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

[tiger_qc]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

Try using it. I had a shrinkwrapped HD-A30 as backup. When my venerable XA2 died, I unpacked the player and found that it couldn't read half of the discs that had worked fine on the XA2 (not to mention that it was really slow by today's standards). I have since ripped all the HD-DVDs to MKV files and they now reside on my NAS (which is regularly backed up). Digital files are much safer if you know what you are doing. Optical media are really dinosaurs IMO.

I had 3 brand new one 4-5 months ago one of HD-A30 broke down last winter and I took one I had in my closet and switched it it worked fine with the 2 or 3 movies I watched but it is slow, HD-A30s always were very slow. (HD-A3 & HD-A35 too)

[V40LLY]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

It was probably a firmware issue more than anything.



Besides, putting aside the legalities of the situation, even buying a disc and ripping it to have a copy free of the lock down and drm nonsense that the various services put on the content is better than paying directly for digital copies.

I wouldn't bother. When you've got a ripped copy of a Blu-ray, you'd need to compress it to a smaller file, suitable for outing it on a hand held device. Then you might have issues with frame rate per second, causing a stuttering effect. Then you won't have it in a cloud to download or stream, whenever you please.

Screw that! I'd buy the digital copy over the Blu-ray anytime. Or, if I was to be frivolous, buy one of each.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

It was probably a firmware issue more than anything.

Of course I updated the firmware. Optical drives decay in long-term storage (lubricants dry up, lenses become "blind" etc.).

Besides, putting aside the legalities of the situation, even buying a disc and ripping it to have a copy free of the lock down and drm nonsense that the various digital services put on the content is better than paying directly for digital copies.

Ripping discs is much more time-consuming. I can backup my entire digital collection (which is now 6+ TB) or transfer it to a new storage system very easily. I don't even want to know how long it would take me to rip my 1000+ optical discs. And as I mentioned before, you can remove the DRM from iTunes files just as easily as you can from Blu-rays (and the latter is assuming Slysoft/Redfox doesn't go belly-up for good at some point).

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by V40LLY

I wouldn't bother. When you've got a ripped copy of a Blu-ray, you'd need to compress it to a smaller file, suitable for outing it on a hand held device. Then you might have issues with frame rate per second, causing a stuttering effect. Then you won't have it in a cloud to download or stream, whenever you please.

Screw that! I'd buy the digital copy over the Blu-ray anytime. Or, if I was to be frivolous, buy one of each.

Or just buy the Blu-Ray that comes with the digital copy, and use the discs, rips, or actual digital copy when it best suits the situation.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Or just buy the Blu-Ray that comes with the digital copy, and use the discs, rips, or actual digital copy when it best suits the situation.

Or don't bother degrading oneself by watching films on a mobile at all IMO.

[V40LLY]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Or just buy the Blu-Ray that comes with the digital copy, and use the discs, rips, or actual digital copy when it best suits the situation.

And what if the Blu-Ray title in question does not have a digital copy? Do I then resort to the inconvenience of ripping?

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

Of course I updated the firmware. Optical drives decay in long-term storage (lubricants dry up, lenses become "blind" etc.).
Ripping discs is much more time-consuming. I can backup my entire digital collection (which is now 6+ TB) or transfer it to a new storage system very easily. I don't even want to know how long it would take me to rip my 1000+ optical discs. And as I mentioned before, you can remove the DRM from iTunes files just as easily as you can from Blu-rays (and the latter is assuming Slysoft/Redfox doesn't go belly-up for good at some point).

Originally Posted by V40LLY

And what if the Blu-Ray title in question does not have a digital copy? Do I then resort to the inconvenience of ripping?

The way I see it, you get out of it what you put into it. Find ripping to be far to inconvenient? That's your prerogative, and you can do what works for you. Just don't come looking for sympathy when/if at some point down the road your preferred digital copy service goes under, gets bought out, or something akin to that and a huge chunk of your collection, if not all of it, is no longer accessible. With digital, you are putting all of your eggs in THEIR basket, and hoping that they never drop it, lose it, or have anything else go wrong with it.

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Or don't bother degrading oneself by watching films on a mobile at all IMO.

I understand the purpose and convenience of digital copies when traveling, especially to keep you entertained while sitting in an airport, on a plane, on a train, etc. But unless someone travels CONSTANTLY, the argument that they need their ENTIRE collection to be available digitally is kind of silly IMO. Digital copies included with discs or even just ripping a handful of content as "needed" should be more than sufficient for people who only travel occasionally.

[Mr Kite]

It is for me this, if you like your PQ go Blu, if you are not bothered about this and the time and effort company's are putting in to restoring films and want to kill physical media go download. Your choice...........same happened with PDP.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Just don't come looking for sympathy when/if at some point down the road your preferred digital copy service goes under, gets bought out, or something akin to that and a huge chunk of your collection, if not all of it, is no longer accessible.

I don't know why you keep ignoring this: I can back up iTunes files to my own storage, and I can even remove the DRM from them should the need ever arise. There is no possible scenario where they become inaccessible.

I understand the purpose and convenience of digital copies when traveling, especially to keep you entertained while sitting in an airport, on a plane, on a train, etc. But unless someone travels CONSTANTLY, the argument that they need their ENTIRE collection to be available digitally is kind of silly IMO. Digital copies included with discs or even just ripping a handful of content as "needed" should be more than sufficient for people who only travel occasionally.

I usually watch a TV season or two on my iPad on long-haul flights. Ripping TV shows from disc and making them playable on a mobile device is a huge pain, since you not only have to rip the discs, but also extract, identify and tag all the episodes. I really have better things to do with my time.

[socal9]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

Of course I updated the firmware. Optical drives decay in long-term storage (lubricants dry up, lenses become "blind" etc.).
Ripping discs is much more time-consuming. I can backup my entire digital collection (which is now 6+ TB) or transfer it to a new storage system very easily. I don't even want to know how long it would take me to rip my 1000+ optical discs. And as I mentioned before, you can remove the DRM from iTunes files just as easily as you can from Blu-rays (and the latter is assuming Slysoft/Redfox doesn't go belly-up for good at some point).

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

The way I see it, you get out of it what you put into it. Find ripping to be far to inconvenient? That's your prerogative, and you can do what works for you. Just don't come looking for sympathy when/if at some point down the road your preferred digital copy service goes under, gets bought out, or something akin to that and a huge chunk of your collection, if not all of it, is no longer accessible. With digital, you are putting all of your eggs in THEIR basket, and hoping that they never drop it, lose it, or have anything else go wrong with it.

I don't think you read Fiffy's post to carefully. If you did, you would understand that even if your preferred digital service went under, you would still have all your digital collection provided you did as Fiffy had stated in his post.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

I don't know why you keep ignoring this: I can back up iTunes files to my own storage, and I can even remove the DRM from them should the need ever arise. There is no possible scenario where they become inaccessible.

If you made that point previously, I apologize, as I missed it.

Interesting about removing the DRM. Does that allow them to be played on other devices besides apple/iTunes compatible ones?

IMO just be sure to keep a couple of back up copies incase a hard drive ever crashes.

[Mr Kite]

Jeez........these guys really are into downloading FFS. We are doomed.

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

Of course I updated the firmware. Optical drives decay in long-term storage (lubricants dry up, lenses become "blind" etc.).
Ripping discs is much more time-consuming. I can backup my entire digital collection (which is now 6+ TB) or transfer it to a new storage system very easily. I don't even want to know how long it would take me to rip my 1000+ optical discs. And as I mentioned before, you can remove the DRM from iTunes files just as easily as you can from Blu-rays (and the latter is assuming Slysoft/Redfox doesn't go belly-up for good at some point).

Doesn't removing the DRM from iTunes copies require reencoding the file, reducing the image/audio quality in the process?

[Mr Kite]

Originally Posted by PCFan

Doesn't removing the DRM from iTunes copies require reencoding the file, reducing the image/audio quality in the process?

Buy the bloody discs much easier and better quality.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

If they do, they certainly use redundant copies and store them in a climate-controlled environment. Do you?

Wha type of comment is that?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by tele1962

Jeez........these guys really are into downloading FFS. We are doomed.

Tell me about it. The day I watch Gravity on my phone, shoot me?

[V40LLY]

Gravity!

Complete bilge!

[Rocket Richard]

Originally Posted by SixSpeedSamurai

That is one thing that puzzles me about millennials. Why on earth would you want to watch on a 5 to 9 inch screen when you most likely have a 40+ inch screen at home?

Obviously if your home you can stream that to your TV. The bonus is if your not at home you can stream it on your iPad, iPhone while on a bus, train or airplane or even at someone else's house on their TV if your out visiting.

You guys are thinking way INSIDE the box, instead of thinking outside the box! ???

[V40LLY]

Originally Posted by tele1962

Jeez........these guys really are into downloading FFS. We are doomed.

No, we just ain't stuck in a time warp.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by V40LLY

No, we just ain't stuck in a time warp.

I would rather be that than a generation that doesn't care about the art of film and feels self entitled to cheap or free films IMO.