Death and Return of Physical Media - Are Blu-ray & DVD Dead and Should We Care?

[@markholohan4446]

Long live physical media. Screw streaming. Also the sound from physical media is far superior to streaming.

[@zambonsfilmemporium1526]

agree 100%

[@CDubya.82]

Took my words exactly. "Streaming" is what I do when I go for a leak.

[@edwardhannah8507]

Omg I hate the audio on netflix. When there's dialogue scenes, you've got to higher the volume but when there's action scenes you've got to lower the volume. It's annoying.

[@Thewingkongexchange]

Duncan makes a good point about how studios make the money back. In the old days it was simple - cinema>rentals>purchases>TV. So there was a clear and simple route a film could take in making its money back. Now, it's way more complicated and harder to plan for.

[@davidjames579]

Matt Damon made an interesting point that back in the day films like Good Will Hunting could be greenlit because they knew while they may not make a profit in cinemas, the added revenue from home media sales and rentals would make up for it. Now that revenue stream is gone, the incentive is not there to greenlight. Unfortunately streamers spoilt viewers by offering a Supermarket Sweep on a video rental store for a month, for the price of two one night rentals. People got used to it. It's an unsustainable business model and I think they have to go back to making everything VOD and stopping offering so much stuff for free. I wouldn't normally argue for consumers having to pay more, especially in times of financial hardship, but we've had the introductory offer for too long. If you like something or think something looks good, pay for it.

[@steverice2324]

As a massive movie fan for most of my life (down here in Melbourne, Australia), I have collected physical media films since the early 90s and still have around five hundred DVDs and Blu Rays. Streaming services don't usually have commentary, makings of, or outtakes. I can put on any of my favourite flicks anytime. These gems aren't going anywhere.

[@eldritchmorgasm4018]

👍🏻 Same here. I do watch Netflix, the stuff I can't buy, or aren't necessarily worthy being bought, but still fine watching once, like certain tv-shows. I'll usualy buy everything as physical copies, but sometimes Indie-games on PS4 are very cheap, those I'll get digital only.

[@davidjames579]

Another thing is the unannounced editing of films on streaming. You'd hope that the film you were watching was the version seen in cinemas, or available on physical media (i.e the director's movie), but Disney to name one took it on themselves to edit The French Connection (Winner of the Best Picture Oscar), without telling anyone, and even added CGI hair to cover Daryl Hannah's bare bum in Splash! Of course non-subscription TV did that, but we knew that with a free TV broadcast it could be to fit in adverts or to show a 15 cert film in the middle of the day, And it was free so you accepted it. But for subscription services you expected the films to be uncut. Netflix offered a TV edit of Back To The Future Part 2 without letting anyone know that it wasn't the uncut PG director's chosen version. If streaming is your only way of seeing a film, whether through not owning a physical copy or there not being one available then it equates to secret artistic vandalism. And concerning for the legacy of films.

[@dinobarletta9670]

Great discussion , good to see you boys back

[@danliles4239]

Thanks for the mention guys, great discussion.

[@edwardhannah8507]

I can't remember the last dvd I bought but I do think physical media is still important to a certain extent. For example, The Jungle Book (1994), one of my favourite films I could never find on dvd or blu-ray. It's not even on Disney+. Another thing I've started noticing is that you hardly get special features/commentaries/deleted scenes on dvd or blu-ray anymore.

[@silverbackentertainment237]

With physical media you don't have to worry about buffering or adverts. I miss the limited edition boxsets - the Alien Quadrilogy with all the discs inside the alien head was awesome and the Superman set with the box inside a metal tin looked really good. Every episode of Smallville is available on ITX and often it will get to the first adverts and go back to the start or keep buffering, so I'm glad I kept the DVD boxsets.

[@aznthy]

Physical Media won't die out because there is Japan, they like physical media.

[@zambonsfilmemporium1526]

100% want to keep physical media alive.

[@LLamaDrunk]

Me too! I'm OLD!

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I've noticed charity shops in the UK absolutely flooded with DVD/Blu Ray's so there's bargains to be had if your into physical media [one was offering 8 DVD's for £1!]. I still have a DVD collection and while having some work done in my flat, the electrician remarked he 'rarely sees DVD's [in his customers houses] anymore'.

[@JestersDeadUK]

I feel sorry for people WITHOUT physical media...

[@davidjames579]

In a way Computer Based Copies are better, because owning so many physical copies is a bloody nuisance. But streaming doesn't work, if 'your' bought copies can be deleted without your permission. I feel there needs to be a middle ground. Streaming isn't really a replacement for physical media, it's TV or the video rental store in a new guise. So, for films you want to keep, I think there should be a way to download to an archive, which has legal protection against removals, and even if the company closes. Your safe of contents would transfer to a new owner company, or some kind of insurance company owned thing. Maybe Storage Locker companies could find a new avenue in offering digital storage as well, because your Digital purchases should be as well protected as your physical ones.

[@stevena488]

"Like a Fecal-Ouroboros" - Richard Jackson describing media franchise regurgitation Ah I love seeing both of you having your discussions lads.

[@stephenhall2980]

Guys you totally hit the nail on the head. Back in the early 90's my favourite film was terminator 2 and my favourite video game was street fighter 2. Watching the former on VHS was not as good as watching in the cinema and playing the latter on the SNES or megadrive was not as good as the arcade.but I didn't really care back then.

[@freemantle85]

I have been banging the drum for physical media and cinemas for a long time, even when it wasn't fashionable. I'm glad that kept my physical media collection, although I don't buy as many DVDs and Blu-rays now because of price, availability, and becoming more of a hermit. I noticed online that people saying physical media and cinemas are dead are not as vocal as they used to be and more people are singing the virtues of physical media. Obviously, anything on social media should be taken with a pinch of salt, but there is some validity since Joblo has been publishing more articles and videos about physical media and Film Stories reported that physical media sales increased in the UK in 2023. But on the other side we've seen dickish moves like Disney ending physical releases in Australia and New Zealand and it makes me worry that those nations are being used as a test run. Customers have seemed to wise up since the streaming market has become too fractious and expensive, and it has lost its advantages. Added to that people have realised that digital purchases aren't safe since there have been horror stories, like people buying Final Space losing it because of the WBD purge, to people buying things from the PlayStation Store losing their purchases. Final point, I do think the death of cinemas has been exaggerated. There were other times when people thought cinemas were dealt a death blow like the emergence of TV, and home video but cinemas adapted. We're in a transition phase at the moment. Sorry for the mini-essay, I wanted to get this off my chest.

[@themidnightwoodsman1804]

Great discussion. Fab to see you guys getting on the mic again

[@tonyp3824]

Great point about arcades and home video games- never thought about it until you said.

[@RM_VFX]

Another problem is the hoops you have to go through to watch a Blu-Ray on your PC, even with a Blu-ray drive. I end up ripping anything I want to watch to my hard drive just to make playback simpler. And if it's not purchasable, I've been known to give old Jack Sparrow a call... ☠️

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

Say it ain’t so Rob!

[@Thewingkongexchange]

Honestly Rob, at first I thought you meant you had to get Johnny Depp to help you out, what with your connections. I'm being serious lol.

[@RM_VFX]

@@Thewingkongexchange No, I meant this sparrow that perches on my window. I whisper the movie I want, and he flies out to Best Buy. I call him Jack because he steals things.

[@Thewingkongexchange]

@@RM_VFX Haha it all makes sense now.

[@davidjames579]

@@RM_VFX Best thing is the Police can't fingerprint a bird.

[@robertryan8784]

There was a stretch with DVD where the extras alone for me were sometime worth buying a movie. I’ve seen movies with commentaries better than the actual movies. It’s was great when a director embraced the format like Kevin Smith or John Carpenter ect. Nothing really feels like good value anymore

[@jamesatkinsonja]

True-even in recent years while the DVD might be more 'bare bone', at least the Blu Ray would have lots of extras but now even things like deleted scenes just get shoved onto youtube. Rian Johnson was surprised 'Glass Onion' wasn't getting a physical release at all so his commentary ended up as a podcast instead.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Cult sitcom 'Peep Show' was probably saved from being cancelled after series 3 in 2005 due to high DVD sales which would include newly filmed material, commentaries etc. By series 7 in 2010, streaming was starting to take effect and the extras were reduced to deleted scenes and outtakes only.

[@davidjames579]

@@jamesatkinsonja I don't know if you know from our Bond conversations on Calvin's channel, James, but Cary Fukunaga recorded a commentary for No Time To Die that's never been released.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@davidjames579 I did and I do wonder why that was the case. Maybe he recorded it back in 2019/20 [as there often done before the films release] for the original release date and they deemed the info out of date? I'm surprised it's not otherwise leaked on line [or been released as a podcast].

[@siyeats8064]

Really great video and awesome to see more regular content again.

[@Ross-y8c]

Blue ray/DVD will be like vinyl I think. It’ll always exist but it’ll just become very expensive and a niche product for serious collectors.

[@aidanlynn]

Still gonna keep growing my collection, replacing my dvds with blurays (unless it’s something rare or a tv show), but on the flip side I’ve made a decision that I’m now only gonna buy stuff I actually want and not just be a compulsive hoarder for the sake of it.

[@Thewingkongexchange]

Yeah but shops like Cex are waiting around the corner, like a drug dealer waiting to get you off the wagon lol.

[@aidanlynn]

@@ThewingkongexchangeHaha, even going through their shelves there’s not much I want. I sell them my dvds for vouchers and wait to grab a bargain.

[@RajaWaleed0920]

Hey guys, I've been watching you both since back in the day when you were on the old channel but I never really commented until now. I just wanted to say that I've been trying to watch Toys for a while because of Richard mentioning it over the years but I can never find it here in the States. Its never on streaming, it's never available to rent and there's no Blu Ray so the only way to watch it is purchasing an old overpriced DVD, which is ridiculous. I guess the high seas is the easiest way to watch it at the moment. Also, thank you both for all the great videos, commentaries, watch parties and reviews that you've made over the years. It's kept me entertained and I've gotten a lot of insight and laughs from you guys. Keep up the great work!

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

Raja it’s great to hear from you. Thank you for taking the time to write to us. Yeah much as it pains me to say it: they’ve kinda driven us into the hands of Cap’n Jack. DC

[@RajaWaleed0920]

​@@ValVerdeBroadcasting Thank you for taking the time to respond. I also wanted to mention how it seems like every streaming service keeps raising prices and now they're making you pay more for access to ad-free 4K hdr content, when it used to be available with the regular subscription price. I've gone back to buying blu rays, as a lot of thrift stores and dollar stores in my town carry 2nd hand blu rays for really cheap. Plus the quality on blu rays is always better than streaming but just like Richard said, sometimes I don't wanna get up and insert a disc and go through all the menus just to watch something when I could just watch it on Netflix 😅 I think it's best to own the movies you love, especially the movies you know you'll rewatch overtime.

[@r_-fy4wj]

Yeah I started building my physical collection again a year or two back - everything becoming streaming/subscription-based means having access to this stuff way more precarious, they can just get rid of stuff out of nowhere

[@StanWilks]

As someone that's been collecting since I pretty much came out the womb, physical media is liberating: I can own the version of THX 1138 that George Lucas may hate, but it's the one I love. That's freedom of choice. That's ownership. And in the age of streaming, that means something.

[@Thewingkongexchange]

I've been sad to learn these last few days that a) 'Killers of the Flower Moon' isn't getting a physical release over here and that b) 'Hard Boiled' and 'The Killer' aren't getting 4K releases. All rights issues etc. but the point is rights change hands and cause a massive ball-ache for fans who simply want to watch the film at home.

[@zambonsfilmemporium1526]

The Killer and Hard Boiled might be getting a 4k release in Japan which is a bummer because Japanese discs usually don't have English subtitles.

[@davidjames579]

Killers Of The Flower Moon was released in Italy on UHD. Available from Amazon Italia.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I'm guessing regarding A that Apple invested a lot of money into it as an 'art house' film and that's the way they can get there investment back? It does seem like there leaving 'money on the table' by doing that [similar to Netflix only releasing Knives out 2 in cinemas for a week-presumably they'll be doing something similar for the upcoming part 3].

[@rachelhenderson491]

Set sail my friend

[@Thewingkongexchange]

Funnily enough, I've been Alan Partridge this week - I've literally had to phone up Currys to replace an old speaker setup (my 11 year-old bluray home cinema bricked). I honestly thought at one point I was going to have to say "apropos achieving surround sound" and then talking about understanding Latin to work in Currys..

[@stevena488]

Still against the pedestrianisation of the city centre?

[@Thewingkongexchange]

@@stevena488 Well traders need access to Diiiiiiiiiixxxons.

[@davidjames579]

When I worked in Currys, you'd fail the interview if you couldn't pass the Latin Exam.

[@therealmovieman]

I love physical media to hold a tv series or movie particularly a classic in steelbook form and you actually own it

[@AdrianMendoza23]

Great conversation guys.

[@SmashBrosAssemble]

I’m gonna buy physical right till the very end, streaming has it’s uses, but ultimately you don’t own the film, it can just disappear. Plus I love having a shelf full of Blu-rays & DVDs.

[@TheGhostOfJohnWicksBeagle]

Still have my HD-DVD's, No player though. How will i ever watch my HDDVD copy of Timecop?

[@Thewingkongexchange]

I'm starting to save space by just sticking my dvds (and maybe some blurays, we'll see) into wallets/holders. I'd rather do that and ditch the cases if it means I can still have access to the films at any point.

[@HOEL]

I still buy physical media (Blu-ray/4K Blu-rays) and have a OLED TV to watch them on, I love it and hope it never dies personally.

[@walter_the_wobot2349]

What frustrates me is films i own on apple TV being recolour graded and new sound effects being added. Teal. 🤬

[@Ryglado]

New 4k Blu-ray player models don’t seem to be developed, which is a concern for the future of physical media.

[@KevinJamesVideo]

4:39 "Unless you take to the high seas" is a wonderful adage. (Not a proponent of it, myself, either).

[@MusicRelatedCandy]

Interesting discussion and some good points made. I actually think terrestrial TV will go away before films at this rate. I finally got an up to date TV at Christmas and no longer watch live broadcast TV. Instead I watch KZbin (premium)

[@SteveLouisArnoldHR]

You'll be shocked at the amount of people who still watch TV live. I can't stand it, netflix has conditioned me into hating adverts haha.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Channel 4 in the UK has made plans to go streaming only [all be it not until 2030] so I think its inevitable. I know many people who either no longer own a TV or will only use it for live sport [and people will often use there phone rather than have a laptop].

[@MusicRelatedCandy]

@@SteveLouisArnoldHR I'd be interested to know the age range of those people. I suspect they're mostly older.

[@davidjames579]

​@@jamesatkinsonja While On Demand TV conditioned people to watching when they want a long time ago, there is always a market for veg out rolling TV, even as a background noise to doing other things. Streaming services such as Pluto now allow for that, by letting you run show after show in place of a schedule.

[@KEVANDJACKFRIGHTS]

I was a collector for years. Cd’s , blu rays , fuxkin limited editions coming out my arse! Two reasons I got rid of it all. Kids , and lack of space. I buy all my movies now via apple and have a healthy collection on a hard drive with plenty of shelf space for Lego and smelly candles. Good to see yis lads! 🍻

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

You’re not the only one 😂 - DC

[@Mrbradburton]

I love my physical media collection long may it live 📼📀📽️

[@IanMcGarr]

In the last decade I've bought about 4 Blurays, and that's because they were special edition concerts of a band from Japan. They will never go on streaming and you can't download them. I have a select list of my favourite films still on blu ray but I never watch them as I have them ripped into PLEX. I donated %90 of my CDs, boxsets, games and films to charity last year after copying them all. What bugs the shit out of me is like an example, X-Men Evolution is on all Disney+ bar mine in Ireland, and then Stargate, on all the Primes except the Irish one. Why? It's so annoying.

[@ninfilms]

I love physical media from VHS to DVD and Blu-Ray. Yes some of it is for nostagia from video logos, trailers. As for the AI nonsense. I feel it decreasing jobs. I will not support that. I also feel Co-Vid controversy was exploited for online business to domineer. I notice even cinema are playing it safe releasing DC, Marvel, Mad Max franchies which is lacking original medium budgeted film. When I was younger I was all for escapism films like Terminator, Rocky films Ghostbuster but I also like to see cult films like Evil Dead, Eraserhead. With streaming yes you can watch every choice at a touch of a screen but I still like the days of going to a video shop and seeing a film that I chosen , the same with Moviedrome in the 1980's and 90's. I would be interesting how filmmaking is going to change in 10 or 20 years time.

[@666deadman1988]

I'm very lucky in that I was always terrible at keeping physical media intact. I would lose discs or the covers or things would end up damaged or scratched because I could never keep on top of it, so streaming is perfect for someone like me. However, my cousin, who is also my best friend and has pretty much the exact same taste in film as me, is a meticulous collector of physical media, so there's very little that I couldn't go over and watch with him or borrow from his collection.

[@Khultan]

I will never ever surrender my DVDs and Blurays.

[@skaro85]

I've got quite a big collection of dvd and blurays and I'm glad I've got them because some have become rare or out of print but I must admit nowadays if I do want to buy and watch a film I do purchase them digitally because it's just so easy to have them a click away. I guess that is the future unfortunately good or bad.

[@sipope70]

I use a couple of streaming services. However, I have never stopped buying CD's and DVD's i like to own what I want to watch purely because I dont want to be in Richards 'Toys' situation... That sounded better in my head.

[@stark_harshly]

Really want some boutique to put Gremloids on Bluray

[@tph2010]

I use physical media and streaming to complement each other. I watch movies on streaming that I would otherwise never see, and buy a few hard copies of my favorite Arrow or Scream Factory releases for posterity.

[@johnmcternan4157]

That horrendous green Terminator 2 😩, that sunny bleached warmish sandy blue summer evening sun California is gone. Skynet Edition is the last unaltered. I have the fetus hand disc from T1, it's what it looks like to me. Suits the end of the story. Real cool.

[@agl1138]

good example: you cannot stream Moonlighting in the UK. Or The Abyss

[@davidjames579]

With The Abyss, it's more that The BBFC won't let Cameron's uncut version show due to a scene of real life animal cruelty, and Cameron refuses to release it unless it's uncut.

[@Ed_Mason]

I think the studios will always want to roll the dice on gigantically expensive cinema releases, hoping for a Top Gun Maverick, Dune 2 or Barbenheimer outcome. But, because of this gambler’s mentality, big box office successes will doubtless become distant islands over time and we’ll lose film as an event… So my existing DVD/Blu-ray collection will definitely become more valuable and significant to me in the absence of event cinema when literally everything else on offer is ephemeral and intangible!

[@securityg]

'TOYS' is a visual AND story MASTERPIECE. There really is nothing like it, such as - L.L. COOL J. is ROBIN WILLIAMS cousin and it's NOT EVEN EXPLAINED HOW THAT IS POSSIBLE!!! It's hilarious and that is just one reason why that movie is a MASTERPIECE because it JUST GOES and dares the audience to know and comprehend exactly what they are watching. I have the soundtrack with WENDY & LISA from PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION and also with music from SEAL. It is surrealist of the mind. - James D. Watkins, artistic director of PHOENIX PRODUCTIONS.

[@halomultiplayermoments]

I’m a massive physical media exponent. I have hundreds of blu ray movies. I’ve got rid of streaming several years ago. My local cinema the Vue has had discounted tickets £7-9 range since covid where as before they where upwards of £12 plus.

[@davidjames579]

In the UK at least Vue is something of a savior of cinema, with their early 00's pricing compared to other chains. That would be enough except they're not cheap and nasty. All the seats are recliners with plenty of space in front of them for people to get past, all cinemas have nice quality 4K projectors, and I find their design pretty atmospheric. People understandably won't go to cinemas because of the cost, but Vue are a good reason for why people should and still can, like they did in the halcyon days of the 00's. From what I've heard from American friends, the US doesn't have anything this reasonable, so cinema might be dead there.

[@olliehall6080]

Even if you discount the issues with availability and “ownership”, I find that blu rays are just better quality than streaming. A 4k stream broadly looks like a 1080 blu ray to me because of compression, plus maybe hdr if you have a good enough tv. I live in a barrack but still have hundreds of discs, all stowed neatly in plastic tubs under my bed (alphabetised of course!) and a lot of my colleagues cant get their head around why I haul them around with me.

[@SupergirlSurprise]

Really great video guys, I still collect physical media streaming is good for popular movies but not great for movies from the past (60s, 70s and 80s) and i worry about films being lost in time by rights issues. About the industry, I'm confused about the business model and don't know which way to commit, I have both feet in theatres and streaming and don't know what is going to win out. Like I was talking with my brother and we will use the Jerry Bruckheimer summer films for example...in cinemas right now is Bad Boys: Ride or Die which you have to get in your car, pay for petrol, buy a ticket (£7 to £12 depending, maybe more for some others) then there's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F which is going straight to Netflix, same type of movie probably the same type of budget, but what is the incentive to go out and pay all that money when Hollywood is saying support cinemas they need it! BUT wait... Don't bother a film just like it is out soon and we're bringing it to you! in every household door to door. So how are they making their money, is Bad Boys going to theatres making money the best way, but is probably having less eyes on it or is Beverly Hills Cop leaving money on the table, but it will have more eyes on it! 🤷

[@davidjames579]

I believe Netflix made an offer to buy BHC4. As ever because it's a way to get new subscribers. Paramount must have done the maths and decided it was more potentially lucrative than releasing in cinemas (and with no distribution and advertising costs to offset). Interestingly Paramount did the same thing with another belated Eddie Murphy sequel; Coming 2 America. Maybe they realised that Murphy's fans aren't interested in venturing to cinemas.

[@SupergirlSurprise]

@@davidjames579 Thanks for the info! Hopefully it has better reach for audiences and is successful on it's terms. 👍

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@davidjames579 I suppose with 'Bad Boys', part 3 was a hit at the cinemas only 4 years ago so it was worth going after a repeat while Murphy's sequels are to films made in the 80's [with the later 'cop 3' still now 30 years old] so distributors probably felt they were only going to really appeal to the die hard fans/ nostalgia.

[@eldritchmorgasm4018]

Personaly I do use streaming (Netflix), but I definitely prefer physical copies. DVDs, BRs, including 3D, and Anime. Same with videogames, only Indie-games get bought digital. Comics & audiobooks, only physical.

[@bear-7020]

good video keep up the great work

[@SteveLouisArnoldHR]

I thought I was the only one who didn't like the new T2 colour grading. I feel vindicated.

[@TheGhostOfJohnWicksBeagle]

It's Atrocious, I find myself going back to DVD's more often if i can't "borrow" them.

[@IanMcGarr]

T2 is my favourite film and I will take the crisp 4K even if the colour grading has changed. But that's me. I kinda like to focus on the positives with things.

[@RM_VFX]

Weird that it would have problems with Cameron delaying each physical release so he can personally oversee it between shooting Dances With Smurfs movies.

[@Thewingkongexchange]

I had that bluray for xmas a few years back, but because ITV have such a boner for T2 I haven't watched it yet.

[@SupergirlSurprise]

No your not alone T2 is a bad 4K with horrible colour grading. Apparently the new James Cameron 4k transfer of Abyss, Aliens and True Lies aren't great either.

[@josh72456]

Hmmmm I think it’s dying yes cinema and physical home media. My first dvd I had I think was Warriors Of Virtue which I saw in cinemas years before for whatever reason as a child it affected me but then I think fantasy stuff tends to do that. Chicken Run was one of the first that I owned also but I saw it in cinema before. Labyrinth though saw it on video before and the first two Home Alone films. What’s interesting about the Home Alone films is that I saw sequel first as a child on vhs then I saw the first film but halfway through some other film was being recorded which was a bit weird so I never got to see it properly all the way through until I borrowed another VHS copy from a family friend. I then owned the Wallace and Gromit shorts though saw them on video before Back To The Future trilogy first trilogy I owned on DVD I saw the first one on vhs before. An American Werewolf In London first horror film I had on DVD it was a birthday gift from my mother, I had heard of the film before through film magazines and Michael Jackson’s Thriller since John Landis made both, technically my first horror comedy and werewolf film I owned on DVD. I had seen Dog Soldiers on tape before which that in its own right is a black comedy but a few months after seeing An American Werewolf In London, I had heard of Ginger Snaps I mean I won’t go into detail but my mother had seen it on video I wanted to see it when I saw it in a shop in Gatwick Airport on double dvd with another cover and the cover on the back yes it looked horrific so I had to buy An American Werewolf In Paris instead ugh….. my mother was worried she didn’t want me to see it which I can understand until I saw it and my mother was right very disturbing I didn’t like it at first but then revisiting it years later I was obsessed with it but that’s another story. Actually technically Teen Wolf was the first werewolf DVD I owned let’s just safely say the other 3 mentioned are superior films though it’s charming because of Michael J Fox. With cinema eras difficult to say the 10’s I think things went a bit downhill and 20’s are a bit of an awkward time I think. I would say other decades maybe more risks were taken meaning 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. 00’s I understand the points mentioned on this video. I forgot we owned the Star Wars original trilogy on DVD though I’ve seen it VHS before. It’s coming back to me now The American Pie trilogy I had also.

[@PaulRizzo]

Physical media AAAALLLLLLLL the way. I’ve still got well over 2000 DVDs and blu ray/4K. I don’t trust the streaming model. Your favourite content is there, until it’s not.

[@s.wstudioproductions5977]

Great video guys

[@benjaminyoon4253]

It's just plain weird how the streaming business got so popular. The 'rona definitely had an impact but ultimately, it started because a bunch of Wall Street forecasters managed to convince an entire industry that streaming was the way of the future and all the money should be put into that. Now, we're finding out that it's just not feasible. Physical media is the way to go but my only concern is that media that is dependent on an internet connection (such as most Blu-rays) require digital keys in order to view the video file. Once those keys stop working, all we have are a bunch of coasters.

[@MoviePalaceOfBlood]

Blu Rays aren't dependent on internet connections. My blu ray player has wifi but I've never integrated it into my wifi, it's not connected, it plays everything fine, what are you talking about???

[@trevormaurer3684]

My first preference will always be physical media but I do find I am buying a lot more Bootleg as mainstream retailers move away and on the point of Cinema dying I have to admit having my own projector system also capable of 3D I seldom go to them any more on lack of quality films worth paying for and waiting for the streaming release

[@Starbladesarcane]

I know if things got financially tough again ie) Covid, recession, streaming services would be the first thing I’d be canceling. We have 3 massive cd wallets just full of my dvds and kids dvds that are going to be there ready to watch for free

[@securityg]

I create my own digital video-movies and I market them as 4-walling showings and it's where I rent out either a small theater OR a hotel room/ballroom -OR- an empty store space and set up my own 100 inch video screen, set up my own HD video projector and I offer a FREE item that is configured in my ticket prices and then I market my video-movies as EXTREMELY EXCLUSIVE. - James D. Watkins, artistic director of PHOENIX PRODUCTIONS.

[@medalion1390]

Richard, I know you were a big fan of that Terminator: Resistance game from a few years ago, have you gotten around to playing the recent Robocop game by the same company, and if so were you planning on doing any Let's Plays of it at any point, or even just sharing your thoughts in a video?

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

Hi! I LOVED Rogue City and will definitely stream it in the future! R

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Films typically turn up on VOD only 6 weeks or so after the theatrical release while even the No.1 film of 2024, 'Dune part 2' was on it only two months after release. Even if it's often a bit more of a wait, so many films can then be watched without having to pay an additional charge if your subscribed to Amazon Prime/ Disney Plus etc so no wonder Physical media sales have crashed but also theatrical revenues are also way down [especially as piracy is also a factor].

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

The answer inevitably is that budgets have to come down. $300M is just such a nonsense amount to risk on a release these days - DC

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@ValVerdeBroadcasting Very true. Some of the 2023 releases were shot during covid in 2020/21 so that inflated the budgets but they really need to be much lower in the current market.

[@davidjames579]

If you look at Blumhouse they are a success because they keep the budgets to no more than 10 million, and so making 60-100 million dollars is a good return. Horror especially pretty much always makes a profit. I don't know what Paramount are thinking of, allowing Gladiator 2 to get to 310 Million and Mission: Impossible 8 to 400 Million. They pretty much need to make a Billion to be successes. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes was a modest success this year, making 359 Million, but it only cost 160 Million.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@davidjames579 It's telling 'Apes' had pretty much no 'name' actors involved [William H Macy probably the biggest name and he's only in an extended cameo], instead putting the cash towards the effects [which were arguable the best of the series]. Agreed paramount had let those budgets get out of control.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@davidjames579 Doing a two part MI project really feels like a flawed idea in hindsight given how the budgets ran out of control [given the troubled shoots of the recent Bond's, Daniel Craig vetoing doing two Bond back to back after Skyfall was the right call]. It pains me as a fan of the series but I wouldn't be surprised if 8 is the last one for a while [and when it does come back it's a much cheaper re-boot].

[@damienmb2365]

Practically-speaking, "Physical Media" lives on in the form of Solid State Drives loaded with video files (that may or may not be ripped from the discs you own). Drives which hold up to 8,000 gigabytes of data, while physically smaller than a single disc case, rewritable and can plug directly into PCs/TVs/devices via USB/adapter. Discs not only get ruined easily from handling, they also "rot" over time as Richard mentioned (CDs being the worst, BluRays being the least-worst), so I don't miss them as a medium. Regardless of your stance on piracy, it has undeniably become the most practical way to watch and preserve any content that is not currently streamable from your location.

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

I’m not sure you can hand wave the moral/legal issues around piracy, with claims of practicality. It might be nice and convenient, but it is still theft at the end of the day. We aren’t entitled to someone else’s work just because we really want it. And arguably the pervasiveness of piracy is responsible for a lot of the decline we’re seeing in film production. I know it’s a big reason why getting low budget stuff green lit is incredibly difficult these days. Distributors simply cannot control distribution anymore. I’m not picking a fight with you, just presenting the other side of the argument. I totally know what you mean. It’s annoying to have a disc rot on you only to find that you can’t replace it - DC

[@davidjames579]

As tempting as piracy is, if you can't get the film anywhere, by buying it you're disincentivizing distributors from doing a retrospective release if the film-makers are asking for that. So yeah you own it, but on a rip of a VHS tape, when you could have it on 4K UHD scanned from the camera negative, with commentaries, interviews and deleted scenes.

[@nrrork]

Moral of the story: fucking casuals ruin everything 😁... but also 😡😡😡

[@jamesatkinsonja]

There are far too many services about [including more 'nation specific' services like BBC I Player and ITV X in the UK] and content feels very disposable [as they need constant new content to attract/keep subscribers]. Dexter Fletcher said for his Apple+ film 'Ghosted' he wanted a 3 min driving sequence to open the film but was told 'if nothing happens in 30 seconds, people turn off' which shows the different metrics for streaming films [similar to those infamous 'Bruce Willis cameo films'], if they get a click it's a sale regardless of if people watch the full film or the quality. 'Ghosted' was poorly reviewed but given it's star power [Chris Evens and Ana De Armas] probably got enough views to be deemed a success with Apple.

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

Agreed, as audience members our investment is more about our time now. So if it doesn’t hook us from the jump, we’ll be on our phones and tuned out. Which is sad! DC

[@davidjames579]

Zack Snyder, who's fully on the Netflix train, was attempting to do some logic gymnastics to justify the streaming model vs cinema. From the number of clicks recorded for his film Rebel Moon: Part One on Netflix he said they take each as two people watching. A click is anyone watching for at least 30 secs. On those number basis, he calculated that if each of those people bought a cinema ticket, Rebel Moon would have made more than Barbie! Which made 1.4 Billion and is the highest grossing film ever made by Warner Bros. Ignoring the fact that: a) they didn't pay any money to watch it b) they didn't take time to travel to a cinema to watch it and associated costs c) they may have switched to something else after 30 seconds. It's the same as comparing book sales to how many flyers you handed out to people in the street. But seemingly none of that matters. Rebel Moon has sequels in development and Snyder is huffing his own farts over being a success. That's just depressing, considering how universally derided Rebel Moon Parts One and Two are. I saw the first, and as talented as a visualist Snyder is, the film itself is at Fan Film Level for everything else. If the future of movies is decided by Bean Counters saying look at the Meta Data and nothing else, then creativity be damned.

[@KibaRanger_Kou]

I'll just stick to the torrents.

[@Acemec92]

Still no panic room or the village on blue ray

[@davidjames579]

Fincher recently said in an interview about the Digital IMAX release of Seven, that he's working on the UHD of Panic Room. I've heard Fight Club is also close to release.

[@Acemec92]

@@davidjames579nice one 👍. Also think it’s nuts that the vast of night , calm with horses have never even had a release on any format yet some of the rubbish they do put on disc beggars belief

[@davidjames579]

@@Acemec92 I'll be honest, spending money on producing x amount of discs, shipping and promoting them is a big financial commitment. So I can understand why companies might be hesitant. In the past, pre couch potato streaming mentality, I wonder how many copies of smaller films sat untouched on Blockbusters shelves. So streaming has its benefits, but I just wish there was a more permanent owning solution.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@davidjames579It is annoying how some shows/Movies bounce around streaming services [or you can only get it by 'renting' on youtube/amazon]. Agreed on the cost-it is a 'cost vs benifit' and if there unlikly to break even, they won't do it [I certainly get that with TV shows as generally only franchises like Games of Thrones or Star Trek get physical media releases now as it costs more as it needs more discs].

[@LLamaDrunk]

"Fecal aurobrous" LOL!

[@davidcauley9400]

Would love to hear your reviews of The First Omen. I thought it was nearly a masterpiece. nearly. minor quibbles and a badly judged epilogue.

[@davidjames579]

For a Digitally shot film I thought it had great fidelity to 70's 35mm.

[@midnightmovies1533]

Have you ever…*hushed whisper*…double-dipped?

[@Frellyouall]

I will buy physical games when I can.

[@ThePeejRR]

YOU'LL OWN NOTHING AND LIKE IT!

[@StanWilks]

That's a good point. The attack on physical media feels like one of Klaus Schwab's proclivities. 😂

[@jamesatkinsonja]

It does bother me that I see articles and youtube video crowing about films 'flopping' now [often for B.S. reasons like it's apparently 'woke' when that terms lost all meaning at this point]-it's feels like total schadenfreude. It doesn't help when it's often complained that 'franchises dominate' when that's understandable given a well reviewed film like 'The Fall Guy' struggles at the box office [to the extent its on VOD in a month] as it's not a sequel or a big property.

[@ValVerdeBroadcasting]

I too lament the politicisation of everything, though filmmakers do it too, sometimes to try and make excuses for poor performance. Don’t forget though that film journalists and grot-bag KZbin channels (no matter how articulate and incisive the hosts may be 😉) aren’t the full picture. We’re only a slice of a cohort. Most older and younger generations don’t get their info from KZbin. But I do take your point: just complaining all the time isn’t going to change things, especially when the big franchise movies are what people turn out to see - DC

[@Oldzkule]

Is covid back??

[@LLamaDrunk]

Richard, Comment about video games? We are the first generation what can play veeghoo gaymes with their kids! You chaps are maybe 10 years off that? Then my dad comes at me with Doom. Remember going in to his room as a teen and asking "Whats this shit man"? "DOOM"! I was blown away! Then in my 40s I bought him a T-shirt! And he wears it a lot!. Even down dark muddy holes! I talk to him about you folks! Give him curious information about shit. I also chat Mum about Duncan! "Hey look my friend is in Doxerz. (Doctors)" I refuse to use streaming for stuff I own. Tbh, my DvDs are better quality. But they rot? I wasn't conviced, yet my "The Beach" one that I had for 30 years is unwatchable. GL1 3PP now. I'm so happy now. Moo ved. MEELK! Got curtains up and everythink. So yeh. I'm more happy now. Keep up the good work chaps. I "might come down to the coast and have a great time" at some point" ! (see what I did there)? Val Verde! Richard and Duncan! thank you!