The End of Physical Media?

Hogwash! Humbug! are you getting tired of this? LOL...wishful thinking will not make it happen...

 

I did not know that...thanks.

 

It’s unfortunate that most Tv shows have not been offered in 4K much less blu Ray. Fox rarely does their tv shows in blu now (The X Files was an exception). One thing that would be helpful in driving sales would be to release them on blu prior to streaming. The major studios probably do t want to do this though because they really dislike the concept of “owning” on behalf of those who pay for a show. While I will for example watch a streamed show sometimes the streaming bit rate isn’t quite as good as 4K or blu titles out there (depends on the show, encode, speed of internet etc so not all streaming experiences are created equal.

 

Often times you can find titles there that haven’t even received a DVD much less blu domestic release.

 

Bill Hunt was being hyperbolic in that editorial. For the major Hollywood studios, they do want out of the physical media business sooner rather than later. But they are also perfectly willing to license out content to outfits like Shout Factory and Mill Creek for physical media. Blu-ray sales have remained fairly high albeit DVD is swiftly fading.

The days of physical media being a dominant consumer preference are being phased out by large corporations wanting an all-digital future. Digital video largely cuts out middlemen in the distribution chain, provide zero resale value and enables content owners to have tighter control over the video market.

 

Bill Hunt was being hyperbolic in that editorial...now watch as I agree with everything he said.

(Hunt wrote "There are MANY great indie studios carrying the torch and keeping the faith with physical media...My advice to all of you is to keep supporting these companies in every way you can....But their margins are tight and I fear that some will fold in the next few years.")

 

I was pleasantly surprised with the picture quality from my 4k Roku. I didn't think streaming would ever reach this level. My biggest draw to Blu-Ray at this point is extras. Especially for stuff like GoT and Star Wars. Once they figure out a well to package it with the digital copy without it being a pain to access, I may be in the clear. Although I suspect some stuff will always need a Blu-Ray or DVD to exist. I thought I'd be done with CD's by now but I still find a lot of grey market material.

 

A good point. You’re guaranteed a viewing of your dvd, but at the mercy of your broadband connection when streaming.

 

Humbug is a pretty good Arctic Monkeys record

 

It's disappearing because people don't buy them. Especially in the case of TV series, you can record them in HD when broadcast to a DVR or they stay on catch up services forever. Who needs dics cluttering up the place that will be watched one time if that?

 

; )

 

This tweet from The Digital Bits/Bill Hunt says it all. It's one thing to hear that we're down to a single replication plant in NA, but it really underscores the decline in the market when you see all of the plant closures laid out like this.

The Digital Bits on Twitter

 

Me...

 

Eh, we have all that stuff on a local hard drive. We do watch a lot of stuff streaming, but anything I want to keep permanently I'll store on hard drive and/or buy the Blu-ray.

 

+1
Same goes for vinyl /CDs / cassettes.

 

The place in Cornwall that I go to every year has no broadband. Nor is there any mobile phone signal.

 

What broadband? There are a lot of us in rural areas where broadband is merely a rumor.

 

supply and demand

so it is up to the buying habits of the public

companies are not going to continue to manufacturer content and devices if the demand slips to an extreme low... all you'll be able to find is ludicrously high priced "booteek" stuff

until it becomes fashionable again and comes roaring back to life

will the circle..... be unbroken?

 

Media ?
Resale value.
Bit of a hassle selling, but at least something tangible in your hands.

 

I watch many of my movies more than once.

Here's a major problem with streaming: availability. Every try to catch a Hitchcock movie on Netflix or a streaming service? Good luck finding it. Psycho, North By Northwest or Vertigo, for example. Twelve Angry Men? Try finding any movie that won "Best Picture" in the 1950s. 1960s. Etc. If you like classic movies at all then a streaming service is NOT for you (unless there's one that specializes in such things and I'm not aware of it).

Not everyone wants to watch Transformers or the latest Dwayne Johnson movie. Not everyone wants to be "Big Brothered" into streaming services either.

One of these "end of physical media" threads pops up every week. Like Michael above said, I'm tired of it. Physical media will never disappear - We're Living in a Material World. Met them all here in the Material World. Hell, you can still buy 8-track tapes and VHS for crying out loud. I bet you can find a Hoola Hoop or a Yo-yo if you wanted one. I've heard that some people even buy vinyl records - they were supposed to be obsolete in the 1990s.

 

Famous last words.

 

I think we have more to be concerned about in ability and means to find physical or streaming media. There's tons of it both music and film that it will take a lifetime for future generations to find the titles that make the search worthwhile.

It will be out of sight, out of mind no matter the media format.

 

I did take out a trial subscription to Amazon's Lovefilm streaming service several years. It was then that I discovered the poor selection of classic movies. You had to take out the extra package and have a DVD mailed to you!

 

No, we're not approaching the end of physical media, at least not in the sense that there's a risk physical media will disappear. But we are finally approaching the point at which new forms offering very marginal improvements will no longer continue to be released. For home video, 4K provides a benefit only in the most extreme situations; there is no conceivable benefit to anything beyond it. More or less the same holds true for music, though there's reason to doubt even the existing hi-res formats (SACD, DVD-A) offer any discernible benefit in many cases.

Now that is something worthwhile.