Is the DVD dead?

Is the DVD dead?

DVD’s have been around for a while, but will they be used in the future?  Now that there are so many other ways to watch films and programs e.g. illegal websites, downloading, recording on sky box or virgin broadband etc.

In a DVD you will find many things on the inside and outside. On the case for example on the case of the DVD there will be a front cover showing a picture of the film, on the back of the case there will be a synopsis saying what the film is about, there will also be the (Age Rating) British Film Classification Rating, Copy Right Warnings, a list of things saying what is in the film e.g. violence, sexual scene's ect and a barcode. On the DVD itself there will be Trailers of other movies, when you get to the main menu there will be a 'Play' button where you can play the movie from the start, a 'Scene Selection' button where you can play the movie from a specific scene, a 'Special Features' button where you can watch many different things such as 'Behind the Scenes', 'Bloopers' 'Deleted Scenes' and there might be a game to play as well. 

There are many reasons to think that DVD’s will become ‘extinct’, just like video’s did, one being that now we have things like ‘Netflix’ where you can watch films  and programs instantly on a computer, laptops, PlayStation, iPad etc. Another sign that the DVD is ‘dying out’ is that stores like ‘Blockbusters’ and ‘HMV’ where you can rent/buy DVD’s are closing down. When watching things online you don’t have to wait you can watch it when its in cinema for free, whereas with DVD’s you have to wait until they’re out of cinema and released in store. This makes us think that there is no hope for DVD’s anymore, because most people would rather download or watch something for free than buy DVD’s. 

However there are also a lot of things that suggest the DVD will be here in the future too. For instants ‘Lovefilm’ still has DVD’s and customers can rent them from the site, if they thought DVD’s were not going to be used in the future they would not waste money on buying DVD’s to rent out and would stick to their instant online viewing. Also when you have a DVD the quality is so much better than when you’re watching it online, and you won’t have many problems watching a DVD as you would watching a film or program online because you’re not relying on your broadband speed it may be very slow so that will cause problems when watching things online. Many people like DVD’s because of the special feature’s as well as watching the movie, when watching things elsewhere you don’t have special features. Collecting DVD’s is something a lot of people enjoy doing, having box set’s, and saga’s all together is nice to have, and also you have a physical product that you can call your own. DVD collections can look very nice in your living room if displayed well. Watching things online or downloading things can cause virus’, which also tells us DVD’s will be around for a long time because with a DVD you don’t get a virus. Finally another reason why DVD’s might still have a chance is that they are more user friendly, older people and people who aren’t very technical know how to use them, so instead of going through the fuss of finding what you want to watch you just go to your DVD collection, or buy the DVD, put in in the DVD playing press play and you’re ready to go.

In conclusion there are many reasons why the DVD has no future but there are more reasons to support the DVD having a future. I think that the DVD will be a round for a long, long time but just like the video something new will come in its place, however I don’t think that it’s any time soon. There might even be a chance that DVD’s will last forever and never not be around just like cinema is about having an experience, the DVD is about owning the movie/program yourself, personally I prefer to have a DVD and watch things like that rather than go online.