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

[Steedeel]

Netflix ‘doubling down’ on interactive content over the next two years.

It starts..........

[Krizzle1]

Just bought my first ever Bluray player and im hoping to start a small modest physical collection. Im still going to keep my digital collection, but I havent purchased any codes for ages so thats all coming to a slow stop

I'll probably be in with a bit of both tbh but ive started to feel if you havent got a physical item in your hand...do you own it? Yes Apple is not going to go down anytime soon, but i think thats besides the point, yes a digital collection is convenient but my internet connection isnt all that reliable (its very fast but not reliable)...weirdly enough anytime im streaming a movie with iTunes or via my laptop, it drops connection enough times to make it an issue

Also why is this thread buried under Bluray and Future Technologies? It was find under Digital Movies as its a Digital vs Physical discussion, we're more likely to get the views of everyone there

[mrveggieman]

Originally Posted by Krizzle1

Just bought my first ever Bluray player and im hoping to start a small modest physical collection. Im still going to keep my digital collection, but I havent purchased any codes for ages so thats all coming to a slow stop

I'll probably be in with a bit of both tbh but ive started to feel if you havent got a physical item in your hand...do you own it? Yes Apple is not going to go down anytime soon, but i think thats besides the point, yes a digital collection is convenient but my internet connection isnt all that reliable (its very fast but not reliable)...weirdly enough anytime im streaming a movie with iTunes or via my laptop, it drops connection enough times to make it an issue

Also why is this thread buried under Bluray and Future Technologies? It was find under Digital Movies as its a Digital vs Physical discussion, we're more likely to get the views of everyone there

Even thought it's at the end of its life cycle I do plan on getting an Xbox One S. Why because it already is established and if nothing else ever comes out on it I have enough to do with it including movies, music and games to last a lifetime. I would much rather get an older established technology such as blu rays and dvds compared to a new technology that isn't guaranteed to be around in 5 years in the form that we know it.

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Sony Pictures Store and now Paramount Movies (from an email)

I got the same email. While I do redeem my digital codes so family members will have access to my movies I ALWAYS buy physical, never digital. For that reason I'm not overly concerned if I lose a few titles digitally. I know for a fact I have lost some in these transitions in the past but I would be hard pressed to tell you which ones. I just know my total count went down.

Ran across this article and found it interesting:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/consumer...-svod-fatigue/

I know SVOD is different from digital sell through, but it flies in the face of a certain person on this thread touting the near rapturous aspects of streaming. It appears people are finally getting fed up with all the streaming options and content disappearing regularly. It appears we have officially reached critical mass with streaming. The landscape will need to change to remain viable or we may see physical get a nice little boost .

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Ender14

I know SVOD is different from digital sell through, but it flies in the face of a certain person on this thread touting the near rapturous aspects of streaming.

The poor fellow can never get anything right. He tries to give the impression he is a technical person and loves the term 'digital' but I would wager he could not create a truth table for quad input NAND gate or any other binary logic devices.

It should be obvious to most folks the focus of the studios has shifted to their own brand of SVOD (maybe AVOD as well). EST has failed and the very reason UV is shuttering. MA may limp along for awhile but with only 6 million accounts I would say its days are numbered.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Ender14

I got the same email. While I do redeem my digital codes so family members will have access to my movies I ALWAYS buy physical, never digital. For that reason I'm not overly concerned if I lose a few titles digitally. I know for a fact I have lost some in these transitions in the past but I would be hard pressed to tell you which ones. I just know my total count went down.

Ran across this article and found it interesting:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/consumer...-svod-fatigue/

I know SVOD is different from digital sell through, but it flies in the face of a certain person on this thread touting the near rapturous aspects of streaming. It appears people are finally getting fed up with all the streaming options and content disappearing regularly. It appears we have officially reached critical mass with streaming. The landscape will need to change to remain viable or we may see physical get a nice little boost .

I think most people will be happy with Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. That’s a lot of content right there. The ones that don’t make it will go ad-supported so add a fourth service to those ones I mentioned. As huge as Amazon are, I just don’t see them making it in the long term unless they also go ad-supported.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

The poor fellow can never get anything right. He tries to give the impression he is a technical person and loves the term 'digital' but I would wager he could not create a truth table for quad input NAND gate or any other binary logic devices.

It should be obvious to most folks the focus of the studios has shifted to their on brand of SVOD (maybe AVOD as well). EST has failed and the very reason UV is shuttering. MA may limp along for awhile but with only 6 million accounts I would say its days are numbered.

Yep, been saying that for years now. Those with ITunes Collections may get stung especially bad. There’s a chance Disney will pull their content plus all Fox stuff in the future. It’s a absolute mess and like some have said, I think people are starting to wise up. I think people got carried away with th3 hole ‘cheap codes’ thing, but the reality is starting to set in.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Krizzle1

Just bought my first ever Bluray player and im hoping to start a small modest physical collection. Im still going to keep my digital collection, but I havent purchased any codes for ages so thats all coming to a slow stop

I'll probably be in with a bit of both tbh but ive started to feel if you havent got a physical item in your hand...do you own it? Yes Apple is not going to go down anytime soon, but i think thats besides the point, yes a digital collection is convenient but my internet connection isnt all that reliable (its very fast but not reliable)...weirdly enough anytime im streaming a movie with iTunes or via my laptop, it drops connection enough times to make it an issue

Also why is this thread buried under Bluray and Future Technologies? It was find under Digital Movies as its a Digital vs Physical discussion, we're more likely to get the views of everyone there

This is the right place for the discussion. Before it had a 70/30 digital bias. It seems quite even now.

[avs commenter]

MA is relatively new. I get the impression it's doing well and growing at an acceptable pace.

Disney is the key though. 2 years from now, when Disney+ has been available for awhile, we will see how much, if any, things have changed.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

MA is relatively new. I get the impression it's doing well and growing at an acceptable pace.

Disney is the key though. 2 years from now, when Disney+ has been available for awhile, we will see how much, if any, things have changed.

Where do you get the impression? The studios have been nil by mouth about Digital HD. Or is that the impression you WANT to have?

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Where do you get the impression? The studios have been nil by mouth about Digital HD. Or is that the impression you WANT to have?

MA is a much better and robust user experience than from when it first launched. Also, a year ago, Itunes was what most people thought of when it came to digital. MA has changed that significantly IMO in a short amount of time

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I think most people will be happy with Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. That’s a lot of content right there. The ones that don’t make it will go ad-supported so add a fourth service to those ones I mentioned. As huge as Amazon are, I just don’t see them making it in the long term unless they also go ad-supported.

I think Amazon will survive because of the other benefits of Prime. I know the 2-day shipping and Prime exclusive deals are the ONLY reason I pay for it.

TV watching in general has just become incredibly frustrating. I recently ditched cable and went with PS Vue, and even that doesn't offer all the content or features I want. But I'm still saving over $50 /month compared to cable.

As the article stated, sometimes more options are good. In this case they are just bad for the consumer.

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by Ender14

I think Amazon will survive because of the other benefits of Prime. I know the 2-day shipping and Prime exclusive deals are the ONLY reason I pay for it.

TV watching in general has just become incredibly frustrating. I recently ditched cable and went with PS Vue, and even that doesn't offer all the content or features I want. But I'm still saving over $50 /month compared to cable.

As the article stated, sometimes more options are good. In this case they are just bad for the consumer.

I tried ditching cable but went back to it. Streaming is just not good enough for sports IMO. It's fine for shows and movies but I hate it for watching sports.

[Krizzle1]

One thing I will say about digital is that they'll probably get HD "bluray" versions of movies way before they're on physical Bluray, one example that comes immediately to mind is The Prince of Egypt, it seems its not available on Bluray but it is available to stream in HD (1080p), im assuming there are quite a few more instances like this, but I dont know much about Bluray releases to be certain

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

I tried ditching cable but went back to it. Streaming is just not good enough for sports IMO. It's fine for shows and movies but I hate it for watching sports.

I don't watch any sports but my wife and step-sons do. Luckily PS Vue has SEC and multiple ESPN channels which is really all they care about.

I didn't realize it when I signed up for it, but it doesn't include The CW which I found very odd. I only watch Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supernatural, but I have to use the app on my Fire TV to watch them which won't let me skip commercials. Very annoying.

Cable was much easier but WAY too expensive. And I blame streaming for the giant price hikes.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

MA is relatively new. I get the impression it's doing well and growing at an acceptable pace.

Movies Anywhere is just the renaming of Disney Movies Anywhere. DMA has been around for many years but closed closed on February 28, 2018 and became MA. As noted earlier, they only have 6 million accounts as of last December. AFAIK Disney never disclosed how many accounts DMA had but one would assume DMA folks would have registered for a new MA account. Regardless, after this length of time 6 million does not bode well for MA. It should be much higher than this just from folks with UV accounts registering for a MA account.

Disney Movies Anywhere closed on February 28, 2018; however, you can still transfer your Disney Movies Anywhere collection to Movies Anywhere.

Simply use the same email address associated with your Disney Movies Anywhere account to register for a new Movies Anywhere account. You will be given the option during the registration process to transfer your Disney Movies Anywhere collection over to your new Movies Anywhere collection.

All the major studios, except Disney, formed UltraViolet. After about 8 years they only had 30 million accounts, world wide. It was obvious UV was going nowhere hence the pending shutdown.

[RefractiveIndex]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Unlike Disc that is dying a slow death, here is a YouTube from John Campea:

John Campea's specialty is predicting box office numbers and casting choices for upcoming superhero movies.

He's wrong 99% of the time.

I'm not sure what his chances are for making a successful prediction about something outside of his specialty but I'm pretty sure they're not good. The entire comment section of that video is telling him that he's wrong lol.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Ender14

I think Amazon will survive because of the other benefits of Prime. I know the 2-day shipping and Prime exclusive deals are the ONLY reason I pay for it.

TV watching in general has just become incredibly frustrating. I recently ditched cable and went with PS Vue, and even that doesn't offer all the content or features I want. But I'm still saving over $50 /month compared to cable.

As the article stated, sometimes more options are good. In this case they are just bad for the consumer.

Fair enough. I just see them as a jack of all trades, master of none.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Krizzle1

One thing I will say about digital is that they'll probably get HD "bluray" versions of movies way before they're on physical Bluray, one example that comes immediately to mind is The Prince of Egypt, it seems its not available on Bluray but it is available to stream in HD (1080p), im assuming there are quite a few more instances like this, but I dont know much about Bluray releases to be certain

Let’s not associate Blu-ray with Digital HD. They are very different beasts.

[TheLibrarian]

Originally Posted by RefractiveIndex

John Campea's specialty is predicting box office numbers and casting choices for upcoming superhero movies.

He's wrong 99% of the time.

I'm not sure what his chances are for making a successful prediction about something outside of his specialty but I'm pretty sure they're not good. The entire comment section of that video is telling him that he's wrong lol.

I respect John Campea as he is very knowledgeable about many different kinds of movies but he can be quite biased at times and doesn't always acknowledge valid counter arguments to his points. The physical vs digital discussion is a perfect example, he clearly prefers the latter and is actively promoting it. In one of his videos where he responded to a viewer whose house was broken into and had their media collection stolen he was like "there you go kids, buy digital because no one can steal them from you"... yes they can. Digital purchases are licenses to use content that can be revoked or edited anyway the studios want and he knows it.