Where do we go from here? Life after disk media... (1 Viewer)

[Bryan^H]

Buy what you can, while you can. I think this hobby still has a few good years left.

 

[TravisR]

Buy what you can, while you can. I think this hobby still has a few good years left.

Yeah, you can still easily buy CDs* so I think that Blu-rays and DVDs will be around for some more years. I have no doubt that physical media is coming to a close and it'll eventually be only new studio movies and whatever small labels can license but there's still some gas left in the tank.

* I don't want to bring vinyl records into it because that's a retro or collector thing rather than an item that a mainstream audience is still into.

 

[TJPC]

I have purchased two Magnavox DVD recorders and a large supply of blank media.
While I still can I am burning copies of all TCM movies that interest me. It is not Blu Ray quality of course, but if what you are interested in is the movie and not just the specs. it is acceptable. About 15 minutes into the program, I don't notice anymore even on my 55".

 

[Cranston37+]

Physical discs sold $100 million worth of product just last week. I say relax and enjoy your hobby...

 

[Carabimero]

Physical discs sold $100 million worth of product just last week. I say relax and enjoy your hobby...

I had not been able to get work on a DVD/BD release for several months and thought I was done. But now I have several jobs lined up. Discs are still alive and well. They're just not thriving.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

There is no life after disc media, just a new pastime, memories and nostalgia. And, that's almost here now for classic film fans.

 

[Mikey1969]

Call me old fashioned at 47 but I've never had cable or streamed media and have ditched my home theater sound system a few years ago as I barely watch new programming at all (most of what I watch was made pre-1985) I prefer physical media as I like to have some control over my programming and don't want it based on internet availability.

 

[Race Bannon]

I don't care about the format, as long as I can get what I want -- high quality video, high quality audio, and extra features for catalog movies. I think there will always be a way to get those. Probably on disc for the foreseeable future, but I'd be fine with streaming and download if it were competitive on price.

I don't worry about whether it's a "disc" or whether they can "take it away." I have plenty more than I can watch now.

 

[bigshot]

Start building your hard disc array! Your discs will be more valuable as rips than as discs someday,

 

[Carabimero]

Start building your hard disc array! Your discs will be more valuable as rips than as discs someday,

Funny you should say that. I have several of my favorite series ripped and use the discs as backups. But I rip them to BDs. For instance I have my 20 favorite FUGITIVE episodes ripped losslessly onto a BD-25. Same for ST, Danger Man, Twilight Zone and Any Griffith. I am slowly adding to the library all the time from my discs, both for convenience sake and for contingency sake.

I have all the rips saved on 2 external drives, one off site.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I have purchased two Magnavox DVD recorders and a large supply of blank media.
While I still can I am burning copies of all TCM movies that interest me. It is not Blu Ray quality of course, but if what you are interested in is the movie and not just the specs. it is acceptable. About 15 minutes into the program, I don't notice anymore even on my 55".

I still have my 2 Panasonic dvd recorders and bought a new one before they stopped making them. It's too bad the stand alone dvd recorder is not being made much theses days and as for a stand alone blu-ray recorder the movie studios have made it hard to buy one in this country because of copying issues.

 

[BobO'Link]

I'm 52 and for me there is no life after disc-based media. I have never streamed. I don't have Netflix. You can pry my discs from my cold dead hands.

I'm 61 and pretty much feel the same. Until a few months ago I had zero use for streaming and have little use for it today. I give my UV codes to my son who is all about "reducing clutter" and has no problem "owning" digital copies of stuff.

I have Amazon Prime and purchased a "used" Fire tablet ~6 months back. I use "slow boat" shipping with my Prime account to get $1 digital credits and have amassed a rather large collection of digital films for "free." I *have* streamed some TV shows and movies using the device *but* don't rely on it or count on it to deliver what *I* want to watch. It's used primarily to sample stuff for which I may want to own a physical copy. I've already seen dozens of movies I'd queued up to sample leave Prime (not even able to "purchase" a copy). That, as much as anything, is what keeps me from subscribing to *any* streaming service. It's no different, and only slightly better, than cable with its "here today, gone tomorrow" programming mentality. Honestly, I have no use for cable either and do 99% of my viewing with physical media. I'd drop cable were it not for my wife who doesn't care for and won't watch DVD/BRs - at all - unless it's a movie she wants to see. Even then she's content to just wait for it to "come on TV." I've not watched more than 4 hours of "live" TV in ~8 months. The bulk of my viewing is from my collection. Like you, they can pry my discs from my cold dead hands.

 

[Rick Thompson]

There is no life after disc media, just a new pastime, memories and nostalgia. And, that's almost here now for classic film fans.

As long as there are millions of people with no access to REAL broadband -- Verizon Wireless and competitors, I DON'T mean you -- I don't see the studios leaving real money on the table.

 

[Eastmancolor]

I'm 51 and I've collected movies on 8mm, 16mm, VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, Blu-ray and on digital platforms like Vudu and Amazon. My house is full of "dead" formats, though I enjoy them all.

I'll rent movies that I haven't seen before via streaming, but if I want to own a title, I'll buy a Blu-ray or DVD of it for the long-term. If a title is only available on the cloud, then I'll buy that. Though I do worry if Vudu or Amazon go belly-up, will I be able to somehow still access those titles?

With over 5000 titles on Blu-ray and DVD (yes, it's an illness) around 700 on film and countless others on Laser and tape, if physical media drops dead tomorrow, I already have enough to keep me entertained for the rest of my life. I'm sure there are others here who are in the same boat!

 

[Cranston37+]

Though I do worry if Vudu or Amazon go belly-up, will I be able to somehow still access those titles?

The great thing about systems like UltraViolet and Disney Movies Anywhere is if a provider like Vudu or Amazon went kaput you can still access your movies through any of the other participating providers...

 

[titch]

With over 5000 titles on Blu-ray and DVD (yes, it's an illness) around 700 on film and countless others on Laser and tape, if physical media drops dead tomorrow, I already have enough to keep me entertained for the rest of my life. I'm sure there are others here who are in the same boat!

If physical media dies, I will have to take up an alternative expensive hobby, such as golf One of my greatest regrets has been that I got rid of my vinyl LPs when CDs arrived in the 1980's. I therefore swore that I would never throw away my Laserdiscs, despite the fact that I never watch them. I've carted them round every time I've moved, while throwing away vast amounts of junk that I otherwise have accumulated. Just seeing the LDs on the shelves reminds me of all the great times I've had watching these movies. The youth of today will never collect physical media - they enjoy watching Hollywood blockbusters on an iPad, while sitting on public transport!

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Definitely like Music its going to Digital Streaming and Like Music it won't appease the True Videophile as it will be a long time till even 4K content can look like their Disk equivelents. I pretty much stopped buying physical media for all but the titles I reallly will rewatch and thats not many, I still buy classic tv titles, but everything else I get thru Itunes or Vudu. I know I'm not getting the best I can see with my Equipment, but i guess i'm like alot of people I'm settling for Convenience. I also think the mainstream are sick of rebuting Physical media the next time the formats shift.

 

[cinemiracle]

I still have my 2 Panasonic dvd recorders and bought a new one before they stopped making them. It's too bad the stand alone dvd recorder is not being made much theses days and as for a stand alone blu-ray recorder the movie studios have made it hard to buy one in this country because of copying issues.

Just join the 2 recorders together with a cable and play a disc on one player and record on the other player. That is how you can make copies. Most people now make copies on their computers. I don't think that copying issues are the problem in your country as regards hard to buy stand alone players. Region coding and copyright protection removal can be done if you have the right programme on your computer.

 

[TJPC]

My problem with music downloads etc. Is that they are still heavily set up to cater to the casual teeny bopper who wants a juke box of the latest tunes bought individually.

I listen almost exclusively to Broadway original cast recordings. I want to hear the entire album, not just a scrambled snippet. Each tune should be played in order to have the story progress, however, although my iPod is loaded with Broadway show albums, the device wants me to use "shuffle"every time, and every time I use my car stereo with my iPhone, it wants to play all the individual songs in alphabetical order.
I still find it easier to just grab the CDs I like.