In the late 1990’s, the general public were concerned and not just about the imminent rise of the Millennium Bug—which would allegedly cause computers across the world to malfunction and endanger the general public. There were more pressing concerns at hand. People had real concerns that their VHS collections were going to become obsolete since DVDs began slowly taking over the film and television market.

The rise of the DVD
DVDs first went up for sale in the US in 1997 and the technology certainly was alluring. Whilst VHS tapes were bulky, clunky and impractical, DVDs were sleek, innovative and much higher resolution than their cassette counterparts. The DVD also allowed for instant access to certain scenes of a movie, removing the guesswork and labour that came with VHS.

In 2002, DVD players outsold video recorders for the first time and in 2004, Dixons announced they would stop selling VHS players. John Mewett, the marketing director at the time, stated “we’re saying goodbye to one of the most important products in the history of consumer technology.”

The glory days
Between 2000 and 2006, the age of the DVD was in full swing. In 2003, TV compilation sets boomed with Family Guy: Volume One sales doing so well, Fox started to air it again on their network. DVD sales and rentals accounted for 52% of Hollywood’s overall revenue. The dawn of the VHS was long forgotten with car boot dealers selling them in droves for minimal capital.

The fall
In 2006, Blu-ray was introduced, offering an increased storage capacity of 25-50GB, making the DVD’s 4.7GB look meagre in comparison. However, they still had their place. Blu-rays were more expensive and some argued that the quality of a Blu-ray didn’t always significantly outweigh the benefits of a DVD. However, there was another storm brewing in the background.

Since it began in 2002, Netflix went from 700,000 subscribers to 3.6m in 2005. In 2007 the service began streaming content fuelled by the increase in internet speed and bandwidth. Over the following years, it evolved across different consoles and moved into their own content creation.

Early in 2017, film and TV streaming and downloads overtook DVD sales for the first time. High street sales fell by 17% to £894m and the physical rental market fell by 21% to just £49m. In October 2018, John Lewis announced they would stop selling DVD players altogether. The move has been coined the ‘Death of the DVD Player’.

In conclusion
Whilst it’s clear that DVDs are on the decline, there will still be collectors who want a physical copy of their favourite film. We’re in the business of keeping your treasured collections safe, whether it be your horde of rare DVDs, antique vases or designer clothes. You can protect the financial value of your items with a specialist insurance policy arranged by Watkin Daveis. Call us today on 02920 626 226 to find out more.