Netflix's DVD-by-mail service bows out as its red-and-white envelopes make their final trip

The Netflix DVD-by-service will mail out its final discs Friday from its five remaining distribution centers, ending its 25-year history. — AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File

The curtain is finally coming down on Netflix's once-iconic DVD-by-mail service, a quarter century after two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs came up with a concept that obliterated Blockbuster video stores while providing a springboard into video streaming that has transformed entertainment.

The DVD service that has been steadily shrinking in the shadow of Netflix's video streaming service will shut down after its five remaining distribution centers in California, Texas, Georgia and New Jersey mail out their final discs Friday.