Amazon now directing disc buyers to digital purchases? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

Where do you find those discounts? And what app do you use to track prices?

I use an IOS App called CheapCharts

 

[DavidJ]

I use an IOS App called CheapCharts

I’ll check it out too. I haven’t really purchased digital before. I’ve redeemed codes of course, but I am now considering making more digital purchases. Storage is becoming a problem and the wife is getting tired of all of my purchases. I prefer discs and will still go that way for most things, but I need to dip my toes into the digital swimming pool.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I use an IOS App called CheapCharts

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Don't honestly care if Amazon or any other retailers starts pushing the digital versions of movies and music because I am seriously not interested. And one thing is for certain currently and that is if physical media goes away then so do I! If music was to go streaming and downloading only I would only purchase used vinyl. If movies stop being released on physical media then I will just ether buy the new copies still available on websites or just concentrate on used copies. In the end it doesn't matter if it is Amazon or someone else pushing the digital version, I am not interested. Could I end up changing my mind at some point? It is possible, hell I even purchased an 4K LG TV so anything is possible.

 

[Sega]

I was just browsing Blu-rays on Amazon, and I noticed something I hadn't previously seen before.

On the right hand side of the product listing page, where it lists the price and has the "add to cart" buttons, I saw a new blurb that I had never noticed before. For example, on the Murder On The Orient Express Blu-ray page, it says that you can buy that disc for $19.96. But beneath that, it now says "Save an extra $4.97 (25%) by purchasing on Amazon Video instead" and includes a link for the digital version as well.

I'm not saying that the sky is falling, but this does appear to be a big push by Amazon towards getting people to change their habits.

The algorithm doesn't appear to be understand the nuances of video formats - for example, the 3D listing for Justice League points to the 2D streaming version (not the same thing), and the UHD listing for Get Out points to the 1080p streaming version (also not the same thing). But will the average customer notice or care or will they just see the savings? And, in the case of Murder On The Orient Express, the digital listing also includes a rental option that is substantially cheaper than purchasing either the digital or disc versions.

Their margins must be that much higher on digital versions if Amazon is taking the chance of losing a $20 disc sale in order to get a $15 digital sale or $6 digital rental.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Don't honestly care if Amazon or any other retailers starts pushing the digital versions of movies and music because I am seriously not interested. And one thing is for certain currently and that is if physical media goes away then so do I! If music was to go streaming and downloading only I would only purchase used vinyl. If movies stop being released on physical media then I will just ether buy the new copies still available on websites or just concentrate on used copies.

That would work for older titles, but what for new theatrical releases? If physical media releases case to be a thing that happen for movies, you wouldn't be able to buy them without going for the digital version. For this reason, it should concern you what Amazon is doing because it may hasten the arrival of such a day.

At the very least, this is an attempt by Amazon to normalize the idea of a digital version among its customer base and suggest to them that they should be fine without a physical version. That might work for some people, but sets a troubling precedent for me, because the end of physical media would be very sad, especially among most of us who frequent boards like HTF. But if the wider general public gets to a point where they don't need physical media anymore at all, we enthusiasts may not be enough to sustain the physical media disc business on our own.

 

[Dave Moritz]

That would work for older titles, but what for new theatrical releases? If physical media releases case to be a thing that happen for movies, you wouldn't be able to buy them without going for the digital version. For this reason, it should concern you what Amazon is doing because it may hasten the arrival of such a day.

It does concern me and it is going to honestly take movies out of some people homes that are low income that do not have internet or cable. The end of physical media for myself would mean that new movies would not be added to my library and that day would be very sad. The day that if it happens new movies could be pulled from streaming services and you would not be able to see them till they where returned. Services and studios could literally decide when and if you could see a title and if there was any legal issues you wouldn't see it till that issue was resolved. That is unless it is a title on physical media you own and could play as long as you wanted. And that doesn't even get into if a director decided to alter a movie and pull a Lucas and make the original go away on streaming and download services. So yes I am very concerned about it and I am not sure that we as enthusiasts will be enough to keep physical media going. It may end up becoming a very nitch product that can be special ordered which would most likely cause the cost of physical discs to skyrocket while the price of digital would remain low. At that point you could purchase a movie on digital for $24.95 but if say you want to special order a disc you might pay $125 or more. Right now both disc and digital are available but it does seem like they want to force everyone into digital content only. That would take away the cost of printing artwork and duplicating many discs that could end up sitting on retail shelves. To many consumers want convenience and could careless about actually owning the movie and having to put the disc in. They want the movie when they want it where they want it even if it is steering at a tiny screen in there hands. I will buy as many movies that I can till we reach that point and if and when movie sales plummet they may just bring physical media back after people realize it was a good thing after all.

 

[Worth]

It does concern me and it is going to honestly take movies out of some people homes that are low income that do not have internet or cable...

Um, if you can't afford internet, you sure as hell shouldn't be buying movies.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Um, if you can't afford internet, you sure as hell shouldn't be buying movies.

What about Public Libraries? Schools? Day-Cares? Community Centers? Hospitals? There are lots of places that utilize physical media in order to entertain and educate the less-fortunate. I know that I wouldn't know half as much as I've learned about film if I hadn't had access to home video as a kid in rural West Virginia.

I'm not making any political judgments. Let's just talk about the current situation in America and our likely future. Broadband Internet service is expensive and growing more so all the time. Programs that provide subsidized Internet access to the poor are being actively targeted for defunding and elimination. Now that Net Neutrality has been ended, there is a real concern that access to the Internet is going to become unavailable to many. While I agree that, if you're really bad off, you should probably find better ways to spend your limited funds than purchasing movies, the fact is that the ubiquitous and affordable nature of physical media has meant that this hasn't been a problem since the early 1980's. Once the total shift to digital happens, however, a vital source of education and, yes, escape from the hardships of life will be cut off to those who are unable to afford it.

It's a complicated issue, to be sure, and there isn't a simple answer. It's just important to think of the ramifications to society and culture as a whole from a coming shift like this.

 

[Dave Moritz]

It may come to the point where entertainment will not be affordable to those in lower income. It is basically out of reach for a low income family to go to Disneyland or Universal Studios. Are we setting up the lower class to just struggle to pay rent and buy food? Basically work and go home and currently someone might not have internet but they can occasionally buy a movie or two from the budget bin. That to may be going away in the near future. Going to the theater has also gotten more expensive as well.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Um, if you can't afford internet, you sure as hell shouldn't be buying movies.

Um, you do realize that there are places where broadband is simply not available, regardless of how much it costs?

 

[Worth]

Um, you do realize that there are places where broadband is simply not available, regardless of how much it costs?

Fair enough. But the post I was responding to was referring to those struggling to make ends meet. If you're having trouble paying rent, it seems irresponsible to be spending money on either blu-rays or subscription streaming services.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Fair enough. But the post I was responding to was referring to those struggling to make ends meet. If you're having trouble paying rent, it seems irresponsible to be spending money on either blu-rays or subscription streaming services.

David didn't make specific mention of low income families that are struggling to pay rent or buy food, except in a potential future scenario, in which affordable physical media options are no longer available; merely those who can't afford Internet or Cable TV. I do agree with you regarding those who are also struggling with paying for rent, though.

CHEERS!

 

[Jake Lipson]

This hypothetical future scenario is certainly opening up a can of worms...

 

[Robert Crawford]

This hypothetical future scenario is certainly opening up a can of worms...

Yes, we're getting off the beaten path.

 

[Dave Moritz]

The next thing I see becoming more prevalent is the digital versions coming out before the physical versions and maybe even streaming of some movies that are in the tail end of theatrical runs. And it wouldn't surprise me if Amazon is one of the first to push this to help get rid of physical media.

 

[Tony Bensley]

The next thing I see becoming more prevalent is the digital versions coming out before the physical versions and maybe even streaming of some movies that are in the tail end of theatrical runs. And it wouldn't surprise me if Amazon is one of the first to push this to help get rid of physical media.

And, as Canada has been lagging behind the U.S, in terms of digital version accessibility, perhaps Amazon Canada might end up with some of their leftover physical media stockpiles?

CHEERS!