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

[crutzulee]

Caught the worst movie I've seen this year...I'll give it one thing - It managed to make 84 minutes seem like a very long time..







Perfect example of a movie that streaming saved me the hassle of a purchase!

[Vilya]

^Now I'm afraid to see it.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by veritas

Do you guys accept damaged goods? Like I bought aqua man and paid 30% more then I thought it would go for. It has no slip and the case is damaged. most of the time i feel like even a slip cover would have been enough to save the case.

there was a time when I would have cared. But now all I care is that the movie plays.

[russweiss1]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Perfect example of a movie that streaming saved me the hassle of a purchase!

This is one of the reasons I see so many films in the theater. It saves me blind buying the disc.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

This is one of the reasons I see so many films in the theater. It saves me blind buying the disc.

I can understand someone that said "I am already paying for the streaming service so why not check it out for free first"

And I am not trying to dissuade you from going to theatres. But 20$ for a movie ticket (assuming by myself) and snacks and the gas and hassle of going there. I do think blind buying makes more economic sense them pre-screening at the theater to save on a bad blind buy

[russweiss1]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I can understand someone that said "I am already paying for the streaming service so why not check it out for free first"

And I am not trying to dissuade you from going to theatres. But 20$ for a movie ticket (assuming by myself) and snacks and the gas and hassle of going there. I do think blind buying makes more economic sense them pre-screening at the theater to save on a bad blind buy

I pay $23.99 a month for a Regal Unlimited pass (just increased to $26.49 this month) and will have seen over 200 films theatrically by the end of the year. Blind buys advantage is that I would own the movies but it definitely wouldn't make more economic sense.

[veritas]

So have you guys had any major changes in spending for media over the years?

I cut out theaters around 2020.
I stopped buying all Warner media that is over 2 years old thats new at least.
I havent been able to find a good deal on prime video in like a year to use my digital credits on so they just go to books.
I stopped importing titles when the shipping went insane.
I started buying alot of manga a couple of years ago.
I started picking up some sound tracks i like a couple of years ago.
the price I would pay for Disney titles went way down around 2019.

[the-pi-guy]

Stopped going to theaters when I had kids, 6 years ago.
I started kind of treating that as free money in a weird way. Like if there was a movie we were interested in at the theaters, I've started justifying to myself that I would spend $30 on 2 tickets to see that movie; why not spend $30 instead to get the UHD?

I'm not going to say how, but there was a while where I was adding stuff from iTunes into my home server. But that was becoming impossible, so I started leaning much more heavily into physical media, with less regard for there being a digital copy.

The past couple years I've been taking more interest in physical media, movies and TV shows in general. 2 years ago, I don't think I would have worried about ever watching the Godfather. But now, I'm generally thinking I should watch these critically acclaimed movies and TV shows and see what they're all about. I've gotten a lot of TV shows and movies that wouldn't have been on my radar a couple years ago.

Buying a lot more anime. I've been able to get into a lot of anime that I feel like I haven't been able to in quite a few years.

I'm pretty much buying everything I'm watching now. I love every bit of it. I enjoy looking at recommendations, whereas it was a struggle with Netflix, scrolling past 100 things I had no interest in.

[Vilya]

While I have been buying some discs lately, overall I have cut my spending significantly. My declining health, and the considerable costs associated with it, is the major reason for my cutbacks.

It is probably foolish of me to buy any movies considering my circumstances, but on the other hand this hobby is one of the few things that I am still able to enjoy.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

This is one of the reasons I see so many films in the theater. It saves me blind buying the disc.

I use streaming for things I'm not sure about. Kanopy is free and great for things like A24 and Criterion.

If I realize that I might like it I tend to shut it off and look for a real copy on disc.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by veritas

So have you guys had any major changes in spending for media over the years?

I'm more focused and organized and also far less interested in leaving the house which will lead to me buying more movies.

I like going to the movies but my local theaters are simply bad. If I feel the need to avoid spoilers though or someone else wants to go then I will go to my local theater.

I don't buy online movies often. If my kids want to see something I'm completely not interested in I will buy the online version because that's how they watch most things.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Caught the worst movie I've seen this year...I'll give it one thing - It managed to make 84 minutes seem like a very long time..

The whole notion of AI is a big turn off for me and I had some sort of hint this movie was not a good one.

I'm really "over" my interest in computers for the sake of computers.

Maybe the funnest thing about my classic car hobby/project is the car has no computers at all. I may add a bluetooth radio but that will be it.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by veritas

So have you guys had any major changes in spending for media over the years?

I buy about 95% of discs online since the in store options have decreased significantly.
I buy more Steelbooks now when they are available.
I have not been to theater since MI Ghost Protocol in 2011 when I realized I could create a better experience.
I don’t buy as many movies on Blu-ray as I got tired of buying a title only to see a 4k version released later, so I just wait for the 4k to come out.
I buy more tv shows now than before, this being the exception to the sentence above.
I still buy a bunch of cds, but reduced my vinyl purchases as my time to listen to them seemed to greatly diminish, and I decided to step away from that expensive rabbit hole.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I use streaming for things I'm not sure about. Kanopy is free and great for things like A24 and Criterion.

If I realize that I might like it I tend to shut it off and look for a real copy on disc.

I probably stand alone with this, but I blind buy everything,I want my first experience to be the best possible at home.
Imagine something like Dune 2 on streaming, just not the same experience. I tend to be blown away with 4K discs more often than not. But for me, the advanced AV quality makes a great film even better.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I probably stand alone with this, but I blind buy everything,I want my first experience to be the best possible at home.
Imagine something like Dune 2 on streaming, just not the same experience. I tend to be blown away with 4K discs more often than not. But for me, the advanced AV quality makes a great film even better.

Couldn’t agree more. Also the reason why I avoid trailers for movies I know I will buy.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by gotmule

Couldn’t agree more. Also the reason why I avoid trailers for movies I know I will buy.

Yep, I watch far fewer trailers these days. I would estimate my success rate with blind buys is around 85% or so, I always. Research pre production and follow directors and actors closely. I tend to get it right a lot thankfully.

I have been told it’s a waste of money by a friend, my comeback?

“You just had a night out that you can’t remember and spent £100-£120 for the pleasure, a small handful of discs that I have to sell for a discount doesn’t even compare”.

This normally solves the argument.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

I pay $23.99 a month for a Regal Unlimited pass (just increased to $26.49 this month) and will have seen over 200 films theatrically by the end of the year. Blind buys advantage is that I would own the movies but it definitely wouldn't make more economic sense.

did not know some theatres had unlimited movies for a monthly fee. That definitely sounds like a very reasonable price per month for theatres.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by veritas

So have you guys had any major changes in spending for media over the years?

I would not say major, but working off of your list

1) I have not been to a theatre in years, but I was always more of a homebody and it was friends/GF/wife that wanted to go to the theatre and none of them seem interested as much anymore.

2) For a very long time I have had an unwatched shelf (2004) where I put things I buy before watching them (I am sure people are tired of me saying that). But when the shelf is too empty I buy more and when too full I curb my buying (why have a film sitting there if it would have just dropped in price by the tuime I see it). But as formats get older I tend to watch more previously watched content so the unwatched shelf shrinks more slowly and so I buy less. So where there times I bought more? absolutely, but there was also a times I bought less (Because of HDTV I knew DVD for me was a gonner so I stopped buying before BD lunched deciding to finish up my unwatched shelf and find unwatched titles mixed with other DVDs)

[crutzulee]

Once I let go of trying to "recreate the cinema experience at home", I feel that I was able to make something better..

I won't argue that it's more economical than going to the theater from a straight monetary point of view until you factor in the "old man" tax... which correlates to my general level of crotchetyness, and desire to have things exactly my way...

As far as quality is concerned, I control that as well...Most romcom crap doesn't warrant the 4KDV/DA quality I presently get from a stream...For things that I deem worthy, I'm more than happy to wait for the physical... the steady stream of classic titles currently being remastered for UHD means that I am getting close to buying all the essential titles for potentially the last time...

[mjjckc]

Originally Posted by veritas

So have you guys had any major changes in spending for media over the years?

For most of the 2010's, 80% of what I bought was TV on BD. 2/3rds of the films I did get were blind buys of stuff I didn't manage to see in the theater (and were cheaper than going to the theater anyway).

At the end of 2020, I finally went 4K and then opened the floodgates to filling in the back catalogs of directors I liked or films I'd always wanted to see, be it on 4K or BD, with 75% of purchases still being blind buys.

By 2022, I'd cleared the backlog of any TV on BD I'd already wanted, so my purchases from here on were 90% films. I was happy with around 90% of my blind buys.

In 2024, most of the near sure thing films I'd wanted to blind buy had been purchased. So I switched to streaming or borrowing from the library more on the fence catalog titles, and then only buying the ones I really liked. I also discovered a local used record store with a ton of used BDs on sale for $2.

My strategy for 2025 is to shift over to quality over quantity. 75% of purchases will be 4K. Double dip on a few titles worth upgrading from BD to 4K on like Prometheus, The Prestige, and Scott Pilgrim. Finally get a few expensive special editions like the German David Lynch Dune.