Is DVD dead?

A DVD is an optical disc storage format, which holds digital information, mostly in forms of films, music and games. It took over the popularity of VSH and took it out of the market as it is much more convenient in its use – but lately it’s been getting major competition from digital software, with arguments proving that it’s a lot more convenient than DVD, a lot faster, reliable and cheaper; but is that really the case? In my opinion the DVD is nearing it’s doom. Digital entertainment is simple and instant, just search for a show/movie and click play and you’re on your way to watching what you want to. The DVD however takes a couple of days to mail, sometimes even a week, and the alternative is walking to the store yourself, not knowing if the copy of your show/movie is there, especially since DVD renting stores are closing down extremely fast. Blockbuster for one, the biggest, most popular place to get your movie just a couple years back, is officially bankrupt due to lack of customers, and HMV is heading the same route.  The day when digital entertainment takes over is soon, just like the time DVD took over VSH.

But on the other hand we have people who argue that digital entertainment doesn’t have the same sentimental value as a DVD has, for example you could share your DVD with friends and lend them your copy for viewing, however with Netflix that would be impossible, and when your subscription runs out, or if your internet goes out, you wouldn’t have any movies to watch, which is where the DVD trumps digital copies.

You can also find special features, such as deleted scenes and behind the scenes on a DVD which could bring you further entertainment, while digital copies just have the movie by itself. The DVD in itself could also serve as a storage unit, which is still really useful, you could download movies form the internet and put them on a disc, to later watch that on a DVD or share with others. The older generation could also find it a tad confusing to operate software such as Netflix as it might be quite confusing for the non-tech savvy, while they could easily operate a user-friendly DVD.

Another rather important disadvantage to using DVD’s is the fact you have so many unskippable trailers and adverts before the movie even starts, which takes 10-15 minutes to finish, that would probably takes its toll on people and aggravate them.

Overall I believe digital entertainment is the future, it’s a lot faster, cheaper and better than DVD’s. You only pay £6 a month for Netflix and you get a selection of thousands of TV shows and movies. While with DVD’s you pay a minimum of £2 per movie, which could take a chunk out of your wallet. The only future I could see for DVD’s is to act as storage units, while people could enjoy a good movie on Netflix and LoveFilm, until a new competitor comes into play.