For Those Who Still Think Physical Media Has No Place in the 21st century… (1 Viewer)

[Thomas T]

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.

Amen, brother!

 

[jcroy]

That's a symptom of having too much stuff to watch, too much choice.

This happened to me all the time back in the day. I walked out of Blockbuster numerous times without renting anything out, usually from being indecisive about choosing a movie out of a large selection.

 

[Tino]

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.

The vast majority of my purchases have been $4.99. Less than a standard $5.99 rental.

 

[jcroy]

... 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.

Tried building a library of laserdiscs back in the day, but that was abruptly cut short.

I had an inkling that most of my laserdiscs didn't have a lot of replay value for me, so instead I ended up reading the original books and/or novelizations of movies I was watching in the theaters in those days. That was cut short when I came to the realization that most movie/script novelizations were rather lousy.

Also I noticed most original source fiction books (of films) didn't have much "re-read" value for me after the first read. (Such as Crichton, etc ...).

 

[PMF]

Tried building a library of laserdiscs back in the day, but that was abruptly cut short.

I had an inkling that most of my laserdiscs didn't have a lot of replay value for me, so instead I ended up reading the original books and/or novelizations of movies I was watching in the theaters in those days. That was cut short when I came to the realization that most movie/script novelizations were rather lousy.

Also I noticed most original source fiction books (of films) didn't have much "re-read" value for me after the first read. (Such as Crichton, etc ...).

Well, there’s always the collecting of stamps, coins and butterflies.

 

[Mark Booth]

You must have a lot of discs!

I understand if you are purchasing films that you don't have on disc especially if you have as many films as you seem to indicate.

However, spending money on iTunes for digital copies of films you already have albeit on HD DVD seems money wasted to me.

Including the HD DVDs and some DVDs that are in the overflow room, I currently have about 1,600 films on disc. I have just under 600 films in iTunes. Most of them are duplicates of what I own on Blu-ray. But about 70 or so are films I own on HD DVD or DVD. A handful are films I don't own on any physical media.

Mark

 

[Mark Booth]

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.

Exactly. If I spend $5 to buy a digital film, watch it once, and the company I purchased it from goes out of business and I lose access to it, it's not really any different than renting.

Mark

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Yeah, the vast majority of my digital purchases so far have been <=$5 each -- and I only began roughly 5 months ago... though have already bought quite a lot (probably close to ~350 titles)... but mostly stuff I either wouldn't wanna spend more than say $5-10 (plus my limited storage space) for the BD (or tad more for 4K disc), if they're even readily available in good quality, or 4K upgrades in some cases (that I suspect the digital should be good enough for me... while still keeping the old BD).

I did buy 4K digitals of a few relatively recent releases at say $8 each (for movies I don't expect to want/need the disc), but they're easily offset by digitals I've also bought at $2-4 in whatever more sporadic sales.

They haven't really reduced my disc purchases much, if any, so far though... and I haven't any intention to get rid of any significant portion of my existing (roughly 1800?) BDs (unless I'm upgrading to 4K discs, which I have roughly 150 or so) -- if I don't like a title enough to keep the BD I already own, I'm probably not bothering to buy the digital to replace it... at least so far.

So for me, the digitals basically, mainly supplement/complement my disc collection, not really replace them in most cases, especially for movies I really love and/or admire. Of course, there are some bit of overlap, especially for DCs that came w/ disc purchases, where we might sometimes opt to just be lazy and watch the stream instead, but not too much so (for me at least vs family members)...

_Man_

 

[Thomas T]

While streaming is all right if you're into DC/Marvel movies, Die Hard, Indiana Jones, recent movies, brand movies etc., for some of us die hard film fanatics with less mainstream taste, it's not an option. Would I have access to these films and TV productions (to name a small handful) that are in my film library on streaming platforms? Just askin'.

Affairs Of Susan (1945) with Joan Fontaine.
Africain (1983) with Catherine Deneuve.
Bear Island (1979) with Donald Suthrland.
Bonheur (1935) with Charles Boyer.
Bottom Of The Bottle (1956) with Van Johnson.
Caesar And Cleopatra (1976) with Alec Guinness.
Caroline Cherie (1951) with Martine Carol.
Corrupt Ones (1967) with Robert Stack.
Crucible (1957) with Simone Signoret.
Devils (1971) with Vanessa Redgrave.
Doll's House (1973) with Jane Fonda.
Duel In The Jungle (1954) with Dana Andrews.
80,000 Suspects (1963) with Claire Bloom.
End Of The Game (1975) with Jon Voight.
L'Etrange Monsieur Steve (1957) with Jeanne Moreau.
Fireflies In The Garden (2008) with Julia Roberts.
Floods Of Fear (1958) with Howard Keel.
Gifle (1974) with Isabelle Adjani.
Gift Of Love (1958) with Lauren Bacall.
Glass Menagerie (1987) with Joanne Woodward.
Grand Bain (2018) with Mathieu Amalric.
Ideal Husband (1947) with Paulette Goddard.
Incorrigible (1975) with Jean Paul Belmondo.
Juno And The Paycock (1930) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
L'Animal (1977) with Raquel Welch.
Lovers Of Verona (1949) with Anouk Aimee.
Madame DuBarry (1919) directed by Ernst Lubitsch.
Marie Antoinette (1955) with Michele Morgan.
Mayerling (1968) with Omar Sharif.
Meet Danny Wilson (1951) with Frank Sinatra
Memoirs Of A Survivor (1981) with Julie Christie.
Minute De Verite (1952) with Jean Gabin.
Napoleon (1927) directed by Abel Gance.
Paradis Perdu (1940) directed by Abel Gance.
Personal Affair (1953) with Gene Tierney.
Providence (1977) with John Gielgud.
Richard's Things (1980) with Liv Ullmann.
Scientific Cardplayer (1973) with Bette Davis.
Siege Of Pinchgut (1959) with Aldo Ray.
Simple Story (1978) with Romy Schneider.
Sons And Lovers (1960) with Trevor Howard.
Spoilers (1955) with Jeff Chandler.
Streetcar Named Desire (1984) with Ann Margret.
Sweet Body Of Deborah (1968) with Carroll Baker.
Tender Is The Night (1962) with Jennifer Jones.
Tokyo Tribe (2014) directed by Sion Sono.
Touch Of Love (1969) with Sandy Dennis.
Twisted Nerve (1968) with Hayley Mills.
The Visit (1964) with Ingrid Bergman.
Walk With Love And Death (1969) with Anjelica Huston
Wedding Rehearsal (1932) with Roland Young.

 

[JackieT]

I'm sure some of all could be found to stream or buy digitally, but that list is far far from mainstream and most folks won't be looking for such titles due to the niche categories they fit in.

For you, streaming isn't a good fit, but you make up a tiny percent of the average viewing public.

 

[Thomas T]

I'm sure some of all could be found to stream or buy digitally, but that list is far far from mainstream and most folks won't be looking for such titles due to the niche categories they fit in.

For you, streaming isn't a good fit, but you make up a tiny percent of the average viewing public.

I'm assuming "some of all" is a typo and you meant to say some or all could be found to stream or buy. That is an assumption, not a fact. Indeed, I make up a tiny percent of the average viewing public and for the average viewing public (like my sister who doesn't even own a blu ray player and her DVD player is covered with dust from lack of use) streaming is just fine. But for serious hardcore film buffs, streaming is either not an option or a supplement to their film library (or their film library is a supplement to their streaming ).

 

[JackieT]

Agreed. You are one of a tiny minority of film affianado's who will most likely be trapped in a disc world for the needs you have.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Dave Moritz said:
but I know those can disappear for a number of reasons at any time.

Not true.

I could if they decide to not offer the title anymore or if there is some kind of litigation effecting a certain title.

ptb2020 said:
Anything coming through satellite is affected by weather.

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

Satellite is not to uncommon here in the Los Angeles area and other parts of the country. I would rather have satellite than traditional cable. And depending on where you live and how far north of the equator you are can effect your experience with satellite also including any trees in the way plus weather. But here where I am I honestly do not have much weather related issues and I have had both Direct TV and now Dish Network.


Anyway while my preference is physical media I do have movies that I have via digital codes that came with the discs and digital only titles. So I get my entertainment from Dish Network, Physical Media, Streaming Disney + and Digital titles as well.

 

[Thomas T]

Agreed. You are one of a tiny minority of film affianado's who will most likely be trapped in a disc world for the needs you have.

Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not trapped at all. Indeed, I have film loving friends who are frustrated at not finding certain titles on streaming services who call/e-mail/text me and ask me if I have so and so in my film library and when I say yes, they say they want to watch it the next time they come over. You consider me trapped , I feel like a kid who bought the candy store. If streaming fills your movie needs, more power to you. But no need to pity we "trapped" people There are large amount of us here. We're the ones who get excited at the new announcements from the Warner Archives, Kino Lorber and Criterion. If you're not familiar with them, they provide we trapped prisoners with sustenance.

 

[bujaki]

While streaming is all right if you're into DC/Marvel movies, Die Hard, Indiana Jones, recent movies, brand movies etc., for some of us die hard film fanatics with less mainstream taste, it's not an option. Would I have access to these films and TV productions (to name a small handful) that are in my film library on streaming platforms? Just askin'.

Affairs Of Susan (1945) with Joan Fontaine.
Africain (1983) with Catherine Deneuve.
Bear Island (1979) with Donald Suthrland.
Bonheur (1935) with Charles Boyer.
Bottom Of The Bottle (1956) with Van Johnson.
Caesar And Cleopatra (1976) with Alec Guinness.
Caroline Cherie (1951) with Martine Carol.
Corrupt Ones (1967) with Robert Stack.
Crucible (1957) with Simone Signoret.
Devils (1971) with Vanessa Redgrave.
Doll's House (1973) with Jane Fonda.
Duel In The Jungle (1954) with Dana Andrews.
80,000 Suspects (1963) with Claire Bloom.
End Of The Game (1975) with Jon Voight.
L'Etrange Monsieur Steve (1957) with Jeanne Moreau.
Fireflies In The Garden (2008) with Julia Roberts.
Floods Of Fear (1958) with Howard Keel.
Gifle (1974) with Isabelle Adjani.
Gift Of Love (1958) with Lauren Bacall.
Glass Menagerie (1987) with Joanne Woodward.
Grand Bain (2018) with Mathieu Amalric.
Ideal Husband (1947) with Paulette Goddard.
Incorrigible (1975) with Jean Paul Belmondo.
Juno And The Paycock (1930) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
L'Animal (1977) with Raquel Welch.
Lovers Of Verona (1949) with Anouk Aimee.
Madame DuBarry (1919) directed by Ernst Lubitsch.
Marie Antoinette (1955) with Michele Morgan.
Mayerling (1968) with Omar Sharif.
Meet Danny Wilson (1951) with Frank Sinatra
Memoirs Of A Survivor (1981) with Julie Christie.
Minute De Verite (1952) with Jean Gabin.
Napoleon (1927) directed by Abel Gance.
Paradis Perdu (1940) directed by Abel Gance.
Personal Affair (1953) with Gene Tierney.
Providence (1977) with John Gielgud.
Richard's Things (1980) with Liv Ullmann.
Scientific Cardplayer (1973) with Bette Davis.
Siege Of Pinchgut (1959) with Aldo Ray.
Simple Story (1978) with Romy Schneider.
Sons And Lovers (1960) with Trevor Howard.
Spoilers (1955) with Jeff Chandler.
Streetcar Named Desire (1984) with Ann Margret.
Sweet Body Of Deborah (1968) with Carroll Baker.
Tender Is The Night (1962) with Jennifer Jones.
Tokyo Tribe (2014) directed by Sion Sono.
Touch Of Love (1969) with Sandy Dennis.
Twisted Nerve (1968) with Hayley Mills.
The Visit (1964) with Ingrid Bergman.
Walk With Love And Death (1969) with Anjelica Huston
Wedding Rehearsal (1932) with Roland Young.

No, and I'd like to get my hands on some of them. I do have some...

 

[Tino]

could if they decide to not offer the title anymore or if there is some kind of litigation effecting a certain title.

Doubtful. And it hasn’t happened yet. And as has been mentioned, for $4.99, most are less than a rental if it ever does happen.

 

[Carlo_M]

The problem I have with ethereal nature of access on streaming (full disclosure, I have Netflix and HBO Max, in addition to thousands of disc media) is not even related to "esoteric titles which will likely never be on streaming/digital platforms" - which by the way is not an insignificant number.

It's for popular titles which can be snatched away at a moment's notice. Want a recent real world example?

So Netflix acquires Cobra Kai. It becomes a huge hit. I notice that, back in August when I watched the first two seasons I couldn't stop talking about it to some younger coworkers (in their early 20s). They finally said "okay, we'll watch it and see what it's all about but I guess we'll have to watch the Karate Kid movies first" to which I agreed. Luckily, I told them, those are on Netflix as well (I had just re-watched the first one on Netflix after finishing Season 2 because I was too lazy to go get my disc out).

As younger folks do, they forgot, I followed up a few weeks later, and they said "oh yeah we were going to watch it, but those Karate Kid movies aren't on Netflix." I launched my service and, sure enough, they were gone.

Seminal 80s films (at least the first one) just disappeared from the platform, and they owned and were airing the highly popular episodic followup series to those films.

I imagine that's happened a lot. I don't pay attention as 99% of the time I just get my disc out for movies I want to watch. But it's ironic that the one time I needed the streaming platform to come through for me...

All's well that ends well, I loaned my KK disc to them. They loved it, and now they love Cobra Kai. Guess I'll have to loan then 2 and 3 in preparation for S3.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

But that’s subscription streaming, which is not equivalent to disc ownership and was never meant to be. Subscription streaming is the 21st century version of premium cable in the 20th century. If you buy a movie digitally through a service like iTunes or Vudu, it doesn’t go away. Interestingly, while subscription streaming far outgrosses physical media sales today, digital purchases on places like iTunes are about equal to physical media sales. Regardless of format, it seems like most of the general audience is more interested in having a rotating selection of titles to pick from than owning and revisiting the same individually chosen titles. With so much to choose from at any given moment, most people most of the time seem satisfied with that approach.

 

[Alan Tully]

Let's not forget the pleasure & privilege of actually owning a film, having a hard copy sitting on your shelf, just like a book. In the "olden days", you had to be rich or some Hollywood mogul to be able to do that. Of course younger people will just take that for granted (like mobile phones & the internet), but I can't, it's still a big deal to me.

 

[Tino]

But that’s subscription streaming, which is not equivalent to disc ownership and was never meant to be.

Eggs...zactly!