Question Is the end of DVD/blu-ray players upon us?

thanks, the thing that worries me is the storage of the physical discs and how long it would take to find it once you have decided on the movie you want to watch.

Hi Martin,

I did something almost identical to @daze&confused, however I used the CD/DVD cases like this:

Hama CD wallet for storing 64 CDs/DVDs/Blu-rays, black,00011616 Amazon product ASIN B000N94K22
I had a number of different wallets, all of them had a different colour sticker that I would attach to the outside.

I would then number each cd slot with the same said stickers, where I would manually write the number on to the sticker, before attaching it. So if the holder held 64 discs, it would have 64 stickers with the code Red-1, Red-2, etc.

Within the mymovies app, I would then add a movie and insert the location of said movie, same as below:

2189779C-138E-436E-8A8D-67CA5B794FDD.png


So in this instance, I would locate my orange folder, and pick out the disc numbered 69. From start to finish would take me about 30 seconds to find a disc out of a collection of around 700.

The mymovies app is brilliant btw.
 
Hi Martin,

I did something almost identical to @daze&confused, however I used the CD/DVD cases like this:

Hama CD wallet for storing 64 CDs/DVDs/Blu-rays, black,00011616 Amazon product ASIN B000N94K22
I had a number of different wallets, all of them had a different colour sticker that I would attach to the outside.

I would then number each cd slot with the same said stickers, where I would manually write the number on to the sticker, before attaching it. So if the holder held 64 discs, it would have 64 stickers with the code Red-1, Red-2, etc.

Within the mymovies app, I would then add a movie and insert the location of said movie, same as below:

View attachment 1350458

So in this instance, I would locate my orange folder, and pick out the disc numbered 69. From start to finish would take me about 30 seconds to find a disc out of a collection of around 700.

The mymovies app is brilliant btw.
Thanks mate that’s a great idea!, I did see those Hama cases whilst researching, I see there’s some that hold 300 or so but they might be to bulky ?, the stickers are a great idea!, I can see hours of fun over the winter doing this. I thought I might leave my 3D collection and 4k on the shelving and just store my 2d blus to start with. did you find it hard storing the empty cases that had nice slips 🤔😂.
 
Thanks mate that’s a great idea!, I did see those Hama cases whilst researching, I see there’s some that hold 300 or so but they might be to bulky ?, the stickers are a great idea!, I can see hours of fun over the winter doing this. I thought I might leave my 3D collection and 4k on the shelving and just store my 2d blus to start with. did you find it hard storing the empty cases that had nice slips 🤔😂.

to be honest, I don’t get attached to cases, so just stuck them in my loft and binned a load as well.

I kept the 4k boxes though.

I found the holders that held up to 120 was the best/most manageable size.
 
to be honest, I don’t get attached to cases, so just stuck them in my loft and binned a load as well.

I kept the 4k boxes though.

I found the holders that held up to 120 was the best/most manageable size.

sometimes I thought about throwing all my slips out!. Nice one I will order a 120 holder and see how it is, is it fairly easy to get them in and out without scratching the disc ?.
 
sometimes I thought about throwing all my slips out!. Nice one I will order a 120 holder and see how it is, is it fairly easy to get them in and out without scratching the disc ?.

very easy, I used this method for the last 10 years (I had around 1500 DVDs at one point), just with a different filing system.
The mymovies app can be configured how you want as well.
 
very easy, I used this method for the last 10 years (I had around 1500 DVDs at one point), just with a different filing system.
The mymovies app can be configured how you want as well.

just ordered a couple of the 80 wallets, the others are out of stock.
 
you’ll want something like this as well

700 Sticky Coloured Dots - 8mm - Easy Peel Self Adhesive Colour Coding Sticky Dots - Assorted Colours - Ivy Stationery Amazon product ASIN B01FEJ6UKK
Ordered, anything else ?, lumagen, double garage, 100 metres of Devore ? 😂😂
 
Ordered, anything else ?, lumagen, double garage, 100 metres of Devore ? 😂😂

dangerous asking me those sorts of questions mate 🧛🏻
 
This thread will outlast DVD and Blu-ray players!
 
to be honest, I don’t get attached to cases, so just stuck them in my loft and binned a load as well.

I kept the 4k boxes though.

I found the holders that held up to 120 was the best/most manageable size.
Morning,

just a quick one, when it comes to the dvd and maybe an extras disc in the box with the Blu ray what did you do with them ?, I don’t fancy storing discs in the loft as in summer It can hit 30 plus degrees!.
 
Morning,

just a quick one, when it comes to the dvd and maybe an extras disc in the box with the Blu ray what did you do with them ?, I don’t fancy storing discs in the loft as in summer It can hit 30 plus degrees!.

Personally I double stacked the discs into each slot. Never caused me any issues doing it this way. 👍🏻
 
Personally I double stacked the discs into each slot. Never caused me any issues doing it this way. 👍🏻
Cheers, I will try that later, been rained off today!
 
I solved a large part of my problem of storag e and access to my old CDs and DVDs without ripping them - two Sony megachanger jukeboxes , one 200 disc DVD and 300 disc CD plyer. Old tech but still working very well = the DVD player is multi region from the factory. They also made a bluray version and 200, 300 and 400 disc versions of all 3 types. Other manufcturers also made mega changers from around 100 disc upwards and even as low as 4 and 5 discs. Quick and easy access to and playing my old discs without leaving my seat. Each changer is about 2.5 times the height and nearly twice the depth of a standard single disc player.
 
It seems that Panasonic has just killed off its UB450 player. It’s still listed on its website, but is MIA on sites like Amazon, JL, Currys and Argos. One less player for enthusiasts to buy, and no word on a replacement, if any. BR RIP ...
 
Panasonic are fading away, just too small.
 
I was meaning the home theatre side.
They don't even make their AV receivers now, it is contracted out.
 
I was meaning the home theatre side.
They don't even make their AV receivers now, it is contracted out.
Perhaps they will now concentrate on making a 77 inch OLED. That goes had in hand with my lottery hopes.
 
Panasonic are fading away, just too small.
Panasonic is classic old guard Japanese business. The home entertainment division is working to ever-decreasing margins.

They are using Vestel for more and more TVs every year (how long till they sell the TV division to Vestel just like Toshiba?) have had all their DVD players made by Funai for many years (just as Toshiba did!).

They've kept Blu-ray players (which they still make themselves) in production for years or only made minor changes to models, but so have LG and Sony.

We've reached the peak of what's possible with a disc player. Add a shrinking physical media market and what else is a business supposed to do?

Also, COVID has disrupted the supply chain heavily this year.
Expect stock of existing models to get better toward the start of 2021.

Panasonic kit lasts forever so if you see a player you like, buy it now!
 
They will have to pry my UB700 out of my cold, dead hands!
 
Panasonic kit lasting forever? Hmmm. My first UB820 BR developed a fault after I’d had it a couple of months and needed repairs; my first UB450 was so flaky that I had to return it. Looking at the range of players that Panasonic do still offer, I reckon that they only make the UB820 and 9000 machines in house, the rest are out sourced.
 
I've been having some issues with my new Sony 800XM2 BR player since I got it last week, and so called my local C&M store earlier today to arrange a swap-out. Whilst chatting with the sales guy, we got onto the topic of how much longer machines will be around. The guy told me that in effect (ignoring Pioneer), only Panasonic and Sony remain in the market place, LG having pulled-out of making players last year, mirroring what Samsung did a few years back. Given recent events, I think the days of getting a machine are becoming numbered.

I was talking with a JL person the other day about getting a price match on a Panasonic UB450 (triggered by Argos dropping the price of the machine from £199 to £149, in order to lear its stock) and in talking, was told that JL has stopped listing LG machines because they can't get any, and have stopped stocking Sony players because they didn't sell well. She then went on to tell me that JL would soon be stopping selling things like BR players and PVRs altogether, because everyone now streams what they want to watch. For now, they would stock Panasonic's range, but nothing else.

Argos is busy clearing its stock, it seems. It no longer lists the Panasonic UB450 or the LG UBK90, flogging off the last of its stock recently for £169 a pop. I've been after an LG machine for my bedroom system and have ordered one from Currys today (which may in itself be a mistake). Stock of machines such as the Panasonic UB820 seems erratic (which, I accept, could well be in part to the Covid-19 pandemic); RS seems to have 'stock erratic' on a number of machines that it lists.

I hope that I'm wrong when I say that playable media has a finite life, and I know that I've aired my concerns before in other threads, but this situation is worrying to me. Like many of us here, I've curated a selection of titles that I want to watch when I feel like it. Pretty much all of the films that I have on disc aren't available on streaming services, and if they are, not only are they poorer, quality-wise, licensing means that there's no guarantee that when I want to watch something again in the future it will be available.

Not only do I have a collection of films, I still have ~600 CDs that I like to listen to. My collection has grown since the first CDs started to be released, and many of my discs are over 20 years old now and are irreplaceable. I'm slowly ripping those to computer, which is a real chore, and I think that I'll have to start ripping my BRs too.

I don't know how much longer we enthusiasts to enjoy our hobby. I'm putting a couple of players into storage, which may well not be a good idea, as components don't always age well, especially capacitors and the glue that's used to assemble the laser mechanisms in disc drives. (That said, I do still have a Panasonic BR player that's 10 years old and seemed to work OK when I got it out of its box recently for the first time in seven years!) I did think that machines would be around for at least another ten years, but now I think that we're looking at just a few. What puzzles me though is that studios have a vested interest in selling their stuff on DVDs and BRs. A lack of players will certainly impact their bottom line. Sony is in a bit of an odd position because it owns studios and makes films. Will Sony be the last manufacturer to offer machines?

There's no real upside here that I can see. I just hope that those players that I have and that I'm dry-docking will last me long enough so that I can enjoy my hobby for some years to come yet. Time will undoubtedly tell .....
Im with you, as a recovery audiophile obsessive, i know rarely mess around with discs of any type, im down with kids and stream everything.
 
With respect to the OP's question, won't the market for BluRay 4k(+?) simply polarise into a boxes that are more expensive enthusiast type offerings with more function and better output at premium prices to reflect to a smaller discerning market?
 
I doubt it. Niche market products are expensive to manufacture, and if the market is small the justification to actually make anything becomes difficult. Arcam is a case in point. They could take care of the electronics, but relied on somewhere in the far east to make the drives for their players. The electronics may be superb, but if no-one makes the drives because volume demand isn’t there, the product becomes untenable. Panasonic has just killed off its UB450 player. It may be that it was gouging sales of the more expensive UB820, but for whatever reason, it’s one less 4K machine up for grabs.
 

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