Has Disney+ caused people to dump their Disney DVDs/BR?

[Guitarman]

I’m wondering if, now that Disney + has been available for a while, if people will start to unload their physical copies of Disney titles, and if there might end up being a deluge of Disney DVDs and Blu-Rays showing up in used media stores, thrift stores, library sales and places like that. What do other people think? Do you think that will happen? Have you already started to see stores selling lots more used copies of Disney titles than they had prior to Disney+?

[Kyle]

That's the way the market has being moving, absolutely. I dont necessarily think people are getting rid of their collections, but probably buying them at less, if at all anymore. outside of us nerds that is. and probably the less tech savvy. Grand parents dont care to learn anything new in my experience.

[blackcauldron85]

A few years ago when I went Blu (I converted late), I sold most of my DVDs (that had bonuses ported to Blu), and I did that at just the right time, because Disney+ was released a year later. So I guess I was thinking that people wouldn't be able to sell their Disney movies now (or I guess most movies), since everyone has streaming and $7.99 a month is cheaper than buying a movie. I wonder if people are making as much $ on them as they did a few years ago.

I remember before Disney+ was released, or around the time it was released, it was said that Disney had an agreement with Netflix that in 2023 or 2026 or something, Disney movies would be going back onto Netflix...so I know that I'll continue buying physical releases. And Kyle, you make good points, that Disney fans (or home media fans/movie buffs) and older people surely will still buy physical. But like how some stores (*cough* Best Buy *cough*) don't sell (many) CDs, I wonder if some stores will stop selling physical releases in a few years? I hope not.

[BelleGirl]

Luckily I have a big collection of Disney dvd's and Blurays, including special Disney treasures boxes. I write luckily, for I don not trust this streaming service very much. It's far to easy to censure movies on streaming or put 'trigger warnings' in front of movies/series that cannot be skipped, much to the annoyance of most viewers and only serving a small but vocal group of complainers. As long as bluray and dvd's and players exist, I will keep on buying the movies I want to watch frequently. This is also because many times it happens when you stream a movie on Disney+ 'something went wrong' and you cannot watch it. At least these kind of things won't happen if you put a disc into your player.
As you may guess I do not intend to sell anything from my collections. Some of my dvd's are very special editions too, loaded with extras.

[Widdi]

Moana was the last blu-ray I bought, and it will likely remain that way. I've sold off all but my most favourite DACs and a handful of other non-disney films and even them I'm considering selling now since I don't display my movie collection anymore. I can't remember the last time I actually watched something on disc. Streaming options are just too plentiful and easy to use these days. Plus I don't really care about bonus features anymore as I rarely have time to watch movies these days, let alone bonus content. I'll admit to being super skeptical about streaming a few years back, but my addiction to physical copies has definitely been beaten. I'd rather spend my money on and dedicate space in my home to other things.

[Kyle]

Something I meant to mention, watching traditional media has become more of a chore in modern times than it used to be. I still prefer the image quality, the extras, etc. but blu ray players are not standard in pcs yet, likely never will. On top of that, DRM plagues the experience to the point where it doesn't even seem enjoyable. I used to use my pc specifically to skip through the fluff of dvds, but they've really cracked down things making it such a nuisance to go the legal route, I end up resorting to alternate ways.

[DC Fan]

Luckily I have a big collection of Disney dvd's and Blurays, including special Disney treasures boxes. I write luckily, for I don not trust this streaming service very much. It's far to easy to censure movies on streaming or put 'trigger warnings' in front of movies/series that cannot be skipped, much to the annoyance of most viewers and only serving a small but vocal group of complainers. As long as bluray and dvd's and players exist, I will keep on buying the movies I want to watch frequently. This is also because many times it happens when you stream a movie on Disney+ 'something went wrong' and you cannot watch it. At least these kind of things won't happen if you put a disc into your player.
As you may guess I do not intend to sell anything from my collections. Some of my dvd's are very special editions too, loaded with extras.

Agree on everything.

Not to mention that basically you´re just renting the movies. And, if you decide to stop Disney + there go your movies. And video and audio quality can´t be replaced on streaming.

[Vlad]

I'm not dumping mine once I will subscribe to Disney+, that's for sure.

I think the quality on the disc itself is a lot higher than on the streaming service.

[unprincess]

No Im keeping most of my dvd/blus b/c I want to make sure I always have physical versions of the movies I love the most. Though I do need to sell off a few as I have too many of the same titles, but its difficult b/c one version might have a great transfer but no good bonus features while another might have extensive bonuses but a lousy transfer, and another might have either/neither of these but awesome cover art/packaging, lol.

DRM plagues the experience

whats that?

[Kyle]

Digital rights management

Its meant to prevent piracy. What it does it get in the way of you ripping your own media for your own use. It also can stand in the way of you playing the disc you bought and own if you happen to have a player that was made before they updated the firmware. Some early players made it difficult to update their firmware, forcing you to use another bluray player. It can prevent us from playing the movie in our preferred player, making us use theirs.

Even HDMI has issues with it in its DHCP protocols. If you try using newer hardware with older tvs you might run into issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_YiECKlPuE

I may have some of the particulars a bit wrong but I've heard many complain about this saying all this combined is what drove them to other ways of watching their movies.

[unprincess]

oh that sucks! My Sony blu-ray player is pretty old, I'm surprised I haven't run into this issue yet.

[DisneyFreak5282]

As someone who collects physical media, I've noticed this.

About 4 years ago I sold off my DVD collection and replaced most of my titles with their Blu-Ray (or, within the past 2-3 years), 4K UHD counterpart. I've more or less stopped buying movies or TV series on Blu, but I'm still a big supporter of purchasing physical music. Since most stores carry both, I do still browse the movies, in case I come across a good deal or a rare title I've been looking for.

There's a game store near me that also sells used DVDs, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD, and like most places, they keep their kids and Disney movies separate from the rest. Since I can remember, their Disney section was always relatively small up until the launch of Disney+. Now their Disney section takes up almost an entire wall, with multiple copies of most titles. If you had told me 10 years ago I'd be able to go to a store that has multiple copies of the Limited Issue of The Jungle Book for $5, or the multiple copies of the Platinum Edition of BatB with the slip intact for $10, I never would have believed you. Some titles I've seen are still brand new, too.

At first I was sad about it, but in reality, it's been over a decade since Disney has put any real effort into their physical media releases in terms of bonuses, presentation or packaging. There are still a few DACs on Blu that I've yet to pick up (mostly due to the rarity of some slips), but I'm honestly in no rush to hunt them down since Disney can't be bothered to even release their entire DAC catalogue on Blu.

Luckily for those collectors out there, the days of paying INSANE prices for Disney films on disc are long gone for the most part.

[blackcauldron85]

Ryan! Do you think that all of those DVDs/Blus at that store or other used stores are legit? Are the days of worrying about bootlegs behind us? Or surely some of those might be bootlegs?

[Escapay]

Ironically, since the launch of Disney+ I have been expanding my Disney home media collection. My DVD collection is pretty much complete, although there may be a few live-action titles that have yet to join because they're low-priority DMC exclusives. Blu-Ray is really where I'm focusing, again with DMC exclusives, as I try to get some through third-party sellers rather than joining DMC directly. (It'll cost me more, but they've got enough money from me over the years, so I'd rather help independent sellers and small businesses.) And, of course, I'm still trying to fill out my laserdisc collection - most of it is not really the nostalgia factor, but the "I love this cover, I want to frame it" factor. Plus, there are several films that I like to own in multiple forms of media, so I've taken to also tracking down betamax tapes and the occasional CED videodiscs even though they'll just be bricks in the collection with no playability whatsoever.

Disney+ and all streaming platforms are merely a convenience, but they will never replace having a physical copy at the ready in my home. Especially when the trendy thing on platforms is usually "Here's what's leaving at the end of the month! Watch it before it goes away!" With physical media, I never had to worry about watching "Friends" before it left Netflix or if Prime Video takes away the James Bond films. Likewise, Disney+ has its conveniences and perks (all those classic shorts in HD), but still doesn't replace having true ownership of a film - even if it may be an "inferior" technical quality.

Alby

[Redadoodles]

Even though I mostly use Disney+, I will never get rid of my physical copies. I don’t want to depend on a service if my internet goes down or something.

[DisneyFreak5282]

Ryan! Do you think that all of those DVDs/Blus at that store or other used stores are legit? Are the days of worrying about bootlegs behind us? Or surely some of those might be bootlegs?

Amy!! From what I've seen in the stores, mostly everything looks legit. Of course I've spotted a bootleg or two, but for the most part I'd say the days of worrying about bootlegs are mostly behind us.

[DisneyFan09]

Well, to give my story: I haven`t gotten rid of my DVD/Blu Ray collection of Disney movies, despite having my Disney+ account. I never will. Perhaps there will come a day where I won`t be able to afford Disney+. So it`s nice to have my physical collections for that reason.

[Wonderlicious]

I've generally stopped buying DVDs and Blu-Rays as my priorities have shifted in life and releases have been more barren as streaming becomes more commonplace. When it comes to Disney films, I double dipped on some titles but skipped others due to them either being too much of a hassle to source (Disney Movie Club exclusives, or other things not released in the UK) or being rather mediocre (think poor transfers like The Sword in the Stone, or releases with few if any extras). Sometime soon I'm going to sort some out and donate any DVDs/Blu-Rays I doubt I'll ever watch again to charity shops (Disney or otherwise), but I imagine that I will still keep a lot of them, as I do have a nostalgia for owning films versus just streaming them.

I tend to find that I've been using Disney+ as a sort of convenient on-hand library. I've noticed that a lot of the material I've watched on Disney+ has been either stuff I don't own or is stuff that I own in a lower resolution format (DVD or VHS). And with the latter, the copies will likely be stuffed in a box in a cupboard in my parents' house, making watching on Disney+ a much easier experience. If I have the Blu-Ray (or perhaps even a DVD) of a Disney film I want to watch on hand, though, I'll probably stick that in instead.

There are also some things I want to keep simply as I doubt they'll pop up on Disney+. I know many shorts have appeared on the service, but many haven't, so I'm holding onto my Treasures box sets for that reason. And I'll likely keep a lot of my DVDs and Blu-Rays (Disney or otherwise) simply for the extras as I'm nerdy like that.

[BelleGirl]

I have movies on DVD which aren't on Disney+. Why , for instance is "Make mine music" not available on Disney+? Why only a few of the Silly Symphonies? Disney has such a rich archive of historical film, why don't they put up a collection of, for instance, The early Alice cartoons? Or a special collection of WWII propaganda cartoons (as gathered on the Disney Treasure DVD "On the Frontline").
There could be multiple reasons:

- With their steaming service Disney just want to cater to the general audience that may not be that interested in old cartoons.
-Explaining a cartoon like 'The Fuhrers face' to the general audience of today may me a tad difficult.
-They still want to gain profit from selling Disney Treasures on Dvd and are afraid this will stop if these cartoons are put on the streaming service.

But maybe these things will happen eventually.

[estefan]

Aren't the Disney Treasures sets currently out-of-print? Difficult to make a profit off DVDs that are only available for steep prices by third party sellers on eBay.

I think Disney+ is gradually adding more and more library titles. They recently added Jim Henson's "Dinosaurs", for example, and next month they're adding "The Island at the Top of the World", "Third Man on the Mountain" and the "Adventures in Wonderland" television series.