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In Defense of Physical Media: Why You Should Keep Buying Blu-rays and DVDs
- Thread starter Nymphae
- Start date
Smaller than Atom
Member
No. It's just added plastic to the shit tons we already have. Go digital
Space Runaway
Member
I still buy lots of physical media though as far as format goes I've drawn the line at bluray for the time being (And I don't have a 4k tv yet anyway so...). Streaming is convenient but I tend to watch movies based on mood or when the moment strikes and streaming title availability has a good chance of failing me in such instances. Sometimes you just need to throw on masterpieces like the last 15 minutes of Land of Doom, y'know. 
Plus physical is the only way to watch certain versions of movies. My old SE DVD(!) of The Terminator is still the only way I can watch the movie with the correct audio without downloading some fanedit or something.
Plus physical is the only way to watch certain versions of movies. My old SE DVD(!) of The Terminator is still the only way I can watch the movie with the correct audio without downloading some fanedit or something.
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Doom85
Member
Indeed, I own a ton of BRs/DVDs of movies, shows, cartoons, and anime and never regretted it even with the rise of streaming services. For one thing, to access everything you have to pay for a ton of services and I just can't justify that, I "limit" myself to Netflix, FUNimation, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Prime, but will add Disney+ soon. I know Hulu has a ton of shows, but I have to draw a line somewhere. Also, you can't count on certain streaming services always having permanent access to certain series. I remember quite a few years ago Doctor Who was being taken off Netflix and fans are freaking out. Meanwhile I'm relaxing with my BRs/DVDs, yeah I'm good. Same thing with my sister and The Office leaving Netflix, she's got the complete series boxset so she can still watch it anytime.
Nymphae
Banned
lol
Did they ever even have the entire run? Is there even a way to legally purchase the entire run? A friend of mine gave me the entire series on a HD a few years back, I literally have what I think is most of the available episodes, compiled from various sources, of season 1-26. So glad I have this.
PhoenixTank
Member
- Buy physical media.
- Rip to NAS.
- Stream from NAS.
Bolivar687
Banned
Whenever I go on a streaming service, we're just scrolling past and endless feed of mediocrity, whereas the drawer underneath the TV is full of all our favorite Blu Rays.
Physical media for life.
Physical media for life.
I buy physical media for the simple fact that I want ownership. Companies love streaming, because it puts them in complete control of everything. They can gather tons of data to use for new products, the customer doesn't own anything and it's pretty much impossible to hack a streaming service.
Iukufumasi
Banned
I prefer physical, but there are some great deals for digital movies. Recently bought a 90s movie collection on iTunes (10 movies) for $10.
VulcanRaven
Member
Also there are many old movies and tv shows that have not been released on Blu-Ray. They might not have even been scanned in HD. If Blu-Ray sales are not good then they might never do it. Restoring movies in HD costs a lot of money and they might not do it just for streaming servives.
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Iukufumasi
Banned
One troubling trend is digital exclusives, like alternate cuts, special features or the 4K version of a movie.
MilkyJoe
Member
That's because no movie these days is worthy of a re-watch. It's all remakes and political shit,. no one is willing to take a risk on, god forbid, something original
King of Foxes
Banned
Having digital copies of movies and games is so much easier. Not to mention the lack of clutter
Nymphae
Banned
I would say it's easier, but not "so much easier" as to warrant getting rid of the used games market.
Selecting a digital game from XMB, 5 seconds.
Selecting a game from my shelf right next to my PS4, inserting the disc and pressing start, 20 seconds.
Yeah, fuck used games those 15 seconds add up man.
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King of Foxes
Banned
I have four kids under 5, the few copies of physical games I have are hidden because they end up all over the house with random bits of food inside them.
mcz117chief
Member
Sign me up, brother
TDiddyLive
Member
Strangely enough this movie is currently available to watch for free on Vudu.
Browse | Fandango at Home (Vudu)
www.vudu.com
GV82
Member
I used to buy lots of films on Physical media especially on Vhs & Early days of DVD simply because there wasn’t much else for me to do with my time, same with Music, but faster Internet & Wi-Fi combined with a Tablet/Mobile has actually
A) expanded my choice of hobbies & interests opened me up to many things I would have never discovered otherwise or would have been more difficult for example I got into NHL Hockey for a while a few years ago which was difficult to follow in the UK as a hobby pre -Internet, Now I can get scores Live, listen to comentary live for free & see highlights YouTuber free the next day or hell even free goal replays after they happen sometimes on a Twitter or pay for the NHL app & watch from home in the UK
B) there is so much information, Media & other stuff online to consume, so much for free now as well, I can never get bored now, movies more or less used to be my second only escape from boredom next to Music, now Movies are just a smaller hobby for me personally thus would only take up too much space.
I’d buy so many cheap when they were in deals back when they first did 5 dvd’s for £30 deals, some of them because I had never seen them and it worked out cheaper than a rental or I thought ai was going to enjoy them all, back when I was first earning wages from work & my Internet was pretty much non existent, now it’s the opposite Less pyschical media, more space, more hobbies,
Don’t get me wrong I love (loved) Physical media, I really do, but I just don’t have time or space for it, a cheap digital purchase means they are stored in the cloud, sure they are inferior quality but you know something, I grew up in the 80’s Watching bootleg VHS & for some reason when we 1st got Sattelite Tv in the Uk, we watched German channels for hours like this
If it’s not on a streaming service, available to buy cheap digital or can’t find it on the bays of pirates, I tell myself probably don’t need to watch it, go do one of my other Hobbies. I guess I’m lazy, old or both to care so much now, plus there’s always the cinema, sometimes they play the classics & check your local libraries for older films too.
There is always a threat of media being edited/cut/censored & me not being able to get ahold of it, but thats where I rely on the kindness of Archivists online to provide me with something such as the Star Wars Despecialzed editions etc, it’s just not me unfortunately.
P.S Also I spend waayyy to much time typing on forums about hobbies than actually doing them.
A) expanded my choice of hobbies & interests opened me up to many things I would have never discovered otherwise or would have been more difficult for example I got into NHL Hockey for a while a few years ago which was difficult to follow in the UK as a hobby pre -Internet, Now I can get scores Live, listen to comentary live for free & see highlights YouTuber free the next day or hell even free goal replays after they happen sometimes on a Twitter or pay for the NHL app & watch from home in the UK
B) there is so much information, Media & other stuff online to consume, so much for free now as well, I can never get bored now, movies more or less used to be my second only escape from boredom next to Music, now Movies are just a smaller hobby for me personally thus would only take up too much space.
I’d buy so many cheap when they were in deals back when they first did 5 dvd’s for £30 deals, some of them because I had never seen them and it worked out cheaper than a rental or I thought ai was going to enjoy them all, back when I was first earning wages from work & my Internet was pretty much non existent, now it’s the opposite Less pyschical media, more space, more hobbies,
Don’t get me wrong I love (loved) Physical media, I really do, but I just don’t have time or space for it, a cheap digital purchase means they are stored in the cloud, sure they are inferior quality but you know something, I grew up in the 80’s Watching bootleg VHS & for some reason when we 1st got Sattelite Tv in the Uk, we watched German channels for hours like this
If it’s not on a streaming service, available to buy cheap digital or can’t find it on the bays of pirates, I tell myself probably don’t need to watch it, go do one of my other Hobbies. I guess I’m lazy, old or both to care so much now, plus there’s always the cinema, sometimes they play the classics & check your local libraries for older films too.
There is always a threat of media being edited/cut/censored & me not being able to get ahold of it, but thats where I rely on the kindness of Archivists online to provide me with something such as the Star Wars Despecialzed editions etc, it’s just not me unfortunately.
P.S Also I spend waayyy to much time typing on forums about hobbies than actually doing them.
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hariseldon
Unconfirmed Member
Exactly what I do. I do this for music as well.
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hariseldon
Unconfirmed Member
"You never actually "owned" the movies you purchased physically but rather you just purchased a licence to access that media" /pedantry
Huh, that's weird. That shit used to drive me nuts, I remember wanting to watch the Mission Impossible movies and Netflix only had like 1, 3, and 5. Sorry consoomers, we can't do anything about the licence deals. Well I can, I can buy the M:I combo DVD pack.
I don't see how. Oh shit, you have to get up and grab the movie.
Legally your pedantry is accurate. In reality it is not. Nobody is going to come and take your DVD away or stop it working. Content you buy from Steam or any rental service can be removed easily, or have content cut (see GTA games losing music due to licensing).
D
Deleted member 762073
Unconfirmed Member
no
sol_bad
Member
IMO it is mediocre. I never bought in to DVD. I pretty much only bought Matrix, a bunch of Saturday morning cartoons and some anime.
Blu ray I currently have about 300+ movies, only about 0 4K movies. I hate it when I am forced to watch SD content.
sol_bad
Member
Thats 100% the audiences fault and not the studios. The market dictates the supply and demand. Demand does not want original content. Not all but the majority of original content at the cinemas fails or makes very little money.
Ive said it before and Ill say it again. Audiences go in droves to see Disney, Marvel, Staf Wars, Jurassic Park and Fast and the Furious films.
Its our responsibility to keep an eye out abd look for the smaller films with the original stories. Then spread the word and gets friends and family to see it at the cinemas.
You can say its the studios responsibilty to advertise but they arent going to blow huge wads of cash on smaller films. If we as an audience care about film and original ideas we need to seek it out and support it.
Sitting on our fat arses complaining that studios wont take chances wont help anything. The actual fact is studios do make lots of unique and interesting movies.
Super Mario
Banned
Each has its pros and cons. Streaming is the king for mass consumption, rentals, and "throw away" media. I love my Netflix for watching a bunch of stuff I would never dream of buying.
For some blockbuster movies (like my all time favorites), seasonal movies (like Christmas), etc, I will always buy them, and in Blu-Ray if possible. Better quality, and less chance of them being lost since I own it
For some blockbuster movies (like my all time favorites), seasonal movies (like Christmas), etc, I will always buy them, and in Blu-Ray if possible. Better quality, and less chance of them being lost since I own it
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VulcanRaven
Member
DVDs are not very good because they don't show movies in the original quality. We can finally watch them in HD on Blu-Ray.
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Nymphae
Banned
Sometimes, it's like who really gives a shit.
I bought a Tom Hanks 3 pack a few days ago on amazon, it has The Money Pit, the Burbs, and Dragnet. It was 4.99. DVD quality for these movies is perfectly acceptable to me, particularly in the setup in which I'm watching them.
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hariseldon
Unconfirmed Member
I enjoyed watching the Money Pit after buying a house and having a run of doors falling off hinges. Good unpretentious fun.
Nymphae
Banned
I got a laugh out of the bit about Shelley Long waking up in bed with her ex and believing that she slept with him, then sticking to lying to her husband about not having done it, and then getting and staying mad at her husband after he gets her to admit it, to the point where they are ending the relationship over it.
Then Tom Hanks at the end is like, you know, I don't mind that you fucked that guy, and she's like, aww, really?! I really needed to hear you say that to forgive you (for...?) Then she reveals that she didn't actually sleep with him, and all is well lol.
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hariseldon
Unconfirmed Member
Pure female logic right there.
nikolino840
Member
Becouse you can't find all in digital,even with subscriptions
This Is my situation in Italy where you have to buy DVD also, becouse there's no bluray editions like in 99% of the globe
This Is my situation in Italy where you have to buy DVD also, becouse there's no bluray editions like in 99% of the globe
Kenpachii
Member
The article doesn't take reality into account.
DVD got replaced by piracy and piracy gets replaced by streaming services because its easier.
When streaming services don't offer the media, people revert back to piracy not physical media. Piracy keeps every single media how old whatever it was on the net forever.
DVD got replaced by piracy and piracy gets replaced by streaming services because its easier.
When streaming services don't offer the media, people revert back to piracy not physical media. Piracy keeps every single media how old whatever it was on the net forever.
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Nymphae
Banned
Not always. I started feeling shitty about pirating media, and I don't anymore, I try to purchase everything I feel like I need in my collection. It amazes me how people are able to rationalize outright theft. There's really no argument as far as I know aside from "I want it and don't want to pay, and I likely won't get caught for this, so why the fuck not"
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hariseldon
Unconfirmed Member
Same here. I used to pirate a lot of stuff, now I don't. It helps that these days I have the cash to buy stuff, and for instance in the case of games they're now so cheap since Steam became a thing (and I now have more reason to fear viruses on my machine given what I have it doing).
sol_bad
Member
The only time I pirate a film is when it's a foreign film that I can't find in an English release. As an example, the wife and pirated a Thai horror film called Coming Soon, it was fairly average but couldn't find it physically or digitally.
The other time is when my internet sucks and I can't get a 4k stream. I'm subbed to Disney+ but couldn't watch Mandalorian in 4k. Kept my subscription going but pirated a 4I RIP. This will be a non issue when I return to Australia.
The other time is when my internet sucks and I can't get a 4k stream. I'm subbed to Disney+ but couldn't watch Mandalorian in 4k. Kept my subscription going but pirated a 4I RIP. This will be a non issue when I return to Australia.
MaestroMike
Gold Member
If u ever go off the grid or the internet physical media will become handy. I Kno when I was off the internet for years I would watch a lot of DVDs and Blu Rays and rent from Redbox
Phunkydiabetic
Banned
What the hell kind of flea markets are you going to.
OutrageousFacts
Banned
Should the day arrive where I can't access a large number of old movies anymore, I'll just ask one of my eastern European friends and they'll give me a HDD with every movie made ever for 30 bucks. 
sol_bad
Member
Should the day arrive where I can't access a large number of old movies anymore, I'll just ask one of my eastern European friends and they'll give me a HDD with every movie made ever for 30 bucks.
They are probably shitty 360i versions of the films.
OutrageousFacts
Banned
More likely they're 4k versions with special features in 20 languages
sol_bad
Member
Have fun with a 1000 terabytes of data than?
