- Disc Sales, including 4k Blu-ray, fall for another year
- There was a general decrease of 23.4% year after year in 2024
- Subscription transmission services, such as Netflix, grew by 25.3%
4K Blu-ray record sales (our superior format option to try the best televisions), Blu-ray and DVD records decreased for another year in 2024, falling below $ 1 billion for the first time in the United States. Digital films sales also fell during that time, adding even more problems for Hollywood Studios.
As reported by Flatpanelshd, the sale of physical media formats fell after an annual decrease of 23.4%, which is a low record after a peak for physical media sales of $ 16 billion in 2005. The 4K format Blu-ray counts for a growing part of the decrease in record sales, although it has seen its sales decrease every year since 2018. Sales of digital movies, from places like Apple TV, fell 10.2% compared to the previous year.
Interestingly, the figures suggest that the home entertainment market is really growing, 25.3% more than the previous year. That includes income from the best transmission services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and more. At $ 57.17 billion, it is seven times larger than the theatrical box office of the United States.
This news occurs after a year of ups and downs for physical media in 2024, which saw Best Buy and Disney decide to stop selling and distribution of discs, only to be followed shortly after by an agreement between Sony and Disney so that the first It takes care of physical means distribution for the latter. LG also announced that he would no longer manufacture Blu-ray 4K players, while retailers like Fred Meyers and Gamestop announced plans to store 4K Blu-rays.
Are you missing?
Here in Techradar we are 4K Blu-ray fans, since we use them to try televisions, including the best OLED televisions and even the best sound bars. This is because reproducing an album in one of the best Blu-ray 4K players allows you to enjoy your favorite movies and television programs with a superior image and a sound quality compared to the transmission.
When transmitted from services such as Netflix in 4K, the quality level is actually closer to a 1080p Blu-ray HD. The average video bits rate for a 4K Blu-Ray is 128MBPS, while the 4K transmission average 18 Mbps, to the maximum at 40 Mbps in services such as Apple TV. However, when I tried Blu-ray vs transmission, the impact was felt more with the audio: transmission services compress the sound bands of Dolby Atmos, while the uncompressed version present in Blu-rays sounds much clearer and more powerful.
Another problem with the transmission services is that it does not ‘own’ the films and television programs they carry. I have constantly found examples of films that I enjoy migrating from one transmission service to another (usually I do not subscribe) or disappearing completely. It is an incredibly frustrating situation that does not happen if it has a physical copy.
The last year was a roller coaster for 4K Blu-ray and this news of the falling sales sales does not have 2025 in the best beginning, but I still It is still hopeful by 2025. Our readers have shown great interest in 4K Blu-ray, so much that we have launched a monthly summary of some of the best 4K Blu-ray launches called ‘Blu-ray Bounty’, with our latest edition from January 2025 available to read on the link.
For anyone fed up with the increase in transmission prices, or perhaps looking to immerse themselves in the world of serious house cinema, 4k Blu-ray is an excellent option. If you are only focused on transmission, you are missing the wonderful 4k Bu-ray world.
