A Nostalgic Way To Watch Movies Is Making A Much Needed Comeback

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Retro media is coming back, and in some cases, for good reason. People are increasingly moving away from digital-only experiences, like digital photography, and into more of the classic, tangible formats, like film-based cameras. The same is even happening with retro handhelds, where age-old designs are making a return and iconic '80s PCs are being reimagined as clamshell handhelds. Wouldn't you know it, the same thing is happening with physical entertainment media — specifically, DVDs and Blu-ray discs. 

A report from the Digital Entertainment Group points out that 4K Blu-ray sales increased by 12% in 2025 when compared to 2024. This happened despite overall physical media sales declining by 9.3% compared to the prior year, dropping to a total of $870 million in 2025 in the United States. That decline, however, was much lower than the 20% drops in previous years. And when you consider how prevalent streaming media options have become, a 12% increase in 4K Blu-ray sales represents a noteworthy number of people investing in physical media.

There's no singular reason why physical discs are making a comeback, but the trend may have something to do with the fact that Blu-ray can maintain 4K quality consistently, while streaming media's resolution can change based on bandwidth. There's also the argument that, when buying digital media instead of a physical copy, you don't necessarily own the content — it can still be taken away if a platform stops working or access is revoked. Blu-ray discs and DVDs are immune to these issues, and as a small bonus, you can always sell them secondhand if you need a bit of cash. Regardless of the motivation, it seems like younger collectors — from millennials to Gen Z — are increasingly choosing tangible ownership over digital purchases, slowing the market's decline in recent years.

Simply put, Blu-ray discs, especially the 4K UHD formats, deliver significantly better audio and video quality than streaming thanks to much higher bitrates. In a direct comparison of 4K Blu-ray versus 4K streaming, the former supports bitrates ranging from 72 to 144 Mbps, while the latter generally falls in the range of 8 to 16 Mbps. So for content quality, Blu-ray takes the win. Lossless audio is also a possibility with Blu-ray, and if you have a really good home theater or surround system, it makes all the difference.

But there are other benefits to owning Blu-ray discs or even DVDs of some older films. You don't need internet access to watch the movie or content, so if your internet goes down but the power is still on, you can watch just fine. In addition, most discs come with bonus features and content, such as deleted scenes, creator or artist commentary, gag reels, and other content you can watch separately. Plus, a physical disc is always yours.

If you're interested in collecting physical media, you'll want to start with the player itself. Some top-rated options are the Sony BDP-S1700U, the Panasonic DMP-BD84P, or one of the best 4K Blu-ray players for cinephiles, specifically. They're sure to deliver an incredible experience. As for DVD players, they're not as commonly found at local retailers. Secondhand may not be much of an option either, as a lot of people have explored various ways to repurpose old CD and DVD players. Though, you can find relatively inexpensive models on Amazon.