The downfall of physical media ??? ( where do you side ) glad to see it go or not
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Master Boda
Sr Member
I had once heard someone says that books are little coffins with dead ideas inside,that was sad.Batguy this is starting to become a animal farm. I think the down fall of physical media will be ours as well.
I prefer physical media for most things. The collector part of my brain likes to look at a full shelf of CDs/DVDs and feel like something was accomplished. 
For games, I haven't bought a physical PC game since 2015 and half of that had to be downloaded anyway.
For games, I haven't bought a physical PC game since 2015 and half of that had to be downloaded anyway.
HMSwolfe
Master Member
I personally like having a really nice physical version of movies (or books, for that matter) that I love. I’m still building up my collection, only just now transitioning to a salaried job for the first time, but I’ve bought Die Hard, The Thing, and Terminator 2 on Blu-Ray. (I did not buy the heavy DNR version of T2; I bought a slightly older release on Blu-Ray without the noise reduction and “modern” color grade.) Nobody was the first movie I bought in 4K, I liked it so much. I’m really looking forward to expanding my collection even further. Of course, there are some films it’s hard to have physical copies of (like the Star Wars trilogy, unless you like CG Jabba and his palace band).
This is a bane of film collecting at the moment that's luckily (or unluckily) restricted to the big mainstream films. I've been wanting a better copy of the '89 Batman for ages but still hold onto my Special Edition DVD for the exact reason you stated: they now digitally touch-up older films with modern film LUTs for new issues. It's horrible. It completely destroys the original look, vision, and mood of older films in many cases. For Batman, everything is that ghastly ocean blue with people that look like Oompa Loompas running around, and the classic gunshots are now replaced with Howitzer cannons. "Restoration" efforts like this are travesties.
I was really iffy about the Wong Kar-Wai changes to his films for his boxset without the originals being available, and while I still partially feel that way, a lot of the changes to some of his films are a lot more effective (2046, in particular). His changes to In the Mood for Love were genuinely unnecessary; the palette being now limited to blue, reds, and greens.
That's why if I have copy of an album or movie or book that has a great cover, audio, or visual, I hold onto it like gold. Sometimes even the upgraded versions present problems when they transfer mediums or stream. I too am of the belief that we may get to a point where history can, and is currently, being rewritten and it's imperative that we preserve our art, music, and literature. Warts and all. You know, that old adage, if you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it. That applies to world history as much as it does to art. It doesn't mean rewriting it to make ourselves feel better, because that violates the voice of the artist who creates it, especially if they're dead. I'd hate to see the day where the stories I hold dear were cancelled because someone decided they were too offensive for their delicate sensibilities.
bwayne64
Master Member
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, ; )
Master Boda
Sr Member
Funny you wrote about a shelf life.Last week I sat down with the kiddo to introduce her to Twin Peaks,the first disc would not play but the rest seem good so far.But damn you need step 1 so you can continue.
To echo what some have already said I only own physical media and sometimes one needs to be cautious in “upgrading”.Years ago I bought the Kino The complete Metropolis as it had 25 minutes of restored footage,alas parts had been censored so the 25 minutes were useless as the film had been compromised.And yet a version of 74 TCM had been cleaned up and looked great while still maintaining that 70’s look.So I guess it is hit or miss but at least we own it. I own a lot of Japanese movies and am finding it hard to find the older ones most are now OOP. I guess I’m old fashioned but if I spend the money I want to see where it went.
As far as music some albums you have to listen as a whole to get the “story”,the main ones that come to mind are Pink Floyd the wall,NIN the downward spiral and Tools lateralus.You can listen to the songs out of order but you are doing it a disservice.The worst part is looking at a CD I have online at it says buy the new remastered 30th anniversary,damn am I that old already.
To echo what some have already said I only own physical media and sometimes one needs to be cautious in “upgrading”.Years ago I bought the Kino The complete Metropolis as it had 25 minutes of restored footage,alas parts had been censored so the 25 minutes were useless as the film had been compromised.And yet a version of 74 TCM had been cleaned up and looked great while still maintaining that 70’s look.So I guess it is hit or miss but at least we own it. I own a lot of Japanese movies and am finding it hard to find the older ones most are now OOP. I guess I’m old fashioned but if I spend the money I want to see where it went.
As far as music some albums you have to listen as a whole to get the “story”,the main ones that come to mind are Pink Floyd the wall,NIN the downward spiral and Tools lateralus.You can listen to the songs out of order but you are doing it a disservice.The worst part is looking at a CD I have online at it says buy the new remastered 30th anniversary,damn am I that old already.
jkno
Legendary Member
Physical copies of DVD's, CD's and books are a must for me. Nothing feels better than handling a real paper book, as for films I haven't made the change to blu-ray, and I guess I'm one of the few left in the world not to upgrade, but I don't care. I do have music and films on my PC, but a physical copy is something very important as I'll always have access to. And I never cared about the steel cases or limited editions either
I buy the Marvel blurays and I've got TOS, TNG and ENT on bluray and DVD and DS9 and VOY on DVD (still hopelessly waiting for a bluray remaster), I've got a fairly large collection of films and TV series I bought back in the day before streaming which I've decided to keep as the unreliable nature of streaming with it's frequent decision to remove certain films and series means I don't want to end up paying over and over to then rent digital copies of things I would like to watch multiple times.
Cephus
Master Member
That's actually where I go the other way, I switched from physical books to ebooks a long time ago because my bookshelves are full and I don't have time to go back and re-read most books over and over again like I do with movies. It's a matter of practicality there. I can carry every ebook I own on my tablet so I can read wherever I go.
I don't watch movies or TV shows anywhere except home.
Paul Andrew
Master Member
This is the single point upon which I have ever agreed with you, I think.
I have nice hard bound books for visible collections, but all my actual reading typically gets done on my eReader because it's just so damn convenient. Not to mention, I don't have to worry about the binding on an ebook falling apart whereas many of the fantasy books I read are so damn big that they have a tendency to fall apart after being read/handled a bunch.
I have / had tons of books most of which are now kept in my library untouched.
Some are first editions signed by the Author, some are antiques.
I finally went the kindle root for most of them as well as new titles if not I would have to buy another house just to store them and the props lol
As far as Music goes only vinyl for me everything else pales by comparision
Some are first editions signed by the Author, some are antiques.
I finally went the kindle root for most of them as well as new titles if not I would have to buy another house just to store them and the props lol
As far as Music goes only vinyl for me everything else pales by comparision
Cephus
Master Member
I have boxes of signed books, lots of author friends used to send me every new book they wrote, signed. Now, they're just stored away and if I want to read those books, I get the ebook instead.
When it comes to books, it's physical copies only for me.
I recently fixed an old record player that I was given and I never really had an interest in vinyls, but now that I have the means to play them, I guess I like vinyls now.
A coworker was telling me that her daughter, whos about 11 or 12, calls VHS, "Old FAT movies."
Digital is definitely nice for the convenience, but a disc still holds so much better quality.
So we have the Ultra Bluray for 4k....I wonder if they will attempt making anything better, for 8k and up? or will disc be fazed out completely?
Most people I talk to don't even know that a DVD is only standard definition and not really meant for these HD tvs, so a lot of times, since they DO play on them, most people think thats good enough.
My parents only got up to DVDs.
Digital is definitely nice for the convenience, but a disc still holds so much better quality.
So we have the Ultra Bluray for 4k....I wonder if they will attempt making anything better, for 8k and up? or will disc be fazed out completely?
Most people I talk to don't even know that a DVD is only standard definition and not really meant for these HD tvs, so a lot of times, since they DO play on them, most people think thats good enough.
My parents only got up to DVDs.
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