Streaming vs physical media

[Nugett]

What are people’s preferences?

For me, I much prefer owning physical media rather than connecting(subscribing) to a streaming service.

The benefits I see in physical media is
1. You own it.
2. The original movie/show doesn’t get altered or edited due to changing beliefs, that might offend.
3. You can watch a movie/tv show when ever you want

The only benefits of streaming is storage and convenience.

The current biggest issue with physical media are companies like Disney no longer distributing physical media to Australia. Which results in being forced to subscribe to their network or downloading illegally.

 

[Jatz]

Streaming for me.

Would cost a large fortune to have bought everything I've watched over the last 10 years.

 

[AFDogs]

Streaming. I have about 30 or so blurays that never get used unless there's an internet outage in my area.

 

[Gasometer]

I don’t tend to go back and watch any thing; tv or movie

Idk why I have hundreds of DVDs tbh

 

[Catfish Alley]

Definitely streaming. I got rid of nearly all DVDs that I had. Don't even have a player.

Like a physical album for music though if it's something I'm really into.

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Streaming for me too. Much easier. I still buy the odd thing but I buy them on Prime so I can stream them if I want to watch them.

 

[crafty_bernardo]

I still purchase blu-rays and add Criterion films to my collection (when on special)

 

[The Dice Man]

Streaming. I havent owned a DVD player for 10 years or more (yet I own 3 DVDs, 2017,2019 2020 AFL GF) but never watched them.

I have subscriptions to Prime, Netflix, and Disney, anything else I get from me hearty mates, free.

I dont feel the need to own physical media, that's an Xtreme waste of space.

 

[Frank Bunn]

I've got about 50 DVDs. I never play them these days but I also can't throw them out. I used to enjoy watching the 'making of' or director's commentary on the bonus disc. Is that still a thing?

 

[GreyCrow]

Streaming

Bo-Rap is still in my DVD player

I was never a big DVD watcher - never bought them but did go through a library borrowing phase of old Dr Who - I do like the features at times but dont need them

Got a mate who had over a thousand - many multiples as he went through the upgrade ie HD to 4k to Blu-ray etc

Not sure he has many left

Ironically he now has 3 1TB portable hard drives

 

[kickazz]

Streaming for watching, physical for listening.

 

[dumb]

at any given time, if i had to choose between youtube or physical media, i could go either way. but netflix, stan, etc vs physical media, then physical media.
i'm about as connected to what i might scroll across on netflix, as to what i had for dinner. netflix is there to pass the time. a crutch even, your life can be so barren that you'll sit in front of the tv and try to choose something out of desperation, and then joke about how empty these platforms are. i truly feel like i'm pissing my life away when i sit in front of netflix. it's a sea of stuff that, yeah i can watch and sometimes be content with. and there's genuinely good movies in there, of course. but why should i waste so much time on stuff i don't like?
at least youtube is free (if a bit painful) and can be educational.

obviously then, i collect physical media. even to the point that collecting is the point, rather than immediately watching.
i have favourite movies and shows, that i can watch whenever i want. which is not that much of an advantage since you can digitise it all anyway. or borrow from others on the high seas. but that pile of shit will always be mine. and if i connect with something, i want it closer to me in a way i can depend on so that i will never be without.

i guess the vice versa might be true too. you buy something, it becomes part of you and the ownership births connection.

music is slightly different. i'm happy to buy digital copies of things. i don't use spotify, partly on account of their poor value for artists. i instead use bandcamp, who often offer physical music for sale too. stream music off youtube as well.
i still buy vinyl. i will buy vinyl/cd/cassette if it has something i want and is the only way i can have it.

 

[IKnowtheDog]

What are streaming services like for showing obscure movies and shows.

Eg; finding physical copies of Naked Gun TV series is difficult, was wondering if streaming services screen this.

 

[dumb]

What are streaming services like for showing obscure movies and shows.

Eg; finding physical copies of Naked Gun TV series is difficult, was wondering if streaming services screen this.

genre stuff can often have its own dedicated platforms. google is probably your friend for specific shows / there are websites that list if something is somewhere. have to go off the beaten track to find places that will explore genres a bit deeper.

other mainstream platforms have gone backwards in that regard i feel. i remember scrolling through a selection of japanese movies from the 60's on stan. i once watched 'the story of o' and 'irreversible' on the same platform. hard to imagine that now.
i guess at the end of the day, these places don't consider themselves responsible for the continued existence and accessibility of particular things. that's not their service, and that's ok. that's the aim of something like the internet archive.

 

[JHF1870]

What are people’s preferences?

For me, I much prefer owning physical media rather than connecting(subscribing) to a streaming service.

The benefits I see in physical media is
1. You own it.
2. The original movie/show doesn’t get altered or edited due to changing beliefs, that might offend.
3. You can watch a movie/tv show when ever you want

The only benefits of streaming is storage and convenience.

The current biggest issue with physical media are companies like Disney no longer distributing physical media to Australia. Which results in being forced to subscribe to their network or downloading illegally.

I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with streaming.

Each service has a small selection of films to watch.

The content alterations and deletion especially south park is why I'd rather collect the DVDs.

Streaming services suck. I'm on Paramount atm and I get the feeling they don't want you to pick your movies. Its so hard to browse as they severely limit what gets shown.

Typical of companies to do everything possible to make money at the expense of the end consumer

 

[joey_jo_jo]

I still purchase blu-rays and add Criterion films to my collection (when on special)

Where do you buy criterion films from?

 

[crafty_bernardo]

Where do you buy criterion films from?

Amazon AU

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Amazon AU

Ah cool, I had never thought to look there. Wish there was a one stop spot on amazon for their collection.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Finally upgraded to a 4K TV last Xmas and after much pleading with the wife finally got the ok to buy a 4K dvd player too.
Ive bought four 4K dvds so far but need to find the time to actually sit down and watch before I contemplate buying more.
I also dont think im at the point where I would consider replacing my blu ray/standard dvds with 4k versions, think if I go there my wife will file for divorce

I just find it really frustrating to find movies I want to see in the right format on streaming services. For instance I wanted to watch Barbarian again before watching Weapons, it was previously on Disney+ but now is not available on any service in Aus, not even to rent on demand. You can only stream it if you buy a digital copy.
And if you're thinking about watching foreign language /old films its an even bigger crap shoot. Ive gone back to another method of obtaining these movies, that pre-dates streaming

 

[CarnTheScray]

Due to the rising costs and continuous payments I’ve found myself returning to physical media.

So far I have cancelled Netflix, Binge, Apple TV Plus, Stan and Disney plus. I have HBO as the last one standing but that is a shared account. Stan is the only one I’d ever reconsider subbing to.

It’s amazing how many cheap DVDs you can find on EBay. And even though brand new DVDs at JB are almost as much as a one month subscription itself, it’s a one time payment to own.

 

[JHF1870]

Due to the rising costs and continuous payments I’ve found myself returning to physical media.

So far I have cancelled Netflix, Binge, Apple TV Plus, Stan and Disney plus. I have HBO as the last one standing but that is a shared account. Stan is the only one I’d ever reconsider subbing to.

It’s amazing how many cheap DVDs you can find on EBay. And even though brand new DVDs at JB are almost as much as a one month subscription itself, it’s a one time payment to own.

You.can cycle one streaming service too. Or wait for your favourite series. Most TV shows are time fillers anyway.

 

[dumb]

Ah cool, I had never thought to look there. Wish there was a one stop spot on amazon for their collection.

i've bought stuff from deep discount US (pretty sure they are on ebay instead if you want), also zavvi. however zavvi are not the au domain they suggest, possibly germany.

 

[Xtreme]

Still prefer physical over streaming. I went "digital" ages ago by way of converting my own physical media purchases into digital formats so I can watch them any time without having to change discs.... I just change external hdd's instead lol.

Finally upgraded to a 4K TV last Xmas and after much pleading with the wife finally got the ok to buy a 4K dvd player too.
Ive bought four 4K dvds so far but need to find the time to actually sit down and watch before I contemplate buying more.
I also dont think im at the point where I would consider replacing my blu ray/standard dvds with 4k versions, think if I go there my wife will file for divorce

It's an expensive hobby but one I partake in and enjoy. Kinda funny when I first got a 4K tv (end of 2019) I was content with sticking with the dvd versions of everything. Tried out a bluray disc (I had built up a bluray collection from the late 2000's with my PS3.... but rarely watched them) and I was like OK now I can see the difference in quality. Not long after that I tried out my first 4K and never looked back. Even with the "landscape" changing if I can't get a title locally, I'll order it online.

 

[CarnTheScray]

You.can cycle one streaming service too. Or wait for your favourite series. Most TV shows are time fillers anyway.

That’s another thing: I don’t like a lot of the new shows. The only one I’m currently watching is The Penguin. Netflix’s catalogue is rubbish now that every license holder pulled their content off it to put on their own service.

 

[JHF1870]

That’s another thing: I don’t like a lot of the new shows. The only one I’m currently watching is The Penguin. Netflix’s catalogue is rubbish now that every license holder pulled their content off it to put on their own service.

for me, I typically only go out of my way to watch

Severance, Rick and Morty, Black Mirror

I'd prefer to own star treck, simpsons, family guy, frasier, seinfeld etc on DVD.

I'll watch other shows as time fillers but certainly won't go out of my way. A Lot of stuff I saw on those networks were trash. I get really bored fast like in Stranger Things.

Streaming services are just mass producing trash. Wait until the services mass produce AI Junk.