The downfall of physical media ??? ( where do you side ) glad to see it go or not

[jkno]

Music CD's, 99% original licensed CD's (about 1500 in this picture):

The sci-fi DVD collection, all other films are elsewhere:

 

[Bigdaddy]

I got rid of roughly 1000 music CDs in 2016 when we downsized from a large house to a 5th wheel camper. They were all archived digitally on 2 devices as well as the cloud but I still miss going to the shelf and browsing for something I hadn't heard in a while. There's probably a ton of stuff I have forgotten about in my music collection because I don't visually look through them anymore.
Now that we're back in a house again the only physical music I've acquired is vintage vinyl (thanks to my daughter). I never thought I'd spend big money on a record but mint condition first pressings are not cheap!

 

[Mottrex]

I found that being a child of the 70s when video arrived on our shores and those Video rental stores opened I rented one like a shot!..

I've mentioned in another thread I had to travel with my parents to our local Army and Navy store who had a small rental section in their HiFi area and it had about thirty movies to watch but age restrictions meant the top shelf (not sure what they were lol) and all the horror was age restricted to 18!

Anyway I taped all sorts off the TV in glorious Mono films adverts Videos but not many shows pre MTV more Old Grey Whistle test and Max Headroom..
I realised once I hit one thousand tapes I had a bit of a problem, these were mainly a mix of Shop bought and my own tapes.

I have saved my rare VHS tapes and the odd bootlegs I had. Back in the early 80s The UK had a "Video Nasties" ban imposed on rental shops so stopping them from hiring things like EvilDead and I spit on your grave even The Exorcist out...

Those under the counter shh rentals were like gold to us at the time, if you knew the right friends..

I ended up selling Eight packing crates of VHS to Blockbusters not that long before they went under, same with my Zx Spectrum and Amiga tapes and traded them in via their Games Store and had a nice chunk of money so bought a PS2 a PSP and a GBA plus a few other bits. I was quite lucky as they crashed quite hard and even then they didn't give a good payout on media but their instore credit gave you better spending power.


I do miss those first Independent Video stores it was like a club and you pre Internet gave friends heads up reviews etc.. The independent ones that your newsagent ran or your mates dad hired a store and was the best place going till BlockBuster priced them out the market.

I never really got into BR but did go from VHS to DVD to BR on things like Starwars Alien and later The Matrix.

These days I have my Media stashed away in the attic but ripped most of them to a petit HDD which runs through my Nvidia Shield 4K to a bitchin Epson Projector, the media is handled via Kodi which shows All my movies music and videos CDs in nice Jukebox/Netflix style with Movie Poster, information and trailer, it's like watching your own private channel with All the best movies..

My dad was a Printer and one of the perks was getting novels before they hit the streets but you had to swear to secrecy.. I read Jaws months before it was on the racks, I still have it and All the books I've pretty much ever read, the luxury of parents that never moved..

I keep my extensive collection of vinyl to hand and run most through a Sony system bought back from Vietnam by a Vet who passed it on to his son who sold it to me.. I have three decks.. No four in different rooms and have Bluetooth adapters on each so if I want something different I can.
So I guess in a long winded kinda way I like All kinds of media and as others have said... Its about keeping up with it and keeping it accessible..

I've just recently digitised my parents 8mm movies and on a rummage find found a reel with the Twin Towers in maybe 72/73 showing it being built along with some old Stat fayres etc..
The next job is the Cam Corder tapes, I converted a heap using Windows 7 and a screenCap device but its got a high pitched squeel so they need to be re done.
I used to go watch Quarter-mile Strip racing and got a bunch of them to do too..

Streaming is OK I do it All the time now we have decent Broadband. We have Amazon and Netflix plus Disney so have a pretty good variety to watch.

Currently watching Stranger Things on a 25 plus foot throw projector and Dolby Atmos enabled.

It's like being at the movies with your Favourite show.

Sorry for the long post, I quite like my media oh and Gaming when I get the chance..

Currently sat here hooking up my PS to play WipeOut and Burnout PARADISE on the Epson..
woop woop!

 

[Lightning]

I have a pristine copy of Bicentennial Man on DVD. Not a single smudge or scratch. Tried it a while back and no joy. Tried it in 3 different players and my computer drive. Nothing.

Had that happen my copy of The Love Bug. Replaced it with a cheap used copy. The replacement is all scratched up, but it plays perfectly.

Anyone try to buy a VCR lately. They cost more than Dvd players, and often don't work.

If you need a working VCR go to an estate sale. They will be pretty cheap too, because who wants a VCR these days?

 

[Mottrex]

One thing I've noticed in the last few years is DVDs have a shelf life. I've always babied my DVDs and some still just stop working. They've been kept in a climate controlled area, and only handled by the edges. I have a pristine copy of Bicentennial Man on DVD. Not a single smudge or scratch. Tried it a while back and no joy. Tried it in 3 different players and my computer drive. Nothing. I have the entire Babylon Five series on dvd. Most of them still play well, but got to the last episode and it freezes right before the station is destroyed. Angry doesn't do the emotion justice. Imagine the scene at the end of Superman the movie. When Lois dies and he screams and flys into orbit. That was me. I now buy Blu Rays if I really like a movie. Haven't had one go bad yet, but you never know. There's also the fact of equipment going the way of the dodo. Anyone try to buy a VCR lately. They cost more than Dvd players, and often don't work. I know that entertainment companies are going all digital. It's all about control. They can cut off your access whenever they want. I have exactly two digital movies and don't want anymore. Except those I ripped from my own media, I control that. At least I do until they pass laws to prevent you from making archival copies. I believe they already have, they just have no viable way to enforce it. Oh well. I like having control of my own media. The best movies and shows have already been made. Not too much worth buying anymore. Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary, ; )

Disc fungi.. Mini scratches caused by the player catching the edge of disc then allowing moisture into the disc corrupting the supposing lifetime of the discs..
That's what I was told by an IT friend.

Don't get me started on those Blue PS1 discs, you only had to breath on them to stop them from working.
luckily just as they were being phased out I bought a brand new VHS for £25!
it only gets used once a year so still perfect.

Have you tried old schools or Youth clubs?

 

[bwayne64]

Thanks guys, I don't actually need a VCR. I was just talking about how formats change and then you can't readily get the old equipment. I transferred a lot of my vhs stuff to dvd years ago. Mottrex, I've heard that disc layers can separate like you mentioned, just only recently had it happen to me. I've had dvd media that I recorded go belly up, but never the factory movies. Oh well stuff happens, ; )

 

[Mottrex]

Thanks guys, I don't actually need a VCR. I was just talking about how formats change and then you can't readily get the old equipment. I transferred a lot of my vhs stuff to dvd years ago. Mottrex, I've heard that disc layers can separate like you mentioned, just only recently had it happen to me. I've had dvd media that I recorded go belly up, but never the factory movies. Oh well stuff happens, ; )

I needed some DVDs in a hurry and got a pack from Walmart
Back then I was using memory sticks to back up my photos and decided to upload them onto said Discs..
A few months later I wanted to view the photos and loaded them into my PC... There was a horrible scrunch sound.
The disc tray was jammed and unbelievably there was a Silver layer of foil/aluminium sticking out the tray!

Long story short the supermarket chain admitted responsibility and paid for data recovery but it did only recovered images from the foil not shredded from the disc.
The data coating was on the outside and not sandwiched a technical error.. I suggested they remove their stock which they did.

 

[bwayne64]

I needed some DVDs in a hurry and got a pack from Walmart
Back then I was using memory sticks to back up my photos and decided to upload them onto said Discs..
A few months later I wanted to view the photos and loaded them into my PC... There was a horrible scrunch sound.
The disc tray was jammed and unbelievably there was a Silver layer of foil/aluminium sticking out the tray!

Long story short the supermarket chain admitted responsibility and paid for data recovery but it did only recovered images from the foil not shredded from the disc.
The data coating was on the outside and not sandwiched a technical error.. I suggested they remove their stock which they did.

That's a good deal that they actually admitted fault. You might have found a unicorn, ; )

 

[Egon Spengler]

Anyone that thinks not owning a physical copy of media is better than a physical copy is being fooled. NOTE I am not calling you a fool, I am saying you are being fooled. I'd much rather own a physical disc of a film, game, etc than what is essentially "renting rights to watch and play" a movie, tv show, game, etc. Once the company decides to drop it, or go out of business you are left with NOTHING.

 

[Psab keel]

Or a butchered version they determine is the only one you're allowed to see/ hear.

 

[Mottrex]

Or a butchered version they determine is the only one you're allowed to see/ hear.

That's what I loved about Region free players and the birth of the Internet Shopping experience... Buying a disc with content long since butchered by over zealous film censors, horror movies were criminally cut with pretty much All gore trimmed to a few frames or just gone.
Fangoria filled in the gaps back then or the brilliant Vendredi13 but that was in French but totally uncensored and gory as hell..
I had a OG Palace Video copy of Evil dead,It was full of gore but the video shop version played like a matinee movie!

 

[Psab keel]

I had several Region Free players back in the day. I needed one for those early pirated Laserdisc transfers of the Star Wars Trilogy. They also seemed to work better for home made discs too, like old home videos that were transferred to DVD from an old Super 8 movie or something like that. The thing I love too about physical media is that ability to walk up to a shelf and just browse. Like others have said it's that ability to sift through the box art and choose a movie rather than scroll through a list of text files on a computer.

Part of the death of physical media meant the death of certain experiences, like walking through a book store or record store for hours. That social aspect of browsing the shelves of a video store and talking with strangers who might recommend a movie you hadn't considered watching. I met a lot of people that way where we able to learn about different things you might not otherwise consider. It's the same with going to the theater. There's something lost by being able to go to a movie projected onto a giant screen and to get transported for a few hours with a bunch of strangers. Now, there certainly are reasons, especially now, for skipping the theater, but there is a magic that is being lost because of streaming.

Those types of experiences are part of the reason why I prefer physical media (where possible) and also the aforementioned reasons I posted about earlier in this thread about the medium itself.

 

[Cephus]

Part of the death of physical media meant the death of certain experiences, like walking through a book store or record store for hours. That social aspect of browsing the shelves of a video store and talking with strangers who might recommend a movie you hadn't considered watching. I met a lot of people that way where we able to learn about different things you might not otherwise consider. It's the same with going to the theater. There's something lost by being able to go to a movie projected onto a giant screen and to get transported for a few hours with a bunch of strangers. Now, there certainly are reasons, especially now, for skipping the theater, but there is a magic that is being lost because of streaming.

I avoid theaters and have for decades because the downsides far outweigh the upsides. Sticky floors, crying children, people kicking the back of your seat, people on their phones the whole time, people sitting in front of you and blocking your view, people getting up and walking in front of you constantly as they go for concessions or to the bathroom. Heck, if you have to go to the bathroom, the movie goes on without you. If you miss something, you're screwed. You can't rewind to see it again. In fact, I've realized over the years that the theater experience is vastly overblown. Sure, I've had tons of great experiences in the past where the interaction with the audience was more important than actually seeing the movie, but as I've gotten older, I've realized that the movie is what I was actually there for and I don't really care about the audience. I only care about my own experience, which is made vastly worse in a crowd of strangers with limited impulse control.

 

[edge10]

Physical media for me as well.

Recently upgrading my DVDs to Blu-rays and 4k, where possible.

I may not watch them, but they are mine forever!

 

[bwayne64]

Or a butchered version they determine is the only one you're allowed to see/ hear.

Oh snap ! I think I know the guy, ; )

 

[bwayne64]

Anybody ever daisy chain two vcr's together to copy rentals from Blockbuster or other. I mean I never did, but heard it was a thing, ; )

 

[Mottrex]

I had several Region Free players back in the day. I needed one for those early pirated Laserdisc transfers of the Star Wars Trilogy. They also seemed to work better for home made discs too, like old home videos that were transferred to DVD from an old Super 8 movie or something like that. The thing I love too about physical media is that ability to walk up to a shelf and just browse. Like others have said it's that ability to sift through the box art and choose a movie rather than scroll through a list of text files on a computer.

Part of the death of physical media meant the death of certain experiences, like walking through a book store or record store for hours. That social aspect of browsing the shelves of a video store and talking with strangers who might recommend a movie you hadn't considered watching. I met a lot of people that way where we able to learn about different things you might not otherwise consider. It's the same with going to the theater. There's something lost by being able to go to a movie projected onto a giant screen and to get transported for a few hours with a bunch of strangers. Now, there certainly are reasons, especially now, for skipping the theater, but there is a magic that is being lost because of streaming.

Those types of experiences are part of the reason why I prefer physical media (where possible) and also the aforementioned reasons I posted about earlier in this thread about the medium itself.

Walmart own brands were epic and at £30 were Super cheap and sturdy..
I'm Suprised no ones mentioned those DVDs you had to flip to watch either the second half of the film or later a double feature.

Local record shops were my adolescent youth, I spent hours in them building up a connection with the staff, making friends relationships and All kind of crazy times were had..
That's the downside of Streaming and call me old fashioned the Internet..
Those darn kids don't leave the House.
You can't beat laying in your room with a set of Bulky Headphones with a twisty cord staring at a Gatefold Album cover...

 

[Mottrex]

Anybody ever daisy chain two vcr's together to copy rentals from Blockbuster or other. I mean I never did, but heard it was a thing, ; )

It was a thing


Till they started encoding onto them so the image flashed... But there were work rounds lol

 

[bwayne64]

Yea I stopped before they started the copy protection, wait I meant those other people stopped.... LoL

 

[Cephus]

Anybody ever daisy chain two vcr's together to copy rentals from Blockbuster or other. I mean I never did, but heard it was a thing, ; )

Of course, all the time. Did you know that if you ran the whole process through a third VCR in the middle, you could get rid of the anti-piracy scrambling?