Physical Media Is Forever
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 тра 2023
- With so many people predicting the death of physical media due to declining sales, companies no longer manufacturing players, and decreased shelf space in brick and mortar stores, Heath explains why he believes Physical Media is here to stay.
More physical media discussion: • Physical Media Q&A
***************************************************************
Review Archive: CerealAtMidnight.com/p/reviews.html
Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com
Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight
Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight
Facebook.com/CerealMidnight
Twitter: CerealMidnight
Instagram: CerealMidnight
TikTok: OfficialCerealAtMidnight
Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite
****************************************************************
When shopping on Amazon, please consider using Cereal At Midnight's affiliate link to support the channel: amzn.to/3LAgnlt - Фільми й анімація
I've had people shake their heads and say "disc-rot" and "yellow failure" to me when they hear the size of my CD collection. I've experienced it once out of thousands.
Their suggestion? "Well, just upload your collection to the cloud and you never have to worry about it". Yeah, instead of one disc failing, I could lose my ENTIRE COLLECTION instantly. That's a great alternative.
@mike c s to be fair disc rot is definitely more of an issue on dvd's pressed early on. Almost all of my well kept dvds skip a lot. Both my back to future trilogy and godfather trilogy sets just dont play anymore. But my blurays and 4k blurays are relsilient
As Spock on the original Star Trek would have put that, "Highly illogical."
tbf anyone who has a digital collection worth keeping has a 2nd backup hard drive, maybe even a 3rd. not saying its fool proof but in the event of a house fire you would have your entire collection preserved if you store your media off site somewhere. like a hard drive at a friends house or 2nd location.
I also only had one CD with rot and I have been getting CDs , DVDs, BLU-rays for decades. If you put it on Cloud, lt can disappear forever! Decades ago I Had an IT guy tell me to always keep a physical backup.
@mike c s I won hundred percent agree with you on the same been buying them since they first started and I only had one malfunction six months after I got it and I have well over 1000 movies as well
My friends constantly are trying to convince me that discs and drives deteriorate with time. Meanwhile, I still play and use my 20+ year old collection without problem.
Awesome to know.
Some peoples should just stop claim things when in the end they have no clue what they are talking about.
You're comment is based on first hand experience.
First hand experience is real knowledges at the end of the day.
Perfect example '
I have never drived a motorcycel '
Because I have zero first hand experience about it I simple let thoose who have to speak about it. 😅
If you genuinely love something, physical is the only way.
Saying yes to joy and no to fear is not a message for just physical media -- it is a universal truth.
Yes to joy. No to fear - contingent on merit.
My 11 year old wanted a record player for her birthday, to which I obliged. This is 167 year old technology. Physical media isn't going anywhere, nor are the people who desire it.
Wow that is so nice. I get teary eyed(as a 41 yr old) when I hear that a 7 or 13 yr old loves listening to Michael Jackson or Bob Dillan
I had a lot of fear around physical media dying for a few years that has completely dissipated. I will always miss the in-store experience though.
same for me. The sad thing is, I dont go out as much since I cant shop for movies. So in other words, removing media from stores is lowing what I spend at other brick and mortor stores. Alot of times, I would go to Best Buy to shop for movies, and then eat out and then shop for some clothes or shoes. I dont do that anymore.
It's somewhat similar to the death of daily newspapers. Reading the newspaper every day becomes an enjoyable ritual/routine. Once newspapers began dying or moving to digital....it's just not possible to transfer the physical enjoyment of reading a hard copy paper over to a smartphone, laptop or computer screen.
@@retromediaguycheck to see if you have local video/secondhand stores near you. I just went to a vintage stock today and they have a large collection of old and new movies.
I'll miss being able to afford it.
I say the same thing to elitists in gaming who say all digital future every chance they get. I think it has to do with buyers remorse, I can sell my stuff and get something back if I agreed with them one day, their entire libary is gone if they ever would get banned or locked out from their account. Oh and their games will 100% be gone when the stores close, we saw that recently with Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
You’re right about how blessed us physical media geeks are at this moment. Here in the UK, people are dumping their huge Blu Ray and CD collections in charity shops, obviously to go 100% streaming. I have recently picked up Blu Rays in a charity shop that were desperate to get rid of them at 3 for £1!! So 33p each!
I’ve always dreamed of having a huge collection of opera box sets on CD, which cost between $80 and $120 each back in Sydney the 1990’s. No way I could afford them. I constantly find them in British charity shops for as little as £1, in perfect condition. My opera collection is massive now! (And these are Decca and DG, not cheap rubbish labels.)
Yep, geek Heaven is right now! But buy them up cheaply now before people realise streaming services are pulling their titles and the flood of stuff dries up as they start keeping them 😊
Meanwhile gamecube games....
similar thing in Australia where i live, the local charity store is selling CDs and DVDs for 1 AUD each (0.53GBP / 0.64USD as of 2023-11-03) which is really helpful for building a collection
I bought 5 DVD'S yesterday here in Western Australia for $2 😊
@@freeman10000 nice
Absolutely. As a LaserDisc old man I can say it's never been better. The quality and selection is better than ever. Mainstream trends to the quantity while niche trends to quality.
I like your last sentence...it rings true.
I’m a videodisc ced collector so I hear you
Yes! It's all about joy! Always has been. I'm very pleased with my collection. I love it! I've spent over 30 years building it.
I think physical is set up for a huge come back. Streaming services like Disney plus are losing billions every year, that's not sustainable. Streaming is going to eventually have to cut costs and raise prices drastically. When that happens owning physical media will look far more attractive to your average consumer
Yes, I think streaming is losing its allure for some folks. (It definitely has for me.) As it gets pricier, more complicated, and less reliable in its content offerings, I think a small percentage of people will look again to buying some physical media.
Heck, even if just 1% of those who were once exclusively streamers chose to regularly buy physical media, that would be a huge boost to the industry.
I hope so but i wonder what could be the format needed for a physical revival, maybe blu ray as people used to streaming services will be used to HD and ultra HD content
Streaming just ends up feeling more and more like Cable to me. Initially streaming felt better than cable since you could pick and choose streaming services which was more flexible than the Cable packages, well it’s going in the direction now of you have to buy more and more streaming service subscriptions since they are branching out their media, the exceptions I seem to notice, and am open to correction about, is that Sony and Universal don’t seem to try getting their own streaming services but instead let Netflix show their movies.
We are now living in a golden age of physical media. Even though some consumers might not realize it (if they only subscribe to streaming services), the market is evolving and there are more films available now and with better quality editions than ever before. The boutique market is stronger than ever and won't be going away anytime soon. This is great for the future of physical media. It isn't going anywhere.
After what happend with HBO Max and now most of their TV shows are lost media, Physical Media is more important than ever.
HBO Max raising its prices for 4k streaming and removing more content is definitely a reminder of the value of physical media.
Nothing beats bringing home a dvd haul and discovering all the commentary tracks, docs, trailers and other extras included. That's the real selling point for me - all that extra value. When they go to streaming all of this extra entertainment is dumped.
Don't understand why. There doesn't seem to be any technical reason why they cannot support commentary tracks and extras. Streaming SHOULD be the premier experience with EVERYTHING included and more. But it turned out to be one of the worst, low quality, zero respect experiences that could be imagined. Overpriced too considering there's no ownership, no borrowing, trading, selling and all those benefits of physical.
@@Valoric Well said! I always thought the naturali progression into the future would see things improve - all around. Somehow we are getting less and less quality and value. One stacked DVD used to stretch the expirience of a two hour movie into a full evening of exploration. I'm afraid we peaked around 2010. Video games, movies, comics and music have all suffered this fate. Who would have thought we'd have had such a short run - about 60+ good years in the last 500. Just be glad we were here for it. Cheers!
Amazon Digital Offline downloads DO have extras, same with the iTunes downloads. However, not so much when I essentially rent digitally such as watch the movies on Netflix. Also, I just corrected myself because now the Apple Digital Videos are technically AppleTv
@@CousinCreepybecause there reaches a point where all the companies want to do is make copies of the success, which is where we are now.
Physical media is available worldwide it's not dying it's always available somewhere even if you have to import it. Great video Heath speak the truth 👍👍
@Touche There's a rare Australian DVD I've been trying to get for years but I live in America
@@touche4338Idk I think it really depends on where you live. My walmart has two isles of movies, boxed movie deals only available at wal mart etc.
Also you have to remember that some of these big stores like Wal Mart have a vested interest in pushing people away from physical media. They own Vudu which is a digital store.
So probably not the best metric. Also I think his point is still valid, yes some places maybe don’t carry much anymore but no matter where you go in the world youll be able to find physical media.
Truer words have never been well spoken. Especially considering that streaming is bringing more stress, struggles, and more consequences on movie lovers, like myself. With Netflix ending password sharing, unnecessary merges of streaming services, which results in purges of movies and shows, it's facts like this video, and this channel, that reminds me of the benefits of Physical Media. I'm glad it's still around in a time when streaming has become too stressful and unreliable to indulge in.
Not to mention HBO max screwing over creators to avoid royalties. Many shows that were streaming only can only be accessed by pirating. Sabrespark has a great video on it called HBO max betrayed animation
And let's not forget the fact that in a lot of cases, the only digital/stream-able copy available of some films is a contemporary cut that is either George Lucased or censored due to the removal of currently non-PC elements. Depending on where you are, you may or may not be able to get the extended versions of the LOTR movies (the only version really worth watching). And in some cases, the original cut of a film or series is unavailable due to the rights of music used therein having expired. Cancel culture has also removed some films and episodes of series from circulation when they can't just censor out the person in question. In so many cases, it's impossible to enjoy the original version of a title without resorting to piracy or a fuzzy VHS transfer. These are the kinds of things that physical media does not have to worry about.
Also, can we show some appreciation to Paramount+ for doing physical releases for their original programming? While I don't care about any of their content I love that a streaming service puts out their content in physical form for the physical media fans like us.
Hoping they do the new Beavis and butthead movie/seasons
Indeed-- the best thing I've seen from them is Joey King's film, The In Between, that also has Kyle Allen (I saw it first on a free trial, and while the connection wasn't the best, I did at least enjoy the film; now, I have it on DVD to enjoy [got it on a Walmart exclusive]), and don't have to worry about buffering and slowdowns anymore).
Speak the truth brother Heath! I mean we as collectors are buying new movies on VHS to this day. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the boom when everyone had an abundance in stores, but I think physical media going back to the collector makes it more special somehow. Things will come and go, times will change, but physical is forever.
There are lots of places to get physical media online, but many companies are not doing a good job shipping the media. I keep getting damaged titles that were shipped in envelopes and not boxes. I even recently got a title that has the shipping label slapped on the blu-ray title without a box or even an envelope.
I agree with you, I buy my physical media here in Australia, UK, US, and other countries to find those titles that interested in, people I know does the same.
The number of obscure Japanese films released in recent years has really impressed me. Some titles I never thought would get a physical release in the U.S. have indeed seen the light of day.
I totally agree, Heath. Here in Australia we're lucky to have JB HiFi, [Imprint], Umbrella, Madman, Chameleon and a few other outlets and producers that are distributing really interesting, deep cut product.
I've only had one disk glitch on me, and that was just in one of the minor extras menus. The rest of it, and it was 15 years old, worked perfectly including the movie itself. I'm not worried about bitrot.
Jb hifi is gold. Has been a slight shrinkage in shelf space over last couple of years to make room for LP's in my local stores.
My only gripe ATM is some titles not getting 4k or blu ray local releases eg. Babylon no 4k, Tar only on dvd when they're available in 4k overseas. That being said it's not hard to import, more expensive but if it's a good title, more than worth it.
Physical movies sell really good!!! There is a push behind the scenes to try and get rid of physical media because the studios don’t want you to own anything they want you to constantly re-buy the same product!!! So they try and act like nobody buys physical movies but let me tell you super Mario brothers sold 1000 copies in one day in my Best Buy’s. It’s true that movies are not selling like they did when DVD first came out but the market is still very healthy and good. If anything it has actually been improving and they’re trying to deny that ask anybody that works in a store like Best Buy‘s. Also one final thing I’ve been buying movies since Blu-ray launched and my original Blu-rays still work perfectly fine!!! The life expectancy of a DVD and Blu-ray could be up to 100 years do not worry about it not working 10 or 20 years down the road. I have well over 1000 movies and only one of them didn’t work and it was only six months old so clearly it was manufactured wrong.
Thank you so very much Heath!!!!!!!!!! You're right!!!!!!!!! We should enjoy what we have on physical media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think physical could have a resurgence. Just in last few months I am finally seeing people talk about vanishing streaming content and how it’s getting harder…not easier to find the content they want. The streaming companies are screwing over their own success.
I think so too. Also I think the CD will also come out on top of vinyl because it is so much less costly
"The streaming companies are screwing over their own success.".... thank God for that.
@@austinwillcut4919The literal issue was that everyone had to have their own streaming services, when before it was Amazon and Netflix, now it’s saturated and it’s a financial bubble and less profitable than when Netflix and Amazon paid licensing fees to the distributors. Netflix is barely break even now while every other streaming service is losing money. I even buy …. Old video games for less than modern video games and still play them on the Nintendo Wii.
Kino Lorber, Shout Factory, Arrow Video, and even Paramount are still putting out the Blu-rays and 4Ks every single month. I have been a collector of physical media since 1990 with the VHS days. My first DVD was in 1995, I still have it. My majority of discs are 4K and Blu-rays. I have Sony players, and I don't think they are going out anytime soon.
Great update video, Heath!
I have never seen the boom in boutique Asian Cinema as I have in the last several years! I’m so happy for these releases! Things I never would have thought about getting a great release are now getting that release!
Perfect Heath! Old guy here, I got my first VHS tape in 1978, Dirty Harry, Had a collection of 1000 movies. Added Laser Disc collecting several hundred of those. I went to work for a studio in post sound and me and 2 other guys mastered the first studio release of DVD over 25 years ago. I have few thousand discs now and I still own many of my VHS tapes as some of the titles have yet to make it to disk. I also have kept my Star Wars Laser box set and my Pioneer DVL-90 combo LD/DVD player. All of this to say, Yes you can still buy VHS players and tapes. The disk format is going to be around well past my lifetime. As for laser rot it will continue to be rare. I had some audio CD's from 1983 get it as the adhesive to bond the layers together leaked and allowed air to get to the substrate. It is far more rare in DVD as the adhesives have been much improved but you will see the odd lot of errors in materials and manufacturing. So be careful not to bend your disks when you remove them from the spindle. It puts stress on the bond and the layers can open up. The biggest issue I see in collecting physical media is storage! We are going to need a bigger boat! Cheers!
They've also said vinyl and print media would be dead by now, too. We've seen books overtake home movies. As an outsider, I think vinyl seems to be a strong niche. I have multiple coworkers who collect vinyl. I have a gut feeling that physical media is having a small, but significant resurgence in popularity as people get tired of the streaming service shuffle. I know I've unintentionally influenced friends and co-workers and gotten some of them buying physical media again just from showing them some of my awesome pick-ups. I still give physical media to pretty much everyone as Christmas and birthday gifts. I don't think there's a much better gift you can give someone than a movie, tv show, documentary, album, or book, especially if they've never experienced that piece of art and you've correctly introduced them to something they enjoy.
Music albums will die as long as we keep letting Radio, and the big three major labels of Sony, Warner, and Universal, and Livenation control the music industry.
There is not one artist on Sony, Warner, or Universal that I would listen to it's all crap country, pop, and rap. Music I don't listen to. The music I do like metal and hardrock it costs a lot of money to even get the music shipped. Add to it many of the bands I listen to are from over seas. No streaming music will not die by physical albums will unless you go to a concert.
I dislike every one that wants to push for music to go back to the old days. What you are asking for will make it harder for people like me to find new bands to listen to.
@@evacody1249 Enjoy never actually owning anything.
You're exactly right; you can't sell a product that many simply don't want, and many will always only want physical media, because many people simply are aware that physical media is the superior way in owning something; and the ONLY way physical media would die, is of all the consumers (stupidly) allowed it to.
These corporations may want to push downliading, but demand drives business, not what THEY want; a business needs to provide a product people desire, and these companies have learned this lesson time and again thr hard way.
Ultimately, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
A Tech guy told me in the 90's that it's always good to have a hard copy.
I have a dvd of Black Hawk Down from like 2003 and I have played it so many times, and it still works as of yesterday
i read an article "predicting" the death of physical media published in 2009! and yet here we are, and i am still buying VCDs and just bought a brand new VCR this year...
The preacher of physical media! You tell them, brother!
Perfectly said & perfectly relatable in my own experience.
There will never be a day in my lifetime that I can't acquire a working VCR/DVD player/record player/Atari 2600....or loke you said, even an 8-track player.
Some years ago I decided to stop buying physical media accepting that I'd be satisfied with the girth of streaming content. HOWEVER, with the current big studios putting out (imo) nothing but garbage while also destroying great properties of the past, I've changed my tune.
When I buy something on disc I've been intentional about it and I tend to better absorb and enjoy it. Not to mention I do often like the extras that typically come with a physical product.
Ove the last year I've picked up a number of complete TV series as well as some movies from the past. Both those I've seen and some I never got to watch. There's often great value considering the cost per hour of entertainment, especially in complete series sets.
I really enjoy this channel. Thanks for the great content and insights!
Even if it does die, that largely only affects future content. There are countless movies and shows already on physical media for us to still collect.
Been collecting since I was 10. Am 73 now. I’ll never run out of things to listen to. And I get to choose. Since much of it is digitized, I can set the sound system to “random “ and have my own channel based on my taste. Much better than an AI making the selections.
Mate just about to long shift shift driving trams round town bit down and you have well cheered me up putting some positive talk about physical media nothing gets me happier than getting a 4k or blu ray in the post keep it up pal
I collected Laserdiscs in the 90’s. It took Pioneer years to sell a million players and it was for the time a high end niche product. DVD became much more mainstream. Not every movie is available to stream. Some never will be and others could be censored or deleted from streaming platforms. I redeem the digital copies I received with my discs, have used Vudu’s disk to digital service to add to my collection, plus some movies deeply discounted. Still add to my blue ray and now 4K collection because I love the movies. Thanks for a great video Heath!
Great discussion. I always like having a physical copy of my favorite movies with unique packaging etc...Its such a fun more personal experience. I do stream some stuff, but it's a different feeling and it feels disposable to me . They even announced a 3d bluray version of Avatar- Way of water. It's a great time for us collector's of physical media 👍
I agree with your thoughts about the state of physical media. I am a fan of physical media and I think enough of us will be able to support the industry for a while yet.
But after thinking a little longer I still have a few reservations about the future of physical media.
Much of the current media we have been consuming has been produced for streaming services. A lot of this has never recieved a physical release. I think this is more prevalent with shows versus movies, but it can apply to both. For example, Netflix released Stranger Things on disc, but then after seeing how much of a draw it was for their platform they have stopped giving later seasons a physical release.
We see this trend in the video game industry too. The business model has shifted from making more money by selling more copies of a game to turning the game into a service that people will continue to pay money for as they consume it over time. Games exist on servers run by the game companies and when they shut down the game is no longer playable.
Fans of physical media are happy to buy the movies and shows we loved as we grew up. What will happen with the generation growing up now watching Stranger Things, Euphoria, Andor, or another pieces of streaming content? (My limited streaming experience consists of Netflix and a one-year free trial of Disney+, so my examples are not a good overall representation lol.)
This next generation of media consumers might not have a choice between being a fan of physical media or choosing to go digital/streaming if the big companies don't give us any option.
Thanks for reading my long comment if you do. And thanks Heath for all the great work you put into your channel!
Not truth for phycical games who do not require online connection just to play.
The majority of games do not '
As a singelplayer games "
Phycical games with the ability to play them offline for one simple reason ownership "
Its writen on phycical games cover if they require online connection just to play them or not.
Appreciate this! I am tired of hearing more talk about the problems than just enjoying this stuff. Focus on what there is! Not what's missing :)
When Heath talks about back before the physical media boom it reminds me of when my Dad told me how he spent his first "real" paycheck in the 80's. He spent $2000 on a VCR and a VHS copy Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Another great video, Heath! I love the positive perspective, and I think you’re absolutely right. There’s enough strong supporters of physical media that it will never go away.
My biggest reason for loving Blu-Rays and 4ks is the video and audio quality. But, in this age where everything has become digital and lives in the ether, I really value having a physical collection of movies and shows that I can touch, see, and own a whole lot more.
Plus, I think there’ll be some people over the next 5 years who grow tired of the headaches of streaming, and want to add a physical media component to their experience. And that could mean a modest growth in the community, as well.
Cheers to all you do!
Thank you, Daniel!
1:17 absolutely correct. All but one streaming service was in the red last year. The one in the black was netflix and that was honestly surprising. The streaming services are going to consolidate into a big 3 at some point as the licensing model is more lucrative. And licensing for niche releases through botique labels is also lucrative.
Great video! Also remember streaming is only a replacement for the casual viewer rental subscription market and doesn’t replace the serious movie collector’s physical media library. Sure brick and mortar stores are drinking the Kool Aid that there is only one market and only have a tiny selection of any but online so many titles sell out and when a boutique like Kino Lorber has a sale for direct purchase, they are so swamped with orders that it delays the shipping because they can only fill so many orders in a day. One last thing I always think about is what percentage of your physical media collection is currently available on streaming. Most of streaming is recent releases. Roughly only 1.5 percent of my personal collection is available to stream.
I find it interesting that you can still get new 8-track and floppy disk players, because I was born in the 90s and can recall seeing new black and white TVs for sale around 2000 or 2001.
Anyway, the one big advantage I see of physical media over only streaming is that you aren't at the mercy of a platform or studio removing content you want to watch if you have it in physical form.
Im someone who grew up with vhs/dvds and am finally coming back to building up my library of physical movies/tv shows. Ive grown tired of searching for hours on services that barely offer anything worthwhile. Its gotten to the point that the ONLY reason to pay for these services is for the exclusive content but that’s usually lacking as well.
Ive also had many instances of losing internet access or the servers having trouble on their end so I can’t watch anything.
I just don’t like the feeling of HAVING to pay for these services or else not having anything to watch.
Im not swearing off streaming or anything as some great exclusive content does come out on streaming platforms but its definitely taking a back seat.
Interesting you mention home taping. I'm a huge Bond fans and have in the last year digitised my entire Warner Home Video James Bond VHS collection. Half was from the late 80's and it looks shocking in parts. But, apart from the cinema and on TV that WAS the only on demand way of watching it and I've enjoyed watching them in 4:3 "low definition".
So, I own them all on VHS, DVD and Blu Ray. Yes, I'd buy on 4K UHD Blu Ray as I want the best possible quality format for the home.
Referring to Laserdisc, my dad worked for Philips at a factory that made the disks. They were always meant as a transitional product for CD & DVD.
If I were to hear the 4K disc format essentially died, I wouldn't be knocked backwards in shock.
And some want to get to 8k lol
It's not gonna happen, though. The studios continue to put their support behind 4K. Just last week, Universal announced Jaws 2 on 4K and the movie version of the Battlestar Galactica film from the 1970s. 4K will probably never dominate, but the studios seem to be happy with how it's emerging as a viable market.
I like physical media, and I've noticed DVD's have gotten cheaper since declining in popularity. They went from $15 to $5. But video games are still expensive.
I have almost 3,000 movies and have never experienced disc rot.
Thank you very much, this is what I need to hear.
Agree. And it doesn't help that streaming is crp imo. Streaming is like cable, almost literally, since to get most of the major services you're probably paying more than you ever did for cable. And thats on the consumer side, the streamers themselves are seeing the not so gud economics, It only makes sense when enough people pay each month.
Great video and great points. Stop worrying and enjoy! You can't singlehandedly change what's gonna happen and you don't know what round the corner in collecting or in life, just keep making your mark, keep contributing by purchasing in the formats and enjoying your purchases.
Couldn't agree more one of favorite you tube guys spot on as always
As a collector since the first year of dvd, yeah, I miss the boom years and the excitement of new announcements with the antipication of seeing many movies in the widescreen format for the first time. That being said, the quality of current releases is better than ever, so I'm still in for the long run.
This is a great video. This is so much better than the "demise is imminent." More content (please!) that doesn't prey on emotions and sensationalism.
This video was very helpful and useful for me Heath!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a huge fan of collecting physical media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are so many great labels and shops - all around the world.
I think, at the moment, with more and more people realising streamers can edit films and tv shows as and when they see fit, there's a case for wanting to own the original.
What has happened is that in store physical media sales have reduced drastically but on-line boutique labels sales have boomed. It has transformed. I know this woman who's a horror fan like me and works at Goodwill where I buy movies. Last time I bought a bunch of DVDs and she took a look at the horror movies. And I asked her what she had in her collection. She replied:"I stream everything I don't own anything!" And I said yeah some people nowadays stream. I don't stream and there's something only on streaming I bootleg it lol!😂 We chuckled! I've met people that are not serious collectors but still have VHS and DVDs even though they have a PS5 and 4Ks. Anyway I've been collecting horror movies since 1985 when my mom gifted me my first Midland VCR. And continue to this day. I think physical media will not die but it's transforming. Anyway good topic and cool video Heath!👉😃👈
Physical Media will live on until they pull a VHS and just stop producing physical discs in general. Which I really don't see ever happening. At least for a long time
Especially since Blue Ray Players can play DVDs.
I've been buying up DVDs on eBay for dirt cheap. For less than $30, people are selling bundles of 100 DVDs. They're sold loose, but the quality is fine overall. I play them in my carousel DVD players. I can binge watch a collection of DVDs. No need to waste money on streaming services for binge watching movies.
Here, in the German-speaking countries of Europe, physical media is more and more becoming a collector's market. Just like comic books in the US, more and more movies come out here with variant covers in a mediabook format. Later, they release keepcase editions for the more casual market.
I have found Germany to be an excellent source for Hong Kong films. Here in the UK out of print Hong Kong Legends DVD's sell for extortionate prices online. German labels offer these and other HK films on newer print DVD/Blu-ray in the original Cantonese with English subs for a fraction of a fraction of the price, albeit released under a different title.
I agree with your assessment. I collect TV shows and I remember not too long ago. You were lucky if there were one or two releases every couple of months now there seems to be dozens released at hard to keep up with it. I also agree with viewing what you have, my wife teases me and said if I start now I would not live long enough to watch everything I have😂
The Walmart in my town just got rid of their physical media section... they only left that new release display for movies. You are totaly right about great things are right now. I mean My Best Friend is a Vampire is finally getting a bluray release! I fot The Courtship of Eddies Father on the way. After Hours coming from Criterion, etc.
I disagree about big box stores not carrying movies because there's not enough room. Best Buy's are more empty than ever.
I mean, that's true, they're going for this big, open look. But disc sales stopped being a profitable part of their model a while back. Why sell discs when you can sell $5,000 refrigerators and washer/dryer combos? but they would need a warehouse to stock everything coming out. And it would just sit there.
@@CerealAtMidnight That makes sense. Thanks for the response!
Best Buy could carry more movies and actually bother to push them. The two Best Buy stores near me are in the highest traffic areas of their respective cities. Outside of Thanksgiving to Christmas, they're pretty empty whenever I bother to visit. They're missing the boat by not having a Movie Club of some sort to lean into the niche market, imo. Give members discounts, let them stack rewards more quickly, do giveaways, host a podcast, sponsor people like Heath to promote store exclusives, maybe do some autograph signings to promote older movies, especially in the horror/indie genres where the actors would accept lower appearance fees. It's obviously not going to happen, but it'd be nice to see one of these national chains lean into the community and try to engage us.
@@johnpublic7796This is very true and a great idea but shows the lack of imagination of those marketing fucks at BB and other chains.
I just heard from a fellow tuber Elliot Coen of Boutique Blu-Rays that another niche Blu-Ray label in the UK called Nwtwork has gone under. Seeing your video has improved my outlook that physical media will survive.
Cheers! Yes, Network seems to have gone the way of all flesh, but other companies like 88 Films, Eureka, and Arrow are still serving the UK and may be able to rescue some of the titles that Network released. Companies are going to come and go, but the movies and shows themselves live on.
@@CerealAtMidnight Is there any hope for physical media in light of what's happened to Network? How can it survive?
There have literally never been more DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K releases than right now in 2023. I just recorded an interview with someone that I'll post next week and he has some startling numbers. We mustn't equate a business that collapsed as a sign of the overall industry's health. Companies are going to come and go, but someone will likely always be here to serve us as customers.
Great video. Unfortunately physical media will become more and more unaffordable. House prices are over the roof and the necessity to move are probably two of the main deterrents to collect blu rays. I'm all for physical media but they are undoubtedly luxury items nowadays, and I must say only for a first world country (usa, uk, Germany, France, etc). 40 bucks in some countries is the average wage. I positively envy your collection, that's inspirational and beautiful. Great work buddy.
this has always been the case, these types of collectables/hobbies etc have always been a luxury. some of the first VHS movies released here in the UK where priced around £50!! i nthe early 80s.
Boutique prices are definitely going up as most of their releases are special editions with lots of bonus items. However, studio movies can still be found affordably! Just this week, Amazon has a bunch of classics on 4K/Blu-ray/Digital (2001, The Wizard of Oz) for $10.99.
Thanks for the kind words about my collection! I've been buying my movies since 1991, so I guess you could say it took a lifetime to build.
Pawn shops, second hand stores and charity shops (Goodwill, Salvation Army) are still a great place to find tons of awsome physical media. Good luck treasure hunting!
Great video and positive message- wish I'd discovered your channel sooner.
If you think physical media will be around forever take a look at my other hobby, video games!
True physical media is on life support. What they're doing now now in video games is giving you a blank disk that holds very little that connects back to an online server 🤦🏻♂️
The new generation of gamers, movie fans are usually younger and don't even own their own home. They don't have the space. They also don't value the greater quality. These people actually watch movies on their phones!
I love my physical collection with a passion, I hope there are enough of us to keep these companies from turning everything into a damn download.
Thanks for the video buddy.
The difference between games and movies on physical media is the movies fixed/complete where modern games are just works in progress with an unknown number of updates to come. You're essentially paying to be a debugger for most games.
@Touche phone now, in the future you can always watch the movies from disk - hard copy backup. For me I only watch a movie on my phone when there is no other option when I'm out and aboht but the main thing is you're doing you and supporting the content creators. Enjoy
I have heard a number of times now that we live in the golden era of physical media. If that is true then quality needs to dramatically improve. Particularly vinyl...
Of the seven albums I have purchased since Christmas, five have been returned with major manufacturing flaws. Similar situation with CDs. This is unacceptable. In fact, it is so bad I am suspecting a conspiracy theory starting to build in my mind that the companies are trying to force people to streaming and quality is gong to be the thing that does it.
You will own nothing and be happy..!
The WEF is in on it with Big Streaming? FAAAAACK
Good points. I feel like we're in a Laserdisc type phase of the physical media market right now - niche collectors and pricier movies, but still going.
Has ANYONE ever ordered a DVD and when the box got to your door there was no disc in it? How can something like that be stopped before it starts?
Let's enjoy it, or better yet, let's keep enjoying it! But you sir, keep talking about it from time to time. For some reason I really enjoy this kind of videos. Greetings from Sweden!
good reason why I subscribed to this channel
I agree with you completely. And I now realize I'm spoiled by these incredible box sets that are released with booklets, posters, etc, and extra bonus features. I can't even go back to just a regular 4k/or Bluray release with no extras. I feel the studios are cheating me. I want it all. You and others like you have inspired me. 😊
Love it, well said, & couldn’t agree more!!!
😊you are so right! Physical media ain't going nowhere soon! It is not dead at all!
If people are still buying vinyl records, physical media is not dying. It has contracted, yes, but it could even see a resurgence after enough beloved older works are pulled from streaming services or edited for a variety of reasons and audiences want to experience the original form of the work once again.
I personally enjoy the fact that I can watch episodes of television programs that have been removed from circulation (such as the episode of The Simpsons "Stark Raving Dad") at any time due to owning copies of them on disc.
You said it. Plus most of the video game systems play Blu-rays as well.
Thank you thank you. This is what I have been saying all along. Owning movies was a niche market. Suncoast Video was like a Spencer’s for movie nerds.
I have a little ebay store selling used movies, music, books, and comics and I do rather well. Sales are coming up for me, not going down. My biggest problem is finding enough used stuff to keep my inventory up.
I was with you on every point except one - I couldn't possibly be satisfied with the variety of discs available today (large as it is) when the first season of Fernwood 2 Night still hasn't been released on DVD. 😀
Jaws 2 limited to 3k came out 2 days ago in UK, sold out already on zavvi, HMV and Amazon. . . I think we're good.
My 12,200 discs and I agree with you and that's just DVDs and Blu-rays. I haven't even mentioned 8000 CDs plus vinyl.... (and there are books too)
When zombie invasion happens you will be ready.
You heard the man! Start watchin 'dem discs, they ain't gonna watch themselves! 🍿💿
You're are putting word in what I convicted about!
As a phycical game collecter.
Have to Share "
The game HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST '
I just ordered HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST COMPLETE EDITION '
REPRINTED DISC "
ALL UPDATES, PATCHES, EXSTRA CONTENT AND DLC BURNING SHORES INCLUDED ON THE DISC WITHOUT HAVING TO CONNECT ONLINE "
PLAYSTATION 5 OFFLINE PLUG AND PLAY!
JOY TO SUPPORT THIS!!
❤
With streaming adding ads now, people will start looking at physical media again.
Personally I’m now buying more physical media since the streaming companies are pulling stuff and a specially after what Sony did with the PlayStation store and the removal of purchased media with no refund.
Love the positivity Heath❤👍😁
Thanks!
Thank you, Karl!
I think there's a lot of similarities to DVD being like VHS and BR/4K being like Laserdisc. And they both thrived in the 80's and 90's, despite LD being a small % of sales. I think we have a lot to look forward to.
Great Video
Well said all around. I agree.
Hay Heath. Hows it goin? 👊🏽
It’s kinda mad to think that so many out there worry about physical media dying wen as you so rightly say: we’ve never had it so good than how we have it now!
I’ve never truly believed the end is nigh !! How can it be if big companies an little ones are catering for use! Like you said!!
Wicked video - catch you in the coms of the next Kino one I’m abou to watch🤣✌🏽
Well, in my country (Portugal) physical media is not being released for a year or two now. No physical store is selling new DVD or Blu-Ray and no movie is being released for two years or more. The only movie realeased on DVD and Blu-Ray with portuguese subtitles and menus was John Wick 4 and it was sold only on one store with a card saying "thank you for buying this and supporting physical media". This company is called Pris and it was called Prisvideo, one of the most famous VHS distributor in the 80s and 90s here in Portugal.
Thanks Heath for the Salvation Army thrift store video
I bought Cash Mccall and many of the movies in the video.
Movies on hard drives is the perfect balance between digital and physical media. You still have top quality without the clutter of a bunch of disc.
I have lots of movies and shows on hard drives, but I do worry that when the hard drive eventually fails, they'll be lost.
My Tshirt has pictures of books and disks and says "Physical media is forever!"