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

[Vilya]

I watched my first movie in three weeks and I chose The Adventures Of Tintin 3D. Viewing a 3D movie seemed the most appropriate way to celebrate my recovery.

Out of curiosity, are 3D movies even available with online digital streaming? I really like seeing 3D movies, especially with all that has happened, and I would miss them terribly if they were to disappear. They are just a lot of fun. Thankfully, my 3D discs preserve that option.

[Ray Jackson]

I'm a physical media guy, all the way.

But I've enjoyed building a up a small Vudu collection over the past year.

And I've been watching a lot of great original television series on Netflix recently.

But the streaming tech does come with some headaches that you don't generally have to worry about with hard copies.

Netflix routinely freezes up on me. I can't tell if it's my Internet connection going down or something else. But it's a giant pain in the ass when it happens.

...so I can't ever see myself going majority digital unless I'm forced to.

[Zu Nim]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Out of curiosity, are 3D movies even available with online digital streaming?

Vudu offers 3D. They might be the only one.

[veritas]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

Vudu offers 3D. They might be the only one.

The 3d on vudus pretty horrible imo. It has way to much compression to the point where it impacts the whole point of the 3d. If you care about 3d going digital isn't even a real option. I would put the 3d vudu offers at about the same tier as the fake 3d my tv can do in 2d to 3d conversion mode (my tv is surprisingly good at 2d to 3d conversions).

ps: vudus prices for 3d are also ridiculous. in general they stay at a higher price then a 3d disc would cost day 1 and I have never seen a sale for them.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by veritas

The 3d on vudus pretty horrible imo. It has way to much compression to the point where it impacts the whole point of the 3d. If you care about 3d going digital isn't even a real option. I would put the 3d vudu offers at about the same tier as the fake 3d my tv can do in 2d to 3d conversion mode (my tv is surprisingly good at 2d to 3d conversions).

I’d say VUDU’s 3D isn’t as good as Blu-ray 3D, but it also depends on where you’re watching it. Watching it on the PS3 isn’t as good as watching it on the smart TV VUDU app. The PS3 only outputs VUDU’s 3D in 720p, whereas the TV VUDU app outputs in 1080p. But other than with 3D, I don’t like the smart TV VUDU app. It’s the only place where the VUDU app has audio/video anomalies that cause issues with the playback.

I’d recommend 3D on disc, unless you absolutely hate discs.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by veritas

ps: vudus prices for 3d are also ridiculous. in general they stay at a higher price then a 3d disc would cost day 1 and I have never seen a sale for them.

This is true. The only times I bought 3D on VUDU was with Moana and Doctor Strange because Amazon and Disney were having disputes and prevented people from ordering the Blu-rays on Amazon (and I had two 20% off coupons to use on VUDU). I was generally impressed with their quality, even though they didn’t quite match that of disc. I wouldn’t buy 3D on digital again most likely. There’s not enough platforms to play them on in full quality.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

You said it was a perfect argument to do both digital and physical, but I'm not seeing the appeal of spending money on a supplementary physical collection for when all else fails. I understand it was convenient because you only had to wander into another room to watch something but couldn't you could visit Redbox in the rare case this happens? That's cheaper than buying discs or a gigabyte of Xfinity mobile data.

If my internet went out and I wanted passive entertainment, but I wasn't able to watch TV over the air, I'd probably listen to music or read a book. So maybe I'm not the best judge!

You are definitely not the best judge. You are as anti-disc as I am anti digital!

[Cutter_]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

You said it was a perfect argument to do both digital and physical, but I'm not seeing the appeal of spending money on a supplementary physical collection for when all else fails. I understand it was convenient because you only had to wander into another room to watch something but couldn't you could visit Redbox in the rare case this happens? That's cheaper than buying discs or a gigabyte of Xfinity mobile data.

If my internet went out and I wanted passive entertainment, but I wasn't able to watch TV over the air, I'd probably listen to music or read a book. So maybe I'm not the best judge!

Well, we'll just have to disagree. I've been buying blu-rays since they came out, and I enjoy buying them. I collect movies that I will watch over and over again. Like I own everything by John Carpenter, or anything Stephen King related, and everything by Clint Eastwood. These are movies that I want to own physically. These movies mean more to me than just a movie. So, I'll always have a physical collection, because I collect these. There's more to it than just watching a movie. I don't know how else to explain it. But, I think some digital people don't understand this way of thinking. It's like book collecting, where some people just don't get it. Why buy a book when you can use your kindle? Or music? Most kids now-a-days have never paid for music before. They use Pandora and IHeart Radio. They could never understand why one would buy digitally or physically the new U2 album.

Anyway, other movies that I enjoy, I'll put a price watch on them and if they come up under $5, or something similar, then I'll buy it on digital. Or I'll find a digital code here on blu-ray.com for $2 or $3. It's basically the same price of renting a movie. So, that's why I have a digital collection too.

I also watch many movies through Amazon prime.

So, I do all; digital, streaming, and physical, and it works out great for me. I don't have to take sides. I just do what I want to do, and it makes me feel good. And, I guess that is the point of this long post. Digital or Physical isn't better. It's what makes the person feel good, as to what choice they make. If they enjoy buying digital, it's the right choice for them, and the same for physical buyers. No one can tell you that how you are watching and/or buying movies is wrong. If it makes you happy doing what you are doing, then you have made the right choice.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Cutter_

Well, we'll just have to disagree. I've been buying blu-rays since they came out, and I enjoy buying them. I collect movies that I will watch over and over again. Like I own everything by John Carpenter, or anything Stephen King related, and everything by Clint Eastwood. These are movies that I want to own physically. These movies mean more to me than just a movie. So, I'll always have a physical collection, because I collect these. There's more to it than just watching a movie. I don't know how else to explain it. But, I think some digital people don't understand this way of thinking. It's like book collecting, where some people just don't get it. Why buy a book when you can use your kindle? Or music? Most kids now-a-days have never paid for music before. They use Pandora and IHeart Radio. They could never understand why one would buy digitally or physically the new U2 album.

Anyway, other movies that I enjoy, I'll put a price watch on them and if they come up under $5, or something similar, then I'll buy it on digital. Or I'll find a digital code here on blu-ray.com for $2 or $3. It's basically the same price of renting a movie. So, that's why I have a digital collection too.

I also watch many movies through Amazon prime.

So, I do all; digital, streaming, and physical, and it works out great for me. I don't have to take sides. I just do what I want to do, and it makes me feel good. And, I guess that is the point of this long post. Digital or Physical isn't better. It's what makes the person feel good, as to what choice they make. If they enjoy buying digital, it's the right choice for them, and the same for physical buyers. No one can tell you that how you are watching and/or buying movies is wrong. If it makes you happy doing what you are doing, then you have made the right choice.

I love quality and the ability to let my equipment sing so I am certainly happy with disc.

[unc.wannabe]

Originally Posted by Cutter_

Well, we'll just have to disagree. I've been buying blu-rays since they came out, and I enjoy buying them. I collect movies that I will watch over and over again. Like I own everything by John Carpenter, or anything Stephen King related, and everything by Clint Eastwood. These are movies that I want to own physically. These movies mean more to me than just a movie. So, I'll always have a physical collection, because I collect these. There's more to it than just watching a movie. I don't know how else to explain it. But, I think some digital people don't understand this way of thinking. It's like book collecting, where some people just don't get it. Why buy a book when you can use your kindle? Or music? Most kids now-a-days have never paid for music before. They use Pandora and IHeart Radio. They could never understand why one would buy digitally or physically the new U2 album.

Anyway, other movies that I enjoy, I'll put a price watch on them and if they come up under $5, or something similar, then I'll buy it on digital. Or I'll find a digital code here on blu-ray.com for $2 or $3. It's basically the same price of renting a movie. So, that's why I have a digital collection too.

I also watch many movies through Amazon prime.

So, I do all; digital, streaming, and physical, and it works out great for me. I don't have to take sides. I just do what I want to do, and it makes me feel good. And, I guess that is the point of this long post. Digital or Physical isn't better. It's what makes the person feel good, as to what choice they make. If they enjoy buying digital, it's the right choice for them, and the same for physical buyers. No one can tell you that how you are watching and/or buying movies is wrong. If it makes you happy doing what you are doing, then you have made the right choice.

You win the argument. Well said!

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by Cutter_

Well, we'll just have to disagree. I've been buying blu-rays since they came out, and I enjoy buying them. I collect movies that I will watch over and over again. Like I own everything by John Carpenter, or anything Stephen King related, and everything by Clint Eastwood. These are movies that I want to own physically. These movies mean more to me than just a movie. So, I'll always have a physical collection, because I collect these. There's more to it than just watching a movie. I don't know how else to explain it. But, I think some digital people don't understand this way of thinking. It's like book collecting, where some people just don't get it. Why buy a book when you can use your kindle? Or music? Most kids now-a-days have never paid for music before. They use Pandora and IHeart Radio. They could never understand why one would buy digitally or physically the new U2 album.

Anyway, other movies that I enjoy, I'll put a price watch on them and if they come up under $5, or something similar, then I'll buy it on digital. Or I'll find a digital code here on blu-ray.com for $2 or $3. It's basically the same price of renting a movie. So, that's why I have a digital collection too.

I also watch many movies through Amazon prime.

So, I do all; digital, streaming, and physical, and it works out great for me. I don't have to take sides. I just do what I want to do, and it makes me feel good. And, I guess that is the point of this long post. Digital or Physical isn't better. It's what makes the person feel good, as to what choice they make. If they enjoy buying digital, it's the right choice for them, and the same for physical buyers. No one can tell you that how you are watching and/or buying movies is wrong. If it makes you happy doing what you are doing, then you have made the right choice.

I totally understand the more than a movie aspect you're referring to. It's that nostalgic sense of acquiring, adding to one's collection that you get by buying a physical copy. Whether you watch the movie is irrelevant, the fact that you own it is also gratifying. It's the same way as collecting other items, stamps etc except of course in addition to collecting blu-rays you can also watch them as well. The fact that physical also gives you the freedom to import or buy different editions further adds to that idea of curating your collection of the best version of that title.

Buying a movie digitally gives you access to it, but you lose that nostalgia attached to collecting, it's like you're only getting 50% of the experience unless of course you enjoy adding to and curating your digital collection then that's great I suppose. But for myself, I watch 80% of my movies from streaming services, so when I come across movies I'd like to own, I price watch them and pick them up on blu-ray. I hardly ever blind buy anymore. But when I get the blu-ray in, I get the sense that this is my copy and the Netflix/Amazon copy I watched was to try before I bought, like a sampler. Problem with digital is it still feels like a sampler that's moved from one app to another.

[StaticVic]

I now only buy physical copies of movies I really love. Ones that i want to own forever. for example all of Christopher Nolan's movies pre Dunkirk. didn't really like that one. But everything else he's made I've watched dozens of times. If a better physical copy collection comes out I buy it. I had the Bluray copy of the Dark Knight Trilogy and recently upgraded when the UHD Nolan collection came out. I just wish it came with Momento

but my digital collection is Massive. Not even counting what I have on VUDU i'm talking about the 3 4TB HDDs i have with billions of movies I've collected and backed up. lol kidding about the billions but you get the point. I love the easy access that comes with watching digital and easily switching to a different movie or show. and when I want to watch a great classic I'll throw in a disc I own.

Now my question to you Disc lovers on here and please don't scrutinize me if this question has already been answered lol (there's just waaaay to many pages for me to go back and look), now you all say that streaming quality A/V is not up to par with physical. that i understand and can agree upon. but with digital and streaming improving each year will you all make the switch over if it catches up or if i dear say it surpasses physical quality. i guess you could say this is hypothetical but I want to know just how invested you guys are in staying physical. If the Quality of streaming becomes equal or greater then physical will you make the switch?

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by StaticVic

I now only buy physical copies of movies I really love. Ones that i want to own forever. for example all of Christopher Nolan's movies pre Dunkirk. didn't really like that one. But everything else he's made I've watched dozens of times. If a better physical copy collection comes out I buy it. I had the Bluray copy of the Dark Knight Trilogy and recently upgraded when the UHD Nolan collection came out. I just wish it came with Momento

but my digital collection is Massive. Not even counting what I have on VUDU i'm talking about the 3 4TB HDDs i have with billions of movies I've collected and backed up. lol kidding about the billions but you get the point. I love the easy access that comes with watching digital and easily switching to a different movie or show. and when I want to watch a great classic I'll throw in a disc I own.

Now my question to you Disc lovers on here and please don't scrutinize me if this question has already been answered lol (there's just waaaay to many pages for me to go back and look), now you all say that streaming quality A/V is not up to par with physical. that i understand and can agree upon. but with digital and streaming improving each year will you all make the switch over if it catches up or if i dear say it surpasses physical quality. i guess you could say this is hypothetical but I want to know just how invested you guys are in staying physical. If the Quality of streaming becomes equal or greater then physical will you make the switch?

For me it's currently about cost and the sense of actually collecting the title like I mentioned in the above post. I assume cost will always be an issue going forward also. Example Sylvester Stallone Collection including The Specialist and 4 other movies = £6. On iTunes The Specialist alone is £7.99! I agree digital is convenient and I too also have a 1TB HDD of bootlegs, VHS rips etc of really obscure or super OOP titles but those were acquired in a not so legal way and recently I picked up one of those super OOP titles, Private Obsession used for £6.50! Normally it sells for $90+ used! Now even though I had that title on my HDD, adding it to my physical collection have me a sense of ownership that having it on the HDD never have me, that digital copy was only there because there was no readily available physical copy but now I can delete the digital one.

Digital will never have a lot of older more obscure films and if choice again is another reason why physical media will be better.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by StaticVic

I now only buy physical copies of movies I really love. Ones that i want to own forever. for example all of Christopher Nolan's movies pre Dunkirk. didn't really like that one. But everything else he's made I've watched dozens of times. If a better physical copy collection comes out I buy it. I had the Bluray copy of the Dark Knight Trilogy and recently upgraded when the UHD Nolan collection came out. I just wish it came with Momento

Now my question to you Disc lovers on here and please don't scrutinize me if this question has already been answered lol (there's just waaaay to many pages for me to go back and look), now you all say that streaming quality A/V is not up to par with physical. that i understand and can agree upon. but with digital and streaming improving each year will you all make the switch over if it catches up or if i dear say it surpasses physical quality. i guess you could say this is hypothetical but I want to know just how invested you guys are in staying physical. If the Quality of streaming becomes equal or greater then physical will you make the switch?

I'm pro Digital HD even though I still have a Classic Physical Collection. At the beginning of this Thread the Disc Lovers put Quality at the top for their dislike of Digital, but as the Thread aged we had a few coverts. I for one can't see the difference between Blu-ray and Digital HD. I keep saying if you have the proper set up and Bandwidth, Quality is as good as Disc IMO. Recently I had to watch Bad Moms Christmas from Blu-ray Disc, and I didn't see any difference from other Recent Releases in Digital.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I for one can't see the difference between Blu-ray and Digital HD.

I can recommend a great eye doctor.

[flyry]

Some of you sound like old fogeys talking about U2 albums and collecting stamps.

[veritas]

Originally Posted by flyry

Some of you sound like old fogeys talking about U2 albums and collecting stamps.

Ya these digital people need some glasses and hearing aids. darn old fogeys that cant see quality

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by StaticVic

I now only buy physical copies of movies I really love. Ones that i want to own forever. for example all of Christopher Nolan's movies pre Dunkirk. didn't really like that one. But everything else he's made I've watched dozens of times. If a better physical copy collection comes out I buy it. I had the Bluray copy of the Dark Knight Trilogy and recently upgraded when the UHD Nolan collection came out. I just wish it came with Momento

but my digital collection is Massive. Not even counting what I have on VUDU i'm talking about the 3 4TB HDDs i have with billions of movies I've collected and backed up. lol kidding about the billions but you get the point. I love the easy access that comes with watching digital and easily switching to a different movie or show. and when I want to watch a great classic I'll throw in a disc I own.

Now my question to you Disc lovers on here and please don't scrutinize me if this question has already been answered lol (there's just waaaay to many pages for me to go back and look), now you all say that streaming quality A/V is not up to par with physical. that i understand and can agree upon. but with digital and streaming improving each year will you all make the switch over if it catches up or if i dear say it surpasses physical quality. i guess you could say this is hypothetical but I want to know just how invested you guys are in staying physical. If the Quality of streaming becomes equal or greater then physical will you make the switch?

I watched T2 3D last week and I was blown away with the transfer. I was thinking how Digital will probably NEVER match that clarity and Audio mix.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I'm pro Digital HD even though I still have a Classic Physical Collection. At the beginning of this Thread the Disc Lovers put Quality at the top for their dislike of Digital, but as the Thread aged we had a few coverts. I for one can't see the difference between Blu-ray and Digital HD. I keep saying if you have the proper set up and Bandwidth, Quality is as good as Disc IMO. Recently I had to watch Bad Moms Christmas from Blu-ray Disc, and I didn't see any difference from other Recent Releases.

You keep mentioning having the correct set-up but I dare say it’s the reverse for you. It’s not about fibre with you, it’s about your actual AV setup. I’m guessing it’s not a high quality set up and the poorer equipment is masking the artefacts and issues. If you aren’t seeing a difference with Digital it would certainly suggest so.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by flyry

Some of you sound like old fogeys talking about U2 albums and collecting stamps.

How old are you like?