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

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Here we go again, with Wendell's Graphs it clearly shows with IPTV and Streaming I have 90% of the Video Market to only about your 50% with Streaming and Disc. So I should have better selection with increased Enjoyment!

"Wendell's graph" does NOT show the percentage of content that a viewing platform has on offer. It shows the percentage of people that USE a particular viewing platform:

Nielsen Viewing By Platform Pie Chart January 2025.jpg

Originally Posted by Vilya

https://www.nielsen.com/data-center/the-gauge/

Streaming's "viewing by platform" share is only 42.6%, and that is nowhere near 90%.

The graph clearly states "Viewing By Platform" and it says nothing about the amount of content found on any given platform. Streaming's slice of that pie is just 42.6%; that's not even half of 90%.

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is, by definition, streaming, and all of us that use streaming have the same access to it as you do PLUS our physical media libraries, so, yes, we have access to more platforms than you do and we have access to a wider selection of content than you do.

[stonesfan129]

Picked up "The Conversation" in 4K UHD on Apple for $4.99. Pretty difficult to beat that in terms of price. Looks fantastic played over the AppleTV app on my Amazon Firestick. Can you even get the 4KBD anymore, much less for a reasonable price? That is really what is driving me away from discs is the price.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

Picked up "The Conversation" in 4K UHD on Apple for $4.99. Pretty difficult to beat that in terms of price. Looks fantastic played over the AppleTV app on my Amazon Firestick. Can you even get the 4KBD anymore, much less for a reasonable price? That is really what is driving me away from discs is the price.

It is amazing what you can find out by doing a quick online search.

This Studio Canal import 4K disc is available from Amazon UK for $24.09 (plus about $10.75 shipping) at the moment. That is very reasonable for a 4K disc import.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Convers...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

It starts at $34.95 on ebay (with free shipping) if importing is too slow for you.

Deep Discount has it for $36.49:

https://www.deepdiscount.com/convers.../9305000084229

You are not going to buy very many 4K discs, especially imports, for anything close to $4.99. You have never told us what you consider to be a "reasonable" price for a 4K disc, either.

It is a classic movie that is easily worth its asking price on 4K disc.

[stonesfan129]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It is amazing what you can find out by doing a quick online search.

This Studio Canal import 4K disc is available from Amazon UK for $24.09 (plus about $10.75 shipping) at the moment. That is very reasonable for a 4K disc import.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Convers...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

It starts at $34.95 on ebay (with free shipping) if importing is too slow for you.

Deep Discount has it for $36.49:

https://www.deepdiscount.com/convers.../9305000084229

You are not going to buy very many 4K discs, especially imports, for anything close to $4.99. You have never told us what you consider to be a "reasonable" price for a 4K disc, either.

It is a classic movie that is easily worth its asking price on 4K disc.

That is around 5-7x what I paid for the digital version. Not only that, but the 4K Blu-ray format is just so much more prone to bad pressings and players that can't handle the discs. My UBK90 bit the dust awhile back and the only one I've got is my Xbox. I'm just not willing to invest into a 4K player when I've got my streaming devices that can play the Apple streams.

I generally consider $30-35 "fair" for a new 4K Blu-ray. That is about what I was paying for them when big box stores were still carrying them. And around $20-25 for a regular Blu-ray. But I'm seeing an awful lot of them now go for $40-50 (sometimes this is because of pre-order prices).

[bhampton]

I can watch the digital version for free on Kanopy (no ads or previews) that's infinitely less than what you paid for the digital version.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/13090071


The digital online version is worth exactly $0 to me or very close to that. I do like sharing DCs with my kids so they do have some value but I'm not going to spend real money on them. If the online version comes free when I buy a movie then I will always redeem it.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

That is around 5-7x what I paid for the digital version. Not only that, but the 4K Blu-ray format is just so much more prone to bad pressings and players that can't handle the discs. My UBK90 bit the dust awhile back and the only one I've got is my Xbox. I'm just not willing to invest into a 4K player when I've got my streaming devices that can play the Apple streams.

I generally consider $30-35 "fair" for a new 4K Blu-ray. That is about what I was paying for them when big box stores were still carrying them. And around $20-25 for a regular Blu-ray. But I'm seeing an awful lot of them now go for $40-50 (sometimes this is because of pre-order prices).

Well, you can have the 4K disc for the upper end of what you consider to be a "fair" price. You are not going to find very many 4K discs, especially imports, that are priced at $4.99.

I understand the attractiveness of those $4.99 prices for digital copies. I occasionally buy them myself, but I will always much prefer a 4K disc to a 4K digital copy for any movie that really matters to me.

I like actually owning what I buy in a tangible form that can not be revised, or removed, later. The version that I bought on disc today is the version that I will have tomorrow.

[stonesfan129]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Well, you can have the 4K disc for the upper end of what you consider to be a "fair" price. You are not going to find very many 4K discs, especially imports, that are priced at $4.99.

I understand the attractiveness of those $4.99 prices for digital copies. I occasionally buy them myself, but I will always much prefer a 4K disc to a 4K digital copy for any movie that really matters to me.

I like actually owning what I buy in a tangible form that can not be revised, or removed, later. The version that I bought on disc today is the version that I will have tomorrow.

Won't the dyes on the discs eventually break down and cause the discs to stop being playable? I've heard of that happening with DVDs. Or worse yet, they discontinue the players and there are no longer affordable options in the marketplace. Though I think there is less of a chance of that happening (look what happened with vinyl and SACD and how we still have players).

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

Won't the dyes on the discs eventually break down and cause the discs to stop being playable?

The sun will eventually super nova but let's not worry about such things for now.

Do you own any physical media from the Rolling Stones ? Was it worth it? did it fall apart ? Curious now. I'm a Pink Floyd fan who fears not for my physical media purchases as they scrape the barrel and release old content on new immersive mixes. I'm loving it.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

Won't the dyes on the discs eventually break down and cause the discs to stop being playable? I've heard of that happening with DVDs. Or worse yet, they discontinue the players and there are no longer affordable options in the marketplace. Though I think there is less of a chance of that happening (look what happened with vinyl and SACD and how we still have players).

The vast majority of commercial discs are pressed, or machine stamped, and there are no dyes involved.

"Burned" discs, often used in "MOD" (Made On Demand) releases, use dyes that can fade over time; this fading is accelerated if the disc is exposed to bright lighting for extended periods. Not all MOD discs are burned, however; some are pressed.

It is easy to tell a pressed disc from a burned disc that uses dyes:



The silver disc on the right is a pressed disc. The one on the left is a "burned" disc that uses dyes.

Burned discs can last for a very long time if you store them properly. I have some burned discs that are over 20 years-old that play just fine. I also make back-ups of them if I feel the need.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I can watch the digital version for free on Kanopy (no ads or previews) that's infinitely less than what you paid for the digital version.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/13090071


The digital online version is worth exactly $0 to me or very close to that. I do like sharing DCs with my kids so they do have some value but I'm not going to spend real money on them. If the online version comes free when I buy a movie then I will always redeem it.

My digital collection is almost exclusively for the use of my family and friends. It has the added benefit of them not asking to borrow my discs.

I do not mind spending money on a digital copy if the price is about what a rental would cost, anyway. I see all of my digital copies as nothing but rentals of unknown duration.

[bhampton]

Right with ya.

My kids love the online movies I share and often host movie nights with them.

No one wants to borrow movies and I love that ! I couldn't give away a box of blu rays until eventually I tried the local library that was happy to upgrade a few DVDs in their collection.

To anyone obsessed with price, please remember the library. They will give you access to both physical and online media for no charge! My local library has eliminated late fees and has a large video library and offers access to Kanopy online which has many Criterions and A24 some of which I only actually want to watch once. Lamb for example. It may be a masterpiece but I'm one and done for it and online was just fine. One man's treasure is another man's trash.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by bhampton

The sun will eventually super nova but let's not worry about such things for now.

Do you own any physical media from the Rolling Stones ? Was it worth it? did it fall apart ? Curious now. I'm a Pink Floyd fan who fears not for my physical media purchases as they scrape the barrel and release old content on new immersive mixes. I'm loving it.

I have CDs that I bought in 1983 and they still play today. That's 42 years-old and counting.

I own a good amount of music from both groups.

[Vilya]

On to more pressing matters:

[Show spoiler]I have my third surgical procedure in just 30 days scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th. I will be leaving for St. Louis tomorrow, March 3rd, as check-in for surgery is usually 6:30 AM. The earliest I can return home will be on March 5th.

It was great news that my prostate biopsy was benign, but I still need surgery to remove part of my prostate as it is partially blocking my bladder and causing damage to it.

I am having a procedure called a Greenlight Laser Prostatectomy done where a cystoscopy probe with a green laser attachment is routed through the urethra to the prostate where the laser can be used by the surgeon to core away the prostate thereby restoring bladder function. The green laser vaporizes the prostate tissue and cauterizes much of the bleeding at the same time.

There are many potential side effects from the common & painful to the rare & life threatening. The potential benefits typically last 5+ years.

I will be under general anesthesia for this procedure. There is a 50% chance of my being hospitalized afterwards. Recovery takes 4-6 weeks.

Here is a 90 second animated video of the procedure:

GreenLight Laser Therapy Animation - YouTube

The Brits have written the best article on the procedure with the potential side effects and the odds of them occurring listed in this article on pages 4-5:

https://www.baus.org.uk/_userfiles/p...Greenlight.pdf

The Brits are so squeamish and polite; they prefer to call the urethra a "water pipe" in this article- as if it carries water.

As always, my heart condition is a factor in all of this making any procedure riskier for me. I am a fragile little thing.

While we all get to enjoy red lasers to read our DVDs and blue lasers to read our blu-rays, I get a green laser to disintegrate my enlarged prostate. That's three lasers to your two; does that mean I win?

Wish me luck. The aftermath is going to be painful and the recovery slow.

[bhampton]

Good Luck

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

A key difference between us is that we do not restrict our enjoyment of movies to a single format like you do. Using more formats means better selection which increases our overall enjoyment of movies because we have much more to choose from than you do.

everyone restricts themselves, so I don't see that as a key difference. Does anyone subscribe to every international streaming platform, every international EST/physical media title?

For me it is the making up BS and pretending it is facts that is the key difference between Alchav and anyone else here.

I still enjoy movies that are only available on DVD and laserdisc, but it only makes sense that I would much prefer to see them in higher quality on a superior format.

I can watch a movie in my office on my 60" 4K TV and listen with its built-in speakers, but why would I when I can choose to watch them with my 85" 4K TV connected to a nine speaker surround sound system in my living room? I can still enjoy my favorite movies in my office, but I damn well enjoy them a lot more in my living room.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

On to more pressing matters:

[Show spoiler]I have my third surgical procedure in just 30 days scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th. I will be leaving for St. Louis tomorrow, March 3rd, as check-in for surgery is usually 6:30 AM. The earliest I can return home will be on March 5th.

It was great news that my prostate biopsy was benign, but I still need surgery to remove part of my prostate as it is partially blocking my bladder and causing damage to it.

I am having a procedure called a Greenlight Laser Prostatectomy done where a cystoscopy probe with a green laser attachment is routed through the urethra to the prostate where the laser can be used by the surgeon to core away the prostate thereby restoring bladder function. The green laser vaporizes the prostate tissue and cauterizes much of the bleeding at the same time.

There are many potential side effects from the common & painful to the rare & life threatening. The potential benefits typically last 5+ years.

I will be under general anesthesia for this procedure. There is a 50% chance of my being hospitalized afterwards. Recovery takes 4-6 weeks.

Here is a 90 second animated video of the procedure:

GreenLight Laser Therapy Animation - YouTube

The Brits have written the best article on the procedure with the potential side effects and the odds of them occurring listed in this article on pages 4-5:

https://www.baus.org.uk/_userfiles/p...Greenlight.pdf

The Brits are so squeamish and polite; they prefer to call the urethra a "water pipe" in this article- as if it carries water.

As always, my heart condition is a factor in all of this making any procedure riskier for me. I am a fragile little thing.

While we all get to enjoy red lasers to read our DVDs and blue lasers to read our blu-rays, I get a green laser to disintegrate my enlarged prostate. That's three lasers to your two; does that mean I win?

Wish me luck. The aftermath is going to be painful and the recovery slow.

Best of luck, wishing for the best possible outcome as always.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I have CDs that I bought in 1983 and they still play today. That's 42 years-old and counting.

yup. Can digital disks get scratched to the point they won't work? can they get broken? can some eventually have issues? yes to all of them but I can't understand people that pretend this is a real problem. But we have a long history that proves it is not a real problem.

[deatheats]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

That is around 5-7x what I paid for the digital version. Not only that, but the 4K Blu-ray format is just so much more prone to bad pressings and players that can't handle the discs. My UBK90 bit the dust awhile back and the only one I've got is my Xbox. I'm just not willing to invest into a 4K player when I've got my streaming devices that can play the Apple streams.

I generally consider $30-35 "fair" for a new 4K Blu-ray. That is about what I was paying for them when big box stores were still carrying them. And around $20-25 for a regular Blu-ray. But I'm seeing an awful lot of them now go for $40-50 (sometimes this is because of pre-order prices).

One of the other benefits of physical media is it retains value after it’s been purchased, sometimes increasing in value (ltd editions & OOP titles)

Digital purchases have zero resale value.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

everyone restricts themselves, so I don't see that as a key difference. Does anyone subscribe to every international streaming platform, every international EST/physical media title?

The point was that I, and many others, do not arbitrarily reject an entire format and thereby have no access to titles only found on that format.

Of course, we make different choices as to what we watch specifically, but I, and many others, do not entirely refuse to use streaming the way that he adamantly refuses to use physical media.

As to the streaming services that he uses, I am pretty sure that I do have access to all of the ones that he typically mentions.

[bhampton]

Apparently The Conversation pre-order is the US is from Lionsgate .... i take back my response saying not to worry about it self destructing

I really enjoyed the movie ,.... Had never heard of it and it's chuck full of talent.