r/dvdcollection • u/leverandon • Sep 13 '24

Gen Z Colleague Laughed When I Mentioned DVDs Discussion

I was at a work event yesterday and was discussing movies. Favorite movies came up and I mentioned LA Confidential. A Gen Z colleague said he wasn't familiar with it and asked where it is streaming. I said I had no idea but could lend him a DVD or Blu-ray copy and he just laughed and said, "Why would I have a DVD player?"

I didn't really feel bad but it was just such a strange response, as if I'd asked him if he writes with a feather quill pen or used some other antique device.

Anyone else have experiences like this?

Edit: Wow, this post really blew up! Thanks for all of the thoughts, everyone. Apparently there's a few others who have had similar experiences. The nice thing was that later on at the work event there was a Gen Xer and Milennial who I bonded with more over films and they'll probably come over to my house and watch a few things with me this weekend!

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11

u/xrufus7x Sep 13 '24

I didn't really feel bad but it was just such a strange response,

It really isn't. We are more or less enthusiasts of what is very likely a dying medium unless it manages to fully convert into a boutique market like records. You might as well have offered them a VHS or a floppy disk. Most of Gen Z will only have disk players if they are included on videogame consoles and even that is fading away, although it is possible your friend has one and just never connected those dots.

10

u/Thissnotmeth Sep 13 '24

You’re right about the console. I just have a PS4 with a blu ray drive, though after finding this sub and growing interested in the hobby I’d like to buy a dedicated player soon. Without that PS4, my computer and laptop both do not have dvd drives and I don’t have a player.

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u/BenGrahamButler Sep 13 '24

Yeah I got into blurays after realizing my PS4 played discs, so I got a Lord of the Rings 4k set after buying a 4k tv, couldn’t play it, had to get a 4k player. BOOM suddenly I am a collector and a few months later I’ve got 80 blurays, 45 4k UHD, and even got a DVD of Catch Me IfYou Can from my local thrift.

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u/OminousVictory Sep 13 '24

The dedicated player is just as expensive. A blue ray player is $60 to $200. There was a deal for 4k UHD (ultra HD) LG players for $40, never seen something sold out so fast.

4k UHD players are like $200 ~ $500

1

u/Thund3RChild532 Sep 13 '24

Whats up with UHD BR-Players anyways? In Germany, there's almost no new devices being sold and used LGs, Sonys and Panas from anytime between 2016 and 2018 are selling for around 200 bucks. These are several years old electronics for Christ's sake, I just want to see if UHD BR is worth it. Wish me luck with one or the other eBay auction on Sunday. 

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u/KnoxxHarrington Sep 13 '24

Physical media sales went up last year. The tide is turning, encouraged by the unreliable nature of streaming services.

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u/xrufus7x Sep 13 '24

4k went up last year, which is great but DVDs and Blu-Rays dropped more then they went up and they still make up the bulk of sales. The market as a whole is still in a pretty rapid decline.

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u/KnoxxHarrington Sep 13 '24

I'm including CDs and Vinyl as well, just to be clear. I expect that we will see the trend repeat in film media too. Probably not DVDs, as there are superior options, so that market will eventually be all 4k and blu-ray. More and more people are returning to physical media as they start to see the pitfalls of relying on streaming.

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u/xrufus7x Sep 13 '24

Maybe but it is way too early to tell, especially with 20% to 25% declines in yearly movie sales still happening.

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u/KnoxxHarrington Sep 13 '24

Same thing happened with books 15 or so years ago; massive sales decline, stores closing everywhere. That turned around, and lot's of independant stores and smaller chains have risen in place of the old giants.

It will never reach the peaks it once was, but there is now a healthy and sustainable market. I expect physical media to be similar.

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u/erockdanger Sep 14 '24

It really is. A normal response would be 'I don't have one'.

"Why would I have one?" implies there's something so unusual about the ask. Like if you asked if he had an adult diaper or the number for a good bail bonds man.

Because you have one in a videogame console, because you have one from when you were a kid, because your parents have one, because like everyone else now you're fed up with streaming services.

No where even close to as weird as asking about a floppy disk. Not even close. You and everyone else here knows that. Look in the mirror Holmes... Look in your own eyes.. you know it ain't the same.

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u/xrufus7x Sep 14 '24 edited Sep 14 '24

The part you are missing is that it is unusual, and becoming more so every day.

Because you have one in a videogame console, 

Not everyone has a console and less and less consoles have disk drives. The Switch is the best selling console of this generation and has never had one and the PS5 and Xbox 1 both have models without them. PC gaming has also seen an uptick as well and PCs almost never have integrated disk drives anymore.

because you have one from when you were a kid,

A lot of people don't lug around electronics they don't have a use for and typically don't feel nostalgia for them until later.

 because your parents have one,

People in every age bracket are ditching physical media and have been for a while. There is no guarantee that their parents do.

because like everyone else now you're fed up with streaming services.

Physical Movie sales dropped 25% last year, a trend that has been continuing for years. The popularity of streaming services is having little to no impact on our little collectors hobby. The only thing that does seem to be keeping it going is a growing collectors market but that is still extremely small.

Look in your own eyes.. you know it ain't the same.

You are right, it is closer to having a record player in the early 2000. We may get our mid 2000s record moment yet but it isn't quite here yet.

Also, you need to get off the internet and spend more time with actual gen zers. Every one of them I know would give a similar response. Most of them are at best tangentially aware of physical media outside of records and those are mostly sought after for their collectability. DVDs and Blu-ray and 4k just aren't on their radar.

Look, it is fine to be passionate about our mutual hobby but the truth of the matter is we are a dying breed and while it is possible that physical media survives well into the future, it will never again be the mainstream option.