Struggling with Digital v Physical

The Predaking

The Predaking

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As a parent, I had to take all my blurays out of their cases and put them into binders so my kids wouldn't trash them. They still are pretty handy to have around especially with the frequent internet outages at my house.

However, for the past 11 years, I have been slowly just streaming everything, picking up UHDs for those films I really want to have. It started out with Netflix streaming 4K content for my new 4K TV that I got in 2015. Then it was me buying a few entire series to watch on Itunes and Amazon. Shows for us like Dr Who, or shows for the Kids like Sarah and Duck. Then we started adding more streaming options. HBO Max to watch Game of thrones, and then Disney+ came along and with it The Mandalorian, all of the MCU, and more kids shows. Eventually, I would pick up other streaming apps like Apple TV to watch For all Mankind, Hulu for Only Murders in the Building, Peacock for wrestling and some exclusives, and Paramount+ for Star Trek and Colbert.

So now I have all the streaming apps, and at this point I just wait for the movies to come to one of these that I am already paying for.


I went from buying around 50 - 100 Blu-rays a year to maybe 5 a year now.



That being said, I do plan on going to Target tonight to pick up Wicked on UHD to give to the Wife for Valentines Day.
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

Eorzean Idiot
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When it comes to books, I must be in a vast minority because I have yet to find a single person who agrees with me. But I actually find reading on my Kindle app far easier than a real book.

1. Real books you can bookmark a page. But my Kindle app lets me highlight the exact word I left off with.

2. I can easily and quickly zoom in to read things my old-man eyes have trouble seeing.

Still, every once in a while it is nice to have something physical to hold and flip through. It isn't common, but neither is it unheard of that I'll read a physical book but mark my place on the Kindle app.
 
Princess Viola

Princess Viola

Dumbass Asexual
Citizen
See I'm an open supporter of physical media, but I don't inherently hate streaming.

I buy the stuff that I want to own, I stream (or just fuckin pirate, I'm not gonna lie - especially if something I wanna watch isn't on any streaming service, I'm not gonna spend money if I don't even know if I'll enjoy it or not, I'll just torrent that jive) the stuff I just wanna casually watch, even if it's something I already own physically (like I have season 8 of Doctor Who on BD but sometimes I'll just load up Terror of the Autons on Tubi because I'm just in the mood to watch that specific serial and can't be assed to get my BD out)
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

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I think both have their place. Streaming for an average movie night, physical for something you actually want to archive. I will say though, fast forward, rewind and chapter skips are a lot easier on physical media.

Like, I'm sure in a couple years they could make streaming do the same just as easily, but they aren't quite there yet.
 

Ultra Magnus13

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Caldwin said:
When it comes to books, I must be in a vast minority because I have yet to find a single person who agrees with me. But I actually find reading on my Kindle app far easier than a real book.

1. Real books you can bookmark a page. But my Kindle app lets me highlight the exact word I left off with.

2. I can easily and quickly zoom in to read things my old-man eyes have trouble seeing.

Still, every once in a while it is nice to have something physical to hold and flip through. It isn't common, but neither is it unheard of that I'll read a physical book but mark my place on the Kindle app.
Click to expand...
What psychopath would stop reading mid chapter, let alone mid page?
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

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*stops sharpening his knives and making pipe bombs to look at Ultra Magnus*

I'm sorry, did you say something?
 
CoffeeHorse

CoffeeHorse

Exhausted, but still standing.
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Streaming is convenient and I'll do it, but only if I have hard copies.
 
Haywire

Haywire

Collecter of Gobots and Godzilla
Citizen
Up front disclosure: I do not have any paid streaming services. I will watch Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, etc when we are staying with someone who does or house sitting, but I don't personally feel like paying for a subscription (nor do I have internet at my house, or cable). If I did, that might alter my opinion somewhat.

I have lived in places in the rural US where internet, cable, and even satellite service has been unreliable at best, so I've always been somewhat hesitant to rely on streaming. Plus, all the paid streaming services amount to a glorified rental service, and I like to own the stuff I like. Add to that the normal rotations that come about due to licensing and library curating that happens with streaming means theres no guarantee a show i like will always be available, and it adds up to enough reasons to maintain a physical collection for me.

As for the eventual obsolescence of the players, VCRs are just starting to become scarce at thrift stores, I can still buy a $30 DVD player new at Walmart, and DVD and Blu Ray players are still available both used and new. It will be a while before physical discs will be unable to be played.

There may come a point in my life where I decide otherwise, but for now, I'm still a proponent of physical media.
 
Princess Viola

Princess Viola

Dumbass Asexual
Citizen
Personally I do think physical media will be here for at least a good while but we're at the point where 'how people watch movies' is once again divided between 'how casual viewers do it' and 'how videophiles do it'.

Y'know back in the day, casual viewers would rent (or buy) stuff on videotape and videophiles went for LaserDisc and nowadays casual viewers stream and videophiles go for BDs and 4K BDs. (DVD was the only real exception to this rule because the format successfully ended up appealing to both markets).

Honestly the biggest sign of this is the fact that 4K BD players are still like $150 at the cheapest new, because the companies that make them are very well aware that the audience for 4K players are enthusiasts who are willing to pay more for them.

(If you want me to be 100% accurate, I am aware that videophiles aren't the only people who still buy physical media, but the other market are like older folks who never even upgraded past DVD)
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

Eorzean Idiot
Citizen
You know, when I was a kid I actually had the TMNT movie on Laserdisc. My father has the player, so I upgraded to DVD (now Bluray). But that was the one Laserdisc I ever personally owned(my father still has a bunch).
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

Eorzean Idiot
Citizen
This sound like deep seated emotions you have. Who hurt you? If you need to talk, we're here for you.
 
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