How is Blu-ray fighting back against the rise of streaming?

Sought after by movie lovers and home theater enthusiasts, Blu-rays provide exceptional picture and sound quality. However, the future of this format seems uncertain, especially when faced with the rise of streaming platforms. Despite the decision by industry giants such as Disney and Best Buy to abandon physical media, it’s not over for the Blu-ray just yet!

Disney and Best Buy discontinue Blu-rays

In 2023, Disney announced that it would cease sales of 4K Blu-rays in Australia, a decision that surprised and disappointed many film fans. This announcement is seen as a sign that Disney is now favoring its streaming service, Disney Plus, for the distribution of its feature films. Best Buy followed suit, stating that it would stop selling DVDs and Blu-rays after the 2023 holiday season, confirming a trend towards fully digital entertainment.

This decision by the American electronics retailer and Disney has consequences for movie buffs. For many, having access to films on discs is a way to enjoy an optimal viewing experience. The end of physical media sales could therefore limit options for those who prefer higher quality image and sound than that offered by streaming.

While other retailers like Target and Walmart continue to sell Blu-rays, the downsizing of the retail giant’s range could signal a definitive move towards streaming services. It could also reduce the visibility and access to 4K Blu-rays for the public.

In France, there are also fewer shelves dedicated to Blu-rays in big chains. Bit by bit, streaming is becoming the most popular offer for viewers. However, entertainment and cultural media retailers, along with specialist stores, still offer movies on discs, often in special editions or collector box sets.

Streaming: the new way to enjoy entertainment

Streaming services have become the norm for many viewers due to how convenient and relatively cheap they are. For a monthly subscription, users have access to a large catalog of films and series in ultra-high definition. This abundance of content and affordability has largely contributed to the growing popularity of these streaming platforms.

By comparison, it is much more expensive to buy a 4K Blu-ray. A disc generally costs around 30 euros, which is a large sum for movie buffs. It therefore isn’t very surprising that many consumers prefer the subscription-based model of streaming services.

Streaming platforms also have the advantage of providing very diverse catalogs that are regularly updated. This allows subscribers to constantly discover new films and series without having to worry about their disc collection taking up too much space.

The superior picture and sound quality of 4K UHD Blu-rays

Despite the advantages of streaming, UHD 4K Blu-rays still manage to appeal to consumers with their higher quality. A 4K Blu-ray disc provides a much higher bandwidth than streaming, which results in a sharper and more detailed picture. Thanks to HDR and Dolby Vision, colors are more vivid and contrast is higher, for an immersive visual experience.

As far as audio is concerned, UHD 4K Blu-rays often use lossless formats such as Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which offer sound quality that is far superior to the compressed audio tracks of streaming services. This difference in quality is particularly noticeable for film fans who own a home theater system.

This superior quality is a reason to invest in UHD 4K Blu-rays. They allow you to enjoy movies the way directors intended, without compromising on the sound or the image. Similarly to the way vinyl records continue to exist despite technological evolutions, watching a film on a disc can also become a fun ritual, from choosing which film to watch to inserting it into the Blu-ray player.

• Read – Blu-ray vs streaming: which is the best?

Exclusive content and bonus features available on UHD 4K Blu-rays

Despite facing many challenges, certain companies continue to produce high-quality UHD 4K Blu-ray editions. Labels like Arrow Films and The Criterion Collection, for example, specialize in restoring and reediting cinema classics. These feature films are only available on physical media, as they aren’t of interest to streaming platforms.

Production company A24, although more mainstream, has also contributed to this effort with 4K remasters such as Stop Making Sense, the Talking Heads concert film. These new editions allow viewers to rediscover classic movies in a quality they have never seen before. What’s more, the publisher sells its films directly on its own website, in order to pay artists fairly.

These restorations aren’t limited to niche, indie films. For example, James Cameron completely restored his masterpiece The Abyss in a 4K UHD Blu-ray edition that features Dolby Vision picture and Dolby Atmos sound. In addition to this unrivalled quality, the box set includes a plethora of bonus features as well as a Director’s Cut version of the film. This content can’t be found anywhere else, except for the Steelbook version.

Physical media and the preservation of cinematographic works

Owning a movie on 4K Blu-ray has several advantages that streaming can’t match. The main one being permanent ownership of the film. Once purchased, the disc remains accessible at all times, unlike the ever-changing catalogs of online VOD services. This way, your favorite movies can’t just suddenly disappear from your collection.

Physical media is also a way to better preserve films. Blu-ray discs are durable and, if looked after properly, will last decades without a loss in quality. Digital files, however, are subject to corruption or data loss. In a way, Blu-ray is a lasting safeguard of our cinematographic heritage.

For many movie fans, collecting 4K UHD Blu-rays is a passion. Owning a tangible object, which is often accompanied by booklets, artwork and exclusive bonus features, adds a tactile and emotional dimension that streaming cannot reproduce. Far from the overabundance of digital content on offer, in some ways we appreciate works more fully when they’re in physical form.

Cultural heritage and transmission

4K UHD Blu-rays and other physical media, such as vinyl records and CDs, play a crucial role in the transmission of cultural heritage for future generations. Unlike digital content, physical releases provide a certain stability and durability that allow you to preserve content for years to come. By owning a physical copy of a film, you’re ensuring that it remains accessible, regardless of technological developments or the content policies of streaming platforms.

Moreover, physical copies allow us to transmit a tangible heritage. Gifting a collection of Blu-rays to your children or grandchildren is a way to share a part of your cultural and personal history. Every disc tells a story, recalls a certain memory, or lets you discover a cinema classic that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Last but not least, physical media preserves the quality of these works. Unlike digital copies, which can be compressed, altered or lost, 4K UHD Blu-rays provide consistent quality that is true to the original content. This fidelity ensures that future generations will be able to discover and enjoy these movies in the same conditions as today, respecting the work of directors and technicians who created them. In short, physical copies are not only a means of conservation, but also of transmitting film culture.

Confronted with the rise of streaming platforms, Blu-ray continues to attract consumers thanks to its unrivalled quality and tangible benefits. New 4K editions and restorations provide a superior cinematographic experience, while ownership of discs ensures lasting preservation of movies. The 4K UHD Blu-ray remains a marvelous solution for true cinema enthusiasts who want to enjoy films in their purest, most immersive form.