THE STATE OF PHYSICAL MEDIA IN 2024 | Trends, Sales, Streaming, Labels, Collecting & More | 4K Kings

Hello everyone! Today we are back with a topic that is near and dear to our hearts - the state of Physical Media. Today we are taking a deep dive into the trends, the sales, studio involvement, boutique labels, streaming, the price of collecting and why it is important to support PHYSICAL MEDIA!
How are you feeling about Physical Media in 2024? Let us know below!
00:00 Intro
01:15 Brief Physical Media History
01:48 4K Is Thriving (sales increasing, studios/directors embracing it, more)
05:21 Some Bad News (Shut downs, Disc Scarcity, Digital only features??)
07:40 Do Big Studios Still Support Physical Media?
09:37 Boutique Label Growth
10:58 Streaming in decline (censorship, prices, more)
14:47 Why Physical Media Is Important
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[@4K_Kings]

How are you feeling about Physical Media in 2024? Let us know below! 00:00 Intro 01:15 Brief Physical Media History 01:48 4K Is Thriving (sales increasing, studios/directors embracing it, more) 05:21 Some Bad News (Shut downs, Disc Scarcity, Digital only features??) 07:40 Do Big Studios Still Support Physical Media? 09:37 Boutique Label Growth 10:58 Streaming in decline (censorship, prices, more) 14:47 Why Physical Media Is Important

[@mattmcconnell2550]

Long Live Physical Media!

[@Martinmd12-zt7vu]

Gen z here and I’m buying all the boutique blu-rays. Love what you guys are doing.

[@mojopin2000]

I love that we’re going to keep using Ed Harris on this channel. FIGHT!!! There’s nothing extreme about standing up for art and freedom of expression. The nannying and hand wringing, the virtue signaling and outright censorship…. It’s the NUMBER ONE reason I started building my physical media collection a few years ago. One day you’ll start talking about a film you love and say to your friends “Hey let’s watch it” and that’s when you’ll discover that putting all your entertainment needs in the hands of corrupt media platforms was a terrible idea. Fight evil, own your memories.

[@4K_Kings]

Fight, fight, fiiiight!

[@Cegeto10]

Physical media will make a comeback once people realize how bad streaming services have gotten.

[@roachdoggjr3458]

That's what got me into it, streaming quality is terrible, and the amount you need to subscribe to is just cable all over again. If I had more money I'd own every movie and show, but after about 6 months I have around 45 movies and shows and I'm so happy with the ownership and the quality of physical media, we've come a long way since the VCR DVD 480p CRT TV setup we had when I was young lol

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

Pretty much any format is preferable to streaming for real movie fans, I'll even watch VHS over it... 📼

[@TheAlexZorba]

The greatest time in history to be a physical media collector and lover of great film. More great releases are out and coming out than ever. More thanI could ever buy on my wishlist.

[@branscombe_]

14:15 Oh yeah, if a friend invited me over to watch something I would much rather have to pick from one of 10 movies on the shelf then one of 10,000 in a digital library. I like to be sandboxed in.

[@michaelcarver540]

Physical media is thriving

[@AA-ws3vd]

I bought a physical media player in 2024! Long live the Kings! Fight!!

[@4K_Kings]

Fight!!

[@shawntaylor7442]

If anyone hasn't made the jump to 4k yet, they will. Non 4k tvs are probably only at goodwill or a yard sale at this point. Your HD Tv won't last forever and 4k tvs are much more affordable. Of course the quality of your tv and 4k player matter, but that's a story for anothet video 🤙

[@zoomzabba452]

I'm locking in a tight collection of around 200 films and a few shows, mostly on OOP Bluray for all the bonus features. Only add 4k versions when the price is right for the fidelity jump. Using my knowledge of rare titles pickups to fund it.

[@4K_Kings]

Do you have any rare titles you're sitting on now?

[@OmniEthereal7]

Honestly, I think streaming is basically like how Blockbuster used to be: you don’t own it, you rent it. You may watch it many times as you want in streaming, but you won’t own it forever unless you keep paying a monthly fee. No thanks, I’ll buy my 4k HD Blu-ray of Super Mario Bros tyvm! Same thing for video games, gamer here so I understand these sentiments

[@hvitekristesdod]

I can’t stop myself from ordering at least one dvd or blu-ray every day 14:00 - 14:45 you absolutely nailed it. It’s a special event to unpack and watch something that I bought and supported myself. I feel connected with the films when I put them on my shelf and I know I’ll be going back to watch them again, and I’ll always have a variety of films in front of me that I feel connected to. I’ll always be able to find something that I know I’ll enjoy. My movie collection is at over 200 and growing and my love of cinema continues to grow as well.

[@Nicathatsme]

Y’all shared some great insights! I see how physical media will be evolving, but I’ll support & enjoy it as long as possible. I’m a fan of physical media because of the element of nostalgia, the multi-sensory experience, the privacy, and the better way to divest myself from corporate manipulation (data mining and advertising). Streaming and digital media was created for consumption but physical media is entertainment and an art form.

[@davivman6009]

I feel more and more people are turning to physical media as streaming becomes a worse and worse experience. My kid watches the show Octonauts all the time and Netflix is dropping it next month. Just bought the first 3 seasons on DVD in response. May end up dropping Netflix entirely.

[@ishkapiska4516]

If you haven’t already you should check out the complete blu-ray collection bundle of avatar and korra, they are really fun and it’s pretty cheap, also if you have a home theatre or a sound system you’ll find that it’s actually a pretty dynamic mix for the surround sound. I’m sure your kids will enjoy

[@Bozlee22]

Started buying CDs in 85 Laser disc in 89 dvd in 90s Blu ray in 2000s and now 4K

[@4K_Kings]

The only physical media I didn't purchase was Laserdisc.

[@alexdas2000]

@@4K_Kingsyou collected HD DVD? 😂

[@SamM_Scot]

I'm very thankful to likes of Arrow Films and Second Sight Films lovingly resorting cult classics from original prints into incredible 4K sets. I'll continue to buy fully supporting them :-)

[@loftlegacy]

The thing which annoys me and many other collectors is the lack of certain titles that would sell HUGE. These are namely the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy, but mainly the Bond classics. They were archived by Lowry Digital in 4k nearly 20 years ago, but still not 4K UHD blu ray release. Sadly the versions allegedly on "UHD" streaming come well short. I used the Bond 2022 cinema rereleases which I saw at a Sony 4K certified cinema as my reference and the streaming "UHD" were not up to par compared to the cinema. There's a large demand for these on physical and it's online Eon to want to squeeze a few more dollars out of us.

[@branscombe_]

Thanks for keeping us up-to-date on the 4K content, there’s only a couple places left in my city to buy 4K discs. I tried to shop local as much as I can to provide demand so they keep up the supply.

[@physicalmediaodyssey]

Great analysis 👍 Given the delay with the Se7en 4K release, I’m almost anticipating they release their 8K remaster as the first title on a next-gen disc 😄

[@peterjetnikoff]

Another virtue of physical media is version control. I remember when longer cuts of films like Amadeus, The Exorcist, Apocalypse Now (and too many more) were released to replace the original versions which meant that anyone who wanted those (and, really, most people I know who love films like these prefer the theatrical cuts) had to go foraging second hand or overseas. I had a big cull of my DVDs in the early 2010s and regret selling or giving away titles that were replaced with changelings. Now and then a 4K might appear with a choice of presentation but you really have to wait for that and make executive decisions on whether to hold your breath. I've repurchased some of these films on DVD with a kind of Farenheit 451 mentality (hey, let's bring that out as a posthumous "director's cut" with an added 55 minutes of CGI!). Great video, guys. We need people saying these things.

[@MisterBrimm]

I just had to add a new shelf for my movies and after rearranging I somehow need yet another shelf. I want to start a shop in the future where I sell Vinyl, CDs, blurays, books etc and call it "the Physical Realm". Put a little coffeehouse in there, do some DJ sets and host movie nights with a 4k projector... yeah baby.

[@4K_Kings]

Sounds awesome. I hope we get an invite to the grand opening

[@josephmayfield945]

FYI, Tubi has been censoring horror movies. 😢

[@ClosedEyeVisualisations]

The best part about 8k on coming to youtube will be having the ability to hit the gear icon, quality settings, set it to 1080 and calling it a day. And the worst part about videos like these is that a particular type of person is going out now to hunt down as many dvds as possible to hoard and upsell.

[@bloodydominations992]

You guys are definitely the best KZbin channel for physical media. I have spent thousands on 4K discs in the past couple years and with all the great stuff coming out I don’t see it slowing down! I recently discovered that you can find a lot of great discs on non-US Amazon sites for stuff that was either never released here or sold out quickly. Great video, keep up the good work! 🍻

[@4K_Kings]

Thank you for the kind words! And yes, amazon.co.uk, amazon.de, and amazon.fr are my favorites!

[@juancmorenor]

I love all the experience of physical media which is not possible to have with streaming! The work that boutique labels are doing are great!

[@ThaMago96]

The Abyss = The Abuse, u know what im talking about, great Movie

[@seetherryan1]

It currently looks like physical media is gonna stay for awhile more but I see it being like limited edition steelbooks for like 59$-60$ like the taxi driver one. Maybe eventually bring online only too like Amazon

[@stonesfan285]

I'm shifting more to digital copies these days. I am finding it is usually cheaper and I am beginning to prefer the convenience of everything at the click of a button instead of digging a disc out of a binder, putting it into the Blu-ray player and hitting play.

[@branscombe_]

5:20 I agree, Russ The blackberry movie, dream scenario and banshees of Inisherin or Blu-ray only but I pick them up to support the format. I’d love to see those three in 4K, but it may never come.

[@burninator1983]

Collecting physical media keeps getting more expensive, especially as someone who lives in Australia, as I end up importing more than I used to. It's worth it though for the great releases that continue to come out in better editions than ever before.

[@Thecatdrums3]

Idk man as a public and private educator I have to say we must get past the denial and accept that idiocracy is correct & we do need a content warning before something to keep the art unedited because we as people are in fact incapable. You can say that you are capable and feel special but we as people are for a fact not special. Shoutout tropic thunder for being the next to get a content warning ⚠️

[@spookynerdclub]

Great video 💯 Let's continue to keep physical media alive!!! I'm excited to get "The Case of the Bloody Iris" in 4k from Celluloid Dreams this year!

[@4K_Kings]

Thank you!

[@TheAlexZorba]

Agree on Case of The Bloody Iris. Combine Edwige Fenech with George Hilton in a screen play by Ernesto Gastaldi and you have a winner. One of my favorite Gialli with everyone's favorite Giallo queen.

[@matrixman7706]

Glad to see 4K Blu-ray is gaining steam in the marketplace. Still love physical over streaming. The picture quality and audio cannot be touched by streaming.

[@branscombe_]

liked, commented and shared… Doing my part to grease up the algorithm!

[@urniebarnes]

That "Juice" clip had me ROTFL!!!

[@frommatorav1]

FYI, Tubi has too many commercials.

[@BigBossSquirtle]

I'm feeling physical media sales are still gonna be strong. The problem im seeing is in the process of it being sold to a niche market, more and more releases are being sold in a limited format. Specifically steelbooks. Disney and Sony especially have been going hard with limited edition steelbook-ONLY releases. No standard. So once those steelbooks sell out, that's pretty much it. Only other choice beyond that is the secondhand market.

[@branscombe_]

Good morning guys, love listening to your show while I’m out for a morning walk. Keep them coming, great content.

[@torres953]

Great video! I think another big issue that could've been addressed is the lack of 4K BR players out there. I don't think there's gonna be another console generation with a disc reader as a feature and we are still using Panasonic and Sony players back from 2018. If there were other options the cheaper they would get, as well as much needed improvements in stability and features could exist, thus making the adoption of the physical media format at least something a little more of a weird hobby for boomers.

[@russceasetheruss5360]

That is an excellent point... Last year, mine died on me and even on Amazon there weren't many options. Couple that with drive issue as you say, and you're right, not exactly convenient. Hopefully with Sony acquiring Disney's catalog we'll see a slight uptick, since Sony manufactures players.

[@444chroma]

I'm quite satisfied with how its going. currently in the same boat as Matt with the Criterions building up on me. Need to make a dent this July! PM seems to pick up in the summer and fall. I think they usually try to get everything out by the end of the year and have to start up fresh again which needs a little bit of lead time.

[@stonesfan285]

The biggest issue I am having with 4K Blu-ray discs is the poor quality control. I only have like 12 of them and I would say most of them have had scratches right out of the box where I had to exchange it through Amazon. That and I am just not finding much that I want to repeat watch. Many of the films I have on standard Blu-ray, I have already converted to Vudu or Apple and you still get the new 4K masters on those formats most times too.

[@shanedarby6501]

Awesome video guys! Had me in stitches at the end 😂 keep up the good work and long live 4K and physical media, much love from Ireland 💚

[@4K_Kings]

Thank you so much, Shane!

[@Danjoker.]

Great work guys. I've been waiting for this video to come out.

[@4K_Kings]

Thanks, Dan. These updates are a labor of love each year, but it's exciting to see we still have a lot of life left.

[@richsadler2661]

You’re treating us, guys. Looking forward to this and to going through last night’s live show. Cheers!

[@oscarburrows-rangel3302]

Great reporting fellas. Time to subscribe to Tubi.

[@4K_Kings]

It's pretty fuckin great.

[@TheAlexZorba]

Tubi is the only place I stream films when I do stream as I canceled all the paid ones except Prime for shipping . Good place to catch asian and foreign cinema in general that you haven't seen.

[@444chroma]

Russ that's a really good point about physically finding the disc, and loading it. You're likely more invested now. Just scrolling around and clicking on a thumbnail it feels like you're just loading more "content"

[@AVAPopCulture]

they are taking things like Willow off their own service to keep from having to pay residuals etc on those films which tells you exactly how big of trouble they are in...

[@runningrants2763]

Very well thought out and put together video I've been watching you guys for a while and this content especially this video should be copied pasted and shared I think it shows a lot of detail keep up the great work

[@4K_Kings]

Thank you so much!

[@rogerkrueger9333]

Sales could be better for 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc if people would rather consider it instead of waisting money every month $13-15 a month on VPN net work in order to stop throttling of bandwidth into homes.

[@russceasetheruss5360]

People making this connection seems to be a growing trend at least... Not that it will necessarily translate into a return to physical media, but the sentiment is definitely starting to grow amongst casuals.

[@jrlangdon89]

Yes it’s alive like come on , I have over 7300 movies now buy all the time

[@Thecatdrums3]

I’m glad that the guy that runs scam factory was able to gloat about how good the sales have been while continually outputting discs they won’t fix and are filled with nothing but errors

[@TakeScareMedia]

New sud, keep it up guys!!

[@russceasetheruss5360]

Thank you and welcome! - guy on the left

[@jrlangdon89]

Regular Blu-Ray is still amazing picture, toys r us is selling physical media now eh

[@FariyTalePurityAnalyser]

Sony collects your player's data through BD-Live. Sneaky but true. You might be able to turn it off on the player's menus.

[@RandallStevenson]

Blu-ray is also the highest many of us can go, not everyone has the luxury of purchasing 4K TVs

[@Bozlee22]

I don’t think you can buy a TV right now that is NOT 4K maybe 32” sizes

[@RandallStevenson]

@@Bozlee22 can't afford to buy any new TV right now

[@qasimmir7117]

@@RandallStevenson Eventually you will. They will become cheaper.

[@frommatorav1]

Food and rent is the most important thing but eventually you're next TV bought will be a 4k TV. Anything over 40" is only sold in 4k. I was poor in the 90s and managed to buy CRT TVs and VCRs and DVD players. I wasn't a first adopter to any new format except CD. You can buy a 50" LED 4k TV for what a 27" CRT cost back in the day in the early 2000s.

[@ishkapiska4516]

@@qasimmir7117they’re already pretty cheap (although quality of said cheap tv isn’t great..) but you can find 55inch 4K TVs for 400-500$ (cad$)

[@365cineArg]

Fiiiiiight!!! 😂

[@Scifi4life]

Vhs is best

[@ben99ny69]

I use tubi alot and love it for its library of classic and older films. However, I've heard that they censor and even delete scenes from the movies. I dont know the specifics or if it was only for 1 studio that they did it to. But I remembered watching taxi driver and the theater scene was censored (not sure if it was originally censored).

[@ishkapiska4516]

The quality on tubi is pretty bad tho..

[@ben99ny69]

@@ishkapiska4516 Eh, don't really care if true. Watching killer klowns from outer space on it right now so....

[@ishkapiska4516]

@@ben99ny69 it’s fine if you have an old hd tv i guess.. otherwise on a 4K tv it looks like crap

[@ben99ny69]

@@ishkapiska4516 Imagine not watching a movie just cause it isn't in the best quality possible. What a dumb and idiotic way to think.

[@ishkapiska4516]

@@ben99ny69bruh you can get it in physical copy.. on bluray it’ll look and sound much better. Also I never said I didn’t want to watch THAT movie(the the title sounds dumb af) I just said I wouldn’t watch anything on that(Tubi)...Sorry I don’t wanna make my eyes bleed watching some stupid movie in 720p on a 55ich screen🙄 dumbass

[@iwontshareyourdelusion]

Toobi.....or...not....toobi....see what i did there....😂

[@russceasetheruss5360]

I can't be the only one who whenever hearing that phrase immediately hears Arnold saying "NOT to be".

[@knownpleasures]

Streaming services are truly awesome like Paramount plus and Netflix. Tonnes of entertainment at your fingertips and I’m 51 . We need to move on from an old fashioned medium of entertainment like physical media. 4k has gone up in sales but it’s coming from a very low base . You conveniently don’t mention that the rental option no longer exists in physical media which was huge back in 90s for videotapes and 00s for DVD 📀.

[@clifb.3521]

12:35 where da white women at ?

[@karstenquast7503]

Streaming sucks. Long live PM ✊🏻

[@brnbch8]

You would think that you'd support physical media by throwing up links to these smaller studios releasing 4k

[@thiscorrosion3843]

Less ghetto music, and more good background music, please. Stop with the Normie stuff.

[@4K_Kings]

We write/produce all the ghetto normie music you hear on the channel, so that probably won't be stopping anytime soon. We usually switch tracks for each video, so maybe there will be one that doesn't bother you as much!

[@mymangodfrey]

The music is good-ignore this idiot.