Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[RyanPom]

Originally Posted by bobbydrugar

Netflix is not the only source of streaming. There is Hulu, Vudu, Sony Video Unlimited, Amazon VOD, Netflix of course, HBO go, Crunchyroll, Funimation, and hundreds of other Smaller VOD services, Just look at the Channel list for the Roku box for example and you will likely find streaming choices for just about everyones tastes.

Thanks,
T

Yeah, but you still have to pay for the services, so, it's not like it's free. Also, in some cases, the movies are formatted to fit your screen, etc, and there's no extra features.

[KRW1]

Originally Posted by bobbydrugar

Netflix is not the only source of streaming. There is Hulu, Vudu, Sony Video Unlimited, Amazon VOD, Netflix of course, HBO go, Crunchyroll, Funimation, and hundreds of other Smaller VOD services, Just look at the Channel list for the Roku box for example and you will likely find streaming choices for just about everyones tastes.

Thanks,
T

That's the problem, isn't it? You either subscribe to them all or miss out on some titles. That's only going to get worse as streaming becomes more and more fragmented.

I love streaming, but I also like my physical media. I don't see it going away anytime soon but I think discs will get more and more expensive, esp back catalogue titles. No-one is going to fall over themselves to produce discs for the buy three for a tenner sales. That's the fault of those who waited for sales for every purchase.

I think though the idea that big screens are going away is wrong. Bigger screens are just around the corner. I know most people think bigger than 50" is too big for home use but a 50" CRT TV would be too big for most people's homes too. Technology is always evolving and moving on. And that's ignoring the projector market which is a different ballpark.


All I ever wanted from this hobby was a chance to watch films on a large screen at home in close to theatrical conditions. I've got that now in spades. If they stopped releasing discs tomorrow, I'd just spend the rest of my life buying all the ones I missed. To put it into perspective, when I bought my first bluray player, ages after the format wars, I could comfortably buy every new release, UK and US, as they were released. There's now thousands I still need to pick up.

My advice, Steeldeel, is just enjoy your hobby and don't worry about what the rest of the world is doing. People used to laugh at me when I still bought vinyl in the 90s, but here I am, 20 years later, still buying new releases on vinyl. Things don't go away overnight.

[Tok]

Exactly the problem with streaming in general. The vast majority of the public thinks of these low cost services. The problem is that customers now think it should always be cheap. Netflix is not going to be able to sustain its model and continue to give customers all the A-list titles they want for $8/month.

[bobbydrugar]

Yeah but put simply $10/Month for one service that you could watch several movies and shows or 1 DVD/Blu-ray. I am not arguing against Blu-ray, Hell I have nearly 1000 of the darned things but if I had to purchase all of the Blu-rays to cover what I have streamed over the years I would have Ten's of Thousands of Blu's and that is way outside of my budget.

Again I am one of those believers that both Streaming AND Physical Media have a place in my life and will be absolutely devistated when I have that choice taken away from me. This is what get me frustrated when seeing needlessly devicive threads like this making industry insiders and less informed people on the fence believe that we will be content if there is a clear winner and a clear loser. When we lose one of these choices we the consumer will all be the losers.

By the way so far this has been a great discussion on the matter.
T

[nolfoc]

studios make to much profit on physical media.. they aren't going to shy away from that anytime soon if ever

[blonde_devil]

until downloading and streaming become easily accessible for everyone, optical media isn't going anywhere. it may be losing out in cities where you can get decent internet but there are a lot of places where the internet connection still isn't reliable so those places still need physical media. I would have thought by now they would be releasing movies on flash drives but doesn't seem to be in the cards.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by RyanPom

But does Netflix really have that generous a selection? I never hear about rare older movies on Netflix.

I got rid of Netflix because they were Bollywood happy at that point.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Tok

I got rid of Netflix because they were Bollywood happy at that point.

exactly. people rave at how netflix style is the future, but Netflix doesn't have crap BUT 99% of the time. bollywood, cheap D rated horror flicks etc. you get a HANDFUL of A-list stuff but that's it.

[AmishParadise]

I contend that there is no war taking place for physical media to even lose. Streaming/download is simply an added revenue stream for content providers, nothing more. Physical media with respects to the type of content being offered on DVD/Blu-ray today will continue to take precedent for generations to come in my not so humble opinion. I was participating in similar thread just the other day which really belongs in this forum section, my most recent reply to that thread shown below.

Originally Posted by cds1834

Sony doesn't make them anymore unfortunately. Luckily in my case I was able to purchase 6 of them on closeout for next to nothing. Each Blu-ray changer (Sony BDP-CX7000ES) holds 400 Blu-ray's. My Blu-ray collection is just south of 700 discs at present, so it will be many years before I reach the 2,400 mark.



Have the same setup for my DVD collection. My 6 DVD changers (Sony DVP-CX985V) take up even less room as all 6 are stacked vertically on a standard A/V cart, 2 per shelf. Presently at 2,178 DVD's with 222 slots left to fill. Only purchasing certain TV shows each year on DVD at this point that aren't being released on Blu-ray, so it will be a few years before my DVD collection starts to spill over into my Blu-ray changers.



That being said, it's certainly obvious which camp I'm in. I personally don't see streaming/downloading ever replacing physical media. Being able to enjoy said content in a controlled environment 24/7, no Internet access and bandwidth requirements in turn playing a part, truly owning the content and not just paying for the temporary rights to view it (read the fine print), these things will continue to trump any advantages streaming/downloading might offer otherwise, at least for those of us who are interesting in having collections. The cloud isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Live by the cloud. Die by the cloud. I'll keep my media firmly grounded thank you very much. :-)

Would like to mention as well that one inherent flaw I see with streaming/downloading in general is fragmentation, specifically when streaming/downloading is compared directly to physical media as a supposed replacement or alternative. There is zero fragmentation with respects to ones physical DVD/Blu-ray collection naturally as the DVD and Blu-ray formats have standards in place which ensure this to be the case both with respects to the software and hardware. The user experience is able to remain consistent across ones entire collection as a result when going to browse and initiate playback and control of a given title not to mention the quality standards in place with each format. The same thing can't be said for streaming/downloading services by any stretch in addition to the various cloud based content and digital copies thrown at us all the time when purchasing a given DVD/Blu-ray disc. Having the rights to stream/download video content that you don't truly own spread across a number of different providers each of which offer different methods of digesting said content, this is something I don't find value in even if I were able to overlook all the other shortcomings streaming/downloading has as compared to physical media. To each his own of course. We can always agree to disagree.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Tok

Chill Steedeel....

CDs are supposedly dead but you can still buy them.... same with a lot of supposedly other dead media formats.

Streaming is replacing rental and cable on demand... streaming might be bigger at some point but the reality is that the studios won't want to walk away from the profits that come from the hard media market.

Remember those combo packs we buy with Digital Copy are probably being used to pump up those services numbers also. Less than 10% of the titles I came with digital copies and I have redeemed most of them. The reality the only ones that have gotten used were the kid friendly titles. So I redeemed them, but I have never out right purchased a film from Vudu or iTunes.

Streaming isn't going away but I don't think we have to worry about BD fading anytime soon.

I don't even redeem digital copies! If everyone is redeeming them and not actually using them, it gives studios a false impression of the interest in digital delivery systems. I don't even sell them or give them away!!! I don't want to help perpetuate the statistical support for ceasing disc production.

It's scary how many people on this forum say, "I redeem them all just in case, for the future. However, I've never actually watched/used any of them." Well, guess what? Studios don't see how many times it gets watched. They only see a growing percentage in digital copy redemption with each title sold. That gives them a false impression that more people want digital delivery when, in fact, there are simply more people redeeming for either "backup purposes" or to "cheat themselves into believing" that they are getting more value for their purchase.

And don't even get me started on those who are selling their digital copies! They are causing the most damage to the lifespan of physical media! Think about that statistically and it's terrifying!

Ultimately though, I'm certain that we are safe for the next 10 years until the middle class disappears altogether. Once there is a clear divide between rich & poor with no middle ground, then there will be far more people who can only afford cheap & convenient than can afford high-end HT setups and $20+ per film in their collections.

Sad, but true.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by RyanPom

But does Netflix really have that generous a selection?...

Has anyone tested this?….
http://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/netflix...-hd-next-year/

(I’m not a Netflix subscriber).

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by KRW1

That's the problem, isn't it? You either subscribe to them all or miss out on some titles. That's only going to get worse as streaming becomes more and more fragmented.

I love streaming, but I also like my physical media. I don't see it going away anytime soon but I think discs will get more and more expensive, esp back catalogue titles. No-one is going to fall over themselves to produce discs for the buy three for a tenner sales. That's the fault of those who waited for sales for every purchase.

I think though the idea that big screens are going away is wrong. Bigger screens are just around the corner. I know most people think bigger than 50" is too big for home use but a 50" CRT TV would be too big for most people's homes too. Technology is always evolving and moving on. And that's ignoring the projector market which is a different ballpark.


All I ever wanted from this hobby was a chance to watch films on a large screen at home in close to theatrical conditions. I've got that now in spades. If they stopped releasing discs tomorrow, I'd just spend the rest of my life buying all the ones I missed. To put it into perspective, when I bought my first bluray player, ages after the format wars, I could comfortably buy every new release, UK and US, as they were released. There's now thousands I still need to pick up.

My advice, Steeldeel, is just enjoy your hobby and don't worry about what the rest of the world is doing. People used to laugh at me when I still bought vinyl in the 90s, but here I am, 20 years later, still buying new releases on vinyl. Things don't go away overnight.

I will try.

[chetripley80]

When this argument pops up I always think about what people would do if digital downloads/streaming completely took over for physical media when it comes to purchasing gifts winter holidays or birthdays. On Black Friday in 2023, are people going to be running to Wal-Mart at midnight to purchase codes for digital downloads?

I agree catalog titles (except for the major classics) will probably fade away or will only be released through niche licensees. However, the purchase of physical media will continue to be a major purchasing factor in a lot of situations (gifts, children's entertainment).

[octagon]

So optical media, television sets and the middle class will all be gone within ten years.

My, haven't we been the busy little prognosticator bees.

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

I don't even redeem digital copies! If everyone is redeeming them and not actually using them, it gives studios a false impression of the interest in digital delivery systems. I don't even sell them or give them away!!! I don't want to help perpetuate the statistical support for ceasing disc production.

You're certainly not alone. I don't redeem my digital copies either or give them away, much less sell them. Have hundreds and hundreds of them sitting untouched, most of which I'm sure have expired and so be it. They don't hold any value for me and I won't contribute to any perceived success as it relates to the demand for digital copies by redeeming them or allowing someone else to redeem them. If on rare occasion I find I'd like to enjoy my physical media on the go I'll simply take it with me or create my own digital copy if needed.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by octagon

So optical media, television sets and the middle class will all be gone within ten years.

My, haven't we been the busy little prognosticator bees.

It's hard to remain optimistic about the future of humanity these days! And, my middle class disappearance prognostication is more of a spitball figure at 10 years. It can't be denied that it is becoming a much smaller demographic as time goes on. Big companies making billions of dollars every year are hiring new employees at much lower wages than their previous generation of employees while raising prices of their products/services. Thus, making more money for the rich at the top and giving less of that to the people at the bottom.

By logic, it's only a matter of time before people can't afford luxurious living environments unless they are part of the top 1% of money holders.

[RyanPom]

I think we should be more worried about movie theaters losing the war to optical media.

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by RyanPom

I think we should be more worried about movie theaters losing the war to optical media.

This is the smartest thing I've heard someone say all day.

[KRW1]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I will try.

The other thing to remember, as someone else said, there's no 'war' as such. I bought two newly released bluray audio albums the other day. I never thought they actually release more of those things. They're not going to war with ITunes, they're just releasing stuff on different formats for a different market. I'll carry on buying them as they release stuff I can replace on CD. So that's 2 down and 2000 odd to go

CD, DVD and Bluray are becoming so cheap to produce and master that there's always going to be someone churning them out, even if the market reduces further. It doesn't matter who 'wins' as long as there's a choice and I strongly suspect CD will outlive me.

Also remember Sony and Microsoft are releasing two bluray based games machines at the end of the month that will sell in their millions. That can't damage the bluray market.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by cds1834

You're certainly not alone. I don't redeem my digital copies either or give them away, much less sell them. Have hundreds and hundreds of them sitting untouched, most of which I'm sure have expired and so be it. They don't hold any value for me and I won't contribute to any perceived success as it relates to the demand for digital copies by redeeming them or allowing someone else to redeem them. If on rare occasion I find I'd like to enjoy my physical media on the go I'll simply take it with me or create my own digital copy if needed.