- Record sales, including 4K Blu-ray, fall for another year
- There was an overall drop of 23.4% in annual shift in 2024
- Subscription streaming services, such as Netflix, increased by 25.3%
Blu-ray 4K record sales (our choice of format the best to test the best televisions), Blu-ray discs and DVDs decreased for another year in 2024, falling below 1 billion dollars for the first times in the United States. Digital film sales also dropped during this period, adding even more misfortunes for Hollywood Studios.
As indicated by flatpaneseshd, the sale of physical media formats dropped after a drop of 23.4% in annual shift, which represents a record level after a peak for physical media sales of $ 16 billion in 2005. Format Blu-ray 4K represents a format for an increasing part of down discussion sales, although it has seen its sales decrease each year since 2018. Sales of Digital films, from places such as Apple TV, dropped by 10.2% compared to the previous year.
Interestingly, the figures suggest that the home entertainment market increases, up 25.3% compared to the previous year. This includes income from the best streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and even more. At 57.17 billion dollars, it is seven times larger than the American theatrical box office.
This news comes after a year of ups and downs for the physical media in 2024, who saw Best Buy and Disney decide to stop selling and distributing discs, to be followed shortly after by an agreement between Sony and Disney So that the first takes the relay distribution of physical media for the latter. LG has also announced that it would no longer make Blu-ray 4K players, while retailers such as Fred Meyers and Gamescop have announced its intention to store 4K Blu-ray.
You miss?
We here in Techradar are fans of 4K Blu-ray because we use them to test the televisions, including the best OLED televisions and even the best soundbar. Indeed, playing a disc on one of the best Blu-ray 4K players allows you to enjoy your favorite movies and television programs with a superior image and sound quality compared to streaming.
When you go from services such as Netflix in 4K, the quality level is actually closer to a Blu-ray HD 1080p. The average binary video speed for a 4K Blu-ray is 128 Mbps, while 4K streaming is on average 18 Mbps, maximum at 40 Mbps on services like Apple TV. However, when I tested Blu-ray vs streaming, the impact was most felt with audio: streaming services compress the Dolby Atmos soundtracks, while the uncompressed version present on the Blu-rays seems Much clearer and more powerful.
Another problem with streaming services is that you do not “have” the movies and television shows they wear. I have always found examples of films that I like to migrate from a streaming service to another (generally those I do not subscribe) or to disappear completely. It is an incredibly frustrating situation that does not occur if you have a physical copy.
Last year was a Russian mountain for 4k Blu-ray and this news of the fall in sales of Doom and Gloom did not obtain 2025 at the best start, but I always Stay full of hope for 2025. Our readers have shown strong interest in the Blu-ray 4K, so much so that we have launched a monthly overview of some of the best Blu-ray 4K outings named the ‘Blu-Ray Bounty ‘, with our latest January 2025 edition available to read on the link.
For anyone who was fed up with the rise in streaming prices, or perhaps you are looking to dive their toe into the world of serious cinema, the Blu-ray 4K is an excellent option. If you only focus on streaming, you miss the wonderful world of 4K bu-ray.
