Do You Watch Movies on Physical Media, Digital Media, or Both

[Kage]

Which format to prefer to watch on movies on: physical, digital, or both. Please explain why on your choice.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Kage

Which format to prefer to watch on movies on: physical, digital, or both. Please explain why on your choice.

Well I picked Digital because I don't buy Physical anymore. All the information shows Discs are on the way out, and prices on Discs are not coming down like they use to. I have always looked for the best pricing on my Movie watching, but buying Discs just doesn't work. I would buy the Disc for the Digital Copy, but no one wants the Disc anymore so they just don't sell!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well I picked Digital because I don't buy Physical anymore. All the information shows Discs are on the way out, and prices on Discs are not coming down like they use to. I have always looked for the best pricing on my Movie watching, but buying Discs just doesn't work. I would buy the Disc for the Digital Copy, but no one wants the Disc anymore so they just don't sell!

It looks like you have found a new thread to repeat your trademark nonsense. This thread is just a redundant spin-off from the Digital vs Physical & The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread where you have long repeated this relentless refrain. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=259675
The inclusion of a tabulating poll is the only difference between it and the thread it tries to copy.

There is no evidence showing that discs are on the "way out." Overall disc sales are declining, but that is not the same thing as disappearing- a key difference that you can never grasp. People like you have been saying that discs were dead for years now- at least as far back as 2015. Your ilk was wrong in 2015, wrong in 2016, wrong in 2017, and wrong in 2018. 4 consecutive years of being wrong, but your ilk never tires of it.

Instead, we have yet another format. The newest disc format, 4K, is experiencing triple digit sales growth. The industry gives us a whole new disc format despite your steadfast predictions of their utter demise. Is it possible that this industry knows their market better than you?

This week alone there were 93 new titles released on blu-ray and 4K combined just in the U.S.; most weeks see anywhere from 60-80 new titles released, week after week after week. This simple, and obvious to anyone with a rational mind, fact clearly shows that people still want discs- no industry keeps manufacturing unwanted items. This would be self-evident to most people and stating it should not be required, but with you it is always necessary. Physical media comprised over 23% of the entire home entertainment spending in 2017. No industry will walk away from 23% of their revenue stream.

Disc prices have been mostly stable and bargains abound. You, by your own admission, do not buy discs, but yet you claim to be an expert on what they cost. I buy discs every single week, year in and and year out, and I can readily attest that this hobby has never been more affordable. There are 1,940 titles on sale right now on the DEALS section of this website alone.

Not liking physical media is your choice, but everything else in your comment is just factually wrong. The actual sales data proves you wrong. The steady flow of new titles on disc proves you wrong. Their continued existence proves that you, as always, are just wrong.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I have always looked for the best pricing on my Movie watching, but buying Discs just doesn't work.

By your own admission you buy mostly digital codes that were included with a physical disc. Then you redeem that code online. When you redeem a code, you claim to own (TOS) the physical disc of that title, yet you do not, does lying like that not bother you?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I have always looked for the best pricing on my Movie watching, but buying Discs just doesn't work. I would buy the Disc for the Digital Copy, but no one wants the Disc anymore so they just don't sell!

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

By your own admission you buy mostly digital codes that were included with a physical disc. Then you redeem that code online. When you redeem a code, you claim to own (TOS) the physical disc of that title, yet you do not, does lying like that not bother you?

That use to be a Gray Market, but selling Digital Codes has opened up they even sell them here on this Site and also MA/UV Stores. The Studios are trying to control the sales of Codes, they don't want them on the market before the Release Date. The Digital Code pricing has been going up, but you can find better pricing than the Discs. It just doesn't pay to buy Combo Packs anymore, because the Discs don't even return 50% of the purchase price.

[slimdude]

Physical media! I despise streaming movies, and the digital copies I get that's included with the 4K and Blu-ray discs, I sell them.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

That use to be a Gray Market, but selling Digital Codes has opened up they even sell them here on this Site and also MA/UV Stores. The Studios are trying to control the sales of Codes, they don't want them on the market before the Release Date. The Digital Code pricing has been going up, but you can find better pricing than the Discs. It just doesn't pay to buy Combo Packs anymore, because the Discs don't even return 50% of the purchase price.

The problem is that you are going about it backwards. You buy the combo packs for the discs, the premium part of the package, and then you sell the cereal box prize trinket that is the digital code. Keep the good stuff, the discs, and unload the code.

Why would you expect to get a 50% return on used merchandise, anyway? It is considered used merchandise the instant you open the case to extract the code sheet. You can buy many discs brand new for half-off, even more, during certain major sales events, like Black Friday, or simply by waiting long enough. The Deals link on this website lists deeply discounted titles every single day. Even more routine sales events can bring the price of the disc to equal or below that of the code alone. If you really shopped for best price effectively, you would already know this. You said that you do not buy physical media anymore; you clearly do not know what discs sell for or how frequently they go on sale.

Combo packs are generally marketed towards customers that want two or more parts of the total package; they were not designed as a means to partially recoup the cost of a digital code.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Why would you expect to get a 50% return on used merchandise, anyway? It is considered used merchandise the instant you open the case to extract the code sheet. You can buy many discs brand new for half-off, even more, during certain major sales events, like Black Friday, or simply by waiting long enough. The Deals link on this website lists deeply discounted titles every single day. Even more routine sales events can bring the price of the disc to equal or below that of the code alone. If you really shopped for best price effectively, you would already know this. You said that you do not buy physical media anymore; you clearly do not know what discs sell for or how frequently they go on sale.

Combo packs are generally marketed towards customers that want two or more parts of the total package; they were not designed as a means to partially recoup the cost of a digital code.

I have been selling Discs going back to DVD, then BD, and UHD. I would sell them for "Like New," and get 80 or 90% back when Discs where selling well. This is not the case anymore, the only people buying Disc anymore are on this Site. I remember on Recent Release BD when the stores controlled the inventories they would come out with $17 prices. Now that the Distributors control the inventories prices for 4K UHD don't come down from the $20 - $30 range. Even your best price Site, older 4K Movies might come down to the $10 - $15 range. I do check out the prices at stores like Best Buy, Target, and WalMart, and they are not coming down at all. I have always looked for ways to recoup my Movie watching while upgrading to the latest format. Combo Packs use to work well for me, not anymore!

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

That use to be a Gray Market, but selling Digital Codes has opened up they even sell them here on this Site and also MA/UV Stores.

No, it is not. There is no law against selling digital codes included with disc except the latest Disney titles (search Disney vs Redbox). You lie when you redeem a code that was included with a disc and you do not own the disc. Plain and simple, no law degree required. Read the TOS of the providers and the studios.

[hatchet man]

Physical only. If physical ever phases out which I don't think it will in my lifetime but if it does I will have enough copies to keep me well entertained.

[Canada]

Physical media, the only reason I have digital at all is the digital copies I get with movies on disc.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Only time I watch digital is if I am renting something I am not sure about purchasing. That’s maybe 2 or 3 films per year.

I WILL NEVER PURCHASE DIGITAL CONTENT AS IT’S JUST A VIEWING LICENCE AND NOT OWNERSHIP OF THE CONTENT.

[Thomas Irwin]

Strictly physical for me. I've had some form of physical media since the advent of home video. Nostalgia definitely plays a factor and I enjoy the ritual of putting the media into the machine. I also enjoy being surrounded by my collection and really don't trust leaving such in the hands of an impersonal corporation. My desire for the greatest quality achievable also influences my decision to a degree. Aside from that, I take great pleasure in having the digital copies to give away to those that do prefer to preserve their collections in a more modern and compact form.

[Rich65]

I have digital for when I go to cons and am in lines. When I am home it is physical unless I am watching Amazon Prime.

[zeuspaul]

Physical only. I am not set up for digital nor do I want to be. I don't have the bandwidth to stream and don't want to store and catalog digital. Physical is convenient and has a lot of useful info with the packaging.

[Steedeel]

This shouldn’t have its own thread. There is a sticky for Digital V physical.

[CV19]

Completely physical for me for the quality and convenience. I also love the booklets and overall packaging that comes with such media, but more importantly I get to watch a film whenever I wish without having to rely on my sometimes unpredictable broadband.

[PrestigeWorldwide]

I like both. For TV shows, I mostly only buy digital since I don't have cable, but have great internet service in my area. No DVR space to manage, no commercials, and no discs to collect dust on a shelf. I'll make exceptions and buy discs for the great shows, like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones.

For movies, I only buy the ones I know I'll rewatch often. The rest are digital. Given shelf space limitations, this seems like the best way to go.

[akaun6899]

My situation is interesting. I'm at college right now, so I brought up a few of my DVDs and Blu-rays just for the heck of it. The rest of my collection, including what I've redeemed the digital codes, are currently back at home. For example, the other day, I watched my Diamond Edition copy of The Lion King, while yesterday, I watched both Disney adaptations of Beauty and the Beast on Vudu.

[Wendell R. Breland]

IMO, the poll should have included TV (series). I rarely watch movies via streaming unless it is the rare Netflix, Amazon Prime or disc-to-digital title. I do watch a fair amount of TV series via streaming. I never watch a UV or MA title at home, who would do that when a superior BD or UHD BD version is sitting on the the shelf!