CES 2017

On the eve of the Digital Entertainment Group’s (DEG) 20th Anniversary CES party, a profound statement was made when invitees were given digital codes instead of physical discs.

Each year, the DEG (Digital Entertmainment Group) party at CES is the most coveted invitation for those who write about or work in home theater. Party-goers are given a nice messenger bag filled with discs. The DEG’s members include movie and television studios, hardware manufacturers (TV/disc player and now streaming media), provide the swag that included generously includes over a dozen discs. DVDs made way to Blu-ray discs.

This year, the booty included only slips of paper with digital codes signaling the tipping point has arrived.

Perhaps it is an implied statement that the industry recognizes a majority of viewers are getting much of their entertainment from streaming rather than physical discs. This is the group that began with DVDs. That’s not to say that the group, or the industry, is giving up on physical media. Manufactures have stated that sales of Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs in 2016 are estimated at 2 million. Still, it seems that it’s the end of an era and an official recognition of the new world of streaming media.

Photo by John Sciacca