Physical & Digital EST: The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Streaming subscriptions are a niche compared to cable and satellite TV and the digital purchases you've switched over to is the smallest niche of all.

SVOD is just another form of pay TV and DEG should include all forms of pay TV in their reporting or exclude all pay TV. IMO, the inclusion of SVOD in their reporting is self serving to the DEG.

[NightMovie901]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

That statement is absurd. There has never been a single movie, format, product, or service that 80% or more of people are interested in.

Cell phones

Still sound as absurd?

[NightMovie901]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Markets of lots of different sizes exist. Streaming is a bigger market than physical media but both are profitable. Abandoning either of them would lose all of the studios a lot of money. As long as there is money to be made in physical media the studios will continue to make physical media, it doesn't matter what most people are interested in. Streaming becoming "standard" doesn't mean it will ever be the only option.

Here is the approximate spending in 2018 in the United States:
Cable/Satellite TV ~ $80 billion
Streaming subscriptions ~ $13 billion
Physical purchases ~ $4 billion
Digital purchases ~ $2.4 billion

Streaming subscriptions are a niche compared to cable and satellite TV and the digital purchases you've switched over to is the smallest niche of all. If the masses determined all the options then neither streaming or physical media would exist.

I will pass your data along to the carriage makers, blacksmiths, harness makers, farriers and saddle makers.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

I will pass your data along to the carriage makers, blacksmiths, harness makers, farriers and saddle makers.

. Do you have data that is different than his?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

I will pass your data along to the carriage makers, blacksmiths, harness makers, farriers and saddle makers.

The list Penguin provided is different ways of accessing content. Streaming services can sit quite comfy with cable packages. Indeed, Netflix shares the front screen with the UK’s biggest pay tv service (Sky)

You have given examples of methods that have been replaced with more capable things that made those things obsolete. That’s not true of Streaming and cable/pay tv. Internet web sites and hacks for hire oversell streaming when the actual truth of the matter is pay tv is still by far the dominant method of entertainment in the home. Cable tv won’t die in five years, nor will it die in ten years. It will adapt and fight back. In some cases it will blend.

Digital HD is a crapfest. It’s NEVER going to replace anything else. DVD in its heyday was a revelation, digital HD is lukewarm and the studios are already losing interest as more and more Netflix rivals bubble to the surface.

You seem to be trying to convince yourself rather than others. Digital HD is a placeholder tech, and what’s worse, your collection will NEVER be safe.

Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray is the only way to guarantee access to your films years down the line.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Just for reference here is some info on household penetration of surround sound systems. I would say that Dolby Digital and DTS makes up most of these systems with Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio being much smaller and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X being a very small % of the total.

Can not find info on household penetration of video projectors but I would wager it is quite small but that does not seem to deter Sim, Sony, Optoma, BenQ, Epson, JVC, etc. from making these products. Just wonder if any of these makers envisions an 80% household penetration.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Just for reference here is some info on household penetration of surround sound systems. I would say that Dolby Digital and DTS makes up most of these systems with Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio being much smaller and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X being a very small % of the total.

Can not find info on household penetration of video projectors but I would wager it is quite small but that does not seem to deter Sim, Sony, Optoma, BenQ, Epson, JVC, etc. from making these products. Just wonder if any of these makers envisions an 80% household penetration.

Floorstanders are still easilly available also!

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

Cell phones

Still sound as absurd?

Landlines are still a huge business. The masses using cell phones have not caused a single company to drop their landline business. Landlines may not be "the standard" anymore but they will likely continue to exist for a very long time.

Big companies generally aren't going to invest in new types of products that they don't think the masses will like. But they also aren't going to stop supporting their existing products that have dropped in popularity but are still highly profitable. And even in niche markets there continue to be plenty of products and companies. The masses don't determine what's available, they just determine what's available in the largest quantities.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

The masses using cell phones have not caused a single company to drop their landline business.

Wonder if the poster is aware that Best Buy has shuttered all their standalone mobile stores? That AT&T has sold all their cell phone stores to a third party? Cell phones is not the cash cow it once was.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Wonder if the poster is aware that Best Buy has shuttered all their standalone mobile stores? That AT&T has sold all their cell phone stores to a third party? Cell phones is not the cash cow it once was.

That’s why AR glasses are seeing so much investment. They need a new cash cow. The phone will be the brains but Like the Apple Watch, it will eventually be a stand alone product.

[NightMovie901]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

. Do you have data that is different than his?

I'm not disputing that data. I'm just saying that particular data represents a point in time and it could be vastly different in the future. My automobile vs horse drawn carriage analogy for example

If I looked at the numbers is the late 1800s/early 1900s and showed how all the spending is not on automobiles then would I deduce that horse and carriage is here to stay?

[NightMovie901]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Landlines are still a huge business. The masses using cell phones have not caused a single company to drop their landline business. Landlines may not be "the standard" anymore but they will likely continue to exist for a very long time.

Big companies generally aren't going to invest in new types of products that they don't think the masses will like. But they also aren't going to stop supporting their existing products that have dropped in popularity but are still highly profitable. And even in niche markets there continue to be plenty of products and companies. The masses don't determine what's available, they just determine what's available in the largest quantities.

AT&T is working towards eliminating traditional copper based POTS with the next couple of years. So it will be a U-Verse VoIP product only at some point not that far into the future. I know that is what the local AT&T techs say here but here is an article about Illinois I found:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...503-story.html

[NightMovie901]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray is the only way to guarantee access to your films years down the line.

I don't disagree with that for the most.

In fact, all you guys make a great case for physical over digital. I can't disagree with a LOT of your points.

However, I know I'm late to the party and I'm buying up iTunes movies like crazy. Part of it is due to cost. People are separating the digital copy codes from the discs and selling those. (or selling/trading their own) So I actually need discs to stay around big time to keep that up. I'm buying movies for $5 when the disc still costs $20.

Also, I just like the convenience of it. I have access to all my movies from everywhere. Also, 95%+ of my physical movies are on DVD which means I need to buy replacement blu-rays or watch them in a lower quality. (and that sucks)

Furthermore, the discs just take up a lot of space and I'd like to downsize that part of my life. Digital makes it easy.

Finally, I realize some movie studio could try to yank the rights out from underneath us some movies but if that happens people will scream bloddy murder and there will be lawsuits, etc. to correct it.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

If I looked at the numbers is the late 1800s/early 1900s and showed how all the spending is not on automobiles then would I deduce that horse and carriage is here to stay?

Which of those do you think has gone away?

Not even the most ardent physical media supporter is arguing that physical media will carry the day or even return to the lofty perch it held during the peak DVD years.

They're just saying that people who want to take rides in horse drawn carriages will still be able to do that years from now no matter how successful the automobile might be.

And they're probably right. In fact they're almost certainly right.

[NightMovie901]

So I was looking to see how they are handing the upcoming physical release of Captain Marvel 4k and ran across an exclusive edition so I Googled and found more:

https://hd-report.com/2019/03/11/cap...er-exclusives/

So this is something that video games have been doing for a long time but I'm not sure when movies started doing this. (I haven't paid attention for a long time)

So $35 and I have to choose which retailer's exclusive I want the most vs. $20 itunes pre-order with no hassle. Just sayin'

Thoughts?

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

So I was looking to see how they are handing the upcoming physical release of Captain Marvel 4k and ran across an exclusive edition so I Googled and found more:

https://hd-report.com/2019/03/11/cap...er-exclusives/

So this is something that video games have been doing for a long time but I'm not sure when movies started doing this. (I haven't paid attention for a long time)

So $35 and I have to choose which retailer's exclusive I want the most vs. $20 itunes pre-order with no hassle. Just sayin'

Thoughts?

Or you could just buy the regular 4k and not worry about exclusives. Just sayin'.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

So I was looking to see how they are handing the upcoming physical release of Captain Marvel 4k and ran across an exclusive edition so I Googled and found more:

https://hd-report.com/2019/03/11/cap...er-exclusives/

So this is something that video games have been doing for a long time but I'm not sure when movies started doing this. (I haven't paid attention for a long time)

So $35 and I have to choose which retailer's exclusive I want the most vs. $20 itunes pre-order with no hassle. Just sayin'

Thoughts?

Thoughts? That you have an agenda. I suspected as much by your join date.

[NightMovie901]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Thoughts? That you have an agenda. I suspected as much by your join date.

OK, please state my agenda so I know it too.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

Thoughts?

The steelbook looks pretty cool.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by NightMovie901

So I was looking to see how they are handing the upcoming physical release of Captain Marvel 4k and ran across an exclusive edition so I Googled and found more:

https://hd-report.com/2019/03/11/cap...er-exclusives/

So this is something that video games have been doing for a long time but I'm not sure when movies started doing this. (I haven't paid attention for a long time)

So $35 and I have to choose which retailer's exclusive I want the most vs. $20 itunes pre-order with no hassle. Just sayin'

Thoughts?

Why does it have to come down to either buying the digital version OR one of the pricier exclusive physical versions?

I'm not saying that you should necessarily avoid the exclusives (I've preordered the Steelbook, myself), but it makes little sense why in a hypothetical scenario where you opt for the physical release over the digital, it HAS to be the more expensive option. Any physical version, regardless of packaging, artwork, and exclusivity (or lack there of), will have the long term access benefits that everyone is talking about. And if you find going to a physical store to buy it to be a "hassle" (I personally don't), you can always order it online and have it shipped.

While the price for even the standard 4K release will still be more than the itunes purchase, some people who don't care about the digital copies at all sell them off in the marketplace here. I'm sure shortly after release, getting around $10 for it wouldn't be that hard if that was an option you would consider.

If you want the digital copy in addition to the discs, that's understandable, but you are getting the benefit of physical and digital in one package for a price lower than what it would cost to buy them separately.

While I like saving money, at the end of the day I'm not going to give up the rights and benefits that physical media gives me just to save a few bucks.