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Best Buy Announces End of Blu-ray Disc, DVD Sales


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Thespacemaster



Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 1170
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:10 am Reply with quote
Do i think physical media will die?

No, there will always be a demand for it.

Will we suffer a few lost media during this era? Most defintly

Say what you want, but having everything digital only can only be benefical in the short term, eventually when the companies/streamers either go bankrupt, lose streaming license or lose original data, they will get lose and overall no way to preserve them, or you might even lose the original vers and stuck with the edited vers, case in point of the star wars old movies.

If there is something you like and you wish to still have excess to it, better get it now as the will probably be the last few years before it becomes a more expensive to get and collect(keep in mind Anime series/movies are already expensive as is, imagine in the future when it is more limited to get their physical media)
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medicinodestiny



Joined: 16 Nov 2022
Posts: 47
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:23 am Reply with quote
Thespacemaster wrote:
Say what you want, but having everything digital only can only be benefical in the short term, eventually when the companies/streamers either go bankrupt, lose streaming license or lose original data, they will get lose and overall no way to preserve them, or you might even lose the original vers and stuck with the edited vers, case in point of the star wars old movies.

This is only true if you're not counting unofficial methods for some reason. It's pretty much impossible to have lost media in this day and age. You can watch the original "banned" episode 1 of Osomatsu-san right now if you want, despite it being pulled from every streaming service and never being released on home video in either Japan or overseas. Once something is put out there it's out there forever in this day and age.
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chronium



Joined: 25 Apr 2005
Posts: 294
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:29 am Reply with quote
The theatrical cut of Star Wars isn't lost it's locked away. You can still get it through piracy because that's what the laser disc version is. The fact that they haven't done a re release yet probably means they're not allowed to until George passes away or some other rights issue.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4807
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:08 am Reply with quote
Outside of game stuff and TVs/phones/laptops, I'm not sure what people actually get at Best Buy anymore. At this point almost half of their stores are full of a random tech hodgepodge that I'm convinced has all sat there unsold since it was stocked.
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Mune



Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:16 am Reply with quote
While Best Buy was a major part of my early adulthood anime consumption and access, once streaming became a more readily accessible option, I slowed and even stopped buying anime entirely. I don't really have a fear that something will slide out of licensing or losing accessibility to it. I am also aware that some shows I have owned and streamed are no longer available to buy at a reasonable price and no longer streaming. I know that nothing is forever, as much as many claim that physical media will be around forever. It may last longer though.

I think as a business, Best Buy made the right choice. They probably saw the numbers and realized it was not profitable. They could dedicate that space in their stores for something else that will sell better and have a higher profit margin.
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varmintx



Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1235
Location: Covington, KY
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:17 am Reply with quote
You can pry my discs from my cold, dead hands.
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Arxana



Joined: 30 May 2020
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:56 am Reply with quote
medicinodestiny wrote:
This is only true if you're not counting unofficial methods for some reason. It's pretty much impossible to have lost media in this day and age. You can watch the original "banned" episode 1 of Osomatsu-san right now if you want, despite it being pulled from every streaming service and never being released on home video in either Japan or overseas. Once something is put out there it's out there forever in this day and age.

This is true only for media that people care about. Yes, it’s very easy to find media online for famous properties, but less popular stuff can and will be neglected and will disappear eventually. I’ve tried looking online for copies of some stuff I downloaded when I was younger, only to find it isn’t there anymore, just because it faded from the popular consciousness. There is likely just as much lost media today as there was in ages past, perhaps even more because so much stuff comes out these days.
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njprogfan
Collector Extraordinaire



Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Posts: 1225
Location: A River Named Toms
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:57 am Reply with quote
Bought my first Collector's Series Volume box of anime, Speed Grapher (cool box BTW) at the Best Buy close to my house. Didn't buy too much because of their high cost, but another collecting chapter closed forever. And you can lump Target into this story. My local store shrink their rack space to one spot with discounted DVD's and Blu-ray's. Nothing new. Sad days...
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18460
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 9:36 am Reply with quote
Even in the heyday of DVDs and Blu-Rays, Best Buys never had more than a random smattering of a few dozen anime titles, mostly popular releases. Only a tiny fraction of my sizable BR/DVD collection was purchased there (though Best Buy has, for a long time, my go-to tech store for other things).
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BadNewsBlues



Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 6317
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 9:37 am Reply with quote
medicinodestiny wrote:
It's pretty much impossible to have lost media in this day and age.

Oh?

So when we getting a home release of the movie adaptation of Phantom Blood that’s never been release outside of theaters?

Don’t even get me started on the numerous videos on sites like YouTube that have been purged from the internet over the last decade and a half due to the accounts associated with them being struck down via copyright infringement or such.


Last edited by BadNewsBlues on Mon Oct 16, 2023 9:42 am; edited 1 time in total
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4640
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 9:42 am Reply with quote
Best Buy used to be my go-to store for anime purchases. But that was also over 15 years ago. I stopped going to Best Buy for anime mostly because the convenience and wider selection online made it preferable. The last time I even looked at their anime section, I figured it would be the last time because the selection went from two sides of an aisle to one part of one side within a year, and it was down to just the most popular stuff. It turns out that those were signs of the bubble burst coming.

It's kind of amazing to me that DVD held on for as long as it has. HD and UHD didn't completely phase it out like I would have thought.

I suppose this was only a matter of time. Streaming dealt a massive blow to the general public's interest in physical media, and that assumes that the studios even bother with a physical release. Video stores went away years ago, leaving just the retailers that sold other stuff, and even that is coming to an end. I don't expect that places like Walmart will have much more than a bargain bin selection soon.
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jdnation



Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 2120
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:50 am Reply with quote
Just last night I had someone come over to borrow by Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Editions on DVD because apparently the streaming services didn't have the option for the extended versions.

I'm usually in the habit of buying anime series only if the 'full story' is completely animated as I dislike having "incomplete" series. In those cases I usually opt for the manga. Otherwise I have many movies and OVAs. So I tend to go for boxsets, which Best Buy never had. Stores I shopped at which had anime were primarily HMV, or small enthusiast anime stores or at conventions or a selection of enthusiast music/movie stores that had them. Otherwise Amazon.

Best buy was not bad for getting your hands on the occasional 3D blu ray. But I never saw it as my go to place for movies. They'd carry the most popular stuff, but so did Wal Mart, and sometimes Wal mart was a few bucks cheaper.

Only things I'm looking to pick up soon are Eva 3+1 , and maybe I'll bite on Chainsaw Man and Oshi No Ko despite being "incomplete." Though ideally I like waiting to see if there will be one nice big complete package thinpack box set of a completely adapted series. Boxsets are handy to store.

The Crunchyroll app occasionally bugs out which makes watching stuff annoying as my internet functions well for everything else. Reasons why I am not putting stock in digital services for the best experience.

I have been buying fewer physical items, but that is mostly because I am way more discerning about what I buy now. Space is also an issue, but I don't regret having my library and even being able to lend stuff out.
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MrPuzzles



Joined: 27 Sep 2023
Posts: 152
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:51 am Reply with quote
This is a bunch of nothing.

Best Buy has been dying for nearly a decade now. No one's been buying physical media there for a while, and what little they did sell will simply go to another big box store like Walmart, Target or online like Bullmoose.

You look at all the recent streamer struggles, from Amazon to Disney, and you start to see they've ramped up physical production to make ends meet. All those Marvel and Star Wars shows are getting the limited edition treatment, and just a few weeks from now Amazon is gonna be putting the entirety of The Expanse on blu.

A single dead retailer in a single country no longer selling stuff might suck. For about a dozen or so people who still used BB, but collectors and companies should have no issue coping.


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Thespacemaster



Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 1170
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:04 pm Reply with quote
Arxana wrote:
This is true only for media that people care about. Yes, it’s very easy to find media online for famous properties, but less popular stuff can and will be neglected and will disappear eventually. I’ve tried looking online for copies of some stuff I downloaded when I was younger, only to find it isn’t there anymore, just because it faded from the popular consciousness. There is likely just as much lost media today as there was in ages past, perhaps even more because so much stuff comes out these days.

This is exactly what i was saying ^

Do you honestly think that some of the lesser know titles will be saved if they do not have physical media? I am sure everyone has at least that one cult classic they like but is very niche and rarely ever spoke about again but you have such fond memories of it.

Those are the titles i was truly refering too, all i am saying is that if there are some titles that right now are available in physical media but are so low sellers and niche that you are certain the chances of them being renwed or return to physical media is practically impossible i suggest you do so, that goes for everyone. Both for anything Anime related or other media in general.
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Triltaison



Joined: 03 Jul 2011
Posts: 796
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:17 pm Reply with quote
I'm not surprised, but still annoyed about it. I used to buy tons of movies and anime from my store, but they had a remodel several years ago and completely gutted that section. The store used to be about half movies and video games, but it only had one rack of movies after the remodel (and only one shelf of anime).

So I stopped using them for DVD/BD a while ago because my store already made that shift in favor of having half the floor space dedicated to empty space and actual nothing. The last time I went, I think it was mostly washing machines and cell phone displays. I couldn't even find the AV cable I needed in the store. Such a disappointment.
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