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

[Matthewm]

I sell all my digital codes. Im gonna stay with physical media.

[Indy64]

Originally Posted by Matthewm

I sell all my digital codes. Im gonna stay with physical media.

You'll probably regret that one day, probably sooner rather than later.

[Vilya]

I gave two codes away once to a forum member who told me a poverty themed sob story.

I redeemed Disney and Sony codes at their respective rewards sites for the points that allowed me to obtain yet more movies on disc, but the rest of my code sheets lie enshrined in their cases.

I no longer give them away and I will not sell them as I feel doing so might harm physical media sales even in the most minute of ways.

[Indy64]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I gave two codes away once to a forum member who told me a poverty themed sob story.

I redeemed Disney and Sony codes at their respective rewards sites for the points that allowed me to obtain yet more movies on disc, but the rest of my code sheets lie enshrined in their cases.

Have I told you what a tough life I've led and I'm trying to still scrape together a library of movies for my 12 kids who huddle around our tiny 19" tube TV?

[Zu Nim]

Originally Posted by WestMan

Even at $2 Billion in sales, that is still 15% of the annual domestic box office. Far too much money to abandon the format. The fact that studios are pushing 4k makes me think they still see a future with the high end market.

And 50 to 60 titles would be extremely low. CD's are still made for almost every new album.

And I think you are underestimating the brick wall the streaming services are going to hit in the next decade.

Ten years is a long time. Blu-ray has only existed for a bit longer than 10 years. I would be surprised if either of us visits this forum a decade from now (and it may not even exist) but I appreciate the predictions.

$2B in sales may represent 15% of today's box office but they're going to focus on the titles with the likelihood of being profitable. I didn't mean there would only be 50-60 releases only, but the ones that reliably got distributions. On the plus side, they'll all be 4K or better!

CDs are very cheap to master and produce in small quantities. If Blu-ray gets to the point where it only costs $1/ea or so to press 1,000 copies and be profitable, there will be more breadth.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Indy64

Have I told you what a tough life I've led and I'm trying to still scrape together a library of movies for my 12 kids who huddle around our tiny 19" tube TV?

I think I will send you a box of prophylactics instead.

[Zu Nim]

Originally Posted by Vilya

The likelihood that I will want to revisit a title, in whole or in part, is a major factor in my purchase decision.

I think this is the problem with your argument. It's all based on your experience and not necessarily what people/the market are doing. Some of it overlaps with what the market seems to be doing and some of it doesn't. You buy and rewatch for certain reasons, you don't mind the network apps, you don't get charged for a DVR, you don't want to pay for internet service, etc. and you're extrapolating a future market that includes everyone else based on your own personal experience.

I disagree that DVD customers do not care about the experience. They may not need the very best, but that is not the same thing as saying they do not care at all.

If they didn't care at all they wouldn't buy anything. It costs very little to step up to Blu-ray. These people are indifferent, unswayed by the dramatically improved picture and sound of Blu-ray. Nothing wrong with that but let's call a spade a spade.

I also think they would value the permanence of the content on their discs if they were aware of the potential for changes to server based content.

That permanence also prevents you from getting improvements. My digital purchases get upgraded transfers and new extras. Do your discs? To each their own.

There continue to be more such offerings than I can buy immediately; my wishlist is bursting with them.

Subscription offers an endless array of things to watch and the shifting availability of titles, while not being a strength to you, can be a strength to others.

[Vilya]

That is why I italicized the word "my"; I recognize that it is human nature to use one's personal experience as a barometer for things it may or may not measure accurately. A lot of what we are discussing is speculative and our experiences shape that speculation.

I cancelled my cable subscription in 2013, but I receive constant offers to return to the fold. I do not object to paying for internet service as I have been doing so since 1996. What I do not like is paying for unreliable service that fails to deliver on what it claims nor do I like being dependent on that dubious service to access content on a distant server that digital customers are fully dependent upon.

It was you that said DVD customers did not care about the experience; I disagree. They just do not care as much. Yes, blu-ray players are inexpensive; many DVD customers own them and watch their DVDs with them. They benefit from the upscaling their blu-ray players and new TVs provide. They realize their savings in the price difference between DVDs and Blu-rays, which can be small or large depending on the title. For some people saving money is more important than the difference between the two formats.

The only thing that limits my ability to obtain improved technical presentations is my level of interest and my wallet. I have been chasing technical improvements since the days of VHS Hi-Fi and I suspect I always will. It comes with the hobby. I strongly value the unchanging content on my discs, though, as I dislike revisionism, especially when it replaces the original versions and is politically motivated. I like many Director's cuts, but I also want to be able to see the original version.

I can appreciate the value of subscription based streaming services and I understand their appeal. I experiment with them from time to time, but I usually wind up cancelling them during the free trial periods. Their selection is large, but it surprisingly offers little of interest to me with the exception of some of their original content. A lot of that content winds up on disc and that is how I am most likely to view it.

[WestMan]

I think confusion more then anything else is why a lot of people have stuck with DVD's.

I was told that magazines would be going away because of the internet and yet my local book store still has a giant wall of them.

[Vilya]

I have a friend whose elderly parents (80ish) call me whenever they have a problem with their TV, cable, and/ or blu-ray player. I am constantly amazed that they continue to watch the standard definition channels instead of the high definition channels included in their service. I show them where they are in their on screen menu, but the standard definition channels have lower numbers, appear first in the menu, and they select the first thing they recognize every time.

I tried creating a favorites list that only had the high definition channels they frequent, but they want to see the "whole" list because they feel they are missing out otherwise. Switching between the two lists is too confusing, so they remain watching standard definition channels on their new 65" Samsung 4K HDR TV.

Ironically, though, they buy both DVDs and Blu-rays.

[flyry]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I never said that I was going to cancel my internet service, only that I could do so and still have access to the internet, thanks to the library, without impacting my ability to watch my collection. Digital customers MUST have high speed broadband internet, well above and beyond what I need.

Stop it.

You admitted you've been paying for the net since 1996. And the fact that you even mentioned the scenario of you "realistically" cancelling your internet and going to watch your digital collection on a desktop computer in public is ridiculous to me. It's not going to happen.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Indy64

Late to thread but I'm pretty much all digital now. I gave up "collecting" discs of movies that usually were seen once and tossed in a box somewhere in the house never to be seen again. Selling them is about useless too.

Now I have multiple sources that allow me to watch older and new movies at the push of a button. No more desire to "own" movies anymore, those days are long gone for me. I don't really care if I can't find a movie on some particular day because I know it will show up on one of my streaming services at some point and I'll catch it then.

To me collecting movies is a dinosaur hobby. I used to love doing it back when DVD first hit the market, couldn't wait to get Best Buy day 1 to snag the newest releases. That lasted for a number of years until I started staring at the piles of discs sitting in boxes or drawers thinking "Hmmm, it's been 10 years since I saw this" but had no desire to spin it again.

I'm happy to be a Roku TV/Chromecast family now and will never again waste my hard earned money on physical discs that I know won't get watched.

Originally Posted by Matthewm

I sell all my digital codes. Im gonna stay with physical media.

Originally Posted by Indy64

You'll probably regret that one day, probably sooner rather than later.

I'm with you Indy64, collecting Discs is Ancient, but at least Matthewm sells his Digital Codes. There are tons of Threads where people on this Site just give their Codes away. I know that these people that prefer Discs say they watch their Old Movies all the time, but there isn't enough time to do this and keep up with the Movies coming out. Sure you're going to pull one or two, but to watch them all would take a Life Time. I know I have tried when I upgraded my Collection, I would watch my Movies again in the different Formats. Just like the Movie "In Time," there isn't enough time to watch all your Movies......Digital gives you some of that Time!

[twobelowpar]

How in the world does Digital give you more time??


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[Vilya]

Originally Posted by flyry

Stop it.

You admitted you've been paying for the net since 1996. And the fact that you even mentioned the scenario of you "realistically" cancelling your internet and going to watch your digital collection on a desktop computer in public is ridiculous to me. It's not going to happen.

Are you stoned? If so, share.

I do not even have a digital collection to watch at home or anywhere else. I have never redeemed a single code in order to watch a movie. Not once-ever. Therefore, I never said anything about ME watching ANY digital collection ANYWHERE. My collection is entirely on physical media. Those numbers below my avatar, that's what I have.

I use the internet to get news, pay bills, shop, watch a youtube clip, and email. Not much else. I can accomplish that with the most basic of internet service plans. I could accomplish all of that with no internet service at all by using the library. I could use my 4GB per month cellular phone plan to do these tasks as well. Why is that so hard to grasp?

Those of you who have digital collections MUST have high speed broadband internet service to view your collections. I only need electricity. You must have BOTH.

There was a six week period in 2015 when I was looking for a new home in which I did rely entirely on my cell phone for internet access. It can be done and it has been done. My online needs are very simple, or, in other words, my internet service plan is probably cheaper than yours because I require so much less from it.

[Vilya]

I also would like to know how digital gives you more time. You might have a convert here if you can explain that to me.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I also would like to know how digital gives you more time. You might have a convert here if you can explain that to me.

It doesn't give you more time, it just makes the time you have more efficient. I can watch part of several Movies at one time, then go back and watch them all at one time. I have several Movies I watch, and just jump from time to time. No Time to watch them all, but part time to watch some of them! I need more Time!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

It doesn't give you more time, it just makes the time you have more efficient. I can watch part of several Movies at one time, then go back and watch them all at one time. I have several Movies I watch, and just jump from time to time. No Time to watch them all, but part time to watch some of them! I need more Time!

Your viewing method would drive me mad. It sounds as coherent as listening to a police scanner while riding a tilt-a-whirl.

Movie watching is not something to be multi-tasked. I watch one movie at a time from start to finish in a single sitting. I want to be fully immersed in the experience. I even turn off my phone; no distractions allowed.

Even with my being fully retired for 12 years now, I find that I do not have enough time to do everything I want, but whatever I am doing I try to commit myself completely to it. Playing full-time is hard work.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by alchav21

It doesn't give you more time, it just makes the time you have more efficient. I can watch part of several Movies at one time, then go back and watch them all at one time. I have several Movies I watch, and just jump from time to time. No Time to watch them all, but part time to watch some of them! I need more Time!

Originally Posted by Vilya

Your viewing method would drive me mad. It sounds as coherent as listening to a police scanner while riding a tilt-a-whirl.

Movie watching is not something to be multi-tasked. I watch one movie at a time from start to finish in a single sitting. I want to be fully immersed in the experience. I even turn off my phone; no distractions allowed.

Even with my being fully retired for 12 years now, I find that I do not have enough time to do everything I want, but whatever I am doing I try to commit myself completely to it. Playing full-time is hard work.

I'm talking about Movies I have already seen, you can watch part of them or just the parts you like. I usually watch one Movie a night, and like you said no distractions I watch it all the way through. Then after I have other Movies I watch part time, watching them until they finish. Just like a Series, you watch part of it day by day. Time is all you have, so take it Time after Time!

[veritas]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I'm talking about Movies I have already seen, you can watch part of them or just the parts you like. I usually watch one Movie a night, and like you said no distractions I watch it all the way through. Then after I have other Movies I watch part time, watching them until they finish. Just like a Series, you watch part of it day by day. Time is all you have, so take it Time after Time!

watching clips is what youtube is for.

[dublinbluray108]

Let's say if you owned your personal HT! Your physical collection is up on the shelf & you invest your hard earned time in picking something to watch when you switch on your TV or projector. You wouldn't need to use an online device like a phone or a laptop while watching something you love from a disc. That online device you have in your hand is simply there as a distraction. I don't do this when I use my laptop computer at home. I turn that off because you have something there to watch right already in front of you; and that is while watching discs on my Smart TV at home. If people have poor internet to do things online why would you ruin that HD or UHD experience wasting time watching another screen right in front of another screen?

Do people multi-task when playing video games from a console on the TV when watching some movie on a laptop?

That question about the video games above could put people thinking of more ways to confuse themselves even more?