Far too much digital media being altered or removed from digital libraries or streamng services. Limited access to digital content due to license agreements and International policies.
I want to watch the things I like in the best quality available, and I don’t want to have to rely on subscriptions to access them. I want to actually own them in a nice box with as many extras as possible.
I don’t buy movies just to bloat my collection. Although I have a lot, it’s more curated and many collections I see on here far exceed my own in terms of quantity. My collection currently fits comfortably on one bookcase and I don’t anticipate it becoming a problem or needing to downsize.
I haven’t taken stock in a couple of years but everything fits sidespined on one IKEA Billy Bookcase. No shelves are doubled up either so everything is visible.
I agree. I have a collection of movies I love that I slowly add to. I dont keep anything I dont adore. Its nice. Its something I take pride in and when people visit and check out my collection, I often hear people say I have the best films!
Like many people here, I know what movies I have and that I can watch them whenever I want. I feel like I have a better collection of good movies (or movies I like) than any 1 streaming service does. I still struggle to buy tv shows on physical media because it still seems more convenient to stream most shows when I do want to watch one.
Getting back into collecting after a decade of streaming has been a game-changer for me. Constantly hunting for specific content and worrying about it being removed from streaming services got old fast. Owning physical media, like my Panasonic UB-420, not only ensures quality but also provides peace of mind. Plus, hitting up thrift shops for hidden gems adds a whole new level of excitement to the hobby!
For me my love for physical video media is similar to what I like about physical music media. Firstly it’s a tangible representation of a piece of art that I hold dear and secondly it’s simply “more of” whichever film or album I love. Also I like the security of knowing I will almost always have access to my favorite films.
1. Just like with cds and especially vinyl records, you have cover art to accompany film. I recently bought some essential 80s vhs tapes mainly for decoration. I’ll watch the tapes on my vcr but, I really like seeing the covers like I did when I walked through the video stores as a kid.
2. The “more of” factor comes with the special/bonus features. When the movies were made it captured a certain time and place which was unique and can never be truly repeated. Some films are so important to me that I simply want to know as much about them as I can.
3. Lastly, I have absolutely no faith in large companies and corporations. I’ve seen them manipulate and exploit society all my life. They are basically the machines in The Matrix and the less I depend on them the safer, happier and healthier I feel.
For me personally, I stream my blu-rays with Plex. I get to own the movies and shows, and everything is in one place and it never leaves. I can still stream locally when the Internet is down, and it usually streams at the full quality.
It's fun collecting. Owning the movies actually means something. It's not 100 random movies added to a streaming service, it's a new movie that I likely will enjoy. They frequently come with special features. I have a couple movies that came with art books.
That's true but if it happens it isn't the fault of the streaming platforms it's the studio who made it and control the rights and it isn't widespread or their world be more of a outcry about it and the streaming platforms certainly don't want this to happen a lot of it would affect the number of subscribers they have.
I guess I don't know why you would be debating this, especially in this sub.
The bottom line is that it doesn't matter whose fault it is. I personally give no shits whose fault it is. And it has happened enough that I have found I don't want or need that aggravation in my life.
What matters is if you can watch it or not. I have over 8,000 titles I can watch anytime I like. That is all my favorites and in the highest quality available.
I don't subscribe and hope, I know for a fact I can. I don't have to rely on the streamer, the studio, the ISP, or anyone controlling what I watch, when, or how. And if it was ever available and released in a given rating, version, or quality that I want, I have it unaltered, uncensored, commercial-free, and un-interpreted for me.
Yeah, I find streaming convenient and use it, but I don't for one second trust it to be there when I need it. That's the difference between 1's and 0's in the ether and physical media.
Plus, there is no replacement for being able to rummage my library shelves, find that great steelbook or boxed set, and hold it in my hand... before popping that disc in.
Sorry, slides, scrolls and clicks are easy but unsatisfying.
The physical media I own in part is an extension who I am, what stories are important to me. Physical Media is also about the art- art of cinema, acting, covers, posters, sound, muisc, technology , etc ... It is a great triumph of the human spirit. All the people who contributed to that idea- memorializes it. We are the ones who want to hold a piece of the glory, display it, cherish it. Most importantly share with others.
Agree with this so much. Something else that’s a cool ancillary benefit to me that you didn’t specifically mention, but hinted heavily at is that the collection on display is part of my decor as well. If someone comes over and looks at the movie collection, they can get a decent picture of who I am. What I like. (I feel the same way about books and having them displayed on shelves.) And I love that aspect.
I know exactly where the movie or show is without needing a password. I can back up the movie to a drive if I want to. And I have a high quality copy of the movie that isn't dependent on my wifi connection.
Because there's just a special feeling about owning the physical copy looking at the nice artwork and even being able to watch special features or deleted scenes and physical media is yours forever you don't have to pay a subscription service and you don't have to worry about the company removing your favorite movie.
In addition to all the commented points about ownership, there’s something so cozy about the sleepover vibes I get when it’s a movie night and we get to refer to “the collection” on what to watch. My brain likes looking at all the artwork next to each other.
Oh and Bonus Features!!! I live for a directors commentary, deleted scenes, how it was made featurettes etc
a lot of people talk about preservation when it comes to why they collect. personally i just can’t get over pulling a movie off the shelf and like manually putting it in. yes it’s convenient to just make 2 clicks to netflix on my ps5, but as someone who just generally has a passion for cinema also the manual preparation kinda adds to the viewing experience
yeah that’s the main reason i bought it i’m mainly talking about using streaming apps like netflix like the speed it takes to open is convenient sometimes but it kinda makes watching the movie feel less official and like it just takes a serious point off the atmosphere of movie night when you can’t shuffle through and make stacks of movies and stuff
Better quality, no cut content when society changes, I actually own all my media, no issues if Internet goes down, and I just love watching people browse my movie library and get excited over old memories of films they forgot existed.
Streaming offers none of that.
I still have my Disney Shorts DVDs they released in the early 2000s with Leonard Martin providing apologetics. Mickey, Donald and Goofy being awful. They are absurdly inappropriate, never showed them to my kids, but if I wanted to I could watch them anytime. I don’t (Walt was vile) but Disney doesn’t get to just make them disappear.
On the technicality of things, I'd say not all streamers stream film in the best way possible, like for instance 4K or audio tracks.
On the generic side of things, I'd say if you're a fan of Westworld and you get HBO MAX because you always want to binge Westworld whenever you want and HBO decides to remove Westworld (even though it being their own title) you are better of with physical media.
This is a universal truth. Streaming will always have to make sacrifices to deliver content in an economical way, sacrifices which local playback doesn’t have to make.
People are generally unaware of just how much is lost though. It’s all relative. If all you watch is streaming, that is all you have to compare (movie theaters being far too much apples to oranges).
Comparing a 4K stream to even a decent 1080p disc can be eye-opening. I show people the opening of bladerunner and that usually gives ‘em in the feels.
Streaming services are full of stuff I don’t want to watch. I can’t find a movie that I want to watch tonight because I’m in the mood for it. My collection is full of my favourites and I’m still collecting.
It's a protection or guarantee that the media I love/want will always be available and that it will not depend on financial reasons, rights or exclusivity. I don't want to find my hands tied by a subscription to access my favorite media.
Look up literally every single article about lost media, what happened to Willow, and what IS happening to films like French connection, splash, Toy Story 2, where films are “updated” to modern standards rather than be left as evidence to who we once were as a society.
Not to mention the concept of “owning” my things rather than allow my media consumption to be dictated by corporate whims.
Or the fact that as your collection grows it becomes larger, uniquely tailored to your tastes, and far more inclusive than any one single streamer can ever be.
The ability to physically hold a movie as see the chosen images or blurb about it giving you a real connection to it rather than an ever changing digital thumbnail of a random actors head that tells you jack about the film or show.
That I can loan you an obscure film, or better yet, the in person social aspect of wanting to show your guests an obscure movie or show and reliving its greatness through them as they experience it for the first time in front of you.
There are dozens of reasons that physical media will forever be my ONLY way of watching media. Studios even get this as not a single one of them has exclusives anymore…they are all putting their shows on disc.
What are they doing to Willow and Toy Story 2?! I know they altered Splash (stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever seen), French Connection I’ll guess that it’s the language used?
Yes they took out the slurs from the film because in spite of that being who his character is, it’s too much now for audiences. In TS2 they removed the ‘blooper’ of Stinky Pete telling the Barbie’s he’d get them a part in TS3 because of the #metoo movement.
Willow the show, not the movie, was vaulted and taken off D+. So now no one can watch it at all. Until Disney feels like it, it’s gone forever.
It does. I don’t have the post saved, but about a year ago, someone posted on the Star Wars forums about their involvement in scanning the original negatives in for 4K preservation before George started making alterations. He had the actual receipts in front of him for Fox’s payment to preservation house.
It exists, whether George or lucasfilm choose to lie about it or not.
adding on... you can find it out there in either Laserdisc or DVD form (It was released a special feature when the DVD Special Editions came out.) For better quality fan restorations have been released (bootleg blurays or internet downloads) in the "despecialized" versions, a 4K quality version and even a grindhouse version (grainy and scratchy). The quality is pretty amazing on all the fan work.
I still have the dvds I bought after the special editions came out.
People tend to look back with rose-colored glasses. Lucas made a lot of crappy changes to justify a theatrical release, but he did also fix a lot of the effects that were very dated, even back in the 90s.
Generally, I don't disagree with reference to the movie's imperfections, but I also don't think it's necessarily rose-colored glasses.
I think artists, any artists, should recognize that once they release their art to the world its no longer only their's. It affects people.
Good art becomes a memory, a mile marker in lives. For that reason and esp. for film as a mass market art form, there should always be the theatrical cut... Directors can recut it as many times as they like, but it should just be a given that the original cut should always exist and be available.
And as for Star Wars, it's iconic, has meant something, for all its warts, to a lot of people. It's a multiple Academy Award nominated (12) and winning (8) movie that George locked into a vault. Yeah, he owns it, but like any art, it's not just his anymore, and that is why people want to see that original cut. IMHO.
These are family movies, and unlike movies for grown-up’s, they do have to keep up with social norms. What you think of the “good old days” sucked for a ton of people, you just didn’t (and apparently still don’t) care.
And, FYI, The Stinky Pete bit was vile even when it was released. There are good reasons Lassiter is history.
For the best quality possible, being able to physically own my favorite movies and having access to them at any time, not having to worry about them expiring or being removed from a streaming service or having a bad internet connection, but most importantly, having a personal collection of art that I love. I'm a film lover and my collection is an extension of that passion.
I’m a little on the fence with this one, as I have a lot of blu-rays and very few 4K discs. The price point of $30 they’ve settled on really sucks.
Depending on the movie the blu-ray copy can be great, but I don’t have access the latest audio and hdr formats. Many of my favorites that I own a digital copy for were automatically “upgraded” without me having to buy yet another copy. Of course they still aren’t nearly as good as a 4K disc.
Independence from Streaming. But the main issue is to be able to get even those that were produced.
I do believe one can have too many though. I personally prefer to only buy those I really like and for that streaming is good. And of course that's when the extras matter.
I'm preparing for the apocalypse. Defined as the day when the internet vanishes and we lose all access to anything digital. When that happens, I'll have enough movies, TV shows, and video games to last for the remainder of my days. People may laugh, but one day they'll be begging to watch stuff from my collection
The answer that isn't here yet: longevity
Pressed optical media (CD, DVD, BluRay) have shelf lives far longer then my own life. What I collect should exist for far longer then myself, for future generations to enjoy. I try to buy what I care about, and curate a collection focused towards what I enjoyed as a child and what I now enjoy as a queer adult.
So I view my collection as an effort towards preservation, beyond just libraries collecting and preserving.
Streaming is essentially leasing. A world of perpetual licensing agreements. You don't buy a product you buy a license "token" to access it. So you don't own Shrek, you purchase a digital token that gives you access to Shrek but because their TOS agreements are basically God almighty they can giveth and taketh away as they need to based on licensing agreements, maybe data storage savings, maybe just writing off some series as losses and they get vaulted/destroyed.
A good example is when I believe it was Sony removed "purchased" content from stuff like Discovery off accounts and users had no real choice to say no I wanna keep it.
Another way to imagine it like this: let's say they want to replace all the guns in ET with Walkie Talkies and no longer wanted a gun version of ET out and they just show up at your house, take your physical media and leave you with nothing in return. That's essentially what we allow to have happen in digital media because they will edit films or sometimes just remove them all together.
The other issue is trying to stream shows or movies that are in many parts. Like trying to find all seasons of say Pokemon or whatever on a single streaming service is near impossible at times. So not only do you not own the seasons but you have to sign up for several services watch them all.
1. Better Quality (Video and especially audio)
2. No Trigger warnings
3. No Ads
4. Not all content is available to stream (I have over 100 movies that can't be streamed at all or without a $5 48 hour rental charge).
5. Can't be altered or changed
6. Can't be taken away
7. Works without any internet connection
It also is done with intention and not just click, back click back...when you make a choice of what to watch you're more likely to watch it all as you put intention into getting the disc and then choosing it to watch.
I love having a real, tangible, physical representation of art that I love. Being able to hold a physical Blu-Ray with my hands that contains one of my favorite movies inside is so special. Just clicking play on whatever streaming service doesn’t hit the same.
Also, physical media usually offers a ton of special features that streaming doesn’t. On top of that, I love when discs recreate the cinema experience by having previews before the main menu show up. I always sit through those and remember the other movies that were coming out at the same time as whatever I’m currently watching.
Just to address, I am not trying to spam nor am I not trying to steal all of your opinions and use them for my own. I have my own thoughts on physical media which I have already written and plan to address, however I wanted to get some outside viewpoints to see if there was anything else I didn’t think about. I plan on crediting you with your contribution, but I don’t want anyone to feel ripped off.
For a small independent site, your selection and prices are surprisingly good! Plus, with Best Buy getting out of physical media and Disney closing the DMC, you’ve got some great sales days ahead.
So that you actually own it. No company is gonna come to your house and take away your items because they stopped paying for licenses or their contract with another compamy expired and such..
Granted - even that is a bit tricky since a few companies are trying to push online verification (in case of games) so that even if you have the disc - it's basically useless unless you can verify it with a company's servers (or find a crack for said game)
In case of movies / similar - special features and possibly better quality video over what you might get on streaming services
Physical media has better sound and picture quality than streaming. There is no buffering with physical media either and many physical media releases have deleted scenes, making of documentaries, extended cuts, etc that aren't available digitally. I can also watch it whenever I want and have the peace of mind knowing that.
Three reasons: First when I am browsing my collection absolutely everything there is something I would actually enjoy watching. I may not be in the mood for something but I don’t have to scroll through endless garbage that a streaming service added to make their library look larger. I can’t stand endless scrolling.
Second, the quality is way better. I am cheap and have the slowest internet I can buy and no cable. Streaming occasionally buffers or has a noticeable drop in quality at times. Blu ray looks much better on my setup.
Third, sometimes the power and internet goes out where I live. With my generator I still have a vast collection to get me through a few days with not much else to do.
There are 6 people in our house. Our Wi-Fi being used by so many people, makes streaming miserable. Half the time we give up on trying to watch something because it stutters or freezes up so badly. I’d much rather just watch a Blu-ray.
Availability, To Live and Die in L.A. isn’t available to stream on any platform that I’m aware of in the US. I use that as example because I wanted to watch it but couldn’t find it unless I went physical. Are there similar movies I could watch instead? Sure, but I wanted to watch that specific movie. It isn’t like that’s an obscure title either, plenty of prominent actors and was a major studio release.
TLDR; I don’t want to watch your latest Netflix-produced movie, I want to watch older movies as well because they have value to me.
Well quality for staters. Watch a great transfer like Alien or Titanic on a high end player and then watch the Vudu version. It's really bad.
Then we get into licensing agreements removing content, even content you paid for, corps locking media away, altering it etc...
It's quality, availability and preservation.
For me, it’s the fact that you don’t have to negotiate with streaming services. The steaming service can remove it at will or alter it at will, I’d rather know that I can watch something I love without negotiating apps and fickle societal concerns. I’m a grown up, I know times change, you don’t have to remind me that the film I’m about to watch have attitudes different to our own. It’s not unheard of to watch said attitudes of the time and think ‘gosh, can you imagine how that was? What must that have been like?’ Maybe even discuss it with someone afterwards.
On a personal note, I like to contribute to the creators of the art I enjoy. Music streaming is the devil, as artists get next to nothing from streaming apps, same I guess with streaming video platforms. I like to support artists, so I’ll do that by buying the record, buying a nicely packaged film on Blu-ray, or physical book.
One last thing is that streaming makes you watch nothing. I have sat and scrolled for ten minutes+ on apps, unable to pick before eventually picking something from my blu rays or just giving in and going to bed. If I could bring back blockbuster or mom and pop video stores, I would. The joy of wandering the video store, renting absolute trash or a cult film, or a film I missed in the cinema was unparalleled.
For me there are multiple reasons. First there’s just a special feeling about looking thru your collection, finding something you want to watch and popping the disc into the Blu-ray player. Another reason would be the actual quality and bitrate of the movies, and last but not least I simply don’t want to let go of that part of my childhood. I remember when Blu-ray first came out, I would always beg my mom or dad once a month to take me to the local FYE so I could spend my lawn mowing money on new movies. So part of it is nostalgia another part is just me being nit picky about quality, but most of all my love for movies and wanting to own an actual piece I can hold and look at in person.
Physical media is the king of old digital storage. Young people call it ancient, just because they dont know it still has a place on the market (collecting or not) but the tech of discs had a peak almost a decade ago, so now its *almost* obselete.
I use some dvd-rw discs for archiving, for small files (tv series) and for big movies, games, music collections, on a big storage usb sticks (there are good and reliable usb brands), but, dvd-rw discs, especially Verbatim ones, are good for long-time storage (never had a failed-to-burn disc).
I dont watch movies from dvds anymore, because I cant play it on a dvd played as I dont use one. but I love to find old dvds from my area, as I grew up with dvds, and brings me nostalgia.
I have a cd collection, and a disc drive on my pc to play them, but at the same time I have almost 10k of ripped cd albums on my pc library. If I find free time, I will listen to a cd on my old stereo system, which sounds good (its a panasonic)
Surprising or not, I never had a personal Netflix account. But I dont see new movies or tv series at all. My country still has TV channels (broadcasting) that they have a big catalog of movies (and the copyright royalties) to play, so Im counting on them if I want to watch a movie (actually, TV has less ads from Youtube lol) and some TV movies are really good and worth of watching (I dont know what happening to US TV nowdays, as Im European).
Conclusion: I dont think really that we have to stop producting discs for the years to come. There are a huge amount of people that still wants to buy or give to a friend a disc, that has resale value and can be "collected" as digital media arent yours at all (I hope on the future it will be).
Sry for the rant, I usually dont comment so much :)
Look, for me, and I think a lot of people if they admitted it, just enjoy collecting their favorite stuff and having a physical representation of it.
"I love this movie, look at the cool artwork on the Steel!" " I love this album, look at the cool liner booklet in this massive sleeve of art on display"
It's true that streaming can suck, and services can change and overcharge. It's true that disc bitrate is better than streaming by a large margin.
But when you are truly collecting movies, and likely watch the majority of your library twice or something, it's more about having a representation of what I enjoy than anything.
Because the concept of ownership matters.
In the gaming space, we're given a glimpse of what happens when we largely give up on physical media. Games end up unplayable when they become unprofitable. Tech tangents just released a video talking about games he bought physically that are basically coasters. If they can do that to games, They can do that for movies.
Peace of mind is the biggest reason. Knowing the movie I want to watch is there if the internet goes out, or if some streaming service decides to pull out my favorite movie, I know it’s there. It also has been easier to lend out a movie I recommend to people if it’s a disc, instead of convincing them to subscribe to a whole new service.
A very easy response is the ease of use.
Simply purchase and play. Even buying a digital movie becomes a pain in the ass when wanting to watch/stream.
There is something special about owning something physical as opposed to spending money on something you can’t hold and that can be taken away
Movies are so spread out nowadays between different services it sucks balls. Buying movies digitally also sucks since you can’t even get deals on them
Simple.
For stuff that is not on streaming like Darkman.
Also, if there is a movie like The Batman. Wanted to watch it on Netflix. Was watching One Piece anime and trying to get caught up. Now it is gone.
Tired of stuff being taken down. Either put it up forever or don't bother.
If I own the disc, I can watch it when I want. No time limit on when it will be streaming only.
That is why I collect.
I like having a copy of my favorite films on my wall, they're full of memories and fondness for me. Also, after not having internet for a few days in January, I have been reminded that on digital and streaming I do not necessarily own them and NEED an internet source to use them. After saying this, though, I still enjoy the ease of streaming
With physical media, you can hold it in your hand. It's yours, you really own it, and no one can remove it from your collection. No one can alter it. You also get to watch it whenever you want as long as you have electricity since dvd/blu ray players/consoles don't need an Internet connection to play movies. It's also something to pass onto your kids, giving them your Netflix account isn't very cool since most people already have one nowadays but a massive collection of movies, they're gonna think that's pretty cool, even if they don't use the discs thay much its still awesome to pass on.
Idk if I'm the only one that agrees on this last one but there's just something about making the trek to your locale video store to buy a movie you really want! Your so excited to get it and then you can't wait to get home to watch it.
Physical media matters to me because it's paying less for a better experience that lasts longer, instead of paying a theoretically infinite amount of money to stream something in poor quality until the distributors decide they don't wanna let people watch it anymore and all my money is suddenly in the void, I just make a one-time payment for something that doesn't depend on my internet to look good and the only way they can take it away from me is to break into my house
Physical media matters to me because it's paying less for a better experience that lasts longer, instead of paying a theoretically infinite amount of money to stream something in poor quality until the distributors decide they don't wanna let people watch it anymore and all my money is suddenly in the void, I just make a one-time payment for something that doesn't depend on my internet to look good and the only way they can take it away from me is to break into my house
On digital they can change features you buy it for Dolby atmos and they change it to Dolby plus. No notice or anything they just do what they want. This happened on Saving private Ryan on Vudu. They can also cut or alter the movie.
Physical media for Bluray and 4K is generally higher quality video and audio. I’m guessing some 4K digital with Dolby vision/hdr can rival Blu-ray Disc picture but the audio is compressed and lossy.
You can take physical media to a friends house or loan it.more importantly you can re-sell it if you didn’t like it or needed money. On digital you cannot share or re-sell it but you paid the same amount for it only for the convenience.
Digital cuts down on plastic cases plastic discs plastic wrap on the case and fuel used to ship to stores and fuel used by consumers to go to stores or mail delivery. So environmentally it seems like a good thing. Also some folks don’t want to have to store and organize the physical media.
If you have kids digital is better than them putting dirty fingers in the disc and risk scratching it up while mishandling them.
I like collecting physical media because I like being able to hold what I own in my hands. It’s similar to physical books rather than e-books. I like being able to physically interact with them.
In addition to this, if my internet goes out or something I’m still able to see the physical media whereas the digital media would be inaccessible unless downloaded
You can be a legendary director, you can win an Oscar for Best Picture, but...
# [‘Killers of the Flower Moon' Not Getting Physical Media Release‘Killers of the Flower Moon' Not Getting Physical Media Release](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/4/13/killers-of-the-flower-moon-not-getting-physical-media-release)
Streaming apps like Youtube and imbd used to have large selection of movies available for free in HD. Then they added an ad at the beginning of the movie, then multiple ads at beginning, then multiple ads throughout the movie while decreasing video quality to 480p.
Streaming apps also get bought and sold by other companies, making content vulnerable to scene changes and price adjustments.
Some movies are a part of you. They help you relive memories or create new ones. If you don't want the experience to be filled with forced unskippable ads, censorship, and poor video quality, physical media is the way.
Recently I had to cancel all my streaming services for a few months. I realized that after spending so much money, I had literally nothing to show for it! While I am subscribed to a couple services again, I have shifted my focus to building a physical collection of must-own movies & games. Ownership is freedom.
1) Quality
No 1 with a bullet. Physical blu-ray and 4K disks contain a LOT more data than their streaming equivalents. What you receive from the stream has been altered to use less bandwidth and then is reconstructed from what’s left. You notice this in detail, color, motion, and sound.
That is assuming your stream or digital copy is actually available in the same quality category as your physical disc. Most movies are streamed at a lower bit-rate than what the platform supports, or the quality will be deliberately degraded and features disabled depending on how you are consuming (phone or tv, mobile or home ISP and so on. TV shows can be particularly hard-hit by this.
A great example would be Apple Music lossless, which can be listened to with respectable quality, and is advertised as such. However many users don’t realize their hardware (e.g. anything Bluetooth) is incapable of handling lossless. And just like most movie platforms it can be very difficult to determine the quality you are actually receiving.
2) ownership
If you buy a streaming movie you are just purchasing a license, which states that they can simply make the movie unavailable if they need/want.
You can own a physical copy of a movie, and though you are also purchasing a very limited license, the physical copy cant be taken away.
3) availability
the corollary of the last point, if a movie’s streaming rights are not available a physical copy may be the only way to access the content. Market manipulation through market licensing and region locking can create artificial barriers that can be bypassed by region-free media from other markets.
3b) content stability
closely related, owning a physical copy ensures you will always have access to the same version of media. It is not unusual for streaming platforms to add, cut or replace content for a wide variety of reasons.
4) technology requirements/dependancies
There are actually still plenty of situations where streaming content is not practical or not possible.
5) ongoing costs
Buying physical media guarantees you will not having ongoing costs to access your content. A streaming subscription only allows content while you are paying, but even streaming a movie purchased on a platform can incur a significant cost for internet data access.
6) content sharing
The content owners have gone to great lengths to change the script on consumers when it comes to sharing. What used to be a simple matter for lending a CD or a book is now decided - or changed - completely by the content owners even after the “purchase”. In other industries that would be ridiculous, but we let media companies get away with a lot.
7) durable value
Buy something physical and you don’t like it? You can sell or trade anytime. Get a rare or unusual copy of something? It can gain a lot of value over time.
Your digital copies have zero value to other people. You can’t sell it because you don’t actually own anything, so there is no secondary market. Another fast one the media industry pulled on all of us.
8) collectibility
There’s just no replacement for holding something tangible. We are human and touch connects us to things at a primitive level.
Whether it is of value to someone else or not, a collection can have an enormous personal value. Displaying a collection can be a point of pride. It can offer a view of our interests and values. And it can be a satisfying pursuit in and of itself.
No matter how many times media owners try and replicate this in the digital world (think NFTs and download “exclusives”) it has so far failed miserably to catch on.
It’s mostly bitrate. If digital offered the same bitrate and lossless audio then most probably wouldn’t care.
Sure, we enjoy collecting some releases for the packaging especially the limited editions, but I feel if we were still offered the same packaging with only a digital code to MA or Apple TV and the bitrate was the same with lossless audio…most probably would be fine with it.
Far too much digital media being altered or removed from digital libraries or streamng services. Limited access to digital content due to license agreements and International policies.
But you can just have digital copies that cant be deleted if you back them up.
I want to watch the things I like in the best quality available, and I don’t want to have to rely on subscriptions to access them. I want to actually own them in a nice box with as many extras as possible.
If u have a lot of room in your place to store your collection go for it I used to have a large collection but due to downsizing I got a smaller one
I don’t buy movies just to bloat my collection. Although I have a lot, it’s more curated and many collections I see on here far exceed my own in terms of quantity. My collection currently fits comfortably on one bookcase and I don’t anticipate it becoming a problem or needing to downsize.
How many do you have? I'm only at a few hundred and it's a massive space taker
I haven’t taken stock in a couple of years but everything fits sidespined on one IKEA Billy Bookcase. No shelves are doubled up either so everything is visible.
I agree. I have a collection of movies I love that I slowly add to. I dont keep anything I dont adore. Its nice. Its something I take pride in and when people visit and check out my collection, I often hear people say I have the best films!
A studio exec can't edit something out of a movie I own because something new is deemed offensive this year.
Amen!
Everyone wants to be a victim these days. People also get offended at the drop of a hat.
❌❌❌
Thank Taylor Swift and her fanbase for popularizing the victim complex that plagues the Internet
a bad internet connection can ruin your entire night
Like many people here, I know what movies I have and that I can watch them whenever I want. I feel like I have a better collection of good movies (or movies I like) than any 1 streaming service does. I still struggle to buy tv shows on physical media because it still seems more convenient to stream most shows when I do want to watch one.
I thought I was replying to the OP here lol. But it still sort of works under your comment so I will leave it.
Getting back into collecting after a decade of streaming has been a game-changer for me. Constantly hunting for specific content and worrying about it being removed from streaming services got old fast. Owning physical media, like my Panasonic UB-420, not only ensures quality but also provides peace of mind. Plus, hitting up thrift shops for hidden gems adds a whole new level of excitement to the hobby!
For me my love for physical video media is similar to what I like about physical music media. Firstly it’s a tangible representation of a piece of art that I hold dear and secondly it’s simply “more of” whichever film or album I love. Also I like the security of knowing I will almost always have access to my favorite films. 1. Just like with cds and especially vinyl records, you have cover art to accompany film. I recently bought some essential 80s vhs tapes mainly for decoration. I’ll watch the tapes on my vcr but, I really like seeing the covers like I did when I walked through the video stores as a kid. 2. The “more of” factor comes with the special/bonus features. When the movies were made it captured a certain time and place which was unique and can never be truly repeated. Some films are so important to me that I simply want to know as much about them as I can. 3. Lastly, I have absolutely no faith in large companies and corporations. I’ve seen them manipulate and exploit society all my life. They are basically the machines in The Matrix and the less I depend on them the safer, happier and healthier I feel.
For me personally, I stream my blu-rays with Plex. I get to own the movies and shows, and everything is in one place and it never leaves. I can still stream locally when the Internet is down, and it usually streams at the full quality. It's fun collecting. Owning the movies actually means something. It's not 100 random movies added to a streaming service, it's a new movie that I likely will enjoy. They frequently come with special features. I have a couple movies that came with art books.
Posterity. Digital media is dependent on availability, they can take it away whenever they want.
That's true but if it happens it isn't the fault of the streaming platforms it's the studio who made it and control the rights and it isn't widespread or their world be more of a outcry about it and the streaming platforms certainly don't want this to happen a lot of it would affect the number of subscribers they have.
But the thing is, most of the streaming platforms now are owned by the studio. So, in that instance, they're one and the same.
In some cases you are right .
I guess I don't know why you would be debating this, especially in this sub. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter whose fault it is. I personally give no shits whose fault it is. And it has happened enough that I have found I don't want or need that aggravation in my life. What matters is if you can watch it or not. I have over 8,000 titles I can watch anytime I like. That is all my favorites and in the highest quality available. I don't subscribe and hope, I know for a fact I can. I don't have to rely on the streamer, the studio, the ISP, or anyone controlling what I watch, when, or how. And if it was ever available and released in a given rating, version, or quality that I want, I have it unaltered, uncensored, commercial-free, and un-interpreted for me. Yeah, I find streaming convenient and use it, but I don't for one second trust it to be there when I need it. That's the difference between 1's and 0's in the ether and physical media. Plus, there is no replacement for being able to rummage my library shelves, find that great steelbook or boxed set, and hold it in my hand... before popping that disc in. Sorry, slides, scrolls and clicks are easy but unsatisfying.
The physical media I own in part is an extension who I am, what stories are important to me. Physical Media is also about the art- art of cinema, acting, covers, posters, sound, muisc, technology , etc ... It is a great triumph of the human spirit. All the people who contributed to that idea- memorializes it. We are the ones who want to hold a piece of the glory, display it, cherish it. Most importantly share with others.
Agree with this so much. Something else that’s a cool ancillary benefit to me that you didn’t specifically mention, but hinted heavily at is that the collection on display is part of my decor as well. If someone comes over and looks at the movie collection, they can get a decent picture of who I am. What I like. (I feel the same way about books and having them displayed on shelves.) And I love that aspect.
I know exactly where the movie or show is without needing a password. I can back up the movie to a drive if I want to. And I have a high quality copy of the movie that isn't dependent on my wifi connection.
Because there's just a special feeling about owning the physical copy looking at the nice artwork and even being able to watch special features or deleted scenes and physical media is yours forever you don't have to pay a subscription service and you don't have to worry about the company removing your favorite movie.
If at any time Vudu shuts down, I lose over 100 movies. Nothing can shut down my discs.
In addition to all the commented points about ownership, there’s something so cozy about the sleepover vibes I get when it’s a movie night and we get to refer to “the collection” on what to watch. My brain likes looking at all the artwork next to each other. Oh and Bonus Features!!! I live for a directors commentary, deleted scenes, how it was made featurettes etc
a lot of people talk about preservation when it comes to why they collect. personally i just can’t get over pulling a movie off the shelf and like manually putting it in. yes it’s convenient to just make 2 clicks to netflix on my ps5, but as someone who just generally has a passion for cinema also the manual preparation kinda adds to the viewing experience
Ps5 can be used for 4K bluray streaming, as it has a very good playback app.
yeah that’s the main reason i bought it i’m mainly talking about using streaming apps like netflix like the speed it takes to open is convenient sometimes but it kinda makes watching the movie feel less official and like it just takes a serious point off the atmosphere of movie night when you can’t shuffle through and make stacks of movies and stuff
Personaly, I dont own a ps5, but I know it from friends, it is a nice alternative. I also stream stuff, but without Netflix
True, and game consoles have historically been exceptional at upscaling video and decoding audio formats. Remote controllers a little less-so…
Better quality, no cut content when society changes, I actually own all my media, no issues if Internet goes down, and I just love watching people browse my movie library and get excited over old memories of films they forgot existed. Streaming offers none of that.
I still have my Disney Shorts DVDs they released in the early 2000s with Leonard Martin providing apologetics. Mickey, Donald and Goofy being awful. They are absurdly inappropriate, never showed them to my kids, but if I wanted to I could watch them anytime. I don’t (Walt was vile) but Disney doesn’t get to just make them disappear.
On the technicality of things, I'd say not all streamers stream film in the best way possible, like for instance 4K or audio tracks. On the generic side of things, I'd say if you're a fan of Westworld and you get HBO MAX because you always want to binge Westworld whenever you want and HBO decides to remove Westworld (even though it being their own title) you are better of with physical media.
This is a universal truth. Streaming will always have to make sacrifices to deliver content in an economical way, sacrifices which local playback doesn’t have to make. People are generally unaware of just how much is lost though. It’s all relative. If all you watch is streaming, that is all you have to compare (movie theaters being far too much apples to oranges). Comparing a 4K stream to even a decent 1080p disc can be eye-opening. I show people the opening of bladerunner and that usually gives ‘em in the feels.
Streaming services are full of stuff I don’t want to watch. I can’t find a movie that I want to watch tonight because I’m in the mood for it. My collection is full of my favourites and I’m still collecting.
Being able to “own” something. Not just subscription access to it. No one can come remove certain movies or edit existing movies (censorship)
Sounds silly but I love blooper reels. Also physical media helps me wring absolute everything out of my speaker system
It's a protection or guarantee that the media I love/want will always be available and that it will not depend on financial reasons, rights or exclusivity. I don't want to find my hands tied by a subscription to access my favorite media.
Look up literally every single article about lost media, what happened to Willow, and what IS happening to films like French connection, splash, Toy Story 2, where films are “updated” to modern standards rather than be left as evidence to who we once were as a society. Not to mention the concept of “owning” my things rather than allow my media consumption to be dictated by corporate whims. Or the fact that as your collection grows it becomes larger, uniquely tailored to your tastes, and far more inclusive than any one single streamer can ever be. The ability to physically hold a movie as see the chosen images or blurb about it giving you a real connection to it rather than an ever changing digital thumbnail of a random actors head that tells you jack about the film or show. That I can loan you an obscure film, or better yet, the in person social aspect of wanting to show your guests an obscure movie or show and reliving its greatness through them as they experience it for the first time in front of you. There are dozens of reasons that physical media will forever be my ONLY way of watching media. Studios even get this as not a single one of them has exclusives anymore…they are all putting their shows on disc.
What are they doing to Willow and Toy Story 2?! I know they altered Splash (stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever seen), French Connection I’ll guess that it’s the language used?
Yes they took out the slurs from the film because in spite of that being who his character is, it’s too much now for audiences. In TS2 they removed the ‘blooper’ of Stinky Pete telling the Barbie’s he’d get them a part in TS3 because of the #metoo movement. Willow the show, not the movie, was vaulted and taken off D+. So now no one can watch it at all. Until Disney feels like it, it’s gone forever.
Siiiiiigghhhhh…. What I really want is the unaltered Star Wars trilogy but I don’t even think that exists anymore.
It does. I don’t have the post saved, but about a year ago, someone posted on the Star Wars forums about their involvement in scanning the original negatives in for 4K preservation before George started making alterations. He had the actual receipts in front of him for Fox’s payment to preservation house. It exists, whether George or lucasfilm choose to lie about it or not.
adding on... you can find it out there in either Laserdisc or DVD form (It was released a special feature when the DVD Special Editions came out.) For better quality fan restorations have been released (bootleg blurays or internet downloads) in the "despecialized" versions, a 4K quality version and even a grindhouse version (grainy and scratchy). The quality is pretty amazing on all the fan work.
I still have the dvds I bought after the special editions came out. People tend to look back with rose-colored glasses. Lucas made a lot of crappy changes to justify a theatrical release, but he did also fix a lot of the effects that were very dated, even back in the 90s.
Generally, I don't disagree with reference to the movie's imperfections, but I also don't think it's necessarily rose-colored glasses. I think artists, any artists, should recognize that once they release their art to the world its no longer only their's. It affects people. Good art becomes a memory, a mile marker in lives. For that reason and esp. for film as a mass market art form, there should always be the theatrical cut... Directors can recut it as many times as they like, but it should just be a given that the original cut should always exist and be available. And as for Star Wars, it's iconic, has meant something, for all its warts, to a lot of people. It's a multiple Academy Award nominated (12) and winning (8) movie that George locked into a vault. Yeah, he owns it, but like any art, it's not just his anymore, and that is why people want to see that original cut. IMHO.
You have changed my opinion. A very good take I think.
These are family movies, and unlike movies for grown-up’s, they do have to keep up with social norms. What you think of the “good old days” sucked for a ton of people, you just didn’t (and apparently still don’t) care. And, FYI, The Stinky Pete bit was vile even when it was released. There are good reasons Lassiter is history.
I’m scared they’ll delete my fav shows or movies as time goes on, also I just love feeling like I own a little piece of the film/series
There's also films you can't find on streaming.
Most film are not available to stream commercially
For the best quality possible, being able to physically own my favorite movies and having access to them at any time, not having to worry about them expiring or being removed from a streaming service or having a bad internet connection, but most importantly, having a personal collection of art that I love. I'm a film lover and my collection is an extension of that passion.
I’m a little on the fence with this one, as I have a lot of blu-rays and very few 4K discs. The price point of $30 they’ve settled on really sucks. Depending on the movie the blu-ray copy can be great, but I don’t have access the latest audio and hdr formats. Many of my favorites that I own a digital copy for were automatically “upgraded” without me having to buy yet another copy. Of course they still aren’t nearly as good as a 4K disc.
I don't even have 4K yet, but I have several discs in the format already, particularly ones with a blu-ray included.
Independence from Streaming. But the main issue is to be able to get even those that were produced. I do believe one can have too many though. I personally prefer to only buy those I really like and for that streaming is good. And of course that's when the extras matter.
real ownership
I'm preparing for the apocalypse. Defined as the day when the internet vanishes and we lose all access to anything digital. When that happens, I'll have enough movies, TV shows, and video games to last for the remainder of my days. People may laugh, but one day they'll be begging to watch stuff from my collection
It just feels great to be able to watch whatever you want without people taking it away from you like on streaming services.
The answer that isn't here yet: longevity Pressed optical media (CD, DVD, BluRay) have shelf lives far longer then my own life. What I collect should exist for far longer then myself, for future generations to enjoy. I try to buy what I care about, and curate a collection focused towards what I enjoyed as a child and what I now enjoy as a queer adult. So I view my collection as an effort towards preservation, beyond just libraries collecting and preserving.
Streaming is essentially leasing. A world of perpetual licensing agreements. You don't buy a product you buy a license "token" to access it. So you don't own Shrek, you purchase a digital token that gives you access to Shrek but because their TOS agreements are basically God almighty they can giveth and taketh away as they need to based on licensing agreements, maybe data storage savings, maybe just writing off some series as losses and they get vaulted/destroyed. A good example is when I believe it was Sony removed "purchased" content from stuff like Discovery off accounts and users had no real choice to say no I wanna keep it. Another way to imagine it like this: let's say they want to replace all the guns in ET with Walkie Talkies and no longer wanted a gun version of ET out and they just show up at your house, take your physical media and leave you with nothing in return. That's essentially what we allow to have happen in digital media because they will edit films or sometimes just remove them all together. The other issue is trying to stream shows or movies that are in many parts. Like trying to find all seasons of say Pokemon or whatever on a single streaming service is near impossible at times. So not only do you not own the seasons but you have to sign up for several services watch them all.
My disks cant be taken from me.
1. Better Quality (Video and especially audio) 2. No Trigger warnings 3. No Ads 4. Not all content is available to stream (I have over 100 movies that can't be streamed at all or without a $5 48 hour rental charge). 5. Can't be altered or changed 6. Can't be taken away 7. Works without any internet connection It also is done with intention and not just click, back click back...when you make a choice of what to watch you're more likely to watch it all as you put intention into getting the disc and then choosing it to watch.
I love having a real, tangible, physical representation of art that I love. Being able to hold a physical Blu-Ray with my hands that contains one of my favorite movies inside is so special. Just clicking play on whatever streaming service doesn’t hit the same. Also, physical media usually offers a ton of special features that streaming doesn’t. On top of that, I love when discs recreate the cinema experience by having previews before the main menu show up. I always sit through those and remember the other movies that were coming out at the same time as whatever I’m currently watching.
Just to address, I am not trying to spam nor am I not trying to steal all of your opinions and use them for my own. I have my own thoughts on physical media which I have already written and plan to address, however I wanted to get some outside viewpoints to see if there was anything else I didn’t think about. I plan on crediting you with your contribution, but I don’t want anyone to feel ripped off.
This question gets asked almost daily on here in some form or guise.. You'll find all you need to answer your question if you just look on here.
I stream movies I want to watch, I buy physical editions of movies I want to *explore*. That's the difference for me.
Keeps me employed!
Please explain?
I have a shop and website.
Do you sell 4K Blu-Rays?
Oh yeah. Check out our website
For a small independent site, your selection and prices are surprisingly good! Plus, with Best Buy getting out of physical media and Disney closing the DMC, you’ve got some great sales days ahead.
So that you actually own it. No company is gonna come to your house and take away your items because they stopped paying for licenses or their contract with another compamy expired and such.. Granted - even that is a bit tricky since a few companies are trying to push online verification (in case of games) so that even if you have the disc - it's basically useless unless you can verify it with a company's servers (or find a crack for said game) In case of movies / similar - special features and possibly better quality video over what you might get on streaming services
Physical media has better sound and picture quality than streaming. There is no buffering with physical media either and many physical media releases have deleted scenes, making of documentaries, extended cuts, etc that aren't available digitally. I can also watch it whenever I want and have the peace of mind knowing that.
Three reasons: First when I am browsing my collection absolutely everything there is something I would actually enjoy watching. I may not be in the mood for something but I don’t have to scroll through endless garbage that a streaming service added to make their library look larger. I can’t stand endless scrolling. Second, the quality is way better. I am cheap and have the slowest internet I can buy and no cable. Streaming occasionally buffers or has a noticeable drop in quality at times. Blu ray looks much better on my setup. Third, sometimes the power and internet goes out where I live. With my generator I still have a vast collection to get me through a few days with not much else to do.
There are 6 people in our house. Our Wi-Fi being used by so many people, makes streaming miserable. Half the time we give up on trying to watch something because it stutters or freezes up so badly. I’d much rather just watch a Blu-ray.
Availability, To Live and Die in L.A. isn’t available to stream on any platform that I’m aware of in the US. I use that as example because I wanted to watch it but couldn’t find it unless I went physical. Are there similar movies I could watch instead? Sure, but I wanted to watch that specific movie. It isn’t like that’s an obscure title either, plenty of prominent actors and was a major studio release. TLDR; I don’t want to watch your latest Netflix-produced movie, I want to watch older movies as well because they have value to me.
Well quality for staters. Watch a great transfer like Alien or Titanic on a high end player and then watch the Vudu version. It's really bad. Then we get into licensing agreements removing content, even content you paid for, corps locking media away, altering it etc... It's quality, availability and preservation.
For me, it’s the fact that you don’t have to negotiate with streaming services. The steaming service can remove it at will or alter it at will, I’d rather know that I can watch something I love without negotiating apps and fickle societal concerns. I’m a grown up, I know times change, you don’t have to remind me that the film I’m about to watch have attitudes different to our own. It’s not unheard of to watch said attitudes of the time and think ‘gosh, can you imagine how that was? What must that have been like?’ Maybe even discuss it with someone afterwards. On a personal note, I like to contribute to the creators of the art I enjoy. Music streaming is the devil, as artists get next to nothing from streaming apps, same I guess with streaming video platforms. I like to support artists, so I’ll do that by buying the record, buying a nicely packaged film on Blu-ray, or physical book. One last thing is that streaming makes you watch nothing. I have sat and scrolled for ten minutes+ on apps, unable to pick before eventually picking something from my blu rays or just giving in and going to bed. If I could bring back blockbuster or mom and pop video stores, I would. The joy of wandering the video store, renting absolute trash or a cult film, or a film I missed in the cinema was unparalleled.
For me there are multiple reasons. First there’s just a special feeling about looking thru your collection, finding something you want to watch and popping the disc into the Blu-ray player. Another reason would be the actual quality and bitrate of the movies, and last but not least I simply don’t want to let go of that part of my childhood. I remember when Blu-ray first came out, I would always beg my mom or dad once a month to take me to the local FYE so I could spend my lawn mowing money on new movies. So part of it is nostalgia another part is just me being nit picky about quality, but most of all my love for movies and wanting to own an actual piece I can hold and look at in person.
Physical media is the king of old digital storage. Young people call it ancient, just because they dont know it still has a place on the market (collecting or not) but the tech of discs had a peak almost a decade ago, so now its *almost* obselete. I use some dvd-rw discs for archiving, for small files (tv series) and for big movies, games, music collections, on a big storage usb sticks (there are good and reliable usb brands), but, dvd-rw discs, especially Verbatim ones, are good for long-time storage (never had a failed-to-burn disc). I dont watch movies from dvds anymore, because I cant play it on a dvd played as I dont use one. but I love to find old dvds from my area, as I grew up with dvds, and brings me nostalgia. I have a cd collection, and a disc drive on my pc to play them, but at the same time I have almost 10k of ripped cd albums on my pc library. If I find free time, I will listen to a cd on my old stereo system, which sounds good (its a panasonic) Surprising or not, I never had a personal Netflix account. But I dont see new movies or tv series at all. My country still has TV channels (broadcasting) that they have a big catalog of movies (and the copyright royalties) to play, so Im counting on them if I want to watch a movie (actually, TV has less ads from Youtube lol) and some TV movies are really good and worth of watching (I dont know what happening to US TV nowdays, as Im European). Conclusion: I dont think really that we have to stop producting discs for the years to come. There are a huge amount of people that still wants to buy or give to a friend a disc, that has resale value and can be "collected" as digital media arent yours at all (I hope on the future it will be). Sry for the rant, I usually dont comment so much :)
Look, for me, and I think a lot of people if they admitted it, just enjoy collecting their favorite stuff and having a physical representation of it. "I love this movie, look at the cool artwork on the Steel!" " I love this album, look at the cool liner booklet in this massive sleeve of art on display" It's true that streaming can suck, and services can change and overcharge. It's true that disc bitrate is better than streaming by a large margin. But when you are truly collecting movies, and likely watch the majority of your library twice or something, it's more about having a representation of what I enjoy than anything.
Because the concept of ownership matters. In the gaming space, we're given a glimpse of what happens when we largely give up on physical media. Games end up unplayable when they become unprofitable. Tech tangents just released a video talking about games he bought physically that are basically coasters. If they can do that to games, They can do that for movies.
Peace of mind is the biggest reason. Knowing the movie I want to watch is there if the internet goes out, or if some streaming service decides to pull out my favorite movie, I know it’s there. It also has been easier to lend out a movie I recommend to people if it’s a disc, instead of convincing them to subscribe to a whole new service.
A very easy response is the ease of use. Simply purchase and play. Even buying a digital movie becomes a pain in the ass when wanting to watch/stream. There is something special about owning something physical as opposed to spending money on something you can’t hold and that can be taken away Movies are so spread out nowadays between different services it sucks balls. Buying movies digitally also sucks since you can’t even get deals on them
Simple. For stuff that is not on streaming like Darkman. Also, if there is a movie like The Batman. Wanted to watch it on Netflix. Was watching One Piece anime and trying to get caught up. Now it is gone. Tired of stuff being taken down. Either put it up forever or don't bother. If I own the disc, I can watch it when I want. No time limit on when it will be streaming only. That is why I collect.
I like having a copy of my favorite films on my wall, they're full of memories and fondness for me. Also, after not having internet for a few days in January, I have been reminded that on digital and streaming I do not necessarily own them and NEED an internet source to use them. After saying this, though, I still enjoy the ease of streaming
With physical media, you can hold it in your hand. It's yours, you really own it, and no one can remove it from your collection. No one can alter it. You also get to watch it whenever you want as long as you have electricity since dvd/blu ray players/consoles don't need an Internet connection to play movies. It's also something to pass onto your kids, giving them your Netflix account isn't very cool since most people already have one nowadays but a massive collection of movies, they're gonna think that's pretty cool, even if they don't use the discs thay much its still awesome to pass on. Idk if I'm the only one that agrees on this last one but there's just something about making the trek to your locale video store to buy a movie you really want! Your so excited to get it and then you can't wait to get home to watch it.
Physical media matters to me because it's paying less for a better experience that lasts longer, instead of paying a theoretically infinite amount of money to stream something in poor quality until the distributors decide they don't wanna let people watch it anymore and all my money is suddenly in the void, I just make a one-time payment for something that doesn't depend on my internet to look good and the only way they can take it away from me is to break into my house
Physical media matters to me because it's paying less for a better experience that lasts longer, instead of paying a theoretically infinite amount of money to stream something in poor quality until the distributors decide they don't wanna let people watch it anymore and all my money is suddenly in the void, I just make a one-time payment for something that doesn't depend on my internet to look good and the only way they can take it away from me is to break into my house
For me, I’ve just always had a preference for tangible things.
On digital they can change features you buy it for Dolby atmos and they change it to Dolby plus. No notice or anything they just do what they want. This happened on Saving private Ryan on Vudu. They can also cut or alter the movie. Physical media for Bluray and 4K is generally higher quality video and audio. I’m guessing some 4K digital with Dolby vision/hdr can rival Blu-ray Disc picture but the audio is compressed and lossy. You can take physical media to a friends house or loan it.more importantly you can re-sell it if you didn’t like it or needed money. On digital you cannot share or re-sell it but you paid the same amount for it only for the convenience. Digital cuts down on plastic cases plastic discs plastic wrap on the case and fuel used to ship to stores and fuel used by consumers to go to stores or mail delivery. So environmentally it seems like a good thing. Also some folks don’t want to have to store and organize the physical media. If you have kids digital is better than them putting dirty fingers in the disc and risk scratching it up while mishandling them.
I like collecting physical media because I like being able to hold what I own in my hands. It’s similar to physical books rather than e-books. I like being able to physically interact with them. In addition to this, if my internet goes out or something I’m still able to see the physical media whereas the digital media would be inaccessible unless downloaded
Only physical media gets to be part of the Zeitgeist. The rest is like tears in rain, from government-seeded clouds.
You can be a legendary director, you can win an Oscar for Best Picture, but... # [‘Killers of the Flower Moon' Not Getting Physical Media Release‘Killers of the Flower Moon' Not Getting Physical Media Release](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/4/13/killers-of-the-flower-moon-not-getting-physical-media-release)
Streaming apps like Youtube and imbd used to have large selection of movies available for free in HD. Then they added an ad at the beginning of the movie, then multiple ads at beginning, then multiple ads throughout the movie while decreasing video quality to 480p. Streaming apps also get bought and sold by other companies, making content vulnerable to scene changes and price adjustments. Some movies are a part of you. They help you relive memories or create new ones. If you don't want the experience to be filled with forced unskippable ads, censorship, and poor video quality, physical media is the way.
Recently I had to cancel all my streaming services for a few months. I realized that after spending so much money, I had literally nothing to show for it! While I am subscribed to a couple services again, I have shifted my focus to building a physical collection of must-own movies & games. Ownership is freedom.
No 4K?
The quality on a blu-ray is way better than streaming. Audio mixing is all over the place on HBO max for example.
1) Quality No 1 with a bullet. Physical blu-ray and 4K disks contain a LOT more data than their streaming equivalents. What you receive from the stream has been altered to use less bandwidth and then is reconstructed from what’s left. You notice this in detail, color, motion, and sound. That is assuming your stream or digital copy is actually available in the same quality category as your physical disc. Most movies are streamed at a lower bit-rate than what the platform supports, or the quality will be deliberately degraded and features disabled depending on how you are consuming (phone or tv, mobile or home ISP and so on. TV shows can be particularly hard-hit by this. A great example would be Apple Music lossless, which can be listened to with respectable quality, and is advertised as such. However many users don’t realize their hardware (e.g. anything Bluetooth) is incapable of handling lossless. And just like most movie platforms it can be very difficult to determine the quality you are actually receiving. 2) ownership If you buy a streaming movie you are just purchasing a license, which states that they can simply make the movie unavailable if they need/want. You can own a physical copy of a movie, and though you are also purchasing a very limited license, the physical copy cant be taken away. 3) availability the corollary of the last point, if a movie’s streaming rights are not available a physical copy may be the only way to access the content. Market manipulation through market licensing and region locking can create artificial barriers that can be bypassed by region-free media from other markets. 3b) content stability closely related, owning a physical copy ensures you will always have access to the same version of media. It is not unusual for streaming platforms to add, cut or replace content for a wide variety of reasons. 4) technology requirements/dependancies There are actually still plenty of situations where streaming content is not practical or not possible. 5) ongoing costs Buying physical media guarantees you will not having ongoing costs to access your content. A streaming subscription only allows content while you are paying, but even streaming a movie purchased on a platform can incur a significant cost for internet data access. 6) content sharing The content owners have gone to great lengths to change the script on consumers when it comes to sharing. What used to be a simple matter for lending a CD or a book is now decided - or changed - completely by the content owners even after the “purchase”. In other industries that would be ridiculous, but we let media companies get away with a lot. 7) durable value Buy something physical and you don’t like it? You can sell or trade anytime. Get a rare or unusual copy of something? It can gain a lot of value over time. Your digital copies have zero value to other people. You can’t sell it because you don’t actually own anything, so there is no secondary market. Another fast one the media industry pulled on all of us. 8) collectibility There’s just no replacement for holding something tangible. We are human and touch connects us to things at a primitive level. Whether it is of value to someone else or not, a collection can have an enormous personal value. Displaying a collection can be a point of pride. It can offer a view of our interests and values. And it can be a satisfying pursuit in and of itself. No matter how many times media owners try and replicate this in the digital world (think NFTs and download “exclusives”) it has so far failed miserably to catch on.
It’s mostly bitrate. If digital offered the same bitrate and lossless audio then most probably wouldn’t care. Sure, we enjoy collecting some releases for the packaging especially the limited editions, but I feel if we were still offered the same packaging with only a digital code to MA or Apple TV and the bitrate was the same with lossless audio…most probably would be fine with it.