How DVDs Took Over the World

DVDs are no longer the main way we watch our movies. But there was a time that DVDs completely took over the world. Every couple of decades we have experienced some form of format war. VHS vs BetaMax, Blu-ray vs HD-DVD, DVD vs DivX. But no format has ever dominated as much as DVDs.

In this video we talk about how and why DVDs became so popular, what has happened to them since their peak, and what the future of the format looks like.

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NOTE: During the recording of this video my microphone was starting to break so there are a few moments where my voice clips slightly. We really apologize for this and we hope it doesn't take you away from the experience too much. Good news is that it was an excuse to buy an even better microphone. 😊 Enjoy!

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:41 - Not the First Format War
03:00 - The Birth of DVD
05:10 - The Rise and Benefits of DVD
11:16 - The Death and Future of DVD

When Were DVDs Created . Death of DVD . Rise of DVD . How DVD Took Over the World . VHS . Beta-max . DivX . LaserDisc . Tornado . Blade Runner . Blu-ray . HD-DVD . Playstation 2 . Playstation 3 . ps2 . ps3 . Japan DVD . First DVD Movie . Video Games . HDTV

Some resources used:

#filmhistory #DVD #vhstapes

[FilmStack]

Hey everyone! This video was recorded while my microphone was starting to break so there are a few digital artifacts in the audio. We're really sorry if this takes you away from the video, but we hope you enjoy! Good news is I now have a new mic!

[joncapistrano]

I'm a strong supporter of physical media. I hate having to rely on streaming services to find my favourite films. There's just something so special about owning your favourite media physically, as you can revisit them anytime you want.

[EGRAVEN-genj]

Well I just hope dvds and blu rays can still hold out at least for another decade. As much as streaming is convenient, it just doesn’t have the magic of owning a dvd copy yourself. It can hold memories forever and won’t be affected by short term licensing. I also like having special features like directors commentary, trailers and interviews since it explains the greater context. I’m just glad that they are here to stay for the time being in the uk at least but the news about Disney dropping physical media in Australia does worry me.

[bobcobb]

I still buy DVDs and blu-rays. If I’m in the mood to watch a movie, I don’t want to worry about if it’s on streaming or if my internet connection is down for maintenance. Plus, a lot of movies never made the jump to streaming, so I like to have a physical copy of films that would otherwise be lost.

[isaacmartinez]

I still collect Blu-Ray movies, especially from The Criterion Collection. Still good to collect something physical.

[bobcobb]

DVDs also took off for the simple reason that it was cheaper and faster for studios to make copies of movies on DVD than VHS (the actual materials and process of making a copy). Along with the better picture for the movie itself, studios were able to transfer all the bonus content usually reserved for laserdiscs and offer them up for a fraction of what laserdiscs cost. In 1999, a sale copy of a VHS tape was about 20 bucks. Suddenly, there was a CD sized laserdisc with a ton of extras that you could buy for 5 more dollars. Once DVD player prices dropped below 200 bucks around 2002, it was game over for VHS.

[collecticus]

Physical is the main way I watch movies. Feels great to have a personal collection.

[NathanS__]

I always buy Blu-ray when possible. I'm a big proponent for physical media.
Own your movies, don't let the bastards turn everything into perpetual renting.

[Zombie_Trooper]

I still remember the first time I saw a DVD. I went over a friend's house in 2000 and when he showed me the movies they had, I was utterly confused they weren't VHS. I knew of CDs but movie "CDs"? It blew my mind. 2 years later, we had our own player, and by 2004 we had a sizable collection and I also got my own player with the movies Texas Chain Saw, Creepshow around that same time. Great memories.

[Tomhyde]

Any other movie collectors out there? I have about 2, 000 Blu-rays, 1, 500 DVDs and 400 4Ks. On top of that I have over 300 different tv shows on Blu-ray and DVD. A couple months ago a huge storm knocked out our city’s internet for a couple of days and I was the only one at work that was still able to watch tv and movies.

[Patchouliprince]

I never got rid of my core DVD collection and I’m so glad. I also recently started a VHS collection. And ontop of that I’m back to collecting CDs and vinyl because man I miss the world of physical media so much

[Waltman]

I think DVDs and physical media as a whole are things that should never die off. Sure streaming is a lot more convenient, but with all the bullshit that comes with it (multiple services you have to pay for, short-lived licenses to keep something up on the service, and especially the stupid tax write-offs among other things), it overall just doesn't hit the same as owning the piece of media on a physical disc, tape, or cartridge. Especially when they have the advantage of you actually owning the thing unlike streaming. Not to mention, the additional benefits they have for lost media and general media preservation (the latter most especially considering how greedy corporations are with content these days).

Also it's more fun to press play on the Shrek 2 DVD menu than it is to stream the same movie on Peacock.

[fra-_-ser]

i am just newly getting into film and recently have been collecting blu ray and dvd mainly because i prefer to own a physical media rather than hope its still online somewhere, also feels nice to always know i have my favorite movies to my desposal

[uzetaab]

As someone who worked in retail at the time, you are underestimating how much the extra functionality affected DVD sales. The ability to skip instead of fast forward or rewind sold a lot of players. Same with Scene selection and DVD extras like deleted scenes.

Blue-Ray, flat screen TV and digital TV all happened at the same time so they fed off each other to generate sales, but at the end of the day, better picture quality is what sold the three.

[danieltarczynski]

DVD was so much better than VHS. It also came out at a time when streaming video was not widely adopted and the technology was affordable. Video quality, sound quality and ease of use was tremendously better than VHS.

DVD also had the luxury of being included in the PlayStation 2 which was a relatively affordable DVD player that also played video games. That alone launched tens of millions of players in the USA alone.

Although DVD players were expensive at first by the time 2000-2002 came around DVD players became super affordable and there were also combo DVD/VHS players which helped some people get both formats if they still had a ton of VHS rentals.

It really was the perfect storm.

[kevinh]

There are several reasons I still buy DVD or more likely these days, BluRay discs. The main one is so I can easily watch something without having to worry about which streaming service it is on or has it been removed or changed service, but the other reasons are so that I don't have to worry about whether or not it has it been censored (something that is becoming more and more of an issue with the Twitter mobs) and so that I can watch my favourite movies even on the rare occasions I have no internet connection.

I buy a lot of music too on vinyl and CD, but I don't consider one to be better than the other just that the different formats suit different moods and different genres of music. 80s synth, modern synthwave and dance music usually benefits from the clarity of CD I find, while rock and metal tends to sound better to my ears on vinyl.

Finally I do subscribe to a few streaming services too, but tend to then buy the physical media if it's available if I like what I'm watching.

[XanderCrease]

@13:13 It's funny hearing someone talking about DVD's as if they stopped producing them, they didn't go anywhere. Still to this day, when movies leave the theater they get manufactured on DVD's and put on sale like they always have. I like the 3 tier quality/price options of DVD, Bluray or 4K.

[callieleblanc]

Im 14 years old and I have VHS tapes from my grandparents, DVDs from my childhood and a collection of my parents old CDs. Whenever I go to thrift stores I always look at their DVDs and CDs to see what I can add on to my collection. Even though I have VHS tapes I don’t have a VCR so I don’t really have a use for them but there’s just something so nostalgic about them that makes me want to never get ride of them. Personally, I like physical copies of media. I was fairly young when the rise of streaming came but I still remember watching VHS tapes and DVDs. There’s just something about watching/listening to a physical copy of a movie/show/album that is somehow rewarding. I plan on continuing my “passion” for collecting DVDs and CDs.

[JassminaVellucci]

I still buy DVDs, and other physical media. Physical Media will never die.

[Motorheadache]

I’ve noticed that more studios are releasing their films on collectors labels like Shout Factory, Arrow, and of course Criterion. I think modern physical formats like UHD Blu-ray have become more like the laserdisc days— more for a niche audience that will pay a bit more for the best versions of their favorite films.