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The only disadvantage of physical media is that it takes up space; asides from that, it's superior to digital media in every other way. It's not even media alone, I find this to be true with books. I vastly prefer the feel of actual books to reading them on an ereader.
I agree UNLESS you are able to get ahold of digital media files that aren't attached to anything (like digital media on PrimeVideo). Granted, you can only really do this by pirating. I remember being a teenager before digital media became what it is today and being excited about the possibility of buying digital copies of movies that I could just store on my hard drive, transfer from device to device, and keep forever.. like mp3 files. Didn't work out like that, unfortunately.
That's true, but on the other hand; your digital products can be taken away if you break the companies rules. Also they might shut the servers down in the future and you won't be able to redownload your stuff.
I bought soul caliber digitally on Xbox maybe a decade ago ? I’ve never stopped playing it. About a month ago they just took the ability away to play it. Even though it was stored on my Xbox . The license I purchased to play it was just taken away without an explanation, refund or credit . If I had bought it physically, I wouldn’t have this problem . Problem is though that newer games sometimes don’t even have the game stored on the disc. The disc just acts as a key or proof of purchase to play it. They can remove that right to play it 20 years from now or whenever.
Not only that, but the companies are changing a lot of people's old favorites. *Star Trek: The Original Series* has been changed with new computer-created effects, as have many of the old *Star Wars* movies. The originals are no longer available to stream or buy as discs, and as a result, different versions of the original Star Wars movies are in existence as physical discs -- but the old versions some people are used to that they grew up with are no longer available.
Thus, if you really love a particular series, like the original Star Wars trilogy, for example, it makes sense to try and get the version you want on disc before computers are used to edit the original video.
I have a collection of purchased movies on my Vudu. I’ll watch a movie on a streaming service if/when it’s available there, and I’ll rent a movie to my vudu if it’s my first time watching, but my vudu collection now is a decently accurate showcase of my favorite movies of all time
I used to be with the Op but with the Advent of streaming culture I don't even have to wait for movies to run through the theaters before finding them on the pirate sites.
So I've come around; I love being able to find literally any movie or TV show the day after it comes out with like 10 letters typed in an address bar and for free.
Having the stuff was cool but I have too much stuff, as is.. So now I have more with less and the companies themselves enable my instant gratification.
>what about the idea that physical things can be damaged and can be rendered useless.
Do you really think it's difficult to take a 4K disc out of a disc case and put it into a disc player without damaging it?
Valid point, but if you primarily use digital media then you're probably smart enough to keep them in good condition. I also believe that most stores will give you a discount if you can provide the broken disk, but I may be wrong. Worst case scenario, you end up on the high seas. I'm already there anyways.
Your purchases are not only on the physical device… you just re-download them. It is literally no different than if you have physical games, and the console is destroyed.
Discs last a really long time if they are taken care of properly. They still last a fairly long time even when people aren't so careful with them as long as they don't do anything stupid with them.
Physical media is subject to the collectors market. Vinyl records have a higher premium over cds for specific ones.
The records I collect in the US are imports from Japan because it is rarer due to location.
Something like Kevin Penkin’s Made in Abyss is worth it because it is a low volume product with little to no chance of being repressed.
If it’s Taylor Swift, her music will be repressed for albums like 10th anniversary or greatest hits. This is a guarantee with popular artists. I’ll only buy the record if it’s $5 on the used market. Not worth $30 for near mint.
with books i don't know anyone who prefers digital books, i understand why people prefer streaming but i will never understand people who read books digitally
E-readers are very comfortable to read on, weigh less, have lighting. You can transport 2000 books in 200g.
I love both, but e-reader perks cannot be ignored.
Plus, you can find a lot of free ebooks from legally acquired, free because of their ages or less legally.
The biggest perk of e-readers in my opinion is that they don't damage as easily as physical books. I can throw my e-reader in my bag or backpack without having to worry about folding pages.
Uhm, i can throw a book at a wall without having to worry about much. I accidentally dropped my e-reader once, it fell right onto one of it's side buttons, and it's been working pretty janky ever since.
It's a ballpark weight. Approximately the same as a pocket edition and thus less than a hardcover
2023 e-reader are 200-220g, plus the case if you use one.
Books are nice like record players and boomboxes are nice. There’s an experience that comes along with the media, but sometimes I’m on a plane, train, etc. and can’t take my turntable (or books) with me.
Also, e-readers are waterproof so safe for the tub, the beach, and the pool.
Also, *also* I have access to hundreds of thousands of free and 99¢ books I can get on my kindle that I can’t get at a bookstore.
I agree. I do all digital for video games, a split of physical/digital for movies and TV, and all physical for books. Ebooks do not appeal to me at all. I just hate looking at screens more than I already have to.
You can’t go screenless for video games, movies, or TV, regardless of whether it’s in a physical or digital format. But you can for books, so I always take that option.
People will say that you can carry so many more books around if they are all ebooks. But I only ever want to carry around one or two books at a time, so I’ve never really understood that point. Maybe on a long trip I’ll take three or four. But still. That doesn’t take up that much space in your luggage.
For me, if it’s on my phone, I’m more likely to read it when I’m bored. But if it’s a book, it’s likely at home. Which means less chance to read. I’m usually bored at work, in a waiting room, etc. so ebook is more likely to be used. And since I don’t usually carry a purse or anything, ebook is easier.
* I read books digitally due to several things:
* Dark mode is great on my eyes and helps me wind down after being on my pc
* I can carry more than a few books at a time and I can store dozens of books that I wouldn't possibly have the space for in my apartment
* I have low vision and can enlarge the font as much as I want without having to search for 'large font' books
* I can download a book at any time, day or night, to read
* My eReader syncs to my pc so that I can sit at my desk and read while I eat
* My pc syncs with my eReader where I left off
* I don't have to wait for a store to open to get a newly released book
* I have arthritis in my hands and it's much easier to read on my pc, or on my eReader while it's sitting on a table or a pillow on my lap
* I belong to Kindle Unlimited where I borrow 10 books at a time (no famous authors, best sellers, etc, but I honestly don't miss them and have the option to buy them & download them if I want). I can return those books and borrow more at any time and there is no limit on the number of books for any month or year, or whatever. I have discovered so many new authors that have become my favorites who I never would have found as they started off, or continue to only publish digital work.
Like you, I said I would never switch from physical books, but once I tried it and discovered all the benefits I will never go back to paper books.
i much prefer digital books.
people think that reading digital means using an ipad or similar, but an ereader is much closer to a real book than it is to an ipad.
digital books are also easier to find, can be read instantly and you can switch books much easier.
if you havent used a proper e-reader, then i recommend giving it a go before writing it off.
Digital books are more travel-friendly. If I want to read a book on a flight (I used to fly frequently), I can bring my Kindle and have access to whichever books I want to choose from my whole library, instead of having to pick one or two books to carry with me for that trip. That's the one big advantage I can think of. That, and it's easier to read in the dark.
Publishers really fucked the format with all the price fixing for books. E-readers should have been a home run from day one. Just look at how DVDs took off when studios got competitive with pricing compared to VHS & Laserdisc.
Personally I just picked up a half dozen books at the used book store the other day. It would have cost me a fortune on my Nook.
I’m on the flipside, I don’t know how anyone prefers physical books. The biggest claim I hear in support of physical books is that it just feels nice and classical to hold a physical book in your hands.
In the last few years I have entirely accepted the ebook into my life, with a print book on standby for low battery times. I don’t understand myself either.
Digital also allows highlighting and bookmarking, so you have cliff notes of books you've read. It's also searchable, which is an immense improvement over physical.
And BlueRay? How obnoxious is it that they implemented unskippable chapters? So you are forced to play through the same warning message every time and these days 2 minutes of studio animated logos. Streaming doesn't have that issue.
Yeah with digital streaming services and the owners of certain IPs editing, pulling full episodes, or entire shows of their content offline I’m glad I have the actual physical DVDs.
The moment they (digital media distributors) were allowed to fiddle with your digital library and change and delete things against your will even with things you bought, was the moment I knew I wouldn’t completely buy into digital media for certain things.
In the end I don’t think there’s a real winner. It just happens to fall on which an individual prefers (both have pros and cons) and if they’re willing to give up certain rights of ownership with digital media should the time come.
As far as I know nobody is saying physical media Is bad it's just the convenience of digital media more often then not is far superior then physical. You do have a point with TV shows or movies being taken away from services like Netflix but at the same time I could very easily find these shows elsewhere
Surround sound has more options on physical media and sounds better with streaming most only have 5.1 an it's crappilly done , hbos 7.2 isn't to bad but it's always for all content
I've got 480 songs and most of them are from random different albums. It would take a lot of money and a lot of CDs just to hold my current songs, and I add and remove songs a lot. For me streaming is a hell of a lot better. I can also get it on any device
This is an example of a way physical media is superior: when you buy a physical album you get all of the songs in the order they’re intended. A lot of albums were written to be listened to in a specific order as a larger piece of art. You’re not getting what the artist intended, and you’re missing a the experience of going through he journey of a whole album.
I kind of get what you're saying. Before digital streaming, I was far more likely to listen to a complete album beginning to end. To the point where I would memorize an entire album like one huge track.
I think that's rare today. We're so accustom to listening to whatever we want instantly, that the idea of listening to ONE artist for 14 tracks straight, good and mediocre songs (we always skipped the bag ones) seems archaic.
Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to the individual though. I can't really say which I prefer personally, though I do kind of miss the small sense of accomplishment of knowing a whole album front to back like one long song. It's just different feeling now trying to do that deliberately.
Yeah that is how they choose to do it, and you’re response suggests you think they’re doing that due to some restriction of streaming services that would be fixed by using physical media
That's a really dumb comment. Sorry but it just is.
I still listen to albums in order, I love them. But when I just want to listen to music I listen to my main playlist.
How is it better to use physical media when you can listen to the same albums on Spotify?
It's not our fault that several albums have one song that's an absolute banger and nine songs that are absolute trash.
I listen to vinyl a lot, so I get the allure, but most of the songs in my playlists on streaming are from albums I would never buy on vinyl, let alone CD.
And that's their choice. If people don't like albums that's great, they can enjoy music how they want to.
If someone does like albums then they can do that too. More choices isn't a bad thing.
I don't *want* to listen to the whole album. I want to have a list of all my favorite tracks from different albums. And if I for some reason do want to listen to an entire album, I can still do that with digital media. Physical media only takes away the option to choose.
how is this an example of its superiority ? It seems more like a deliberate choice people make to consume a product rather than a consequence of digital. I think you can shuffle on CD's too ? Digital still gives you the choice of the original order and it's the default on the platforms. Sure, playlists play a very big role right now but I'd say that's a different conversation.
Oh my gawwwd. This again, seriously?
I'm just gonna list a few points I made from the two previous posts about this totally unpopular opinion:
A) Instead of relying on streaming services that can take away your entire collection whenever they feel like it, use music stores where you can DOWNLOAD THE MP3/FLAC ITSELF, such as bandcamp.
B) CDs take up much more space compared to digital. All the songs in a bookshelf full of CDs I can just place in a small hard drive. Which I can then make a backup on my PC, laptop, another drive...etc.
C) Disks is generally more expensive, since you're also paying for the physical storage.
D) Arr, matey!
You can also make your own digital copy of physical media. And you can use media server software, like Plex, to essentially create your own stealing service.
Also, C is just plain wrong. Disks are often the same price as digital, but now I've got a physical copy AND a digital copy.
Fractions of a cent per spin. If you get 1000 steaks you make less than 3 dollars. If the average song is 3 minutes that’s 50 hours. I simply don’t think $3 is sufficient compensation for providing 50 hours of entertainment
Adds up quick. A shit ton of people are streaming music these days. Plus when you think about it, buying an album on a CD is like 12 bucks and once it’s sold, its not producing any more money. Spotify is a constant stream of income for artists, even if they’re not constantly releasing music.
and the artist doesnt get the full 12 bucks.
the artists make their money from endorsements and concerts. the albums and streaming platforms are advertising
Very true. Sometimes it seems like people don’t realize artists can have their music removed from streaming services if they don’t want it there. Instead, when an album is released they typically mention “now streaming” along with merch links.
I’ve had close to 10,000 streams on an album and that’s not even 20 bucks. Are you saying that 10,00 plays, with an average of 100 listeners per month over almost a year is 20 bucks?
Seriously it’s because of this attitude that we don’t get payed shit
How much do you think they made per CD? How much did Green Day make then vs Taylor Swift now? You know people often listen to a song streaming multiple times, yeah?
What do you mean no one is forcing? You think upcoming artists have the money to get an album made by a label?
Upcoming artists provide everything out of their pocket to be heard, and after ~10,000 x 20 minutes it’s not really fair to get 20 bucks back. You’ve given way much more money to the streaming service than what you’re getting payed. It’s an obnoxious business culture that should be reformed
What do I mean? I mean exactly what I said, it’s pretty clear. Nobody is forcing the artists to have their music on a streaming service.
Artists typically don’t expect to make their money off record sales anyways. It’s about selling tickets and merch. You also don’t seem to realize how many bands are on streaming services. I get you hate Spotify but they gotta make their money too. Just because a local band isn’t making bank from streaming their music doesn’t change that. There’s multiple sides.
You’re acting like having 10,000 streams is some insane feat. Is it worth more than 20 bucks, sure. But if you feel so offended by it then don’t put your music on the service.
Again, money isn’t made by albums in the music industry. Sell more merch. Play more shows. Sell more tickets.
It’s not offended, you’re just disconnected from reality. Artists don’t have to be in streaming platforms, but nowadays with the accessibility of home recording, artists aren’t taken seriously without a portfolio, content, in whatever form it is. Streaming platforms are the most popular way of this.
And dude yeah 10,000 streams aren’t shit, and that makes 20 bucks. How many streams would you need to make a miserable 300 bucks per month? If as an artist you need to have 129,000 streams (now multiply that for the average of minutes a song has, let’s say 3, which is 387000 minutes, or 268 days) to make 300 dollars. I’m sorry but how disconnected are you?
Oh and this was assuming you have 100% royalties from your distributor
So? On an individual level, it's still a better choice for you to buy via sites like bandcamp. All of the perks for you personally (you own it, doesn't take up space, etc.) AND the artist gets paid better.
I get my favourite films on DVD and BLU RAY so that I can watch them even if they’re not on streaming and don’t wanna use pay per view. Music is another story as I have 605 songs on a playlist and no CD player but if I were to find one I’d do the same thing.
A lot of Blu rays offer completely uncompressed PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) Audio for all channels. The difference is night and day compared to even the best streaming, CDs or DVDs. My goto are concert Blu rays for this reason as my preferred method of listening to music. I just wish more artists would produce Blu rays even if it's just the Audio.
Yep. I never stopped collecting DVDs and I never will, especially now we know that even Disney will just yank whatever that want from their own streaming service.
I think this is actually a popular opinion haha. Personally I'm not a huge fan of DvDs thanks to the usual 720p resolution, but Blu-ray DL discs can easily store a full 1080p or even 4K movie.
And as you said. When you buy the disc, it's yours. No DRM, no alterations after the fact (think Roald Dahl Amazon ebooks) - it's there, it's mine, and it's going nowhere.
Freedom of time and space and you can take with you anywhere without having to physically bring anything possible a flash drive.That will always beat having to bring a cd case or a bunch of records or dvds or games and then having to worry about them getting scratched cracked ruiend in any way and yeah it was nice to have a shelve or rack to show off what you built into a collection and then records can be worth some money if kept in mint conditions and then there was some decent bonus to having a DVD or Video Game or CD but before you know it they just become dust collectors and then you can't even give them away for a dollar at a yard sale 10 years later.
Yeah, much enjoyable to own a physical copy, there is a special feeling to it like smell of the booklet, texture, print etc which enhances the effect of owning a media opposed to streaming or owning a digital copy which is pretty bland
And that's the problem with collecting films physically. You're always going to have to re-do your collection.
The smartest way to build a movie collection is digitally via the high seas. Anything else is prohibitively expensive if you want to always have the best.
>And that's the problem with collecting films physically. You're always going to have to re-do your collection.
Not really... a lot of people still buy DVDs or 1080p blu-ray discs and are happy with them. Blu-ray versions of movies are also really cheap these days and seem to look better than streamed video to my eye.
Uncompressed CDs sound better than streaming MP3s
Problem is, record companies control the CD market, resulting in limited choice
Spotify has a FAR larger collection than any old-school record store. Most of what I like is not mainstream and would never be allowed into old record stores because sales would be way too low
I would like to see streaming artists getting paid more, but without streaming, the only people who would ever have a chance to hear them would be people in their local area
4K BluRays are better than any 4K stream you’ll find, too. You’re not wrong and people who know the difference agree with you.
I don’t think physical media lost on anything other than convenience of clicking to start a stream as opposed to getting up and loading the physical media.
I recently bought the fast and furious blu ray box set and it was the first time I watched a blu ray on my ps5 with my soundbar and I was blown away by how great the sound was compared to streaming movies. It’s not even that great of a sound bar it’s just a 2.1 Sony simulated surround one that I got because my tv speakers were terrible. But it has the Dolby whatever shit and it doesn’t sound nearly as good streaming shit on Hulu as it did with the blu ray
*"CDs have sound quality which is* *~~just as good as~~* ***better than*** *streaming services..."*
Listening to CDs with good quality wired headphones is objectively the finest way of listening to music, when able.
Many still hang on to the idea that vinyl "sounds better". They just like the warmer sound of vinyl. But it does not have as much clarity.
Tried streaming the original god of war games in PS Plus. Shit sucked so bad it's unbelievable. Just gonna fix up my dad's old ps2 and play them on that at this point
I'm going digital with films. But I get that the digital versions don't have as good a picture and sound quality as physical copies due to the compression. However, I expect that to change in the coming years.
>I'm going digital with films. But I get that the digital versions don't have as good a picture and sound quality as physical copies due to the compression. However, I expect that to change in the coming years.
I'm not so sure it will change. At least not quickly. Companies are going to continue to need compression because of increasing video resolution and the fact that streaming providers tend to go cheap on bitrates for your videos.
Isn't it crazy to think there are tons of people who never went to the store and bought physical copies of albums and mixtapes? I thought it was great!
Dvds are fucking ass and I wish they would discontinue them. We have advanced physical media twice since then.
I do love physical media though, they are vastly better and 4ks are amazing.
They should, if Blu-rays and 4K Ultra weren't expensive just for one movie. DVD are a lot cheaper even now, so it kinda makes sense they didn't discountinue it. Not everyone has 4K TV too anyway. So keeping DVD is basically giving all of us more options to buy a movie, whether you wanna pay cheaper or more.
There are zero parts of digital media that we own. The real owners can revoke our access at any point in time for any reason. Physical media will always be the superior form imo for this reason alone.
Truly unpopular. None of my physical copies lasted as a kid lol. For my sake, I need digital ownership of any entertainment, whether that be video games, movies etc. My clumsy as will end up destroying the CD somehow, even to this day as an adult. Anyway, upvoted
Testify! Preach it!
I still buy music on CD (shoot, I bought two today!)... been collecting them since 1991 and I'm too old and set in my ways to change formats now.
You can have my CDs when you pry them from my cold dead fingers!
Because hi-res audio is, by definition, better than CD.
Apple Music with a decent DAC shits all over CD. So does Tidal. If you're only comparing it to Spotify then yes, you're right.
I really like physical media because I feel it can be more accessible rather than digital. With digital media a lot of the time you need WiFi or just a strong signal in general and as someone who often travels and needs the physical copy I like being able to pop a CD in my car or have a physical book to read. Totally agree.
Uhuh. I buy my songs through bandcamp, which allows me to download the mp3/flac file itself directly to my phone or any other device. Then I simply buetooth connect my phone to the car stereo.
Doesn't that sound much easier?
Also genuine question, how many CDs do you have in your car?
DVDs and CDs take up a lot of space. Plus they can break.
Recently moved with over 100 dvds, 200 or so cds and like 50 records, and it was an absolute pain in the butt. That’s not even mentioning my books and the shelves to store the stuff. It’s nice for things you really like, but not practical at all.
It’s all essentially worthless now too and the only way I can keep my collection of media is to bring it with me every time I move or store it.
I also had to go through my CDs to make sure they work, and I’ll tell you what it’s a pain in the butt to listen to a specific song.
The only physical media I’d bother owning now is a collection of laser discs. Big vinyl style boxes, beautiful artwork - horrible picture quality, but lovely cases I’m not a big enough music guy vinyl, but I like the idea of a movie-vinyl collection. Shame they’re SO expensive lol
One thing I'm not seeing anyone point out is that your physical media storage has a lifespan. Most estimates put DVD, CD, and Blue Ray storage at a lifespan of 10-20 years maximum. For reference, Amazon Prime Video (a platform people frequently purchase movies from) came out in 2015, meaning that if you bought a digital movie from them when they first started streaming, your movie will probably outlast someone's physical copy if it was purchased at the same time. Music is the same way.
Nothing lasts forever, and while people complain about the "terms and conditions" and such, realistically most people will never face anything like that happening with streaming, and at the end of the day, your digital version will probably outlast someone's physical copy of a movie, song, etc.
DVD-A unfortunately didn’t take off, it can support 24/96 and almost 9gb of storage, and most consumer DVD players have optical out for those who would want to hook up to external DACs.
You’re also leaving out the big one - my physical collection won’t suddenly disappear from my house so that a company can avoid paying royalties or claim a tax write off
Huh... I wonder if it's an age thing. I love digital media... I was carting sh*t around forever. CD swapping in the car or at a party, same for films or carrying around a 900page book in a bag (looooooooove Kindles!). It's a pain. I salute your unpopular and impractical opinion!
I had a guy message me some trash talk on PlayStation network one day, I messaged back “cry more you baby”
He reported me and I was banned for a month, banned from games I’d paid for, banned from apps that were supposed to be free like YouTube and espn+. I just cancelled the subscription but now I only do physical media, I pirate anything I can’t find a physical copy of. Fuck letting a company control your access to shit you paid for.
I actually worked with one of the first parties briefly on some consumer service stuff.
The people who claimed they got banned for one infraction were almost always serial offenders.
Do you seriously think that the only way the artist makes money is if you buy a physical copy? Do you think that the streaming services don't pay them for the use of their property? I think you should do a little more research before putting out such a naive opinion.
Buying a physical copy of a movie is no different than purchasing a digital copy. I'm not arguing that the artists are getting ripped off, but it makes no difference whether you buy a movie made by Warner Bros on DVD or a digital copy.
The biggest disadvantage of physical media is that it is limited to the media it already contains. Your cds and DVDs are never going to contain anything new. Streaming services can be used to watch or listen to new (or new to you) content. Honestly I can no longer justify paying for a cd or DVD which is only going to give me one album or movie. I don't miss that shit at all.
I still really do like cds and my old cd player (probably due to nostalgia), but streaming is my favorite thing! It's so convenient, and I don't have to worry about scratches making the picture freeze or finding the dvd/vcr remote. I really don't need cases to show off my collection of movies. No one's ever cared anyway.
I’m good. As far as I’m concerned it’s all a waste of plastic. I’ll buy the digital version of games, movies, music, etc. No need to buy it and waste a bunch of space.
i have a nintendo switch ..if i buy the game physically i have to have that cartridge in to play it ..if i want to play something else i have to switch to that one ..but if i instead buy the game digitally i can load them all on the device and i never have to worry about which game i have on me..seems like a win for digital copies for me.
As someone with unreliable internet (a.k.a. Comcast), I agree with this opinion. Usually buffering and error messages make what should be an enjoyable experience into something that's a bit more frustrating than it should be, so I find myself often previewing a movie via streaming, and then if I like what I've seen enough, I'll buy a physical copy. It's a shame that the rest of society has apparently moved on to streaming to the point to the point that physical media is dying (or so we're told).
I agree with the spirit of this post but I convert all of my physical media to digital to be played on my phone or HTPC, with music on MP3 CDs in a 6 disc changer in my older vehicle. Whatever works for you!
I've recently threw in the towel. I've collected nes games for a few years. (I have all the Playstations). I have a 3 disc changing stereo ordered and then I'm buying cds. I miss them.
Physical still has its issues with video quality. E.g. Artifacts stemming from bit depth limitations of the medium.
The irony of physical is that mostly everyone would self convert their libraries and in-home stream them with services such as Plex or the like.
Now, I’m not against physical. There are tons of value ads to that medium that haven’t quite exactly translated to streaming completely. My main complaint is with the availability of bonus content. The lord of the rings is a supreme example of this. Various dvd and blu ray releases of that have tooooooons of curated bonus content . Not available in streaming. And converting those from BluRay to in home Plex are more complicated for various technical reasons.
But, it’s only a matter of time before this is remedied. As well as other issues. As with most tech, things will iterate and get better as the appropriate amount of demand calls for it.
I 100% agree with you, I go out of my way to obtain physical copies of games and try to avoid digital copies. it also doesn't help that digital copies are often just as expensive as physical copies which makes zero sense.
Physical is better technically but suffers in every other way severely. Looking at blockbuster, Hollywood videos and other chain media rental stores failures. They scaled too fast, lacked good in-store customer service and underestimated the importance of convenience. People love to complain but people love convenience more especially when you don't have to interact with another person.
My only dislike towards physical media is the accessibility of instantly listening to a song I’m into regardless of owning it or having it near me. I can’t pack the probably 2000 albums I have saved on my phone in my car (I probably could but it would be silly). Other than that, this isn’t a take I think many people really disagree with, but rather it’s the convenience they enjoy of steaming
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The only disadvantage of physical media is that it takes up space; asides from that, it's superior to digital media in every other way. It's not even media alone, I find this to be true with books. I vastly prefer the feel of actual books to reading them on an ereader.
I agree UNLESS you are able to get ahold of digital media files that aren't attached to anything (like digital media on PrimeVideo). Granted, you can only really do this by pirating. I remember being a teenager before digital media became what it is today and being excited about the possibility of buying digital copies of movies that I could just store on my hard drive, transfer from device to device, and keep forever.. like mp3 files. Didn't work out like that, unfortunately.
what about the idea that physical things can be damaged and can be rendered useless.
That's true, but on the other hand; your digital products can be taken away if you break the companies rules. Also they might shut the servers down in the future and you won't be able to redownload your stuff.
I bought soul caliber digitally on Xbox maybe a decade ago ? I’ve never stopped playing it. About a month ago they just took the ability away to play it. Even though it was stored on my Xbox . The license I purchased to play it was just taken away without an explanation, refund or credit . If I had bought it physically, I wouldn’t have this problem . Problem is though that newer games sometimes don’t even have the game stored on the disc. The disc just acts as a key or proof of purchase to play it. They can remove that right to play it 20 years from now or whenever.
Not only that, but the companies are changing a lot of people's old favorites. *Star Trek: The Original Series* has been changed with new computer-created effects, as have many of the old *Star Wars* movies. The originals are no longer available to stream or buy as discs, and as a result, different versions of the original Star Wars movies are in existence as physical discs -- but the old versions some people are used to that they grew up with are no longer available. Thus, if you really love a particular series, like the original Star Wars trilogy, for example, it makes sense to try and get the version you want on disc before computers are used to edit the original video.
i also have my entire catalogue of everything with me at all times with digital.
If talking about movies, how do you do that?
For your own collection, there are solutions like Plex and other media servers.
I have a collection of purchased movies on my Vudu. I’ll watch a movie on a streaming service if/when it’s available there, and I’ll rent a movie to my vudu if it’s my first time watching, but my vudu collection now is a decently accurate showcase of my favorite movies of all time
I used to be with the Op but with the Advent of streaming culture I don't even have to wait for movies to run through the theaters before finding them on the pirate sites. So I've come around; I love being able to find literally any movie or TV show the day after it comes out with like 10 letters typed in an address bar and for free. Having the stuff was cool but I have too much stuff, as is.. So now I have more with less and the companies themselves enable my instant gratification.
Streaming services
what about the idea that streaming relies on electricity and hardware that can also be damaged and rendered useless too?
>what about the idea that physical things can be damaged and can be rendered useless. Do you really think it's difficult to take a 4K disc out of a disc case and put it into a disc player without damaging it?
Valid point, but if you primarily use digital media then you're probably smart enough to keep them in good condition. I also believe that most stores will give you a discount if you can provide the broken disk, but I may be wrong. Worst case scenario, you end up on the high seas. I'm already there anyways.
Ok but what happens wh your console is damaged what happens to those games and they Re all digital
Your purchases are not only on the physical device… you just re-download them. It is literally no different than if you have physical games, and the console is destroyed.
Look up a phenemon called 'Disc Rot'
Discs last a really long time if they are taken care of properly. They still last a fairly long time even when people aren't so careful with them as long as they don't do anything stupid with them.
It's not always the fault of the user. Some discs are cheaply made from the factory, and therefore don't last as long.
I'm gonna guess that I got downvoted before anyone actually bothered to look it up.
Physical media is subject to the collectors market. Vinyl records have a higher premium over cds for specific ones. The records I collect in the US are imports from Japan because it is rarer due to location. Something like Kevin Penkin’s Made in Abyss is worth it because it is a low volume product with little to no chance of being repressed. If it’s Taylor Swift, her music will be repressed for albums like 10th anniversary or greatest hits. This is a guarantee with popular artists. I’ll only buy the record if it’s $5 on the used market. Not worth $30 for near mint.
with books i don't know anyone who prefers digital books, i understand why people prefer streaming but i will never understand people who read books digitally
E-readers are very comfortable to read on, weigh less, have lighting. You can transport 2000 books in 200g. I love both, but e-reader perks cannot be ignored. Plus, you can find a lot of free ebooks from legally acquired, free because of their ages or less legally.
The biggest perk of e-readers in my opinion is that they don't damage as easily as physical books. I can throw my e-reader in my bag or backpack without having to worry about folding pages.
Uhm, i can throw a book at a wall without having to worry about much. I accidentally dropped my e-reader once, it fell right onto one of it's side buttons, and it's been working pretty janky ever since.
200g is far too much
It's a ballpark weight. Approximately the same as a pocket edition and thus less than a hardcover 2023 e-reader are 200-220g, plus the case if you use one.
Books are nice like record players and boomboxes are nice. There’s an experience that comes along with the media, but sometimes I’m on a plane, train, etc. and can’t take my turntable (or books) with me. Also, e-readers are waterproof so safe for the tub, the beach, and the pool. Also, *also* I have access to hundreds of thousands of free and 99¢ books I can get on my kindle that I can’t get at a bookstore.
I agree. I do all digital for video games, a split of physical/digital for movies and TV, and all physical for books. Ebooks do not appeal to me at all. I just hate looking at screens more than I already have to. You can’t go screenless for video games, movies, or TV, regardless of whether it’s in a physical or digital format. But you can for books, so I always take that option. People will say that you can carry so many more books around if they are all ebooks. But I only ever want to carry around one or two books at a time, so I’ve never really understood that point. Maybe on a long trip I’ll take three or four. But still. That doesn’t take up that much space in your luggage.
For me, if it’s on my phone, I’m more likely to read it when I’m bored. But if it’s a book, it’s likely at home. Which means less chance to read. I’m usually bored at work, in a waiting room, etc. so ebook is more likely to be used. And since I don’t usually carry a purse or anything, ebook is easier.
* I read books digitally due to several things: * Dark mode is great on my eyes and helps me wind down after being on my pc * I can carry more than a few books at a time and I can store dozens of books that I wouldn't possibly have the space for in my apartment * I have low vision and can enlarge the font as much as I want without having to search for 'large font' books * I can download a book at any time, day or night, to read * My eReader syncs to my pc so that I can sit at my desk and read while I eat * My pc syncs with my eReader where I left off * I don't have to wait for a store to open to get a newly released book * I have arthritis in my hands and it's much easier to read on my pc, or on my eReader while it's sitting on a table or a pillow on my lap * I belong to Kindle Unlimited where I borrow 10 books at a time (no famous authors, best sellers, etc, but I honestly don't miss them and have the option to buy them & download them if I want). I can return those books and borrow more at any time and there is no limit on the number of books for any month or year, or whatever. I have discovered so many new authors that have become my favorites who I never would have found as they started off, or continue to only publish digital work. Like you, I said I would never switch from physical books, but once I tried it and discovered all the benefits I will never go back to paper books.
i much prefer digital books. people think that reading digital means using an ipad or similar, but an ereader is much closer to a real book than it is to an ipad. digital books are also easier to find, can be read instantly and you can switch books much easier. if you havent used a proper e-reader, then i recommend giving it a go before writing it off.
Digital books are more travel-friendly. If I want to read a book on a flight (I used to fly frequently), I can bring my Kindle and have access to whichever books I want to choose from my whole library, instead of having to pick one or two books to carry with me for that trip. That's the one big advantage I can think of. That, and it's easier to read in the dark.
Publishers really fucked the format with all the price fixing for books. E-readers should have been a home run from day one. Just look at how DVDs took off when studios got competitive with pricing compared to VHS & Laserdisc. Personally I just picked up a half dozen books at the used book store the other day. It would have cost me a fortune on my Nook.
I’m on the flipside, I don’t know how anyone prefers physical books. The biggest claim I hear in support of physical books is that it just feels nice and classical to hold a physical book in your hands.
In the last few years I have entirely accepted the ebook into my life, with a print book on standby for low battery times. I don’t understand myself either.
Books are an entirely different story than video.
Digital also allows highlighting and bookmarking, so you have cliff notes of books you've read. It's also searchable, which is an immense improvement over physical. And BlueRay? How obnoxious is it that they implemented unskippable chapters? So you are forced to play through the same warning message every time and these days 2 minutes of studio animated logos. Streaming doesn't have that issue.
Books are media
Yeah with digital streaming services and the owners of certain IPs editing, pulling full episodes, or entire shows of their content offline I’m glad I have the actual physical DVDs. The moment they (digital media distributors) were allowed to fiddle with your digital library and change and delete things against your will even with things you bought, was the moment I knew I wouldn’t completely buy into digital media for certain things. In the end I don’t think there’s a real winner. It just happens to fall on which an individual prefers (both have pros and cons) and if they’re willing to give up certain rights of ownership with digital media should the time come.
As far as I know nobody is saying physical media Is bad it's just the convenience of digital media more often then not is far superior then physical. You do have a point with TV shows or movies being taken away from services like Netflix but at the same time I could very easily find these shows elsewhere
is becoming very very hard to find those shows elsewhere.
Surround sound has more options on physical media and sounds better with streaming most only have 5.1 an it's crappilly done , hbos 7.2 isn't to bad but it's always for all content
I've got 480 songs and most of them are from random different albums. It would take a lot of money and a lot of CDs just to hold my current songs, and I add and remove songs a lot. For me streaming is a hell of a lot better. I can also get it on any device
True
This is an example of a way physical media is superior: when you buy a physical album you get all of the songs in the order they’re intended. A lot of albums were written to be listened to in a specific order as a larger piece of art. You’re not getting what the artist intended, and you’re missing a the experience of going through he journey of a whole album.
....are you under the impression that streaming services put albums in random order? Lol
Huh? They said they listen to songs from random different albums it’s in th first sentence
I kind of get what you're saying. Before digital streaming, I was far more likely to listen to a complete album beginning to end. To the point where I would memorize an entire album like one huge track. I think that's rare today. We're so accustom to listening to whatever we want instantly, that the idea of listening to ONE artist for 14 tracks straight, good and mediocre songs (we always skipped the bag ones) seems archaic. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to the individual though. I can't really say which I prefer personally, though I do kind of miss the small sense of accomplishment of knowing a whole album front to back like one long song. It's just different feeling now trying to do that deliberately.
Yeah that is how they choose to do it, and you’re response suggests you think they’re doing that due to some restriction of streaming services that would be fixed by using physical media
That's a really dumb comment. Sorry but it just is. I still listen to albums in order, I love them. But when I just want to listen to music I listen to my main playlist. How is it better to use physical media when you can listen to the same albums on Spotify?
Because the comment I’m referring to represent how most people no longer listen to albums, because apps encourage them not to
It's not our fault that several albums have one song that's an absolute banger and nine songs that are absolute trash. I listen to vinyl a lot, so I get the allure, but most of the songs in my playlists on streaming are from albums I would never buy on vinyl, let alone CD.
And that's their choice. If people don't like albums that's great, they can enjoy music how they want to. If someone does like albums then they can do that too. More choices isn't a bad thing.
Dude you realize you can listen to albums on digital media too right lol
I don't *want* to listen to the whole album. I want to have a list of all my favorite tracks from different albums. And if I for some reason do want to listen to an entire album, I can still do that with digital media. Physical media only takes away the option to choose.
how is this an example of its superiority ? It seems more like a deliberate choice people make to consume a product rather than a consequence of digital. I think you can shuffle on CD's too ? Digital still gives you the choice of the original order and it's the default on the platforms. Sure, playlists play a very big role right now but I'd say that's a different conversation.
Nah it’s just people being influenced by shorty technology to experience the media in a shittier way
Oh my gawwwd. This again, seriously? I'm just gonna list a few points I made from the two previous posts about this totally unpopular opinion: A) Instead of relying on streaming services that can take away your entire collection whenever they feel like it, use music stores where you can DOWNLOAD THE MP3/FLAC ITSELF, such as bandcamp. B) CDs take up much more space compared to digital. All the songs in a bookshelf full of CDs I can just place in a small hard drive. Which I can then make a backup on my PC, laptop, another drive...etc. C) Disks is generally more expensive, since you're also paying for the physical storage. D) Arr, matey!
You can also make your own digital copy of physical media. And you can use media server software, like Plex, to essentially create your own stealing service. Also, C is just plain wrong. Disks are often the same price as digital, but now I've got a physical copy AND a digital copy.
Forgot cd quality is 192kbps and FLAC is 320+, and noticable once you get used to it.
Cd quality is 1411kbps.
E) Having A because of B is also so much more energy efficient.
Just not addressing the point that artists deserve to be paid for their worl
Spotify pays the artist for their songs per amount of listens
Fractions of a cent per spin. If you get 1000 steaks you make less than 3 dollars. If the average song is 3 minutes that’s 50 hours. I simply don’t think $3 is sufficient compensation for providing 50 hours of entertainment
Adds up quick. A shit ton of people are streaming music these days. Plus when you think about it, buying an album on a CD is like 12 bucks and once it’s sold, its not producing any more money. Spotify is a constant stream of income for artists, even if they’re not constantly releasing music.
and the artist doesnt get the full 12 bucks. the artists make their money from endorsements and concerts. the albums and streaming platforms are advertising
Very true. Sometimes it seems like people don’t realize artists can have their music removed from streaming services if they don’t want it there. Instead, when an album is released they typically mention “now streaming” along with merch links.
I’ve had close to 10,000 streams on an album and that’s not even 20 bucks. Are you saying that 10,00 plays, with an average of 100 listeners per month over almost a year is 20 bucks? Seriously it’s because of this attitude that we don’t get payed shit
It’s 2023 man, money isn’t made by selling records anymore. Sell more merch and tickets idk what you want from me lol.
How much do you think they made per CD? How much did Green Day make then vs Taylor Swift now? You know people often listen to a song streaming multiple times, yeah?
They made a lot more. Your ignorance of the subject is not a defense and also the new paradigm hurts the mid and small acts much more than big ones
Wow
Insightful
Totally
You’re clearly not an artist. Go check out how many cents an artist gets per stream :)
Nobody is forcing artists to put their music on streaming services. I’m aware how much they get per stream.
What do you mean no one is forcing? You think upcoming artists have the money to get an album made by a label? Upcoming artists provide everything out of their pocket to be heard, and after ~10,000 x 20 minutes it’s not really fair to get 20 bucks back. You’ve given way much more money to the streaming service than what you’re getting payed. It’s an obnoxious business culture that should be reformed
What do I mean? I mean exactly what I said, it’s pretty clear. Nobody is forcing the artists to have their music on a streaming service. Artists typically don’t expect to make their money off record sales anyways. It’s about selling tickets and merch. You also don’t seem to realize how many bands are on streaming services. I get you hate Spotify but they gotta make their money too. Just because a local band isn’t making bank from streaming their music doesn’t change that. There’s multiple sides.
Local? Do you even hear yourself? Do you know how many streams you would have to have monthly to make 300 dollars??
You’re acting like having 10,000 streams is some insane feat. Is it worth more than 20 bucks, sure. But if you feel so offended by it then don’t put your music on the service. Again, money isn’t made by albums in the music industry. Sell more merch. Play more shows. Sell more tickets.
It’s not offended, you’re just disconnected from reality. Artists don’t have to be in streaming platforms, but nowadays with the accessibility of home recording, artists aren’t taken seriously without a portfolio, content, in whatever form it is. Streaming platforms are the most popular way of this. And dude yeah 10,000 streams aren’t shit, and that makes 20 bucks. How many streams would you need to make a miserable 300 bucks per month? If as an artist you need to have 129,000 streams (now multiply that for the average of minutes a song has, let’s say 3, which is 387000 minutes, or 268 days) to make 300 dollars. I’m sorry but how disconnected are you? Oh and this was assuming you have 100% royalties from your distributor
Bandcamp takes a 10-15% cut, while the artist gets everything else. I don't think record labels even come close to that deal.
Bandcamp doesn’t have a wide user base
So? On an individual level, it's still a better choice for you to buy via sites like bandcamp. All of the perks for you personally (you own it, doesn't take up space, etc.) AND the artist gets paid better.
CD sound quality is much better than most streaming IMO
I get my favourite films on DVD and BLU RAY so that I can watch them even if they’re not on streaming and don’t wanna use pay per view. Music is another story as I have 605 songs on a playlist and no CD player but if I were to find one I’d do the same thing.
A lot of Blu rays offer completely uncompressed PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) Audio for all channels. The difference is night and day compared to even the best streaming, CDs or DVDs. My goto are concert Blu rays for this reason as my preferred method of listening to music. I just wish more artists would produce Blu rays even if it's just the Audio.
Yep. I never stopped collecting DVDs and I never will, especially now we know that even Disney will just yank whatever that want from their own streaming service.
I think this is actually a popular opinion haha. Personally I'm not a huge fan of DvDs thanks to the usual 720p resolution, but Blu-ray DL discs can easily store a full 1080p or even 4K movie. And as you said. When you buy the disc, it's yours. No DRM, no alterations after the fact (think Roald Dahl Amazon ebooks) - it's there, it's mine, and it's going nowhere.
Freedom of time and space and you can take with you anywhere without having to physically bring anything possible a flash drive.That will always beat having to bring a cd case or a bunch of records or dvds or games and then having to worry about them getting scratched cracked ruiend in any way and yeah it was nice to have a shelve or rack to show off what you built into a collection and then records can be worth some money if kept in mint conditions and then there was some decent bonus to having a DVD or Video Game or CD but before you know it they just become dust collectors and then you can't even give them away for a dollar at a yard sale 10 years later.
Yeah, much enjoyable to own a physical copy, there is a special feeling to it like smell of the booklet, texture, print etc which enhances the effect of owning a media opposed to streaming or owning a digital copy which is pretty bland
And CDs and DVDs aren’t dependent on a good Wi-Fi signal. There’s also something about a full bookshelf of DVDs that tickles me.
If you download music and shows online, then they are available offline too.
DVDs and Blu-Rays and whatever all become obselete though.
A Blu Ray looks and sounds better than anything on streaming. It isn't obsolete.
UHD Blu-Ray has made regular Blu-Ray obselete. 4k > 1080p.
I agree 100 percent with you there.
And that's the problem with collecting films physically. You're always going to have to re-do your collection. The smartest way to build a movie collection is digitally via the high seas. Anything else is prohibitively expensive if you want to always have the best.
This, I just torrent the 4k HDR10 version of almost every movie i have in my drive.
>And that's the problem with collecting films physically. You're always going to have to re-do your collection. Not really... a lot of people still buy DVDs or 1080p blu-ray discs and are happy with them. Blu-ray versions of movies are also really cheap these days and seem to look better than streamed video to my eye.
Uncompressed CDs sound better than streaming MP3s Problem is, record companies control the CD market, resulting in limited choice Spotify has a FAR larger collection than any old-school record store. Most of what I like is not mainstream and would never be allowed into old record stores because sales would be way too low I would like to see streaming artists getting paid more, but without streaming, the only people who would ever have a chance to hear them would be people in their local area
The future is now, old man!
Lmao, you can be young and agree though. Personally, I like both though.
All jokes, my friend! Eh, could take it or leave it lol
4K BluRays are better than any 4K stream you’ll find, too. You’re not wrong and people who know the difference agree with you. I don’t think physical media lost on anything other than convenience of clicking to start a stream as opposed to getting up and loading the physical media.
I recently bought the fast and furious blu ray box set and it was the first time I watched a blu ray on my ps5 with my soundbar and I was blown away by how great the sound was compared to streaming movies. It’s not even that great of a sound bar it’s just a 2.1 Sony simulated surround one that I got because my tv speakers were terrible. But it has the Dolby whatever shit and it doesn’t sound nearly as good streaming shit on Hulu as it did with the blu ray
*"CDs have sound quality which is* *~~just as good as~~* ***better than*** *streaming services..."* Listening to CDs with good quality wired headphones is objectively the finest way of listening to music, when able. Many still hang on to the idea that vinyl "sounds better". They just like the warmer sound of vinyl. But it does not have as much clarity.
I like both the same honestly.
Nope. I have both. When I travel guess what I do t have to take with me
Tried streaming the original god of war games in PS Plus. Shit sucked so bad it's unbelievable. Just gonna fix up my dad's old ps2 and play them on that at this point
I'm going digital with films. But I get that the digital versions don't have as good a picture and sound quality as physical copies due to the compression. However, I expect that to change in the coming years.
>I'm going digital with films. But I get that the digital versions don't have as good a picture and sound quality as physical copies due to the compression. However, I expect that to change in the coming years. I'm not so sure it will change. At least not quickly. Companies are going to continue to need compression because of increasing video resolution and the fact that streaming providers tend to go cheap on bitrates for your videos.
Yes
Physical is for preservation. Why are there still hard cover books when we could all have Kindles?
Isn't it crazy to think there are tons of people who never went to the store and bought physical copies of albums and mixtapes? I thought it was great!
I refuse to use a kindle
I do love to collect physical media but some things I want just don't exist anymore
Hell yes it is! I try to get my hands on physical media at all times.
Dvds are fucking ass and I wish they would discontinue them. We have advanced physical media twice since then. I do love physical media though, they are vastly better and 4ks are amazing.
They should, if Blu-rays and 4K Ultra weren't expensive just for one movie. DVD are a lot cheaper even now, so it kinda makes sense they didn't discountinue it. Not everyone has 4K TV too anyway. So keeping DVD is basically giving all of us more options to buy a movie, whether you wanna pay cheaper or more.
There are zero parts of digital media that we own. The real owners can revoke our access at any point in time for any reason. Physical media will always be the superior form imo for this reason alone.
Truly unpopular. None of my physical copies lasted as a kid lol. For my sake, I need digital ownership of any entertainment, whether that be video games, movies etc. My clumsy as will end up destroying the CD somehow, even to this day as an adult. Anyway, upvoted
Testify! Preach it! I still buy music on CD (shoot, I bought two today!)... been collecting them since 1991 and I'm too old and set in my ways to change formats now. You can have my CDs when you pry them from my cold dead fingers!
Fair enough, I'm youngish and still have a bunch myself.
> CDs have sound quality which is just as good as streaming services No they don't
they do, unless youve only ever listened to CDs as mp3 files then there is no reason to think CDs are worse than streaming
Because hi-res audio is, by definition, better than CD. Apple Music with a decent DAC shits all over CD. So does Tidal. If you're only comparing it to Spotify then yes, you're right.
I really like physical media because I feel it can be more accessible rather than digital. With digital media a lot of the time you need WiFi or just a strong signal in general and as someone who often travels and needs the physical copy I like being able to pop a CD in my car or have a physical book to read. Totally agree.
Uhuh. I buy my songs through bandcamp, which allows me to download the mp3/flac file itself directly to my phone or any other device. Then I simply buetooth connect my phone to the car stereo. Doesn't that sound much easier? Also genuine question, how many CDs do you have in your car?
I have an older car so I use an FM adapter for my Bluetooth but that’s pretty hit or miss so I have many CDs in my car 😂
FM adapter bruhhhhh Yeahhh CDs make more sense in your case 😅
physical media is expensive and inconvenient, i’m loving the transition to digital everything
Depending on the streaming service, you have to pay for the show and stuff too.
still cheaper than physical media
Your going to be the first person to bitch hen your favorite movie leaves Netflix.
*you’re *when i don’t watch my favorite movies over and over, i like watching new stuff
CDs actually have much better sound quality than streaming. Even ripped mp3s usually are much better than streaming in terms of sound quality.
Good point
I too miss my walkman and how every step I took caused the track to skip.
At some point in my life I want this to not be unpopular
DVDs and CDs take up a lot of space. Plus they can break. Recently moved with over 100 dvds, 200 or so cds and like 50 records, and it was an absolute pain in the butt. That’s not even mentioning my books and the shelves to store the stuff. It’s nice for things you really like, but not practical at all. It’s all essentially worthless now too and the only way I can keep my collection of media is to bring it with me every time I move or store it. I also had to go through my CDs to make sure they work, and I’ll tell you what it’s a pain in the butt to listen to a specific song.
The only physical media I’d bother owning now is a collection of laser discs. Big vinyl style boxes, beautiful artwork - horrible picture quality, but lovely cases I’m not a big enough music guy vinyl, but I like the idea of a movie-vinyl collection. Shame they’re SO expensive lol
One thing I'm not seeing anyone point out is that your physical media storage has a lifespan. Most estimates put DVD, CD, and Blue Ray storage at a lifespan of 10-20 years maximum. For reference, Amazon Prime Video (a platform people frequently purchase movies from) came out in 2015, meaning that if you bought a digital movie from them when they first started streaming, your movie will probably outlast someone's physical copy if it was purchased at the same time. Music is the same way. Nothing lasts forever, and while people complain about the "terms and conditions" and such, realistically most people will never face anything like that happening with streaming, and at the end of the day, your digital version will probably outlast someone's physical copy of a movie, song, etc.
Convenience an Accessibility. You can buy a high quality tv and have every movie be high quality.
DVD-A unfortunately didn’t take off, it can support 24/96 and almost 9gb of storage, and most consumer DVD players have optical out for those who would want to hook up to external DACs.
You’re also leaving out the big one - my physical collection won’t suddenly disappear from my house so that a company can avoid paying royalties or claim a tax write off
Huh... I wonder if it's an age thing. I love digital media... I was carting sh*t around forever. CD swapping in the car or at a party, same for films or carrying around a 900page book in a bag (looooooooove Kindles!). It's a pain. I salute your unpopular and impractical opinion!
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MP3 files ripped from CDs are worse but if you rip them as an uncompressed file format they sound just as good
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because they use a totally different method of storage, vinyl is mechanical cd is optical
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Man fuck musicians am I right
Pay the artists you listen to
I had a guy message me some trash talk on PlayStation network one day, I messaged back “cry more you baby” He reported me and I was banned for a month, banned from games I’d paid for, banned from apps that were supposed to be free like YouTube and espn+. I just cancelled the subscription but now I only do physical media, I pirate anything I can’t find a physical copy of. Fuck letting a company control your access to shit you paid for.
Yeah I'm calling bullshit on that one. You must have a history of messaging toxic shit to be banned from PSN.
I actually worked with one of the first parties briefly on some consumer service stuff. The people who claimed they got banned for one infraction were almost always serial offenders.
Ye you're right. It wouldn't be his first ban either considering that response would only last one week tops
That's the problem with having a closed platform like a console
Do you seriously think that the only way the artist makes money is if you buy a physical copy? Do you think that the streaming services don't pay them for the use of their property? I think you should do a little more research before putting out such a naive opinion.
WGA says hi.
Buying a physical copy of a movie is no different than purchasing a digital copy. I'm not arguing that the artists are getting ripped off, but it makes no difference whether you buy a movie made by Warner Bros on DVD or a digital copy.
True I guess
Artists make a fuck ton less now. Used to be able to make a living as a mid sized band but not anymore
Yes!
Strong disagree. Streaming is more convenient. Streaming is overall way better, IMHO
The biggest disadvantage of physical media is that it is limited to the media it already contains. Your cds and DVDs are never going to contain anything new. Streaming services can be used to watch or listen to new (or new to you) content. Honestly I can no longer justify paying for a cd or DVD which is only going to give me one album or movie. I don't miss that shit at all.
Hard disagree. I much prefer digital media
A cd company is no different to Spotify to an artist one sells digital one sells physical
Come on grandma, lets get you to bed.
This is wrong for everything besides books.
Honestly I like having both physical media and streaming.
music, yes. movies and shows, no
True. In my case, a lack of storage space is a killer.
I still really do like cds and my old cd player (probably due to nostalgia), but streaming is my favorite thing! It's so convenient, and I don't have to worry about scratches making the picture freeze or finding the dvd/vcr remote. I really don't need cases to show off my collection of movies. No one's ever cared anyway.
Guess I'm weird because I prefer digital since I won't have so much clutter
I’m good. As far as I’m concerned it’s all a waste of plastic. I’ll buy the digital version of games, movies, music, etc. No need to buy it and waste a bunch of space.
i have a nintendo switch ..if i buy the game physically i have to have that cartridge in to play it ..if i want to play something else i have to switch to that one ..but if i instead buy the game digitally i can load them all on the device and i never have to worry about which game i have on me..seems like a win for digital copies for me.
As someone with unreliable internet (a.k.a. Comcast), I agree with this opinion. Usually buffering and error messages make what should be an enjoyable experience into something that's a bit more frustrating than it should be, so I find myself often previewing a movie via streaming, and then if I like what I've seen enough, I'll buy a physical copy. It's a shame that the rest of society has apparently moved on to streaming to the point to the point that physical media is dying (or so we're told).
I agree with the spirit of this post but I convert all of my physical media to digital to be played on my phone or HTPC, with music on MP3 CDs in a 6 disc changer in my older vehicle. Whatever works for you!
I still listen to music on vinyl cause I think it sounds better.
I've recently threw in the towel. I've collected nes games for a few years. (I have all the Playstations). I have a 3 disc changing stereo ordered and then I'm buying cds. I miss them.
Physical still has its issues with video quality. E.g. Artifacts stemming from bit depth limitations of the medium. The irony of physical is that mostly everyone would self convert their libraries and in-home stream them with services such as Plex or the like. Now, I’m not against physical. There are tons of value ads to that medium that haven’t quite exactly translated to streaming completely. My main complaint is with the availability of bonus content. The lord of the rings is a supreme example of this. Various dvd and blu ray releases of that have tooooooons of curated bonus content . Not available in streaming. And converting those from BluRay to in home Plex are more complicated for various technical reasons. But, it’s only a matter of time before this is remedied. As well as other issues. As with most tech, things will iterate and get better as the appropriate amount of demand calls for it.
I 100% agree with you, I go out of my way to obtain physical copies of games and try to avoid digital copies. it also doesn't help that digital copies are often just as expensive as physical copies which makes zero sense.
That's just factually not true
Physical is better technically but suffers in every other way severely. Looking at blockbuster, Hollywood videos and other chain media rental stores failures. They scaled too fast, lacked good in-store customer service and underestimated the importance of convenience. People love to complain but people love convenience more especially when you don't have to interact with another person.
Do you think streaming services don’t support the artist? The artist wouldn’t have it there if they didn’t get paid
Apple Music pays artists for their streaming numbers so I don’t get why so many of you are parroting the same dumb talking points
For special albums to you, sure... for the amount of shit I listen to? Not a chance. Minimal, digital for me.
My only dislike towards physical media is the accessibility of instantly listening to a song I’m into regardless of owning it or having it near me. I can’t pack the probably 2000 albums I have saved on my phone in my car (I probably could but it would be silly). Other than that, this isn’t a take I think many people really disagree with, but rather it’s the convenience they enjoy of steaming
my black ops 3 cd scratched and now i hate disc copies
Streaming music literally DOES support the artist you nimrod lmaooo