The Blu-ray disc format only has "five years left" reckons electronics giant Samsung, not even lasting the PS3's expected ten year lifespan.
Speaking to Pocket-Lint, Andy Griffiths, Samsung UK's director of consumer electronics reckons that the PS3 disc format is going to be a winner - but not for long.
"I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10", he said, although it looks like Samsung wants to capitalise on the format before its too late.
"It's going to be huge", Griffiths said, adding that he reckons 2008 will be Blu-ray's year. "We are heavily back-ordered at the moment," he said.
You only have to look at Steam and Xbox Live to see that digital downloads are taking off - fast. But will broadband really be in a position to take over traditional disc formats that fast?
"In 2012 we will be in a true HD world," said the Samsung man. "Everything from your television to your camcorder will be offering you pictures in high-definition, and we plan to offer you that HD world from all angles."
We can't see Bluer-ray coming out in five years though...
I would still prefer a physical copy of my DVDs/Games any day. You know what will happen if digital downloads become the most mainstream form for films etc. ISP prices will go through the absolute roof! Mainly because people won't have a choice if they want to buy a film. And what about HDD space? If all of the dvds currently running amock around the house were all downloaded HD, I bet I wouldn't be able to fit even half of them onto even my PC harddrive.
I would still prefer a physical copy of my DVDs/Games any day. You know what will happen if digital downloads become the most mainstream form for films etc. ISP prices will go through the absolute roof! Mainly because people won't have a choice if they want to buy a film. And what about HDD space? If all of the dvds currently running amock around the house were all downloaded HD, I bet I wouldn't be able to fit even half of them onto even my PC harddrive.
So do I. At least your DVD player will still be working when your broadband conncection is going belly up.
Knowing this industry it'll all be rushed out before everyones ready & we'll all be brainwashed with it.
I'm not even convinced we're yet HD ready, never mind download.
I'd rather pay 25 euros for the disc, than 10 euros for a download. Do I get PCM7.1 surround sound with the DL? Do I get director's commentary tracks and bucketloads of extras? I don't think so. And I would have to burn the movie on an empty BR disc anyway to watch it. PC TV-out quality has always been very awful. Just too much of a hassle to wire everything up and then back again after the movie.
It might be a substitute to renting movies, if it was cheap enough. Still it's better to visit the shop, pick up the disc and go watch with your friends. With downloading you'd have to wait for a day or two (with the current average DSL speeds here), with your mates just sitting there. "Downloaded yet?" "Nope. Hang tight. Just 48gb left."
Nah, digital downloads will never outshadow Bluray.
....plus you can be sure that you will have the same old DRM problems that you currently get with audio files.....ie can only play on a select number of machines, not able to burn to BR etc, only able to watch for a finite time....No thanks! I like the fact that I have a physical medium in my hands, which (if I choose...after all Ive paid for the bloody thing) I can take round to a friends house an watch on their BR/DVD player. Downloads will be okay for the rental market, and thats it
I agree with the guy in that downloading games, films, music etc. is definitely the future, but like the article says it isn't going to happen any time soon with the current infrastructure speed limitations. I don't know what BT or other Comm's companies projections are for getting UK wide fibre optic into every home but I'd be amazed if it was within 5 years not to mention the massive costs involved.
As for not having physical media to own...I'm sure that they could incorporate some sort of backup device/software into future consoles so that any downloads can be backed up and so in the event of a crash be restored.
If digital downloads take over then it's bye bye to high street stores which I can't see happening. I don't know anyone who would prefer a download over a physical copy especially when there's barely any saving for the consumer.
When you can buy dvds for £3 to £5 sometimes why would you pay for a download. The only thing I see closing is rental stores.
The internet needs a massive overhaul to support it; I can't see the infrustructure even being in place in 5 years. I think you'll still see bluray and dvd around in 10 years time.
The big thing that will prevent it is that most people want to give physical times as birthday and christmas presents. How many parents can you see giving their kids vouchers or download credits for get downloads. Kids want actual items to open and if you can;t covert that area you won't kill off dvd and blu-ray.
I agree with the guy in that downloading games, films, music etc. is definitely the future, but like the article says it isn't going to happen any time soon with the current infrastructure speed limitations. I don't know what BT or other Comm's companies projections are for getting UK wide fibre optic into every home but I'd be amazed if it was within 5 years not to mention the massive costs involved.
As for not having physical media to own...I'm sure that they could incorporate some sort of backup device/software into future consoles so that any downloads can be backed up and so in the event of a crash be restored.
I have not rented a physical disc for well over a year. I have Virgin Media and we just stream the films to the tv. Admittedly the HD titles are only in 720p and do not carry dolby digital etc but they are still great.
However I still puchase DVDs of the films I want to keep although I have kept away from Bluray so far due to the cost of the players.
I am not sure however that the infrastructure will be in place within 5 years to carry everything via the network and at 1080p quality with full dolby true hd sound.
This assumption is based on the idea that games will remain at current DVD sized chunks rather than 50GB blu-ray sized chunks. He's right I think but only as far as PC games and casual pixel junk type games, not blockbusters like MGS. I doubt even that the next GTA will be on a single DVD, if at all.
This assumption is based on the idea that games will remain at current DVD sized chunks rather than 50GB blu-ray sized chunks. He's right I think but only as far as PC games and casual pixel junk type games, not blockbusters like MGS. I doubt even that the next GTA will be on a single DVD, if at all.
This assumption is based entirely on films rather than games.
Why does it spell the end of High Street stores? Chinas iQue player shows that bricks and mortar stores still have a place in a download only world. As has been stated in this thread, the infrastructure for massively high speed downloads just isn't in place right now, so perhaps people would prefer to take their portable hard drive to a store, pay a few pound, and have them upload the movie/game/music directly to it for them.
I'll be very surprised if digital downloads spell the end of the High Street store.
I think download services will expand and improve, but I think the real money will be with rental download services like Sky Box Office, Virgin Media's movie service, the 360's Video Store and the PS3's eventual Video Store. I don't really see so many people buying a digital copy of a film, not until broadband connections become a LOT more reliable and without the common bandwidth limits they have at the mo.
As for Blu-Ray, I think it'll be around for quite a while, though I don't know if it'll get the mass market takeup Sony hope, simply because not all that many people are bothered about HD. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather watch a film in HD than in SD, but the average Joe in the street will be more likely to opt for whatever is cheaper and more widely available.
a lot of assumptions being made here on stuff people dont know anything about. the guy said in 5 years time so there could be faster broadband by then, i know BT are looking at getting much faster connections by then.
also, why are people mentioning dvd's when the article is only referencing blu-ray?
If your connection is regularly down change isp, my connections never goes down so what's the problem?
Do people not think isp's and content providers will work together to create packages where this is possible, so there will be larger or no limits on how much you download?
i am all for downloads as i find steam very good at what it does, plus you can access you content anywhere. if it is possible to stream standard def video over the internet now i dont see why it wont be possible to do hi def in 5 years so storage wont be a problem either.
Unless physical media vanishes from shops overnight and I am forced to download it I can't see this being true.
So you would rather travel to blockbuster than instantly stream to your tv when you want to hire a film?
If you prefer that way then I feel sorry for your heart - EXERCISE!
I am an athlete an train very regularly thank you very much. In fact I am most likely a hell of a lot fitter than yourself.
It takes an age to walk to my nearest blockbuster and to drive requires spending quite a long time finding a place to park, then I have to do the whole thing again to return the disc! (an that is when I remember to take the thing back in the first place).
Streaming via Virgin Media is easy, quick and requires less time out of my busy schedule to instigate.
There are people that will always prefer physical media to a downloaded version. For me it's better to have something in your hand you can hold, look at and put away on a shelf. MP3 downloads have not killed sales of CDs, and there will always be people like myself that will be reluctant to spend £40 on what is essentially a load of zeroes and ones without some physical evidence of my purchase.
Unless physical media vanishes from shops overnight and I am forced to download it I can't see this being true.
So you would rather travel to blockbuster than instantly stream to your tv when you want to hire a film?
If you prefer that way then I feel sorry for your heart - EXERCISE!
I am an athlete an train very regularly thank you very much. In fact I am most likely a hell of a lot fitter than yourself.
It takes an age to walk to my nearest blockbuster and to drive requires spending quite a long time finding a place to park, then I have to do the whole thing again to return the disc! (an that is when I remember to take the thing back in the first place).
Streaming via Virgin Media is easy, quick and requires less time out of my busy schedule to instigate.
Hope you do realise you CAN'T keep downloaded movies. If so, what if your HDD is full?
That is the point of Blu Ray.
In 5 years time BD 200gig or 500gig'll be standard. Whole series of Friends or 10 Jake Gyllenhaal or Jessica Alba movies on one disc would be brilliant.
i will not downlaod another thing after downloading siren on my ps3. it was drivel and now i have nothing to sell on. why on earth would i do this again? what a waste of 20 quid.
There are people that will always prefer physical media to a downloaded version. For me it's better to have something in your hand you can hold, look at and put away on a shelf. MP3 downloads have not killed sales of CDs, and there will always be people like myself that will be reluctant to spend £40 on what is essentially a load of zeroes and ones without some physical evidence of my purchase.
what do you think a cd is? its a collection of noughts and ones, the fact is you pay for the license to listen to the music not just the physical cd, music and film is not tangible so how you get it is irrelevant.
Hope you do realise you CAN'T keep downloaded movies. If so, what if your HDD is full?
That is the point of Blu Ray.
In 5 years time BD 200gig or 500gig'll be standard. Whole series of Friends or 10 Jake Gyllenhaal or Jessica Alba movies on one disc would be brilliant.
why cant you keep downloaded movies? there is no service for this yet, dont forget this about somehting in 5 years time.
in 5 years time connections should be fast enough to stream media in hi def so the media will be kept on servers so you never store anything, you own a license to view something whenever you want.
its simple really but you seem to not really be thinking about it that much. dont forget the guy was talking in 5 years time, not now.
What does that mean? That Blu-ray will be dead as HD-DVD in 5 years? Or that digital downloads would be more popular in 5 years? I really wish he'd clarify. Either way it sounds like this man doesn't know what he is talking about. There is absolutely no way digital downloads will be mainstream in just 5 years.
The thing that people don't realise is that you may have an 8mb connection package with Tiscali or whoever but what they try and hide is the fact that depending on the wiring around your house, the actual speed is more likely 2mb.
I am supposed to have a 4mb connection here, but the actual speed I found out is 1.7mb. For DD to take off the majority of people in the UK would need true 16mb connections at least.
Unless physical media vanishes from shops overnight and I am forced to download it I can't see this being true.
So you would rather travel to blockbuster than instantly stream to your tv when you want to hire a film?
If you prefer that way then I feel sorry for your heart - EXERCISE!
I am an athlete an train very regularly thank you very much. In fact I am most likely a hell of a lot fitter than yourself.
It takes an age to walk to my nearest blockbuster and to drive requires spending quite a long time finding a place to park, then I have to do the whole thing again to return the disc! (an that is when I remember to take the thing back in the first place).
Streaming via Virgin Media is easy, quick and requires less time out of my busy schedule to instigate.
Hope you do realise you CAN'T keep downloaded movies. If so, what if your HDD is full?
That is the point of Blu Ray.
In 5 years time BD 200gig or 500gig'll be standard. Whole series of Friends or 10 Jake Gyllenhaal or Jessica Alba movies on one disc would be brilliant.
You do know you can't keep blockbusters films too don't you? You do have to give them back.
Also my V+s HDD is rarely near full and in any case the streamed movies are just that, streamed, and therefore take no HDD space up!
Also 200-500gig discs will not be standard in 5 years time! Even if they were they would be used for super high def rather than putting and entire series of high def on one disc.
HA downloading games that is laughable it took me 3 hours to download bionic commando on my ps3 with a internet connection of 100 MBs per second imagine trying to download metal gear solid four you would be there for a week downloading it and plus download limits you could download one game than thats it your at your limit and cannot download anything else and insomniac for gods sake please NEVER release a ratchet game on the psn network again it took me 4 days to download and 1 and a half hours to finish what a dissapointment if the next ones on the psn network only im going to loose total faith in insomniac downloading games instead of disks wheres the sence in that if your hard drive stuffs up boom its gone have to download it again wheres the common sence in that ??????????
HA downloading games that is laughable it took me 3 hours to download bionic commando on my ps3 with a internet connection of 100 MBs per second imagine trying to download metal gear solid four you would be there for a week downloading it and plus download limits you could download one game than thats it your at your limit and cannot download anything else and insomniac for gods sake please NEVER release a ratchet game on the psn network again it took me 4 days to download and 1 and a half hours to finish what a dissapointment if the next ones on the psn network only im going to loose total faith in insomniac downloading games instead of disks wheres the sence in that if your hard drive stuffs up boom its gone have to download it again wheres the common sence in that ??????????
Surely you mean 100Mb/s? And maybe you need to test your bandwidth, because if it took 2 hours, you're not getting what you paid for.
Plus, structure your sentences, and use a full stop or comma once in a while; try reading that out, and see when you turn blue in the face....I'd say about halfway through.
If anything will take over from disc based media as a hard copy, then I can see it being flash card storage. However since some tech in the movies have come out in real life over 5-10 years, then maybe discs will still be around after 10 years but will be even very small.
no thanks samsung id rather have the product in my hands. fu%k downloading everything
Uhh it doesn't matter what you want. People still like vinyl over CDs but you don't see record shops popping up all over now do you. You'll like what you're told to like or they'll just leave you behind.
I think all of this talk of vast internet downloads is a mistake and the distributors haven't really listened to what consumers want.
Having had all kinds of hassles with iTunes and downloading various games, I'd much rather have the box in front of me; it's much easier to install, quicker, and cheaper in the long run.
I can't see downloading content ever becoming really popular, even if it's on a super fast link that takes seconds to download a hi-def movie - they would have to make it really accessible and easy for me to consider going down this route.
Plus it would wreak havoc with the mainstream retail market. What a way to say Screw You! to all those shops that have supported the market for the last twenty years.
As all of these posts show, and as Samsung fails to realize, none of the formats will 'win'. Every medium ever invented still exists (notable exception: the telegraph), there will be people preferring downloads, there will be people preferring physical cd's/dvd's. The trick is to see which one will be more popular but it doesn't mean you can't make money with the other one.
The only true winner here is the PS3; they have capabilities to do both.
Unless physical media vanishes from shops overnight and I am forced to download it I can't see this being true.
So you would rather travel to blockbuster than instantly stream to your tv when you want to hire a film?
Right now i rent bluray films at a cost of about £2 each using LoveFilm, means i can hold onto them for a few weeks and several people can watch them at their leisure.
Suits me perfectly, especially being able to do the same with games.
I don't have cable, but i have a decent speed BT line so my alternative for streaming would be using my BT Vision box. BT Vision just launched OnDemand HD films at £4.95 a pop. Download takes hours, rental is for 24hrs only and it's no doubt heavily compressed and lacking in decent sound.
HA downloading games that is laughable it took me 3 hours to download bionic commando on my ps3 with a internet connection of 100 MBs per second
Really? Or maybe, you have no idea what you are talking about. First of all, you probably meant 100Mb and second you probably confused the max speed of your ethernet card (10Mb, 100Mb, 1Gb) with your internet speed.
For example, I have 1Gb ethernet card and 8mb internet speed and downloading 1 dvd of the size of 4GB full speed takes something over 1 hour.
So if you had 100MB/s internet connection, you'd download 4GB in like 1 minute. Now, if you were downloading Bionic Commando Rearmed 3 hours 100MB/s that game would be like 1080GB large, and I kinda doubt that
I've collected VHS tapes, LaserDiscs and - more recently - DVDs. But then I bought SkyHD+ and I haven't bought a DVD since (about a year now). There's just no point. If you wait long enough everything gets recycled on the numerous film channels or standard TV channels. So now I have a bunch of DVDs sitting there (some still shrink-wrapped) gathering dust.
I'm gradually going to sell off a load of them and get my cupboard shelves back.
I can totally see why you might love owning discs, but I've been there, done it (LaserDiscs are much lovelier physical objects to own) and lost the cash. It is, in short, a mug's game. Even Blu-ray will eventually become obsolete and all that investment will just get eroded to nothing. I can't GIVE LaserDiscs away these days.
So I'm happy watching a variety of films in HD (Sky's 720p is good enough for me) and recording films I miss on the HDD to watch later. Owning media is SO last century and is definitely on the way out. It's just a change in mindset but that's already happening with youngsters of the iPod generation. Ask them how much they want a collection of discs cluttering up their shelves - the usual reply is 'not much'.
You can never predict the future, but five years ago I didn't think I'd have HD films beamed into my telly and 4Mbps broadband. In five years time, I think this thread will look pretty silly...
Theres not a chance. Not only would that suck, but would also mean that hundreds if not thousands of shops would close down and millions of people would be left un-employed. I love having a physical copy of my movies. I don't think I've ever bought a movie from a download site. I've only downloaded games from steam and that's only either really old games or the likes of TF2 and half life 2.
Theres not a chance. Not only would that suck, but would also mean that hundreds if not thousands of shops would close down and millions of people would be left un-employed.
You mean like with that Industrial Revolution 2 centuries ago? Well, the past does tend to repeat itself after all.
Unless physical media vanishes from shops overnight and I am forced to download it I can't see this being true.
So you would rather travel to blockbuster than instantly stream to your tv when you want to hire a film?
Right now i rent bluray films at a cost of about £2 each using LoveFilm, means i can hold onto them for a few weeks and several people can watch them at their leisure.
Suits me perfectly, especially being able to do the same with games.
I don't have cable, but i have a decent speed BT line so my alternative for streaming would be using my BT Vision box. BT Vision just launched OnDemand HD films at £4.95 a pop. Download takes hours, rental is for 24hrs only and it's no doubt heavily compressed and lacking in decent sound.
That is the benefit of streaming. I sit down, browse through the available films (which is a very large number) and then click buy. It is ready to watch right then and there. They cost about the HD films cost £4 or £5. The only problem is that they are 720p and not in surround sound but I am sure these will both be sorted out as more people get HD sets and the infrastructure improves. I can also do the same thing with Virgins TV on demand service (which is free) and their catchup tv service (also free). I can also watch music videos on demand too (free for the package I am on, although not HD), oh and there is the integrated iPlayer too with tons of BBC programs to watch (although this is also not in HD).
Most people will still prefer a hard copy of anything than a download. Im sure digital downloads will be bigger but how many people who dont know how to download a file e.g a large percentage of the elder population are going to want digital downloads? I know some older people still use vhs and dvd's have been out for nearly 10 years now and I think will still be a force in at least 5 years possibly 10 so blu ray has got even longer than that left yet!
i think a mix of the two is fine as it is. DVDs haven't even died out yet. Too many people, myself included, like to have hard copies of films. There's just something about having a disc and a case and putting it one the shelf. Advantages and Disadvantages:
Keeping Disc's: For:- Hard copy, Easy to lend and borrow Lovely looking collection Extra Info, (little free books, dvd extras) Against:- Can take up a lot of space Not many people look after them Damages can happen
Downloads: For:- Don't have to leave the home Easy storage Easily accesible (you hardly have to move!) Against:- If you have a poor connection download can get lost Sharing w/ friend can be a pain unless you send it or copy it, it'd be easy to go: "uh, here you go" and hand them the case...
I'm not convinced that discs only have five years of life myself.
For one, downloading everything means storage space will likely become an issue (unless everything is rental-only which would absolutely suck in the eyes of "collectors" like myself). Also people take pictures with digital cameras but anyone with any sense will want to back them up to a disc as they're more reliable (if looked after) than memory sticks or HDDs, which tend to prone to hardware failures. Solid state memory is another option but that's vastly more expensive than blank discs. I reckon we will become predominantly a digital society in time but I cannot see it happening for 10-20 years, especially in this country where our broadband infrastructure lags behind that of the rest of the world.
i think a mix of the two is fine as it is. DVDs haven't even died out yet. Too many people, myself included, like to have hard copies of films. There's just something about having a disc and a case and putting it one the shelf. Advantages and Disadvantages:
Keeping Disc's: For:- Hard copy, Easy to lend and borrow Lovely looking collection Extra Info, (little free books, dvd extras) Against:- Can take up a lot of space Not many people look after them Damages can happen
Downloads: For:- Don't have to leave the home Easy storage Easily accesible (you hardly have to move!) Against:- If you have a poor connection download can get lost Sharing w/ friend can be a pain unless you send it or copy it, it'd be easy to go: "uh, here you go" and hand them the case...
You do know that by Lending your films to a friend you are breaking the Law?
I don't mind the walk around the shops or ordering offline I don't see the sense in downloading movies to hard drive to watch. My brother uses some online rental system too so I can borrow them if I wish. I guess its all preference we all have our own. Until net speeds catch on to these wild ideas of digital media I'm not interested plus I like to watch the extras on my dvds/blu rays so I get my money's worth.
Why are people whining that their internet connections aren't fast enough for HD movies?
This guy's talking about 5 years in the future, not now. Morons.
I'm sick of buying my films all over again whenever a new format comes out, and I'm sick of trying to store the thousands of films I own. I'm not even buying into Blu-Ray this time around, I'd rather rent them for my PS3 and save my money for when there's a decent download system in place that'll let me keep my movies without them taking over my whole front room.
Im sorry but there is no way physical format will ever die - yes digital music took off but that was because they are easy to download
In 5 years time the net connection will probably be the same it is now in my area thats only 2013 - im on 8mb and i really dont need any faster- some people still use dial up FGS
Yeh i believe that blu ray wont last till long but i think theres no way anything better will come out To release a new format you need -backing - new hardware and thats not easy to lay out
Why
Well how long has it taken people to get hd tv with like 1080p in them - a long time
Dvd didnt last too long because it wasnt an amazing format - yer it looked alright but usually compressed badly - but its still around even thought something better is out - the reason is people cant afford to keep up with tech
I really prefer to have the box, for either games or film.
Some have mentioned steam, which is a great service, which again, I have the boxed copy. If I format my system, I find it annoying enough putting th discs in for HL2, HL2 episodes 1 & 2, portal, team fortress HL" multiplayer etc etc, can you imagine how long that would take to download.
The other thing samsung seem to have forgotten is there is some talk of the internet itself running out of bandwidth. Trafic has grown exponentially and with greater emphasis on streaming video we near breaking point.
Apparently, last year youtube had more traffic that the whole of the internet did a couple of years ago.
I think it will be some time till the population as a whole is able to download even DVD quality film at an acceptable speed, and even if we do reach the stage you can download or stream at 1080p with full dolby HD sound at a reasonable rate, I'll still like to have the physical version
5 years seems a little optimistic in my opinion. We are still a long way off the kind of connection speeds this guy is talking about, to say nothing about the logistics of it all. The infrastructure for the Internet is already starting to struggle with the amount of traffic being sent through it; hence the amount of bandwidth throttling that is taking place with pretty much every ISP. There's even been talk of Internet providers denying traffic from stuff like the BBC iPlayer.
Before any of this stuff can really take place, at the very least, the old copper wires need to be replaced with fibre. With nobody willing to foot the bill for that any time soon (and it's a big one!), we're a long way off from becoming a total digital download society.
The time will come eventually - of that I have no doubt - but not yet, and certainly not in five years.
I think it will be some time till the population as a whole is able to download even DVD quality film at an acceptable speed, and even if we do reach the stage you can download or stream at 1080p with full dolby HD sound at a reasonable rate, I'll still like to have the physical version
I have downloaded/rented three titles off of 360 Marketplace in HD (looked awesome on my 32" so not fussed on what the resolution is specifically) and I was able to start watching all of them within 15 minutes of the download starting whilst it downloaded the rest in the background.
RUBBiSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how out of touch is this man!
Dont they realise people like a hard copy to pop on their shelf????? until the day comes that i can download a HD movie in a few mins and also have a copy sent in the post i really aint interested! Until then i will be sticking to play.com
Cheers Samsung but no thanks!! not only do i not want your crap tv's mobils and pretty much angthing you make. You can keep ya downloadable content too!
Quite a bold statement, however it's difficult to determine whether blueray will infact live another 5 give or take a few years, either way, with the speed of which technology is going at the moment it's difficult to predict whats going to happen, hell its difficult to tell whats going to happen tommorow, never mind 2013.
Digital entertainment seems to be the fastest growing market in the world, current broadband speeds are unlikely to cope, even if they could now or in the future, we will be paying heavy cost for faster downloads.
We just don't have the bandwidth readily available yet for digital distribution to be fully viable. We all know how reluctant UK ISP's are to spend money on improving the network.
I strongly disagree, it wont be dead in 5 years, but i do think downloads will have taken over, its like vcr's ownly died 2 years ago, DVD's aren't dead yet, and in my opnion blue ray will definately not be dead in 5 years, physical form is still preferred than electronic.
I strongly disagree, it wont be dead in 5 years, but i do think downloads will have taken over, its like vcr's ownly died 2 years ago, DVD's aren't dead yet, and in my opnion blue ray will definately not be dead in 5 years, physical form is still preferred than electronic.
Whereas a blu-ray does not. Its a no-brainer....you cant let your friend borrow the movie because you can only DL the movie where you designate your DL's. The only reason studios are pushing DL's because of piracy...I like piracy because I get a copy of the actual DVD for 5 bucks...long live piracy.
blu ray film, with true hd sound is roughly 50gb - on my 20mb connection thats a nearly 14 hours - i regularly get 1.2mb per sec download speed. And if physical copies are going to disappear, why are many of the big electronics companies developing 200gb discs ? - unless thats what he meant... 50gb discs will be too small in 5 years!
i think a mix of the two is fine as it is. DVDs haven't even died out yet. Too many people, myself included, like to have hard copies of films. There's just something about having a disc and a case and putting it one the shelf. Advantages and Disadvantages:
Keeping Disc's: For:- Hard copy, Easy to lend and borrow Lovely looking collection Extra Info, (little free books, dvd extras) Against:- Can take up a lot of space Not many people look after them Damages can happen
Downloads: For:- Don't have to leave the home Easy storage Easily accesible (you hardly have to move!) Against:- If you have a poor connection download can get lost Sharing w/ friend can be a pain unless you send it or copy it, it'd be easy to go: "uh, here you go" and hand them the case...
You do know that by Lending your films to a friend you are breaking the Law?
Can't touch me!
Ju-ju-ju-ju-just like the bad guy from Lethal Weapon 2, I've got diplomatic immunity - so Hammer, you can't sue.
Can I just refer people to the size of micro SD cards at the moment? You can get 3-4 times more memory capacity on something that's about the size of your fingernail than you can on DVD. I'm sure in 5 years, they'll get a memory device that'll be more efficient than blu-ray. I have a feeling that the future of films and games WILL in fact be digitally based. Internet speeds have increased dramamtically over the past years, and I've heard about 100 mg broadband being tested just now in the UK. I actually think it'd be awesome if I was to download/buy a USB stick with my hi-def film on it, and stick it into the side of my t.v and use software built into my t.v to watch it. No fuss or waiting for a disc to load(blu-ray's so slowwwwwww).
High street stores'll probably stay as they are, but offering services and "hard copies"(preloaded on memory cards/sticks) for those who aren't comfortable downloading and saving. If y'think about it in a simple manner, all you're buying when you go and get a game/dvd is a round storage device with some data on it. Put it in a machine and it decodes it so you can have your enjoyment. I'd assume read times on memory rather than discs with lasers ought to be quicker too, which should actually banish loading times.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if games consoles went back to cartridges, only they'd be the size of your pinky this time.
Can I just refer people to the size of micro SD cards at the moment? You can get 3-4 times more memory capacity on something that's about the size of your fingernail than you can on DVD. I'm sure in 5 years, they'll get a memory device that'll be more efficient than blu-ray. I have a feeling that the future of films and games WILL in fact be digitally based. Internet speeds have increased dramamtically over the past years, and I've heard about 100 mg broadband being tested just now in the UK. I actually think it'd be awesome if I was to download/buy a USB stick with my hi-def film on it, and stick it into the side of my t.v and use software built into my t.v to watch it. No fuss or waiting for a disc to load(blu-ray's so slowwwwwww).
High street stores'll probably stay as they are, but offering services and "hard copies"(preloaded on memory cards/sticks) for those who aren't comfortable downloading and saving. If y'think about it in a simple manner, all you're buying when you go and get a game/dvd is a round storage device with some data on it. Put it in a machine and it decodes it so you can have your enjoyment. I'd assume read times on memory rather than discs with lasers ought to be quicker too, which should actually banish loading times.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if games consoles went back to cartridges, only they'd be the size of your pinky this time.
Watch this space!
Now that would be good you could finally leave your games out of their cases again without fear of scratches or worse. I for one would like to see this happen.
I don’t understand why everyone keeps saying Downloads are the future. Right now in USA 2008 “Despite higher growth rates for broadband, there were nearly twice as many narrowband users as broadband users in the U.S. Narrowband users then outweighed broadband users with 69.6 million users.” http://www.internetworldstats.com/articles/art030.htm “After conducting a recent survey, leading researchers at Gartner, have predicted that 25 per cent of households worldwide will have a broadband connection by the year 2012.” http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Quarter-of-Households-Will-Have-Broadband-by-2012&id=1372178 “The United States will close its digital divide significantly within the next four years, with 77% of U.S. households having a broadband Internet subscription, according to a new Gartner study.” “Worldwide, 17 countries will have broadband penetration rates of 60% or more by 2012.” http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072408-broadband-penetration-gartner-study.html
I have a feeling that the future of films and games WILL in fact be digitally based. Internet speeds have increased dramamtically over the past years, and I've heard about 100 mg broadband being tested just now in the UK. I actually think it'd be awesome if I was to download/buy a USB stick with my hi-def film on it, and stick it into the side of my t.v and use software built into my t.v to watch it. No fuss or waiting for a disc to load(blu-ray's so slowwwwwww).
I actually wouldn't be surprised if games consoles went back to cartridges, only they'd be the size of your pinky this time.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say games and films will be digitally based. You do know Blu-ray is digital? DVD's are in effect digital as well, just converted to analogue signal for your TV. An upscale DVD player will convert that analogue signal back to digital. Digital storage is already here and has been for years. The point you make about solid state memory is good and I agree with the download onto a USB stick. My only concern is that solid state isn't the most reliable medium at the moment and data can be easily corrupted on it over time.
hi , i get blu ray movies from lovefilm.com to rent and as for my connect ion its 3.6Mbs mobilebroadband mostly i get about 125Kbs so download are out of the question really , also i get games from play.com , when i have completed them i have a choice whether to give it to my step dad ( who cannot afford to buy every game ) or i can sell it on ( even though we know no money goes to developers ,this is another issue ) also what if your hard drive fails ? and you have say 600 hd movies on a 50TB drive ? download them all again at even 8Mbs this would take forever and think of all the electricity you would use ( this is something that will be a lot more expensive in 5 years ) just my opinion though im sure some people would love downloads for me - NO WAY , thanks
Vyvrtka it looks more likely you dont know what your talking about it's got less to do about your internet connection to what it does about what server your downloading off apparently this was from sony it took me so long to download bionic commando rearmed because the psn servers are dead slow and that was under 400 mb and also the wireless card in the ps3 is a 100 mb per second card where my laptop is a 1 Gps per seccond thats the other reason why it was faster on my laptop the thing i dont understand is to download a software update where does it come from the same server as the psn network but than its normally 3 times faster on my laptop than the ps3 so why should the transfer rate be so high for software updates and so low for actual games again ill point if this keeps as the case it will take weeks to download MGS4 what happens when they release a game bigger than that say 80GB s**t ill be there for a month downloading it sony get your finger out of your ass and upgrade the psn servers
I don’t understand why everyone keeps saying Downloads are the future. Right now in USA 2008 “Despite higher growth rates for broadband, there were nearly twice as many narrowband users as broadband users in the U.S. Narrowband users then outweighed broadband users with 69.6 million users.” http://www.internetworldstats.com/articles/art030.htm “After conducting a recent survey, leading researchers at Gartner, have predicted that 25 per cent of households worldwide will have a broadband connection by the year 2012.” http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Quarter-of-Households-Will-Have-Broadband-by-2012&id=1372178 “The United States will close its digital divide significantly within the next four years, with 77% of U.S. households having a broadband Internet subscription, according to a new Gartner study.” “Worldwide, 17 countries will have broadband penetration rates of 60% or more by 2012.” http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072408-broadband-penetration-gartner-study.html
Your first link is to a page that was updated in 2004! They are only projected figures. The real figures may be massively different from these.
As of last year 69% of housholds in the UK had broadband connections. Also something like 90% of active internet users in the US are on broadband.
Most industrialised countries will be going for a big push on broadband as goverments realise that we stand a big chance of slipping behind the rest of the world financially without it. For example in South Korea 95% of housholds have broadband and you can bet China will be pushing hard too. It can also be an answer to traffic congestion as more people will have the ability to work from home using VPN and a video phone to connect to their network and colleagues (I would love to work from home rather than making the 1.5 hour commute).
I have a feeling that the future of films and games WILL in fact be digitally based. Internet speeds have increased dramamtically over the past years, and I've heard about 100 mg broadband being tested just now in the UK. I actually think it'd be awesome if I was to download/buy a USB stick with my hi-def film on it, and stick it into the side of my t.v and use software built into my t.v to watch it. No fuss or waiting for a disc to load(blu-ray's so slowwwwwww).
I actually wouldn't be surprised if games consoles went back to cartridges, only they'd be the size of your pinky this time.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say games and films will be digitally based. You do know Blu-ray is digital? DVD's are in effect digital as well, just converted to analogue signal for your TV. An upscale DVD player will convert that analogue signal back to digital. Digital storage is already here and has been for years. The point you make about solid state memory is good and I agree with the download onto a USB stick. My only concern is that solid state isn't the most reliable medium at the moment and data can be easily corrupted on it over time.
Yeah, I know Blu-ray and DVD are digital formats. I did word it pretty shoddily, but y'got the gist of what I was trying to say. With solid state memory though, if the ability to delete content was removed, d'you think that it'd make corruption less of a problem? If you didn't have an option to continously delete and add data to your memory sticks, how often would corruption occur? I'm not sure myself personally so I'm just throwing that out there. Saying that, the game replacement service that some developers offer just now could come into play in the future if the worst happens...If your data is corrupted and there is a record of your purchase, you just get them to reload your game onto your card/memory stick.
i will not downlaod another thing after downloading siren on my ps3. it was drivel and now i have nothing to sell on. why on earth would i do this again? what a waste of 20 quid.
Thats not the attitude, man! If I stopped buying cd's after I bought St. Anger, I would've missed loads of great albums!!
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
