For Those Who Still Think Physical Media Has No Place in the 21st century...

[Tino]

but I know those can disappear for a number of reasons at any time.

Not true.

 

[ptb2020]

Her

Not really. Except this year, of course, attendance has been remarkably consistent year over year. Whether the pandemic will permanently alter moviegoing behaviour remains to be seen.

The Numbers - Movie Market Summary 1995 to 2020

Overall movie market summary for each year 1995 to 2020

www.the-numbers.com

Here in France the minute cinemas were opened again there was a rush. But then the French have always treated cinema as an art form as well as simply entertainment and treasure the shared experience.
Before the pandemic there were regular cinema showings of classic movies. The ones I went to were packed, and not just with old fogies wanting to relive memories of younger days seeing a favourite film again on a big screen, but with film fans of all ages.

 

[ptb2020]

Why would rain affect the internet streaming of Netflix or similar service? Signal isn't strong? Makes no sense.

Anything coming through satellite is affected by weather.

 

[Thomas T]

I'm curious why those who have abandoned physical media for streaming and downloading still visit a forum devoted to blu ray and UHD? Unless it's to repeatedly tell us it no longer interests them.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I'm curious why those who have abandoned physical media for streaming and downloading still visit a forum devoted to blu ray and UHD? Unless it's to repeatedly tell us it no longer interests them.

As an owner of this forum, I can tell you that we still consider ourselves to be a Blu-ray and UHD enthusiasts forum. However, I need not remind you that technology changes and streaming has become a very popular method of receiving entertainment and we have certainly embraced it.

We don't advocate the death of physical media. I would think all of us hope that it continues to thrive. However, we as collectors are a very small sect of the population and won't have control over the future of entertainment delivery. However, whatever the future holds, this forum will be a place to discuss all formats.

 

[Thomas T]

As an owner of this forum, I can tell you that we still consider ourselves to be a Blu-ray and UHD enthusiasts forum. However, I need not remind you that technology changes and streaming has become a very popular method of receiving entertainment and we have certainly embraced it.

We don't advocate the death of physical media. I would think all of us hope that it continues to thrive. However, we as collectors are a very small sect of the population and won't have control over the future of entertainment delivery. However, whatever the future holds, this forum will be a place to discuss all formats.

I wasn't referring to Home Theater Forum as an entity for the very reasons you cite but to the specific part of the forum devoted to blu rays and other physical media. I'm sorry that wasn't clear.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Anything coming through satellite is affected by weather.

You get your internet service via satellite? That's not very common.

 

[JackieT]

I'm curious why those who have abandoned physical media for streaming and downloading still visit a forum devoted to blu ray and UHD? Unless it's to repeatedly tell us it no longer interests them.

Isn't this site called Home Theater Forum? There are forum topics about TV, AV equipment, movies, discs, STREAMING and much more. ALL topics related to home theater. So I'd say we should be allowed to discuss any of these topics civilly.

Home Theater is evolving fast and folks need to realize the changes and embrace the changes or folks who have adapted to new methods of home theater.

 

[Thomas T]

Isn't this site called Home Theater Forum? There are forum topics about TV, AV equipment, movies, discs, STREAMING and much more. ALL topics related to home theater. So I'd say we should be allowed to discuss any of these topics civilly.

Home Theater is evolving fast and folks need to realize the changes and embrace the changes or folks who have adapted to new methods of home theater.

Please see my response to Ronald Epstein above.

 

[Worth]

...I never see unwanted promos on my home library shelf!

No, but you do once you put the disc in. I still buy my fair share of discs, but aside from Criterion titles, I resent having to sit through warnings and marketing materials for something I paid for. At least with digital copies, you just press play and the movie starts.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Isn't this site called Home Theater Forum? There are forum topics about TV, AV equipment, movies, discs, STREAMING and much more. ALL topics related to home theater. So I'd say we should be allowed to discuss any of these topics civilly.

Home Theater is evolving fast and folks need to realize the changes and embrace the changes or folks who have adapted to new methods of home theater.

Our membership already knows that without somebody espousing "streaming only philosophy" repeatedly on the forum.

 

[Detour (1945)]

I have no desire to store stacks and stacks of plastic disc boxes be it in one location or spread out everywhere in the house. I used to think that was the way to keep media but streaming changed my world for the better. I press my remote from my sofa and ask it to "watch Indiana Jones" and bam, I'm presented with all the movies in HD or better. One press of remote and I'm enjoying my movie or tv series or any number of media options.

I also no long do much repeat viewing of movies, even the ones I love dearly. I'm almost burned out on them.

Until the day Disney decides to take the Indy Jones movies off the service, for whatever reason and whatever length of time.

Then you'll be asking to come over to one of our houses to watch it.

 

[BobO'Link]

It's been a while since I owned a blu ray player. Do they still need an internet connection to keep things updated and discs playing menus and so on correctly? Last player I used was also slow to fire up to the actual movie, are they quicker now?

No. I've not had a BR player connected to the internet ever and have never needed an update for it to work. My current player fires up in 5 seconds or so and the disc is playing (either the vendor junk or at a menu) in 10 seconds or less - and that includes the boot up time. Basically the disc is playing or at a menu before I can cross the room to my comfy chair.

 

[jcroy]

I'm curious why those who have abandoned physical media for streaming and downloading still visit a forum devoted to blu ray and UHD? Unless it's to repeatedly tell us it no longer interests them.

I have largely abandoned physical media for newer/current titles. My "replacement" is not streaming/downloading, but waiting 2 or 3 years for newer/recent movies to eventually show up on basic cable channels or network tv.

My main reason is that I've come to the realization that I end up watching most movies/shows only once or twice, with very little to no interest in further rewatches. So most dvd/bluray discs I have are largely stuff I never watch again.

With that the being said, most of my disc purchases nowadays consists of mostly dvds and some blurays which are known to have extra basketcase drm beyond the generic css (dvd) or aacs (bluray). One of my hobbies is figuring out how these extra basketcase drm schemes function. (I spend too much time reading *.ifo files and hexdumping various data files on bluray movie discs).

 

[JackieT]

Until the day Disney decides to take the Indy Jones movies off the service, for whatever reason and whatever length of time.

Then you'll be asking to come over to one of our houses to watch it.

Like others have said and I agree, I've gotten to a point in my life that I'm getting burned out on many of the movies I've loved over the years. I could go years between watching and not really care. If it goes it goes. I no longer fret over missing a movie or old tv show.

 

[Bryan^H]

Not true.

With Apple, or any streaming "to own" service?

 

[Billy Batson]

Like others have said and I agree, I've gotten to a point in my life that I'm getting burned out on many of the movies I've loved over the years. I could go years between watching and not really care. If it goes it goes. I no longer fret over missing a movie or old tv show.

That's a symptom of having too much stuff to watch, too much choice. Sometimes I'll have a Blu-ray of a film that I've loved for decades, & think, do I really want to watch this now, whereas, go back to the sixties & I would have travelled across London to see it in some run down cinema.

I have noticed that, in the UK anyway, talk of box sets now means complete TV series that you download, it's just us diehards who think of a box full of discs.

 

[Tino]

With Apple, or any streaming "to own" service?

Right. None of my “purchased” films have ever disappeared. iTunes Amazon or Vudu.

 

[PMF]

Sometimes we visit our library of films; and at other times our library of films pays its own visit to us. We are reminded of actors, directors, DPs and genres once fervently explored; and also of those sporadic titles still sealed that seemed, at the time, important to own. Another surprise, another off-shoot, another journey begins.

Streaming offers its menu of titles for the overall masses; but our own personal libraries are the years of building blocks that represent our own customized menu of who we are as an individual; as had a prior generations library of vinyl records and the many beforehand, whose library of books were that destination place of respite, comfort and pride.

 

[Worth]

Right. None of my “purchased” films have ever disappeared. iTunes Amazon or Vudu.

I don't think Apple is going away anytime soon. At the same time, I'll only buy films digitally if they're priced about the same as a rental. That way, even if they do disappear into the ether one day, I'll still feel like I got my money's worth.