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Who Even Needs a Blu-ray Player Anymore?

samsung blu ray player

I just realized it’s been a while since I’ve written anything ephemeral or lighthearted. Although, in my defense, it’s been a really weird year. And like everyone else, I’ve had a lot to deal with.

Way back at the end of 2019 (in the before times, if you remember those) I had chronicled how we had moved into a new house, and the changes I had made to our home AV setup. In redoing the AV in the living room, I definitely opted for a minimalist aesthetic. Fewer sources, fewer devices and a much more streamlined install compared to our old house.

Now, nine months down the road, it’s apparent I could have streamlined further still. When we moved, I retired my elderly Denon DVD player and replaced it with a new Samsung Blu-ray player. And in the intervening time, it’s been used maybe twice.

We still have DVD and Blu-ray discs, they just never get watched anymore. My family and my kids — most of all — opt for streaming services for their content. Even if we have a movie on disc, if it’s also right there on one of the streaming services we subscribe to, why not watch it there? In the context of having all this entertainment streamed to us, the whole process of taking a disc out of its case and putting it in the player feels old-fashioned, like playing a vinyl record.

I guess the question I have is whether our household is that different, or if this is more of an overall trend among others too. Let me know!

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