an Era LG Discontinues Production of Blu-Ray Players for Good
Amazon Prime Video One of the Scariest Movie of 2024 Gets Streaming Date
Sony Wants to Stop Blu-Ray Production Completely
Undoubtedly. As the Japanese newspaper The Mainichi reported in June 2024, those responsible at Sony are continuing the reduction of physical media. As part of this reduction, 250 of the 670 positions at the key production center in Tagajo, in the country’s northeast, are being eliminated. According to insider sources, the employees affected will be offered early retirement packages.
The decision comes at a time of steadily declining demand for physical media. It is also reported that Sony is planning to gradually discontinue the production of optical storage media in disk form (such as DVDs or Blu-rays) completely.