Target to drop all physical media from stores by 2025

[CyberCubed]

First Best Buy, and now Target. I don't feel so good physical media bros:

https://twitter.com/PhysicalMedia_/status/1780688163243164136

And with Toys R US gone and Gamestop on life support, pretty much only Walmart will be left for physical media and they may follow this as well.

Physical media bros, we're losing the war. It's almost over. By 2030 owning movies/TV shows and games physically will be a high-end collectors thing.

[Autbot_Benz]

First Best Buy, and now Target. I don't feel so good physical media bros:

https://twitter.com/PhysicalMedia_/status/1780688163243164136

And with Toys R US gone and Gamestop on life support, pretty much only Walmart will be left for physical media and they may follow this as well.

Physical media bros, we're losing the war. It's almost over. By 2030 owning movies/TV shows and games physically will be a high-end collectors thing.

you are not a Physical Media Bro, Mr I pirate everything from Illegal websites :roll:

I buy online anyway so as long as Amazon and Ebay are around I can get my stuff there

[MikeandRaph87]

It has shrunk to just one aisle and a stands of new released and that is it at my local Target. I don't understand the phase out of physical media. How else can I own a movie I enjoy after it's theatrical run? Having a digital copy is not a real copy and streaming services can add and pull without notice and having to keep up with a film switching services especially to ine a person does not have? I thought the streaming bubble was getting closer to bursting. Perhaps this puts a pin in my theory and hope.

The consumer resisted the phase out of DVDs, hopefully the consumer will be able to give the industry the message that digital is not a long-term good idea. It's like how the self-service lines went from one to taking over now it's being rethought industry-wide. We'll, like what was said there is always Ebay and Amazon, it's just not the same.

[IndigoErth]

Having a digital copy is not a real copy and streaming services can add and pull without notice
Exactly, I prefer having a hard copy of my faves, since streaming can just make them vanish forever at will. If we have to get them through Amazon or whatever... fine. I mean, Target's section is small anyhow and doesn't offer much, but it better not signal the eventual death of the companies that make physical copies, too. :( At the very least, keep giving distribution rights to those like the one that finally released the 2003 set.

[neatoman]

Yeah, it's kinda lame to have it be all streaming and "digital copies". I mean, screw that, physical releases and the used market is just about the only legal way movies can be preserved for casual use once the distributor decides they are no longer profitable.

And what is the maximum amount of streaming services the average person is willing to pay for? Wouldn't subscribing to Netflix, Paramount+, Max, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu and Peacock all at once set you back like 550 dollars or something every month? Who in their right mind would do that?

[neatoman]

but physical media bros, I saw a bunch of videos on youtube the last month about how physical media was making a comeback.

What videos?

[IndigoErth]

but physical media bros, I saw a bunch of videos on youtube the last month about how physical media was making a comeback.
Sure... the vinyl records. lol

[CyberCubed]

You'll still be able to guy discs on amazon or whatever, but the less retail presence for physical media means a lot of the big companies will be less likely to produce discs in the future as well. I'm sure the biggest movies will always get blu-ray releases, but I think we're looking to the end of regular TV shows coming out on DVD/blu-ray.

If Best Buy and Target have dropped physical media, Walmart probably isn't that far behind and they were the 3 biggest stores. For videogames, once Gamestop goes bankrupt finally that'll be another huge blow. The Playstation 6 may not even have a disc drive.

[ResidentEvil7]

I'm a Best Buy shopper and I was disappointed that the disc version of the 4K movies I want are no longer being sold. I may have to go to eBay, but that's going to be a minor issue, because sellers tend to remove the digital code and sell the disc, where as I want both.

The only movies I want on physical media are in 4K; my DVDs and regular Blu-Rays I ripped and put the MP4 files on a 2TB flash drive and put the disc copies in the basement so I can make room in the man cave for my whole collection.

There are a lot of movies I want in 4K, but a handful I really want while they can still be on physical media some day, such as: Ninja Turtles 1 - 3 from the 90s; Big Trouble In Little China; Ninja Scroll; The NeverEnding Story; and Twister.

[Mad Dog McMutt]

I don't give a crap about picture quality so I am a dvd collector. Luckily dvds are pretty cheap these days. Especially used ones from ebay. You can find almost any used dvd disc for about 2 bucks at the moment. I just use some dvd binders to store them in and collect away. Now I own hundreds of movies. I am already prepared for this new age of physical media no longer being sold at major retail outlets. Bring it on.

[Roseangelo]

I have about 200 laserdiscs available for sale if anyone really wants to enhance their entertainment center.

[KROW]

Ah, laserdisc. The pizza oven of physical media.

[Zulithe]

The death spiral continues...

Soon they will be specialty items, which also mean they will have specialty prices. Don't expect to be able to load up on $10 4K discs during sales for much longer, new releases anyway.

[Andrew NDB]

Exactly, I prefer having a hard copy of my faves, since streaming can just make them vanish forever at will. If we have to get them through Amazon or whatever... fine. I mean, Target's section is small anyhow and doesn't offer much, but it better not signal the eventual death of the companies that make physical copies, too. :( At the very least, keep giving distribution rights to those like the one that finally released the 2003 set.

Honestly everyone did this to themselves.

[FlawedCoil82]

It is very frustrating! But one of the biggest, undeniable flaws in the human design is their absolute inability to understand and appreciate what they have until it is gone completely. People endlessly cry about how they ”miss the good times” yet they themselves all gleefully jump into the latest trends that the rest of the mindless consuming masses declare is “the next new thing” that directly beats to death the former way of doing things (aka; the illusion of “convenience” by allowing multi-billion dollar studios and streaming platforms to have total control over every last bit of the entertainment that they consume or carelessly letting physical stores die because they WORSHIP doing nothing). I despise the concept of paying physical money for a non-physical product. If I am not buying an item that I can hold in my hands, then I am simply paying yet another bill or tax just for the “privilege” to watch or listen to something that someone else owns and completely controls. I am not actually owning the movie or album myself unless I can hold the DVD/CD in my hands and have something to show for my investment in entertainment. No thanks!

I also strongly hate and blame digital pirates who believe that it is their God given right to consume whatever their precious entitled little hearts desire without any need to actually pay for it at all.

[CyberCubed]

I think it's mainly Gen Z kids born after the 2000's that's the main reason for this. Think about it, they were 10 years old in the year 2010 and teens by the mid-2010's and by then digital was already pretty mainstream. They grew up downloading stuff on their phones and computer.

It's the same reason digital games outsell physical games on consoles now too, which is why many believe the Playstation 6 won't have a disc drive and Microsoft is already going digital only. Nintendo will probably stick with physical games for the next few gens though.

[The Deadman]

Im gonna be the one that waits for an actual source on this, because there's no way Target Corp just tells a random dude on Twitter this.

[CyberCubed]

Remember how in 2023 we heard Best Buy was dropping all physical media in early 2024 and people didn't believe it? Well of course it was true. There's no reason why Target wouldn't do the same, physical disc's are just not selling in stores anymore.

[The Deadman]

Best Buy also condensed their movie sections over the years before they announced that too. Target never really had that big of a movie section.

[Cowabung-Gal]

Who even buys DVDs and Blu-rays from Target anyway? It’d be cheaper to buy them at Wal-Mart or even off Amazon.

[oldmanwinters]

Who even buys DVDs and Blu-rays from Target anyway? It’d be cheaper to buy them at Wal-Mart or even off Amazon.

I was thinking the same lines. I do check out the (paltry) physical media sections in the Electronics department when I go in looking for NECA Turtles stuff, and I only really consider buying it if it's really cheaper. But I'm a little more likely to buy disc-media from Target.com, so I guess that will eventually go away too.

[Andrew NDB]

Who even buys DVDs and Blu-rays from Target anyway? It’d be cheaper to buy them at Wal-Mart or even off Amazon.

It used to be sort of neat to go into a Best Buy and just roam down the aisles of Blu-rays, sometimes seeing movies or collections I'd never heard of or forgot all about. I'd often end up buying (and then, seeing) movies I never would have otherwise.

[oldmanwinters]

It used to be sort of neat to go into a Best Buy and just roam down the aisles of Blu-rays, sometimes seeing movies or collections I'd never heard of or forgot all about. I'd often end up buying (and then, seeing) movies I never would have otherwise.

Same.

(This post is at least 10 characters)

[IndigoErth]

Who even buys DVDs and Blu-rays from Target anyway? It’d be cheaper to buy them at Wal-Mart or even off Amazon.

Not me, but our nearby Target has only been open for a few years max and never had much of a section to begin with. It's surprising they even bothered the one.

I've looked at it once in while going past, and I've seen Turtles at least, so that's nice, but nothing I was interested in or didn't already have. Got MM, the last DVD I've bought, from Walmart, but in part because I was just there on a weekly basis anyhow. Go to Target less because it's super busy (which is good though) and a pain to get in and out of there.

Ah, laserdisc. The pizza oven of physical media.
ROFL! Best line I'm gonna read today. :D

I suppose people could try to make them trendy, like the movie version of vinyl albums, and actually make them popular for once. lol


Honestly everyone did this to themselves.
True... true.

Digital became the new thing and saved space, but people won't like it someday when they want to rewatch something they no longer can and it's just gone from existence.

[Andrew NDB]

Digital became the new thing and saved space, but people won't like it someday when they want to rewatch something they no longer can and it's just gone from existence.

In some cases, that's for the best (Willow: the TV series).

[IndigoErth]

:lol:

10+ free characters for ya.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Simpsons gave up DVD, only to return to it a couple of years later.

[CyberCubed]

Pretty soon everything will be digital. No disc drives on consoles, no blu-ray players, don't a lot of computers these days not have a disc tray either for that matter? Even a lot of comic books/novels sell better digitally on kindle that physical copies.

Pretty soon even clothing will be digital. We'll be able to download new clothes and just get them to overlay on our bodies.

[FlawedCoil82]

This past Black Friday was the first in over a decade where I didn’t spend a dime at Walmart. The reason? They had no BF priced movies on sale. I was pissed! I tried 3 different Walmarts cause I thought it was maybe just fluke at my two local stores. But I used to spend hundreds on DVDs and TV box sets. Then I saw Target only had a very select few choices. So then my only hope was Meijer, who did have several shippers of DVDs and Blu-Rays, but even their selection didn’t compare with the large selection Walmart used to have. It was the main thing I looked forward to every Black Friday. So it looks like it will all come down to Meijer now.

[FlawedCoil82]

Pretty soon everything will be digital. No disc drives on consoles, no blu-ray players, don't a lot of computers these days not have a disc tray either for that matter? Even a lot of comic books/novels sell better digitally on kindle that physical copies.

Pretty soon even clothing will be digital. We'll be able to download new clothes and just get them to overlay on our bodies.

And, of course, humanity will do absolutely nothing to try to fight back against it. They will excitedly do exactly as their puppet masters will them to. :x

[Autbot_Benz]

Im gonna be the one that waits for an actual source on this, because there's no way Target Corp just tells a random dude on Twitter this.

Target's response


A Target spokesperson told IGN that the retail chain will be "transitioning the limited assortment of DVDs" they carry in retail stores. The official website will still offer "thousands of titles" for customers to purchase. Though the retail stores are pivoting to a more selective approach in what physical media it carry, the spokesperson told IGN that it would offer select DVDs in its stores when it a new release or "during key times throughout the year when they are more popular," such as Black Friday or during an anti-Prime day sale.

"Based on our guests' shopping patterns and broader industry trends, we're transitioning the limited assortment of DVDs we carry in our stores to Target.com, where guests will continue to find thousands of titles," the spokesperson said. "Moving forward, we'll offer select DVDs in stores when they are newly released or during key times throughout the year when they are more popular, like for gift giving during the holidays."

https://www.ign.com/articles/target-will-continue-to-sell-physical-media-in-stores-and-online

[CyberCubed]

Sounds like they're still heading to phasing them out. It'll be a select few high profile movie releases for awhile and then it'll gradually stop

[oldmanwinters]

This past Black Friday was the first in over a decade where I didn’t spend a dime at Walmart. The reason? They had no BF priced movies on sale. I was pissed! I tried 3 different Walmarts cause I thought it was maybe just fluke at my two local stores. But I used to spend hundreds on DVDs and TV box sets. Then I saw Target only had a very select few choices. So then my only hope was Meijer, who did have several shippers of DVDs and Blu-Rays, but even their selection didn’t compare with the large selection Walmart used to have. It was the main thing I looked forward to every Black Friday. So it looks like it will all come down to Meijer now.

I might have had the same experience, now that I think of it. Digital movies just don’t make for great gifts to people.

[tmntpower1988]

I don't give a crap about picture quality so I am a dvd collector. Luckily dvds are pretty cheap these days. Especially used ones from ebay. You can find almost any used dvd disc for about 2 bucks at the moment. I just use some dvd binders to store them in and collect away. Now I own hundreds of movies. I am already prepared for this new age of physical media no longer being sold at major retail outlets. Bring it on.

I wish I didn't give a crap about picture quality. I have mostly DVD's and some Blu-ray's but not too many of them though. Never owned a 4k disc (even though I have a 4k TV :lol:) but after seeing people praising them online I keep obsessing about getting a 4k player and getting some movies and shows on 4k see what the fuss is about. I sort of don't want to get too much into the 4k craze though just incase I become fussy with picture quality.

[Andrew NDB]

I keep obsessing about getting a 4k player

Just get a PS5. There's your 4K player and you can also play games.

[The Deadman]

Target's response




https://www.ign.com/articles/target-will-continue-to-sell-physical-media-in-stores-and-online

So basically its just gonna be New releases, the Halloween/Christmas based movies and then whatever's not competing with Amazon.

[CyberCubed]

I think the surprising thing is while this felt inevitable, the phasing out of physical media is happening a LOT faster than expected. I honestly thought we'd be in the mid 2030's before this started becoming a thing, but it's probably going to happen by the end of this decade. I do think we'll still get 4k and blu-ray releases of the biggest movies, but you'll have to order them online and they'll start to become collectors item type stuff.

But average DVDs and blu-ray sets of TV shows and not popular movies are probably going to be a thing of the past. And this may also be the last gen for physical videogames, at least from Sony and Microsoft. I do think Nintendo will hold out longer than the other two.

[IndigoErth]

Pretty soon everything will be digital. No disc drives on consoles, no blu-ray players, don't a lot of computers these days not have a disc tray either for that matter? Even a lot of comic books/novels sell better digitally on kindle that physical copies.


Yeah, having not bought a new computer in many years (still got my XP going, albeit on light duty now -- it'll be 20 next month!) it was weird to me at first that a lot of PCs don't default have an optical drive anymore, but I chose to include it in my custom choices for the new one I got a few months ago. I've got way too much, esp photos, etc saved on discs that I don't want to lose access too.

But they may as well just come out with computer/TV compatible external drive/player that can automatically download all the digitally purchased movies, etc people have, so they at least don't have to lose them.


Pretty soon even clothing will be digital. We'll be able to download new clothes and just get them to overlay on our bodies.
And some people like to complain about yoga pants... Just gonna be clothing patterns spray painted on like a big human printer.

[Andrew NDB]

It's a complicated issue. MOSTLY it's the studios wanting this and pushing this... but we ourselves have made them even be able to do that at all, and also we've been getting more and more comfortable about it along the way.

[IndigoErth]

Frogs just sitting there boiling away...

[Andrew NDB]

Like when stuff like Kazaa and Limewire was a thing, sure we could get DVD quality digital movies and shows and catalogue them on our computers. We were conditioning ourselves and didn't even know it. Then the studios figured out how to monetize that. To such a degree that while you still CAN "pirate" a thing, doing so is now so space and time to download prohibitive... why NOT just pay $13 a month to be able to stream that thing, and hundreds of others at a 0 space loss and time loss of "click click"? Against the off chance that maybe, one or two things you love might either be slightly altered by the studio or removed somehow? But it'll MOSTLY be OK. While simultaneously still putting out modern 4K blu-rays that are still packed with ads and seem to still be "dialing home" over the internet and are costing more than ever, simultaneously souring the milk AND gouging the shrinking crowd who are always going to buy them no matter what.

I mean, I get it. Totally.

[ResidentEvil7]

If they do phase out physical media, you can still get it digitally through iTunes and watch it if you have an Apple TV box. You can get a 128GB 4K box at Best Buy for about $150 and you can load it up with all your movies you buy digitally. If it wasn't for me ripping my whole disc collection and putting them on my 2TB flash drive and plug it into the USB port on my 4K player, I would of used an Apple TV 4K instead. It's a good alternative.

[IndigoErth]

And when they phase out those devices, or someone wants to cut back on their bills, or a company dies or gets bought out or they simply decide to change policy and shrug at you losing things you once paid for because they don't want to support it anymore...?

At least you were able to put them on a drive and keep them. Never done digital movies, so can't say I'm fluent in any efforts to not lose what I might pay for if I did.


I hate that in the process of going digital they haven't really passed much (if any) of the savings onto the consumer despite the fact that they save themselves a lot by cutting out all the cost of producing, shipping, stocking and selling physical media (edit: and in some cases advertising). Costs them little after the initial production of a thing to just sit there and sell endless copies without the effort of selling physical hard copies. (Same reason I generally don't do in-game purchases. Costs them little and then they can endlessly overcharge for pixels at no extra expense to themselves.)

[CyberCubed]

As of right now, virtually any TV show, movie, and cartoon/anime are uploaded for free somewhere online. Unless all these sites get nuked somehow, the ability to rewatch anything is pretty much there.

[tmntpower1988]

Just get a PS5. There's your 4K player and you can also play games.

I'll have a look at the PS5's in some of the stores up the town tomorrow. Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero will be coming out for the PS5 so would be good to have a physical copy of that.

[Andrew NDB]

As of right now, virtually any TV show, movie, and cartoon/anime are uploaded for free somewhere online. Unless all these sites get nuked somehow, the ability to rewatch anything is pretty much there.

Except the quality. Sure you can download something in 10 minutes that's DVD quality or maybe 720p at best... but have you seen some of these 4k downloads? And maybe you have a sh**ty screen or are just watching on your phone or old computer and don't care. But if so we aren't talking about the same thing.

[joe-eyeball]

Except the quality. Sure you can download something in 10 minutes that's DVD quality or maybe 720p at best... but have you seen some of these 4k downloads? And maybe you have a sh**ty screen or are just watching on your phone or old computer and don't care. But if so we aren't talking about the same thing.

This right here really sums it up. Digital versions just don’t offer the best picture and sound that can be offered. Shifting to all digital ruins it for people that appreciate all of that. It is a brilliant move by corporations to give the illusion of ownership when you really only hold a temporary license to it.

[IMJ]

The truth is that not only is quality going to be lost, but so is remaining revenue. There are movies I will order online in 4k and so on, but all this really does is make it easier to download something in piracy.

Virtue-signal against it or not, but it's a fact.

[tmntpower1988]

So I ended up ordering a Panasonic DP-UB820, it was going for £500 brand new on eBay but I managed to get it for £260 used, it does have some marks on the player but it is in very good working order though. Ordered myself The Mandalorian 4k's too, see how it goes.

[IMJ]

So I ended up ordering a Panasonic DP-UB820, it was going for £500 brand new on eBay but I managed to get it for £260 used, it does have some marks on the player but it is in very good working order though. Ordered myself The Mandalorian 4k's too, see how it goes.

Awesome! The Panasonic players are great.....

[tmntpower1988]

Awesome! The Panasonic players are great.....

Nice one, I was originally going to go for a Sony UBP-X700 since it was the cheaper option but I seen some people online saying that they had problems trying to play some of their 4k discs that they were skipping and freezing. The Panasonics apparently have a better reputation. Someone on reddit said that the Panasonics are better at upscaling DVD's than the Sony and LG players as well. The Panasonic 4k player is expected to arrive tomorrow so looking forward to it. Is the Terminator 2 4k as bad as people says it is? I was thinking of buying the Star Wars Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy on 4k too. The Batman, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Joker were other ones I have plans on getting as well.

[IMJ]

Nice one, I was originally going to go for a Sony UBP-X700 since it was the cheaper option but I seen some people online saying that they had problems trying to play some of their 4k discs that they were skipping and freezing. The Panasonics apparently have a better reputation. Someone on reddit said that the Panasonics are better at upscaling DVD's than the Sony and LG players as well. The Panasonic 4k player is expected to arrive tomorrow so looking forward to it. Is the Terminator 2 4k as bad as people says it is? I was thinking of buying the Star Wars Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy on 4k too. The Batman, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Joker were other ones I have plans on getting as well.

The Panasonic players have sort of quietly earned this reputation of quality that you wouldn't have guessed the brand had if all you knew of it was it's 90's output.

I regularly read about their Universal Disc Players in articles alongside premium players like the Oppo UDP-203. If my own player ever craps out on me and I can't find another Oppo I'd honestly probably buy a higher-end Panasonic to replace it.

As for T2 I don't think I picked it up on 4k.... -head scratcher- IIRC the last time I bought it was on a Blu-Ray re-release and I think that was because it had a built in THX Calibrator I wanted to use. Arnold flicks seem to be scrutinized a lot - I remember the blu-ray of Predator and it was almost unwatchable, but the newer 4k copy is terrific. Now I'm curious about T2 - haven't watched it in years.

I haven't rebought Star Wars since the Blu-Ray boxed set back in 2009 or so. I would like to get the same movies you listed on 4k as well. If you are looking for a truly stunning 4k transfer in animation then Ghost In The Shell is a must-buy. To be honest both the movie and the animated movie are must-buys in 4k. And Blade Runner 2049, omfg. Masterpiece.

[tmntpower1988]

The Panasonic players have sort of quietly earned this reputation of quality that you wouldn't have guessed the brand had if all you knew of it was it's 90's output.

I regularly read about their Universal Disc Players in articles alongside premium players like the Oppo UDP-203. If my own player ever craps out on me and I can't find another Oppo I'd honestly probably buy a higher-end Panasonic to replace it.

As for T2 I don't think I picked it up on 4k.... -head scratcher- IIRC the last time I bought it was on a Blu-Ray re-release and I think that was because it had a built in THX Calibrator I wanted to use. Arnold flicks seem to be scrutinized a lot - I remember the blu-ray of Predator and it was almost unwatchable, but the newer 4k copy is terrific. Now I'm curious about T2 - haven't watched it in years.

I haven't rebought Star Wars since the Blu-Ray boxed set back in 2009 or so. I would like to get the same movies you listed on 4k as well. If you are looking for a truly stunning 4k transfer in animation then Ghost In The Shell is a must-buy. To be honest both the movie and the animated movie are must-buys in 4k. And Blade Runner 2049, omfg. Masterpiece.

I've been buying away at a bunch of 4K/Blu-Ray combos from eBay the past few days. Got myself:

Joker
The Batman
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Batman Anthology (1989-1997)
TMNT (2014)
TMNT Out of the Shadows
Star Wars Skywalker Saga (don't like that the discs are inside paper slots in the collectable book though, feel like the discs are a bit annoying to take out and feels like the discs might get scratched or break taking them out too :()
Halloween 1-8 (the Scream Factory releases)
Hellraiser Tetralogy
Matrix Trilogy
Spider-Man Trillogy (the Tobey Maguire ones)
Batman vs TMNT
Resident Evil 1-6 Collection
Resideent Evil: Welcome to Racoon City

Bought myself all the Doctor Who - The Collection Blu-Ray's that have been released so far. I do notice the difference in picture quality between the Blu-Ray's and 4K's. Love the vivid colours too. The only problem is that I notice a ghosting effect during motion in the 4K movies. I'm using a Samsung QLED 4K TV Q60T 50 inch. I was planning on getting an OLED once this TV eventually breaks down. I'm wondering what settings I have to change on the TV to try to get rid of the ghosting. It doesn't do it with the DVD's or Bu-Ray's, just the 4K's :( Pity because I love the details even in the background and vehicles look much better in 4K too. Trying to look for answers online.

[IMJ]

Awesome haul!
Don't let yourself miss out on the glory of the entire Underworld saga on 4k! The boxed set is gorgeous and the transfer are fantastic!

[tmntpower1988]

Awesome haul!
Don't let yourself miss out on the glory of the entire Underworld saga on 4k! The boxed set is gorgeous and the transfer are fantastic!

Once I save up more money I'll look into that Underworld box set I seen on eBay. I remember watching the first one, I'm not sure about the rest. I don't even remember what happened in the first movie either, it's been years since I've watched it :lol: