Encore may no longer be part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, but that doesn’t mean that it is completely obsolete. I still get calls for authoring DVDs and Blu-Rays; they are necessary for festival submissions and display loops. People still have their DVD players and they feel comfortable with the format. Even I can’t resist the control with menus and chapters. Some other codecs and formats will now allow embedding that control, but until we have a standardized format some people will still want their DVD or Blu-Ray.
While Blu-Ray has not become as popular as DVD, it is still a format that some people want for their memories. Although, it has been out for a few years there are still some kinks that are slowly being worked out. The discs seem to not be as reliable before burning – I’ve bought spindles that were over 50% coasters. Sometimes Encore will not export to Blu-ray, when this happens I build an ISO and use CDBurner XP to bypass the issues with Encore. Overcoming the growing pains of a newer media is always tricky and one has to learn tips and tricks to make their software work with their drive and their discs.
As for what I would call intangible formats or digital files, yes they will replace discs, but they are not there yet. The videographer would have to learn the format that the customer needs. My phone needs a different size and format than my TV or photo frame and while my computer will handle anything, I can’t guarantee that my client will have the software to play the footage. Does the client want their video online or downloaded to their portable device? There are many possibilities to navigate at this time. Recently, I added a Western Digital Live device to my entertainment center. This box will handle multiple formats, including ISOs. That’s right, I can author a fully functioning DVD and export an ISO that my box can read. It functions like the disc, without the hassle of the disc.
While the physical disc may be on its way out, a packaged digital file that functions like a DVD is going to be the future. The future may not be ISO files, but the only way to replace the disc is to create something similar.