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

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yeah, people conveniently forget the other stuff. No surprises there. There is a stack of evidence in this very thread. I must go over it in the next week.

People are starting to wake up and smell the coffee but it’s too late.

Smell it? Many of them are still guzzling it by the gallon.

[avs commenter]

I'm curious to the affect the new Disney streaming service will have on disc sales. Will they shrink the time table between home video and streaming? Will they offer 4K? If yes to both, than disc is doomed.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

I'm curious to the affect the new Disney streaming service will have on disc sales. Will they shrink the time table between home video and streaming? Will they offer 4K? If yes to both, than disc is doomed.

Disc will be fine regardless. Those who value quality above convenience won't care whether a title comes to streaming/ digital first or not. Quality is worth waiting for. A difference of a few weeks between which gets a release first won't make a big difference. This practice already occurs with some titles and it has not dealt any mortal wound to physical media.

As a bit of a collector myself, I can state that I do not have to buy a title the instant it is released. I buy when I decide the time is right and I have never cared if streaming/ digital got the title first. I do not even consider digital purchases at all, only disc, so the digital marketplace is not even on my radar.

As bruceames has been pointing out in another thread, disc sees 10,000+ title releases a year and this has been unchanged for the last several years despite the decline in disc sales over that same period. Release date shenanigans between the formats have not impacted that aspect any, either. The discs keep coming unabated and in the same quantity of titles as ever.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I repeat again, any HT fan who has invested in digital should be ashamed of themselves.

Don't you have streaming accounts? For Netflix series and stuff like that?

[Vilya]

Even I have Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon Prime streaming, but I always knew that I was a shameless ol' cuss.

The above are my replacement for cable TV, which I ditched in 2014. While I have never bought a digital title, nor do I ever plan to, I have no problem renting content. Even when I purchased laserdiscs I still rented as well. Not every title that I want to see warrants being purchased and many times a title that I rented led to me buying that same title afterwards- on disc no less. I see rental options, which is how I view subscription streaming and video on demand services, as complimentary to my movie hobby. I often discover titles worthy of ownership that way and I also avoid making bad purchases, too.

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by octagon

Don't you have streaming accounts? For Netflix series and stuff like that?

Only to watch the first 10 minutes of series to see if he likes it or not. If he does, he will buy it on disc and watch it then. Because you know....quality.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Only to watch the first 10 minutes of series to see if he likes it or not. If he does, he will buy it on disc and watch it then. Because you know....quality.

Quality may be a punchline to you, at least in this instance, but it is of the utmost importance to others. A physical purchase also gives you true ownership and full control over what you bought; that is also very important to many of us.

The recent stories of entire collections disappearing from Movies Anywhere for several hours only serves to reinforce why real ownership matters. My discs never up and disappear and it is something I rather like about them.

Digital collections disappearing in whole or in part occur far more frequently than I could tolerate. Purchased digital copies getting re-edited for any number of reasons is another big negative. The version on my disc never gets altered to reflect changing political attitudes nor do soundtrack songs get replaced when copyright disputes arise. I like knowing that the version I bought today is the version that I will have tomorrow.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by octagon

Don't you have streaming accounts? For Netflix series and stuff like that?

Digital HD. Moving from Blu-ray to Digital HD. Netflix is just a tv service.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Only to watch the first 10 minutes of series to see if he likes it or not. If he does, he will buy it on disc and watch it then. Because you know....quality.

I don’t watch films on Netflix. I subscribed to get the huge range of Louis Theroux docs and Stranger Things. It’s just a tv channel, like I said.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I don’t watch films on Netflix. I subscribed to get the huge range of Louis Theroux docs and Stranger Things. It’s just a tv channel, like I said.

Welcome to the enablers club.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by octagon

Welcome to the enablers club.

Not at all. I get Netflix via Sky Satellite tv. I just consider it part of the bundle. It’s no different to Sky Atlantic (HBO shows).

[octagon]

That's how it starts.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by octagon

That's how it starts.

Had it for a while now. I still buy films on disc. End of.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Had it for a while now. I still buy films on disc. End of.

You're still contributing to the destruction of all we hold dear.

Netflix starts out as this scary, dangerous threat and now it's just a 'tv service'?

They've already won.

What chance does western civilization have?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by octagon

You're still contributing to the destruction of all we hold dear.

Netflix starts out as this scary, dangerous threat and now it's just a 'tv service'?

They've already won.

What chance does western civilization have?

By spending £700 a year on Blu-ray and 4K? Ok.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

By spending £700 a year on Blu-ray and 4K? Ok.

Yes. You're normalizing streaming. You're treating it like it's no big deal. Like it's just another service.

Enjoy life as part of The Collective.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by octagon

That's how it starts.

Been streaming with Amazon Prime (?), Crackle (2007?), Netflix (2008) since day one, had a VUDU account before it was purchased by Walmart so how far along should I be?

Finally watched the first Hobbit on BD the other night in 3D and thought to myself, sure wish others could see what I am enjoying. Had similar thoughts recently about the Dolby Atmos sound tracks on The House with a Clock in its Walls and The Great Wall (this one will dust off all your speaker drivers).

Streaming is fine for some TV stuff but for movie watching, I will pass. Even most of my movie rentals is via Netflix by Mail disc.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Been streaming with Amazon Prime (?), Crackle (2007?), Netflix (2008) since day one, had a VUDU account before it was purchased by Walmart so how far along should I be?

Finally watched the first Hobbit on BD the other night in 3D and thought to myself, sure wish others could see what I am enjoying. Had similar thoughts recently about the Dolby Atmos sound tracks on The House with a Clock in its Walls and The Great Wall (this one will dust off all your speaker drivers).

Streaming is fine for some TV stuff but for movie watching, I will pass. Even most of my movie rentals is via Netflix by Mail disc.

He is just trying to wind me up as usual. I’m guessing he is retired.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

He is just trying to wind me up as usual. I’m guessing he is retired.

Are you suggesting that retired people like to spend their free time winding people up?

I know I would never do such a thing.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I’m guessing he is retired.

Better, I'm working even as we speak.