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

[bhampton]

Look at sales data and streaming is much more popular than physical media. There's just no debating that. Similarly fast food sells more than fine dining. Both continue to be an option.

If all you care about is sales data then I guess that's all you need to know and you may want to reiterate those data at every opportunity especially if you are against the continued existence of physical media for one reason or another. If you still hold a grudge because you bet on the wrong horse (HD DVD) then it may be worth you time to try to persuade others that physical media is somehow over despite the great new content released every week.

Putting the numbers aside, physical media is the ONLY media you can fully control and continues to offer the highest possible quality for those who still care about such things. Did you always like the radio exclusively or did you like to have some music in hand?

I personally have a use for both physical media and streaming as most people do. I redeem all my "codes" and my kids use them on their devices. In my dedicated home theater I have seen the quality of hardware and software improve since I built it years ago. I'm not quite ready to go backwards with the quality. I'll take the best quality version of content that I can.

When it comes to watching the Super Bowl, I'll turn to streaming as it is the only reasonable way to watch it.

When I want to watch a movie, I prefer to have all the data on site from the start rather than having permission to view someone else's copy as available.

Because I carefully built a home theater to the best of my ability, people like to visit and take in movies. Today my neighbor is coming over to watch Beverly Hills Cop in 4K. She does have access to the streaming version and a TCL 50 inch TV but says nothing compares to watching at my place and while that's slightly overstated I find that the physical media is still worth my trouble.

-Brian

[Ender14]

Physical will continue to be offered regardless of how much EST dominates. If not from the major studios then certainly through the independents that generally release the best material anyway. There will always be money that can be made in physical even if it's just a niche. Laserdiscs proved that.

[avs commenter]

Are the margins about the same for what a studio makes selling a film on digital vs disc?

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Are the margins about the same for what a studio makes selling a film on digital vs disc?

[bhampton]

And yet she persisted.

I'm sure McDonalds makes so much profit compared to the nice restaurants in my town that aren't even part of national chains and yet they both serve different markets well and both still have reason to be.

I know which I prefer when given the choice.

Seems some want to suggest that physical media is outdated or obsolete based on the numbers behind streaming. One has little to do with the other.

Maybe someday streaming quality will be better than what physical media offers ... we aren't there yet, not even close.

Every movie deserves to be seen in the best conditions.

(I don't remember who said that.... probably most of us. Guess it was Spielberg according to this article)

https://www.filminquiry.com/movie-de...-seen-theater/


-Brian

[flyry]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

It’s not posted here because it’s a waste of time this year. Why do you and people like you (Lee) ignore the crucial point here? There are NO blockbusters! It’s like People who don’t like going abroad for their holidays declaring foreign holidays dead because people can’t fly.

It’s just bizarre that you use this crap for what is a very simple situation. No new releases=no big numbers for Blu-ray/UHD.

Then again, you know that. For someone like yourself who enjoys older movies, I thought you would be desperate for disc to hang around anyway. New movies are going to be the focus for all these streaming services. Heck, Peacock just wiped their vintage titles didn’t they? Keeping these older classics is already proving a burden as many on here said would be the case. Boutique labels releasing streaming services won’t work in the long term either. Too many services out there now sharing a ever decreasing space.

I do love my catalog titles on disc. and though their were no blockbusters, 2020 was an awesome year for catalog titles. even WB themselves said they did great business in that mediaplaynews article. so I believe that offset some of the lack of blockbusters.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Ender14

There will always be money that can be made in physical even if it's just a niche. Laserdiscs proved that.

Agreed, D-VHS D-Theater was even better proof because most of us knew it was just a stop gap format. Still have my player and a few tapes.

As I posted earlier many of these post here by the jealous and have-nots look just like they did in the 1980's and 1990's. LaserDisc sales were not good, could not record to LD, was to expensive, had to flip disc over, very few rental outlets for LD and the best one of all: does not look or sound any better than movies played on my VHS machine or viewed via ShowTime or HBO.

If we should ever have movies available via physical high density holographic devices then you can bet there will be more nay saying by the jealous and have-nots.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

It's impossible to ignore the elephant in the room Steedeel. But you continue your agenda of bringing it up any time you can. Boring!

What do you mean agenda? It’s a fact. You can’t keep banging on about the demise of disc this year without acknowledging the fact that the reason for the poor returns are the absence of new films. Its not a argument, it’s a fact. How do we know it’s a fact? Year upon year of proof. Big blockbusters=big disc sales. No ifs, no buts, no maybes, it’s a FACT!

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by flyry

I do love my catalog titles on disc. and though their were no blockbusters, 2020 was an awesome year for catalog titles. even WB themselves said they did great business in that mediaplaynews article. so I believe that offset some of the lack of blockbusters.

So you need discs to survive. That’s my point.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

It's impossible to ignore the elephant in the room Steedeel. But you continue your agenda of bringing it up any time you can. Boring!

Like you do, the difference is you don’t restrict it to this thread.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by bhampton

Look at sales data and streaming is much more popular than physical media. There's just no debating that. Similarly fast food sells more than fine dining. Both continue to be an option.

If all you care about is sales data then I guess that's all you need to know and you may want to reiterate those data at every opportunity especially if you are against the continued existence of physical media for one reason or another. If you still hold a grudge because you bet on the wrong horse (HD DVD) then it may be worth you time to try to persuade others that physical media is somehow over despite the great new content released every week.

Putting the numbers aside, physical media is the ONLY media you can fully control and continues to offer the highest possible quality for those who still care about such things. Did you always like the radio exclusively or did you like to have some music in hand?

I personally have a use for both physical media and streaming as most people do. I redeem all my "codes" and my kids use them on their devices. In my dedicated home theater I have seen the quality of hardware and software improve since I built it years ago. I'm not quite ready to go backwards with the quality. I'll take the best quality version of content that I can.

When it comes to watching the Super Bowl, I'll turn to streaming as it is the only reasonable way to watch it.

When I want to watch a movie, I prefer to have all the data on site from the start rather than having permission to view someone else's copy as available.

Because I carefully built a home theater to the best of my ability, people like to visit and take in movies. Today my neighbor is coming over to watch Beverly Hills Cop in 4K. She does have access to the streaming version and a TCL 50 inch TV but says nothing compares to watching at my place and while that's slightly overstated I find that the physical media is still worth my trouble.

-Brian

You would have to be incredibly sad to want disc to die because you backed the wrong horse. I mean, that’s tragic! Blu-ray has been around for around 15 years.

[bhampton]

The debate using sales numbers reminds me of all the people championing sales data of PC vs Mac.

I guess we know what happened in the long run with that.

Turns out Mac didn't need to be more it only needed to be better.

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

You would have to be incredibly sad to want disc to die because you backed the wrong horse. I mean, that’s tragic! Blu-ray has been around for around 15 years.

There's no reason why anyone should want disc to die no matter how much they love streaming. What harm does disc's continued existence do to streaming?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

There's no reason why anyone should want disc to die no matter how much they love streaming. What harm does disc's continued existence do to streaming?

I mean those that backed HD-DVD though.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

What do you mean agenda? It’s a fact. You can’t keep banging on about the demise of disc this year without acknowledging the fact that the reason for the poor returns are the absence of new films. Its not a argument, it’s a fact. How do we know it’s a fact? Year upon year of proof. Big blockbusters=big disc sales. No ifs, no buts, no maybes, it’s a FACT!

2019 - no pandemic - plenty of new blockbuster movies. PM drops 18.29%

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I mean those that backed HD-DVD though.

I know, I was just adding another point.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

2019 - no pandemic - plenty of new blockbuster movies. PM drops 18.29%

Yes, and?

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

There's no reason why anyone should want disc to die no matter how much they love streaming. What harm does disc's continued existence do to streaming?

I think some people are annoyed because as long as physical exists their choice is second rate.

But truth can be annoying.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I think some people are annoyed because as long as physical exists their choice is second rate.

But truth can be annoying.

Yeah, loads of folks justifying their decision by getting approval from others. No, sorry. They jumped the shark, stopped caring about HQ HT, let’s call a spade a spade.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I think some people are annoyed because as long as physical exists their choice is second rate.

Totally agree, some just can not accept facts. I seriously would like a new physical format that is covered by the First Sale Doctrine that offers higher bit rates, bit depth and at least 4:2:2 color.