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

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Digital sellers also lack a vast number of titles.

Seems like I am spending a lot more time wading through all the info for new BD and UHD releases. There are so many titles being released now that I know nothing about so will be spending more time than ever on research. They must have BD replication cost down in the pennies.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

Has anyone discussed the possibilities of hard drives?

In a way, been there, done that with the Sony FMP-X1 and FMP-X10. I had the X10 for a while but sold it. The folks at AVS are now saying they can not access their purchased movies on the X10.

For me, no First Sale Doctrine protection = no sale. Physical disc are covered by FSD, all other purchases are TOS and/or EULA, thanks but no thanks.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

We are seeing a lot of catalog titles getting released not only on blu-ray, but also on 4K. It is fantastic news and it bodes well for the 4K disc format and physical media overall. More releases demonstrate that the studios still see physical media as an important part of their overall business strategy.

Those of us that want the best in quality are being well served with all of these exciting new disc release announcements. The convenience minded can have their cheap over compressed streaming; I will be enjoying my favorite films with the best presentation possible on 4K disc and on blu-ray.

Yes the Studios are coming out with some Classic Catalog Titles, but for those Gold Editions you will pay good money like $50 - $100 or more. Oh I forgot that's not a problem with you, you spend $300 or $400 monthly on Movies. No thanks, I'm happy with the Quality of my Streaming Movies.

[sapiendut]

There is something for everybody. For those who strive for quality there is physical media, for those who go for quantity there is streaming.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Yes the Studios are coming out with some Classic Catalog Titles, but for those Gold Editions you will pay good money like $50 - $100 or more. Oh I forgot that's not a problem with you, you spend $300 or $400 monthly on Movies. No thanks, I'm happy with the Quality of my Streaming Movies.

The studios are coming out with a vast array of catalog titles, not just "some."

WTF are you babbling about? I have not paid anywhere near to that price range for any single movie title since laserdiscs. Only limited collector editions replete with toys, certain TV season sets, or entire TV series sets cost that much. You don't buy discs; you don't shop for discs; you don't know what the hell you are talking about. Stop telling me, of all people, what they cost!

I have not paid more than $30 for a single movie in ages and I usually pay $15-23 for catalog releases on release day, sometimes even less. How much I choose to spend on my hobbies is my choice; we all spend our discretionary income as we see fit. Unlike you, though, I at least have something real to show for it.

[Vilya]

I would never limit my viewing to only the comparatively paltry selection offered by subscription streaming. Even digital sellers and VOD services like Vudu offer less than half of the titles that are already on disc.

I have movies arriving this month that you won't find on any digital platform. If I only streamed, I would miss out on countless great films and TV shows. Why would I ever so arbitrarily deprive myself?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

Has anyone discussed the possibilities of hard drives? Optical discs are better than streaming in a lot of ways, but I wonder if maybe the future are small hard drives like movie theaters use now. It could be a way to get the film uncompressed or less and have theater quality A/V and not be as fragile as discs

Originally Posted by sapiendut

The cost will be insanely high and studios won’t allow the movies to be too close to the master for the fear of being duplicated.

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Hard drives always die, they only last a few years or maybe a decade at most. Discs rarely die, they can potentially last centuries. I'd say that hard drives are far more fragile than discs. I would absolutely not by a movie on any format that I don't think will outlast me.

I did say that they could use SSD in a previous Post, and they should last longer than Disc HDD. Like Sapiendut said, the Studios don't like making the Quality of Movies like the Original because of Piracy. So I think 4K is the last Disc, and they will just keep compressing it onto that Format.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I did say that they could use SSD in a previous Post, and they should last longer than Disc HDD. Like Sapiendut said, the Studios don't like making the Quality of Movies like the Original because of Piracy. So I think 4K is the last Disc, and they will just keep compressing it onto that Format.

4K disc may well be the last physical format, but, even if it is, it is peaking in style and it is much, much less compressed than the anemic 16 Mbps 4K streams from the likes of Netflix. Streaming will always be hugely compressed compared to 4K disc.

If better codecs come along in the future, they will benefit both disc and streaming alike and disc will still be far, far less compressed than streaming.

The other problem with putting movies on a hard drive of any sort is that the studios want aggressive DRM and copy protection as part of the package and they seem to prefer it being on a read only storage device, not one that can be written to and thereby modified to defeat that same DRM.

[The_Donster]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

There is something for everybody. For those who strive for quality there is physical media, for those who go for quantity there is streaming.

Eh, I think that’s a bit of a stretch. This isn’t a quality vs quantity as much as a need vs want.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by The_Donster

Eh, I think that’s a bit of a stretch. This isn’t a quality vs quantity as much as a need vs want.

It is actually all a "want" as movies and TV shows are a luxury no matter how they are delivered.

We have more titles on disc than we do with digital and by a wide margin, so physical has quantity, quality, and genuine ownership in its favor. The best selection is had by accessing both worlds as streaming does have its exclusives, but there are vastly more titles on disc that are not on streaming than the other way around.

Subscription streaming is economical and convenient; those are its main attributes: cheap and EZ.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It is actually all a "want" as movies and TV shows are a luxury no matter how they are delivered.

We have more titles on disc than we do with digital and by a wide margin, so physical has quantity, quality, and genuine ownership in its favor. The best selection is had by accessing both worlds as streaming does have its exclusives, but there are vastly more titles on disc that are not on streaming than the other way around.

Subscription streaming is economical and convenient; those are its main attributes: cheap and EZ.

Vilya who are you really trying to convince? Because the Disc Echo is getting weaker and weaker!

[The_Donster]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Vilya who are you really trying to convince? Because the Disc Echo is getting weaker and weaker!

And who are you trying to convince? Your argument is as weak as anyone else’s here

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Vilya who are you really trying to convince? Because the Disc Echo is getting weaker and weaker!

It’s actually getting out of hand in my home. I’m a neat freak and I have had to buy another display cabinet for my ever expanding disc collection. Even obscure 80’s horror and exploitation is getting the deluxe treatment by several classy labels. What’s become apparent over the last year or two is that discs are going to be essential as archives of fully uncut, uncensored films. That’s pretty huge to me as well as the top notch video and audio quality. As companies like Disney (imo) pander to faux outrage and try to rewrite history, I’m stocking up on all the uncut gems out there.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I did say that they could use SSD in a previous Post, and they should last longer than Disc HDD. Like Sapiendut said, the Studios don't like making the Quality of Movies like the Original because of Piracy. So I think 4K is the last Disc, and they will just keep compressing it onto that Format.

Well they certainly don’t have that worry with Digital streaming. There is no danger of cinema quality presentation with such a crapfest of a format.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Vilya who are you really trying to convince? Because the Disc Echo is getting weaker and weaker!

I have no need to convince anyone of anything, but that does not mean I will remain silent in the presence of your abject stupidity. I can only that the sound of your repeated ignorance might get weaker and weaker!

I use both physical media and streaming; I have an open mind and I see the benefits and limitations of both. I have a strong preference, clearly, but I do not arbitrarily limit my options like you do. I'm not a fanatic like you.

Not only do I support physical media more than some, I would bet that I also support streaming even more than you do on a dollar spent basis. The size of your digital collection has barely even budged in all the unfortunate time that I have known you. I use as many streaming and VOD services as you do, likely more.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I have no need to convince anyone of anything, but that does not mean I will remain silent in the presence of your abject stupidity. I can only that the sound of your repeated ignorance might get weaker and weaker!

I use both physical media and streaming; I have an open mind and I see the benefits and limitations of both. I have a strong preference, clearly, but I do not arbitrarily limit my options like you do. I'm not a fanatic like you.

Not only do I support physical media more than some, I would bet that I support streaming even more than you do on a dollar spent basis.

Here we go name calling again, I don't call you stupid or narrow minded. I guess that is why you get in trouble. You get backed into a corner and start to lash out. I see that you are using Streaming more and more, unlike the hard core Disc people. Even though I primely Stream, I do have a large Collection of Discs. I just don't think that Discs are any better than Streaming. I don't limit my options, I just prefer Streaming!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Here we go name calling again, I don't call you stupid or narrow minded. I guess that is why you get in trouble. You get backed into a corner and start to lash out. I see that you are using Streaming more and more, unlike the hard core Disc people. Even though I primely Stream, I do have a large Collection of Discs. I just don't think that Discs are any better than Streaming. I don't limit my options, I just prefer Streaming!

It would simply be name calling if there were not VOLUMES of evidence contained in your own fallacious and repeated posts to justify the terms used. Your own words prove them to be accurate. Whether I spend an entire page saying it indirectly or I get straight to the point and state it succinctly, it is your own posts that make you the here. A rose by any other name is still a rose and so is a .

I have no recollection of being in any trouble although I reserve the right to do so. You are the last person who could back anyone into a corner. Your obstinance can cause one to pull their own hair, but that is as dangerous as you get. Suffering fools is not my strong suit, but thanks to you I'm getting better at it.

[The_Donster]

Again, why does it have to be this or that with you acolytes of preferred media

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by The_Donster

Again, why does it have to be this or that with you acolytes of preferred media

You should call us all in for a .

[The_Donster]

Good night buddy