OPINION: You might have seen an announcement from Sony saying that it was ceasing production of recordable Blu-rays and other media such as MiniDiscs and MiniDVs – and only in Japan I should add.
The reaction to this news was much more anxiety-fuelled than you would have expected for something so niche.
Several websites inferred that Sony was pulling out of the Blu-ray business full stop – which it is absolutely not – but the reaction to this rather minor piece of news exemplified a few things about how people feel about physical media.
One is that people are passionate about Blu-rays, compact discs and vinyl – more than you’ll ever find someone passionate about a Netflix stream (if only the streaming services could harness that passion, they might be onto something). But this passion also tips into anxiety – anything resembling bad news about physical media is jumped on as if the bells were tolling and Blu-rays were about to be put into a coffin.
We really should stop being so negative about physical media.
Tastes change
Yes, physical media sales are considerably less compared to the heyday but tastes change, and newer generations grow up seeing things from a different perspective. What was great a decade ago (or two or three) will look outdated today. There will be some who swear that LaserDisc is the superior format to 4K Blu-ray but we don’t live in that world anymore because times move on.
But the great thing about physical media is that it has staying power through the various travails it has experienced – everything thought VHS was dead, the same for vinyl, CD and the current home entertainment formats when facing off against the might of streaming. But they’ve persevered – physical media isn’t a fad – and while it doesn’t have the same foothold or influence in the market, they represent something that streaming can’t manage.
Streaming makes things convenient but there’s a sense of impermanence about it, a sense that things come and go but you’re not engaged by it. Physical media doesn’t just represent something you can hold in your hand but something that matters to you on an emotional level.
Just this week it was revealed that sales of physical media in the UK were up, buoyed by films such as Wonka, Dune: Part Two and Oppenheimer. I don’t believe there’s a lack of interest in home cinema but I do believe there has been a lack of quality in both film and TV since streaming entered the conversation. People will buy physical media if the quality is good enough.
And to further that, 2024 was one of the best years for 4K Blu-ray releases with various catalogue releases hitting the format. Sony continued its excellent work with not only its Columbia Classics line but also its exhaustive Frank Capra collection.
We got James Cameron’s older films in 4K (though you could argue vociferously about the quality of the transfers…); Criterion released the likes of To Die For, Bound, Le Samourai, and No Country for Old Men, Arrow put out Demolition Man, the underrated The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Chronicles of Riddick, while Disney – yes that Disney – managed to release (and release really is the word) more its Star Wars and Marvel streaming titles from its vault.
2025 looks to be a strong year for the format with the Sean Connery Bond collection coming to 4K, the first Lethal Weapon film, The Dollars Trilogy, The Nice Guys and there are rumours of Michael Bay’s Armageddon receiving a 4K restoration from Disney, with David Fincher joining in with Se7en and Panic Room (the latter didn’t even get a Blu-ray release) and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Jackie Brown available.
Factor this all in with several streaming titles launching on Blu-ray that you might have missed, released from the walled gardens of streaming. Apple TV+ series such as Ted Lasso, See, and Severance are on Blu-ray (with older titles such as For All Mankind released too). Succession is finally all on Blu-ray, too.
Sure there are complaints to be had about the state of physical home entertainment but it hasn’t been abandoned just yet. Really, all you can do is buy the titles that are made available and enjoy them – that’s what will sustain 4K Blu-ray going forward. So rather than being negative let’s be positive about what there is.
With the titles launching on the format and quality of the transfers, it’s arguably never been quite as good as this.
