Movie streaming to replace optical discs in 2012, says report

While we bade farewell to floppy disks long ago; the next in the obsolete-tech list is likely to be optical discs. According to the report on Bloomberg on IHS Screen Digest , the year 2012 will see more users opting for streamed movies, rather than watching them on a disc. In fact, it foresees an inflation point, which will lead to a quick demise of optical media. Streaming is expected to increase to 3.4 billion titles this year, up from 1.4 billion. Blu-ray and DVD consumption will top at 2.4 billion, say reports. Amazon and Netflix account for 94 percent of the paid movie content online. While developed nations maybe ready for this change with smart TVs and other options, developing nations don’t seem to be ready yet. 

Will we bid farewell? (Image Credit: Getty Images)

However, this is bound to happen sooner or later. Though the music industry has a fair share of CD users, decrease in the use of movie discs could be likely due to Internet users opting for torrent downloads and other online websites. If you follow the most trending devices, like tablets or Ultrabooks (there are exceptions in Ultrabooks, though), optical drives do not make a standard feature. Yes, the notebook class, which is slowly yet steadily transforming into Ultrabooks have no room for this component, obviously it has to maintain the sleek attire.

Again, in India, it would be too early to comment, as we’re still struggling with PC and Internet penetration across the nation. We still see a lot of users opting for CDs and Blu-ray discs. If 3G prices fall in place, and the 4G rollout makes its way, then the number of mobile online users may see a rise. Moreover companies have been also launching features, like movies on demand, for instance Yahoo’s Movieplex and also Tata Sky’s set-top-box features.