I’m expecting a move away from optical media before going completely to non-media transfer. I’m expecting a solid state media move where people get a flash drive or similar with the media, which then gets plugged into and loaded onto a server which feeds not only a home entertainment system, but a wireless receiver in your car which when parked nearby will get an upload of newly loaded media.

Once the corporate media outlets are comfortable with rights management of their product in a non-media environment, I’m willing to bet they jump at the chance to do so. From a psychological marketing standpoint, it’s a dream. Without physical media or packaging to deal with, it may give a false sense of ownership where people are more apt to keep spending money on media without a true, immediate realization of how much they have consumed. Yay debt!