I've been involved in the home video industry for over 10 years now, in sales and marketing. I've heard the media "cry wolf" so many times now, I simply turn a deaf ear to it.
When VHS first came out, theatres weren't going to last five years. When satellite first came out, cable wasn't going to last five years. When Pay Per View first came out, VHS wasn't going to last five years. Now with downloading and streaming, theatres and DVD won't last five years. These are just a couple of MANY such death knell's people have made about the entertainment industry over the last fifty years. New technology in the entertainment industry simply forces an evolution or maturing of the industry, it doesn't kill it.
I absolutely love the direction that our studio has taken over the last couple of years to solidify our "survival" during this maturing process. We really got into the cult cinema (horror, anime, sci-fi, foreign) DVD's, and lessened our relying on "mainstream" titles. It is also very important in this ever changing environment to focus on creating a collectible type product - using innovative and unique packaging, special features, audio and video quality, etc... In order to survive, a studio has to truly cater to the collector - a collector who insists on having the great packaging and special features that they can't get with streaming or downloading.
Tell the film fan who buys every Criterion DVD that is released, that they have to now download or stream the film if they want to watch it. You'll have a geek revolt on your hands!
DVD is here for many, many years to come, and will only be replaced by a better method of storing data...