Physical Media - Love It or Hate It???

[reiella]

Originally Posted by Kristin Simard

Gift cards are not the same. Do you hold on to them after you have used it? NO, I don't think you know what I'm saying here.

Look at some of the gift cards. And look at the bottom lines of giftcards over the holidays... The market has been changing for a while in that regard.

As moronic as it sounds, I actually still have a few of the ones I got from 4 years ago [and depleted] because I liked the art on them :P, but yes it is different.

Out of curiosity, how do you wrap up a gift subscription to Sports Illustration?

I don't think you realize it's a different market stratagem as a whole.

[Kristin Simard]

Originally Posted by reiella

Look at some of the gift cards. And look at the bottom lines of giftcards over the holidays... The market has been changing for a while in that regard.

As moronic as it sounds, I actually still have a few of the ones I got from 4 years ago [and depleted] because I liked the art on them :P, but yes it is different.

Out of curiosity, how do you wrap up a gift subscription to Sports Illustration?

I don't think you realize it's a different market stratagem as a whole.

I guess we're talking about apples and oranges. My only point is that somtimes there is an added value to a physical gift that takes on (I guess you could say) a "sentimental" value. For example: One time I was in Russia visiting friends. I noticed an art book I had never seen before (The Paintings of Levitan) and was wondering if I could pick up a copy somewhere. They gave it to me and inscribed it to me. (Another argument against zone coding for Blu-rays.) That book takes me back to a specific time and place, as well as being a collection of amazing paintings.

[mgonzo2u]

Bill Gates' MSFT doesn't care about you. His MSFT co only cares about cornering a market idea to squeeze every ounce of cash out of said idea.

A lyric was once screamed that would fit what B GATES thinks of you as a consumer:

I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! #$CK YOU!

[reiella]

Originally Posted by Kristin Simard

I guess we're talking about apples and oranges. My only point is that somtimes there is an added value to a physical gift that takes on (I guess you could say) a "sentimental" value. For example: One time I was in Russia visiting friends. I noticed an art book I had never seen before (The Paintings of Levitan) and was wondering if I could pick up a copy somewhere. They gave it to me and inscribed it to me. (Another argument against zone coding for Blu-rays.) That book takes me back to a specific time and place, as well as being a collection of amazing paintings.

Quite, but the gift market in general has changed.

"Never regift" is more important than getting a sentimental gift.

Consider : a digital purchase of a movie coupled with an unburned lightscribe dvd inscribed to some display point.

It's different yes, but why.

Would it be any different the lightscribed disc had the digital copy of the movie on it?

[KenThompson]

I ended up losing all my music and I had about 1300 songs on the hard drive. Usually $1.00 per song . Now I have to download them all again and pay again. Thats a great reason to not have your entertainment on a hard drive. I will never stop buying my movies on disc.

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by reiella

The HT explosion? Seriously? You're comparing enthusiast market to the economy market?

Both things that I mentioned were for the HIGH end consumer!!

PC's = use to be THOUSANDS of dollars, now you get at Walmart
DVD/HT = Used to be VERY high end, now you can get at Walmart

When DVD players came out and 5.1 was introduced, that was the begininng of bringing the Movie Theatre experience to your home and helped to jumpstart a stagnating electronics market.

Well, today were in the same boat again in terms of Home electronics. Hi Def media is a start, but its not the NEXT big thing.

Trust me, you will see basic home automation quickly start popping up over the next 24 months. It is much cheaper then you think!

[Teazle]

Originally Posted by reiella

It's different yes, but why.

The packaging, presumably -- and packaging sells. (I'm reminded here of a special edition of Simpsons episodes made in the shape of Homer's head.)

[mgonzo2u]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

Both things that I mentioned were for the HIGH end consumer!!

PC's = use to be THOUSANDS of dollars, now you get at Walmart
DVD/HT = Used to be VERY high end, now you can get at Walmart

When DVD players came out and 5.1 was introduced, that was the begininng of bringing the Movie Theatre experience to your home and helped to jumpstart a stagnating electronics market.

Well, today were in the same boat again in terms of Home electronics. Hi Def media is a start, but its not the NEXT big thing.

Trust me, you will see basic home automation quickly start popping up over the next 24 months. It is much cheaper then you think!

Yeah, but I don't shop at Walmart and never will.

[Teazle]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

I ended up losing all my music and I had about 1300 songs on the hard drive. Usually $1.00 per song . Now I have to download them all again and pay again.

You're serious? If so that's a total bummer. To me the prospect of that happening is intolerable.

[AllanUSC]

Although Apple has just announced their new "HD" movie download service

(see this thread: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=32076),

physical media will always be the best way to go.

It's just more permanent, convenient and practical.

[Kristin Simard]

Originally Posted by reiella

Quite, but the gift market in general has changed.

"Never regift" is more important than getting a sentimental gift.

Consider : a digital purchase of a movie coupled with an unburned lightscribe dvd inscribed to some display point.

It's different yes, but why.

Would it be any different the lightscribed disc had the digital copy of the movie on it?

I've frequently bought extra copies of DVDs I really like. When I travel and meet up with friends, I'll want them to see a film I like. I leave the DVD with them. It would be too much of a bother to wait for a download, especially if you are just stopping by for the evening to have dinner and see a film together. (And a gift card just doesn't make it in this type of occasion.)

[love blu or go home!]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

I ended up losing all my music and I had about 1300 songs on the hard drive. Usually $1.00 per song . Now I have to download them all again and pay again. Thats a great reason to not have your entertainment on a hard drive. I will never stop buying my movies on disc.

I'm sorry you lost all of you music, but that is not a great reason to not like video or music on your hard drive. Just backup your data. I have over 5000 songs on my pc and it gets backup weekly. I've started downloading mp3 in 2000 I have never lost a song. I have been buying DVD around 1997 I have lost or damaged more than 50 of them. I can't wait till one day all my media is on my central server and I can view anything from anywhere in the house or the world...

[mgonzo2u]

Originally Posted by love blu or go home!

I'm sorry you lost all of you music, but that is not a great reason to not like video or music on your hard drive. Just backup your data. I have over 5000 songs on my pc and it gets backup weekly. I've started downloading mp3 in 2000 I have never lost a song. I have been buying DVD around 1997 I have lost or damaged more than 50 of them. I can't wait till one day all my media is on my central server and I can view anything from anywhere in the house or the world...

Back-up HDD fail at considerably high rates.

That is common knowledge.

[Smackos]

The main 2 reasons that mp3/AAC have done as well as they have are one.. mp3 was the absolute domain for illegal downloads, where you could grab what you wanted for nothing.. not surprising it took off. With both Mp3 and Itunes AAC you get something very important.. the ability to take your music out and about in a very small package compared to bulky cd players.

Movie downloads are a different animal completely. We already get movie downloads in the Uk and it's still a very much minority market. If movie downloads ever take off it'll just replace/supliment the rental market thats all. In the US you can get movie downloads through netflix.

It's not even about quality long term, there's no reason to think that over the next 5 years or so that download speeds won't keep increasing like they have now but for myself even if they do manage to basically stream full HD instantly at the click of a button I'll stick want a physical copy to take round friends etc for starters.

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by love blu or go home!

I can't wait till one day all my media is on my central server and I can view anything from anywhere in the house or the world...

Amen brutha!!

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by mgonzo2u

Back-up HDD fail at considerably high rates.

That is common knowledge.

Whatever, I've heard it all now!! If your backup up dies, then you still have the pc original drive. You just buy a new backup!! LOL

[reiella]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

Both things that I mentioned were for the HIGH end consumer!!

Then it doesn't exactly matter, neh?

The high-end consumer isn't where the Cashola is. It's with the remaining 98% of the market.

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by reiella

Then it doesn't exactly matter, neh?

The high-end consumer isn't where the Cashola is. It's with the remaining 98% of the market.

Let me rephrase, the things mentioned were in the High end market originally then hit mass adoption when the price dropped.

When I worked at bby, we didn't sell very many dvd players when they started at $1000, 2 yrs later at $199 we couldn't keep them in stock. Everything starts in the high end market and works it's way down to mass adoption.

[reiella]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

Let me rephrase, the things mentioned were in the High end market originally then hit mass adoption when the price dropped.

When I worked at bby, we didn't sell very many dvd players when they started at $1000, 2 yrs later at $199 we couldn't keep them in stock. Everything starts in the high end market and works it's way down to mass adoption.

And at best buy, how much trouble do you have keeping TiVo in stock?

[atomik kinder]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

I love physical media, including hard back books.

You can't get rid of my collection of books, DVD's or Blu-ray's.

(Although I'm happy to replace many of the DVD's with Blu-ray's of course)

I too have a large collection of books, books are media too. I would hate to see the day that books are eliminated in favor of one of those e-book things. I love everything about them, the paper, the coverart, the print. Same too when I collected Laserdiscs, I loved the cover art and even the look of the disc itself.

I also like to listen to audiobooks while I workout. I do get a lot of them from the library, but some of them I cannot find and can download on itunes. Do I do that? No. Main reason, when I download it, I have nothing to show for it. Yes, I can listen to it, but if I decide I want to sell it, I can't I am stuck with the download. I did join audible for a while and decided it wasn't worth it not being able to resell anything I purchased. It is different with one song or a few, if you don't like it, it was only a few cents. With a movie, it is much more expensive, I have sold a quite a few movies I have purchased and some of them that have gone out of print for quite a good profit. Those days would be gone.