Samsung Announces It Will No Longer Make 4K UHD or Blu-ray Players (1 Viewer)

[Carlo_M]

One of my fond college memories (early 90s when grunge broke out) was standing in line at Tower Records Sunset Blvd for the midnight sale of new releases by Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.

But now...

 

[Worth]

I had a recent conversation with a 20-something, and we were talking about films - they said they don't even own a DVD/Blu player, and just stream everything. This isn't really a surprise, but as someone who has been a physical media fan ever since I was a kid - it was interesting to hear this.

I know a few people like this in their 30s - and they work in the film and television industry.

 

[FoxyMulder]

It will be a slow death for disc, I think we are seeing now that smaller boutique labels, Arrow, Shout, Twilight a Time, Eureka, Kino are licensing titles that the studios would have released themselves in the past, this will continue for many years to come.

I never rated Samsung players, forced noise reduction on some models even when it is switched off in the menu, I was not a fan of their players although I do still own one of the better Samsung plasma televisions.

I believe I read at the digital bits that sales of discs are down 8.8% from last year, not that bad, sales of UHD discs are up and increasing so that is good, what we need is the boutique labels who are releasing BD editions sourced from 4K scans to put out actual 4K UHD discs, I am not that fussed about HDR on projection systems but wide colour is good, I suppose if you own a television you will want the HDR too.

Although I want disc to continue I am not against buying a movie or two on iTunes and I do watch Netflix, I also hope 3D makes a comeback, there are still classics I would like to watch on 3D such as Hondo which Warner do not appear to want to release.

 

[Worth]

While the ownership aspect is important to me, the main reason I buy physical media is A/V quality. There are FAR too many variables that can cause video and/or audio degradation in the streaming model. I know that, for the most part, if I own a movie on disc I'm getting the best quality I can possibly get at the time of the release. I don't have to worry about something wonky with my internet service impacting what I'm watching.

I'd love to be able to do that, but there's simply no way I could afford to buy everything I'm interested in watching. It doesn't help that I'm in Canada, and disc prices here are pretty exorbitant. It's pretty much impossible to get 4K discs or Criterions for under $40, and importing something like a Twilight Time blu comes up to over $50, and that's not even factoring in the 25-30% exchange rate. There also aren't all that many places to buy or sell used discs.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Something about Safari browser and iPad, I am having issues editing my post, when I mention 3D disc and films it should say Hondo, not Honda, that’s funny. I also agree, disc prices can be a bit high when they launch, I do tend to wait for lower pricing, it’s just a matter of money and what I can afford, I want disc but they have to price it more reasonably too or they will kill the market, and maybe studios like Disney would like that, more control of content with streaming and they can pull it at any time, you might think you own it but you are merely renting it from them, with disc you own it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Something about Safari browser and iPad, I am having issues editing my post, when I mention 3D disc and films it should say Hondo, not Honda, that’s funny. I also agree, disc prices can be a bit high when they launch, I do tend to wait for lower pricing, it’s just a matter of money and what I can afford, I want disc but they have to price it more reasonably too or they will kill the market, and maybe studios like Disney would like that, more control of content with streaming and they can pull it at any time, you might think you own it but you are merely renting it from them.

Taken care of.

 

[Mike Frezon]

And that is something no one talks about. They talk about the death of music in physical form-- yet everything I'm interested in I buy on disc, and have since the early 90's. CD's are still available. I think the same will happen with movies. They may be online only purchases, but they will be available. A true death of physical media....no not really. That wont happen.

Right! I can only recall once when some new music I wanted wasn't available to purchase as a CD (the OST of Pixar's Up) but as a digital download. But that changed after a short while and a CD was eventually released (by Disney). I thought that was significant event in the timeline of the supposed "demise of physical media."

One of the significant events during this growth in streaming and digital media has been the intense growth of Amazon in the retail world. Paired with the improvements in streaming technology the death of physical media for sale in B&M stores has made the "death of physical media" maybe seem a bit more advanced than it really is.

 

[The Drifter]

One of the significant events during this growth in streaming and digital media has been the intense growth of Amazon in the retail world. Paired with the improvements in streaming technology the death of physical media for sale in B&M stores has made the "death of physical media" maybe seem a bit more advanced than it really is.

Exactly. Not being able to find much physical media in brick & mortar stores may give many non-home video fans/collectors the impression that these are very difficult to track down. But, you can still get most of these @ online retailers like Amazon, etc.

For example, back in the '90's & through the mid-late 200X's, Best Buy had huge selections of movies & CD's. Now, their selection of physical media is extremely minimal.

 

[Traveling Matt]

Right! I can only recall once when some new music I wanted wasn't available to purchase as a CD (the OST of Pixar's Up) but as a digital download. But that changed after a short while and a CD was eventually released (by Disney).

The Up CD was actually a co-release from Disney and Intrada, one of several boutique labels equivalent to Twilight Time or Criterion for film scores. As a big film score fan I can only buy new releases from one of them as only the disc comes out on release day, and they have the CD rights (but not download rights). As a result I actually buy more CDs now than I ever have.

 

[KeithDA]

Studios are killing 4K discs like they killed 3D discs.....with ridiculous pricing. The average retail price for a 4K disc (new release) in Canada is 35 bucks before sales tax. I used to buy a lot of discs, but my appetite to spend 40 bucks on a movie is long gone.

Here in the UK a new 4K release is £25 (about $32.69 US dollar or $43.12 Canadian dollar). Considering 3D discs are around £18, Blu at £15 and DVD at £10, you can see the considerable price hike for 4K. Surely it doesn't cost that much more to press a 4K disc?
After about 6 months, many 4K titles become part of a '2 for £30' deal - a much more attractive proposition - as long as you're prepared to wait and hope the title you are after drops into that price deal....

 

[Steve_Smith]

I find this very interesting because I still am a person that has physical media (Blu, 3DBlu,and DVD) and I'm in my 40s, however from what I gather talking with those in their 20's and 30's (that are not serious movie fanatics) is something almost so very left field.....they are NOT a house owner.
I know that may sound strange to this conversation, but I used to have 400-500 movies, and 100's of CDs but then I moved either from parents home (all those years ago) or from one apartment to another. Every time I moved I realized less and less was coming with me. Moving is a very huge pain in the rear and I would "trim" down to my essentials each move. Once that happened I realized I don't need to re-buy that movie again, so being still in a apartment there is no reason to keep buying physical media until I buy my actual home to live in for ….20-40 years and not buy everything now and move everything into another temp place. If that makes sense LOL.
What I have done is bought more "mobile" so yes, streaming makes more sense to me over physical. So going back to those 20 and 30 year old people that have not found their "lifetime" home feel the same way as I have become....one day when I buy that home, then I'll buy the equipment and physical media I want.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It makes total sense to me.

A generation or two ago, speaking broadly about society, two important benchmarks for success were owning a home and working your career for a single employer. When you have both job security and housing security, any hobby that involves collecting physical items can be easily supported or enjoyed.

In today’s world, the possibility of working for just one employer for the length of one’s career is a much rarer proposition. Lacking long term job security, or knowing that you may have to find a new job in a few years through no fault of your own, can make it harder to put down roots in one space by buying a home. If you don’t own a home, and moreover, are in a situation where moving every year or every few years is a likely possibility, collecting any kind of physical object can become a burden.

I’m in my mis-30s and I live in a city, as a renter. Having a large physical collection can require an extra effort for me compared to a homeowner. I enjoy this as a hobby so much that I’m willing to put that effort in. At the same time, I’m moving away from physical objects in other areas. I rarely buy physical books anymore, since most books I only read once anyway - a Kindle version is cheaper, takes up less space and doesn’t have to be packed up when I move. And in these cases, if something I purchased disappears from my account in five or ten years, I don’t think I’d go crazy over it. I end up running out of space for physical books in shorter time anyhow. Most of my CD collection has been ripped to hard drives, with the physical discs in storage. Exceptions are made for select discs (mostly those with bonus DVDs or other physical content that can’t be ripped) but I just don’t have the room to keep every CD I’ve ever bought with me at all times.

All that’s to say, I understand why things are moving in the direction they’re moving. When you watch an episode of Star Trek and a character wants to hear music or read something, they don’t grab a disc or a book - they ask the computer to bring it up. For better or worse, that’s where it’s going eventually.

 

[Bryan^H]

It makes total sense to me.

A generation or two ago, speaking broadly about society, two important benchmarks for success were owning a home and working your career for a single employer. When you have both job security and housing security, any hobby that involves collecting physical items can be easily supported or enjoyed.

In today’s world, the possibility of working for just one employer for the length of one’s career is a much rarer proposition. Lacking long term job security, or knowing that you may have to find a new job in a few years through no fault of your own, can make it harder to put down roots in one space by buying a home. If you don’t own a home, and moreover, are in a situation where moving every year or every few years is a likely possibility, collecting any kind of physical object can become a burden.

I’m in my mis-30s and I live in a city, as a renter. Having a large physical collection can require an extra effort for me compared to a homeowner. I enjoy this as a hobby so much that I’m willing to put that effort in. At the same time, I’m moving away from physical objects in other areas. I rarely buy physical books anymore, since most books I only read once anyway - a Kindle version is cheaper, takes up less space and doesn’t have to be packed up when I move. And in these cases, if something I purchased disappears from my account in five or ten years, I don’t think I’d go crazy over it. I end up running out of space for physical books in shorter time anyhow. Most of my CD collection has been ripped to hard drives, with the physical discs in storage. Exceptions are made for select discs (mostly those with bonus DVDs or other physical content that can’t be ripped) but I just don’t have the room to keep every CD I’ve ever bought with me at all times.

All that’s to say, I understand why things are moving in the direction they’re moving. When you watch an episode of Star Trek and a character wants to hear music or read something, they don’t grab a disc or a book - they ask the computer to bring it up. For better or worse, that’s where it’s going eventually.

Very enlightening Josh.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I think having DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD on the market simultaneously is part of the problem. None of the formats are going to have the market penetration you saw with DVD in the early days, because consumers are being split in three different directions.

I think UHD has the possibility of filling the high-end niche that Laserdisc used to fill in the VHS days. It's overkill for a lot of titles, but it's still the best possible presentation. 4K streaming just isn't as good as 4K on disc, even with a really high quality internet connection.

Blu-Ray is sort of in this weird intermediate position now: It's not the high-end format any more, but it's also not targeted to people with their $29 COBY DVD player hooked up to their 27" CRT television, either.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think having DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD on the market simultaneously is part of the problem. None of the formats are going to have the market penetration you saw with DVD in the early days, because consumers are being split in three different directions.

I think UHD has the possibility of filling the high-end niche that Laserdisc used to fill in the VHS days. It's overkill for a lot of titles, but it's still the best possible presentation. 4K streaming just isn't as good as 4K on disc, even with a really high quality internet connection.

Blu-Ray is sort of in this weird intermediate position now: It's not the high-end format any more, but it's also not targeted to people with their $29 COBY DVD player hooked up to their 27" CRT television, either.

I don't think the layperson can tell the difference on screen sizes 65" or less, especially in their normal sitting position while the video is in motion.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I don't think the layperson can tell the difference on screen sizes 65" or less, especially in their normal sitting position while the video is in motion.

I'm sure you're right. But there's something to be said for wanting the best possible presentation out of the best possible presentation.

The bigger concern for me is: What if MoviesAnywhere someday goes the way of Ultraviolet? What if Vudu/iTunes etc. someday get out of the electronic sellthrough marketplace?

I can watch a disc with a television and a player hooked up to a generator in the middle of nowhere during a power outage. Streaming depends on the provider still being there on the other end of the line.

I'm a big fan of streaming on a subscription basis, where both parties operate under the understanding that the access period is limited. I don't have the same confidence in digital "purchases".

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm sure you're right. But there's something to be said for wanting the best possible presentation out of the best possible presentation.

The bigger concern for me is: What if MoviesAnywhere someday goes the way of Ultraviolet? What if Vudu/iTunes etc. someday get out of the electronic sellthrough marketplace?

I can watch a disc with a television and a player hooked up to a generator in the middle of nowhere during a power outage. Streaming depends on the provider still being there on the other end of the line.

I'm a big fan of streaming on a subscription basis, where both parties operate under the understanding that the access period is limited. I don't have the same confidence in digital "purchases".

We all have choices to make so I'm not going to criticize your choice. I purchase movies all the time in 4K/UHD and I have no qualms in doing so. I can't live my life in "what if". Anyway, I'm going back to watch some more movies as your post is kind of bumming me out.

 

[John Sparks]

IGM and made it region free!

 

[BobO'Link]

...from what I heard/read, when producing an album songs were placed in a specific order so that they could be heard in that way. Now, with everything going digital & people not listening to albums as much anymore (just specific tracks) - this is all lost.

Many artists have done that for decades. The Beatles were meticulous in sequencing albums. The ebb/flow of tracks on almost every album I have from the 60s/70s was carefully programmed, right down to the exact track that leads off each side. It was done by many artists in the 80s and 90s. It's only been during the "digital age" of music where that art has been discarded as the perception, and reality, is few people purchase, much less listen to, complete albums.

 

[Malcolm R]

I think having DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD on the market simultaneously is part of the problem. None of the formats are going to have the market penetration you saw with DVD in the early days, because consumers are being split in three different directions.

That's what I've thought for years. If they wanted blu-ray to take over the mass market, they needed to stop DVD-only releases. Release Blu/DVD combos for a limited amount of time, and eventually phase out DVD completely.

But the studios never seem to learn a lesson about format wars or competing formats. And they've certainly never figured out how to transition cleanly from one to the next given that we currently have three competing physical formats, including ongoing DVD-only releases that are significantly cheaper than other formats.

They needed to take a page from the likes of Microsoft and Apple about forced obsolescence. We have to keep upgrading to new versions of software and hardware as they eliminate support of older formats.