Most people these days stream movies online, watch whatever they can find on Netflix or if all else fails- check the telly (which in my opinion never has anything good on except all-day Friends on comedy central!). Personally, I think nothing can beat a good DVD or Box-set. If I’m having a rainy day, I go straight to my massive DVD collection with my all time favorites including a mixture of different genres, ranging from SAW to High School Musical!! If I’m shopping in town and end up finding nothing nice all day, I always take a trip to HMV and pick up a new DVD to watch when I get home! But what if there’s no where to go for a good DVD? No shop that gives me a sense of comfort and happiness as I browse through thousands of different DVDs judging them by the colorful covers, actors and different genres.. WHAT IF?

HMV Galway rang in the new year with some heartbreaking news; Branches of Galway city HMV and Xtra Vision would be closing effectively on January 31st. This shop is one I visit on a regular basis. I found this news out when it was too late; when the 70% off sale was over and when I found myself looking in PENNEYS (PRIMARK) for DVD’S.  PENNEYS for DVD’S!!!. Somebody else told me even Lidl were selling DVD’s now .. What is the world coming to??

It saddens me to think what happened to videos could be happening to DVD’s. I remember thinking DVD’s were so strange when they began to replace  our shelves with millions of massive videos. Now my love for the discs is unexplainable. I love movies and getting to own my own films calling them ‘mine’ is a spectacular feeling. Knowing they are always sitting in my room waiting for me after a good day, bad day, after a break up or after a make up.

People of the modern 21st century want what’s fast, cheap or free (if possible). The advance in technology is insane it’s impossible to predict what’s next to come.. Netflix has gained first preference in today’s modern world. Getting out of bed to put a DVD in the disk tray of the laptop is far too much of an effort, think of those four big steps to the telly! WHY BOTHER?? Especially when we can just let Netflix play the whole series for us without having to click a button in-between!!

Netflix had a total of 62.27 million users worldwide in the quarter ended March 31, 2015. Customers spent more time than ever watching Netflix, streaming 10 billion hours of programming in the quarter,the company said. This forces me to ask the question; do people even buy DVD’s anymore?? Or is it just the ‘old- fashioned’ sentimental buyers like me?

Just when you think it’s bad enough that HMV Galway closed down it was recently announced all Xtra-Vision stores will be closing instantly after a liquidator was assigned by the High Court. Oxtermont Ltd – the holding company of Xtra-Vision – said in a statement: “This move is a direct result of the market decline of shop counter rental as changing dynamics in consumer behaviour has led to customers favouring the retail opportunity in the entertainment market.”

So, there you have it folks. We are coming to the end of an era. Moving towards dark days where we must go to a food shop or retail outlet to buy a new DVD. It’s as if the internet is consuming our lives. CD’s have become a long distant memory replaced by IPod’s and IPhones! The next big question is will DVD stores become rare and will online streaming replace DVDs? Or has it already? 

Over and Out -Saoirse.

Please give this video a watch, it puts the modern lives we are living into a whole new perspective