DVD Out? Not Any Time Soon.

So the Los Angeles Times took a run at the somewhat flagging DVD market to make a few breathless suggestions that, somehow, this was the beginning of the end for the DVD format.

Okay, sure.  Let’s make one thing clear right off the top.  Chances are, DVD is something of a doomed media.  But this doom is fairly off in the far flung future.  Right now, there are three essential aspects to media delivery: digital distribution, that is, distribution with no disc; Blu-ray, distribution on Blu-ray disc; and DVD, distribution on straight DVD disc.

Digital distribution is a fantasy until the basic internet infrastructure of the United States is sufficiently upgraded to allow ordinary citizens access to the internet in their homes without usage limits or low speeds.  That’s a good chunk of the country mostly out of the game right now, and no studio in its right mind will focus on a distribution strategy that excises major portions of the market.

Blu-ray is gaining ground as a distribution medium, as it should, but is still in its earliest stages.  Remember, the forum wars between Blu-ray and HD DVD were barely ended back in 2008.  Players are still pricey, and with a hamstrung global economy there’s not a whole lot of room for new purchases.  But like I said, it’s gaining ground, but slower than normal.

DVD is still the top distribution strategy, because it encompasses the widest portion of the market and thus, the most potential business.

The Los Angeles Times can say what it wants, but to ignore DVD is done strictly at one’s own risk.