What no one will say about Physical Media | 4K Blu Ray

Sometimes you just have to vent!
I just feel like the STREAMING VS PHYSICAL MEDIA discussion isn't including this. I hope this personal breakdown on my media journey from DVDS, to Blu Ray, to Streaming, to 4K Blu Ray gives some insight into how a non collectors mindset is around the current media landscape. Even though I never wanted to be back into physical media, I'm very happy I am!
ANYWAYS I'm excited to keep buildings my 4K Blu Ray collection!
/ @wrnfilm
These are amazon affiliate 🤙🏼
My "Theater" set up:
4k Blu Ray Player: amzn.to/3OlfIES
Soundbar: amzn.to/4bWfIp2
TV: amzn.to/42YiZjv
HDMI Cables: amzn.to/497Bp36
Calibrator: amzn.to/3uW334P
My Kit:
Camera - Red Komodo
Monitor - amzn.to/3LOgKrL
Mic - amzn.to/3tla91F
Recorder - amzn.to/3RKIp0y
Lens Diffusion - amzn.to/3Q3y3Yc
Key Light - amzn.to/48HjFMT
Fill Light - amzn.to/3Q21JVT
iPhone 15 pro Max - amzn.to/3ZD7zQN
External Capture - amzn.to/3LHBkKb
Usb C Cable - amzn.to/3RXRFhU
If ya like medium format film photography:
Favorite Film - amzn.to/3F37GeT
Fav B&W - amzn.to/3PF9SOI

[@petemarshall3512]

I collect physical media for all the reasons you might expect, but there's one reason that I don't think is obvious: the ritual. When you watch a film on disc, there's the ritual of physically choosing a film and then inserting it in the player, and this has been misrepresented as the inconvenience that streaming solves. I disagree. That ritual sends a signal to your brain that it's movie time, that this is what you're doing now. That's what rituals are for, to put you in a particular mind-state, and it's totally lost with streaming. The inconvenience is important.

[@StevieZala]

Oh yes, you are so right. It is so very very satisfying that ritual. Same with vinyl, tapes & CD's. The new (old) Sony DVD/CD player I recently got from Ebay has a jog button. So satisfying twisting that clockwise or anti clockwise.

[@WRNFILM]

@phillipbanes5484 don’t worry! My new 4K discs are staying in their hard cases. Only my DVDs from the 00s are housed in a case.

[@StevieZala]

@@phillipbanes5484 I can completely understand why you would prefer digital, especially if you're partially disabled. That's probably why my Old Man was ripping stuff to drives too. I do love the fact that you're passionate about your collection & have things stored by genre.

[@SkronkJappleson]

I recently started displaying and cataloging all my physical media. I have been collecting casually for several years but it's been ramping up more in the past couple years. 4k Blu Rays especially. It blows my mind how good of home presentations a movie can have now, and it's not available on any streaming service.

[@VoxTurbula]

i don't even think it's inconvenience, i like to search on shelf what i want to watch. However, doing that on a streaming website is just boring as hell

[@hornorsilk2901]

It's not nostalgia. People want their movies, making sure they have access to them, and the movies are not tampered with.

[@itsonlyme112]

I feel like physical media might get a resurgence in the way vinyl has

[@WRNFILM]

Totally agree!

[@rogerkrueger9333]

Right on!!!”

[@matrixman7706]

Absolutely!

[@Nick-4K]

4K Bluray on an Oled just smashes streaming right now. Maybe one day. But for now, it's peak.

[@WRNFILM]

It’s so good. I have LG C1 and love it.

[@Monoxddddd]

Or DVD on an CRT. Oled may burn, but my 19 years old CRT is still alive.

[@wowster-so8sx]

What? VHS is dead?

[@jeremyandrews3292]

Yeah, and imagine trying to stream 8K content. They're already pushing the TVs. Internet connections are not going to be up to that. I suspect physical media may always have a niche among hi-fi enthusiasts who want the best possible video and audio quality. Question is whether that will be enough to keep it alive. Remember, CDs were superior to the average MP3.

[@andrewparke1764]

@@Monoxddddd DVD looks fantastic on a CRT but boy does it look horrendous on anything else.

[@SirEncyTheWray]

I'm lucky enough to still have a real live video store just down the street from me where I can rent discs. It's an amazing feeling.

[@WRNFILM]

Very lucky!

[@robertruffo2134]

I'd go every day!

[@mr_movieguru]

What??? I didn't even knew those still excisted.

[@Ron2600_]

​@@mr_movieguru l have one near me too. Best Video in Hamden CT.

[@mr_movieguru]

@@Ron2600_ in The Netherlands they are all gone.

[@yep8673]

Streaming services see films and shows as "content" to be consumed and forgotten about, not something that you might want to rewatch again and again. The promise of accessibility and preservation is a lie, but most people don't really care. They just want to watch that one show that's really popular that month.

[@sirdropbeartv]

i combine both worlds, buy physical media, rip it to a media sever, then stream it to any device i want.

[@WRNFILM]

It’s such a valuable addition to the physical media conversation. Adding to a server is such a good benefit of purchasing a physical copy.

[@EntertainmentKorner]

I would do that too but storage and servers can cost quite a bit. Especially when a 4k disc is 100GB.

[@sirdropbeartv]

yeh i stick to bluray atm and i have 25GB storage atm @@EntertainmentKorner

[@greenman8]

@@WRNFILM I've been Capturing the video I watch (Reminds me of recording shows in the days of VHS) and recording them to a Hard drive, where I rename it and 1)send it to DaVinci Resolve to edit, or 2) I live with it, 'as is' and save it to an appropriate media folder. I use a traditional Hard Drive for my raw recordings and my media folders are on Solid State Drives. My next step is to either build a NAS or a Server. (Or is NAS a type of server?) Also, in the future I am considering a Video Capture Card (Currently using software to capture/record)

[@greenman8]

@@EntertainmentKorner Overwolf is a free Video Capture Software (They have several to choose from) and DaVinci Resolve(DVR) has a Free version of video editing software. (Very reputable, and worth considering the paid Studio version) Aside from adding SSD space, I would recommend having at least two monitors.

[@KnightShade227]

i loaded up on 4k blu rays over the last couple years (i'll always prefer disks (games, movies, music) over digital), but never had a way to watch them until i got my ps5. i watched endgame in 4k, and it's better than streaming, theaters, any of it. i love collecting, and i'm glad 4kbr isn't super hard to find or expensive

[@WRNFILM]

PS5 has definitely helped more folks get into 4K which is awesome

[@SamDavies94]

4K blu rays look and sound amazing, I wouldn't say they're better than Theatres (in terms of picture or sound quality though).

[@TheEternalOuroboros]

Physical media will always be superior to streaming for sound and picture quality + you actually *own* the film and it can't be taken away if the rights relinquish from Netflix or Prime Video.

[@poiujnbvcxdswq]

No it won`t, we already have the capacity to stream at a bit rate that makes even Blu-Ray look pathetic, nobody has bothered coming up with a faster technology than blu-ray that is ever likely to see commercial use. I agree that owning the film is a huge benefit but i`m sorry for your technical ignorance it is the ONLY advantage.

[@GalaxyTheReal]

@@poiujnbvcxdswq youre forgetting that not everyone owns a gigabit connection

[@TheEternalOuroboros]

Name ONE streaming service that even comes CLOSE to matching the bitrate on a 4k disc. You can't. In the future it's inevitable, however the other factors still stand. @@poiujnbvcxdswq

[@83shadow3]

​@@poiujnbvcxdswq Good luck if there is a internet connection issue. Anywhere form the streaming site to your internet connection. Because if there is one issue anywhere along the line you don't have access to your movies. That's the number one selling point of physical media no internet connection needed.

[@dfirth224]

@@poiujnbvcxdswqWhat are you going to do when the streaming services remove the titles from their libraries? You think it can't happen? Boy, are you in for a surprise.

[@ENygma-rj6fp]

I'm thankful that there are others like me who prefer physical media over streaming.

[@therantingboy]

I'm hunting down movies I love that are seemingly tied up in licensing and legal issues preventing them from being on streaming and becoming hard to find on physical, such as True Lies, Strange Days, The Basketball Diaries etc.

[@WRNFILM]

Hell yeah!

[@Serai3]

When I come across these discussions, I'm always puzzled by the protestations of unavailability when eBay is loaded with copies.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

True Lies is about to be released on 4K and BluRay for the first time.

[@markwilliams5792]

True Lies is available on 4k UHD disk now Basketball Diaries Blu Ray is available on Walmart and Ebay

[@sethm.woodiwiss786]

March 12th 4K releases: True lies 4k UHD, Aliens 4k UHD, The Abyss 4k UHD. Pre-orders are now available.

[@robertlandrum1971]

As someone who just turned 53 recently, I went through the rise of Cable, VHS, Blockbuster, DVD, Limewire, Blu-Ray, Netflix, & Streaming. My best advice on films, music, and physical media is this. If you find a movie, television show, album, etc. that you enjoy, get the physical media now while you still can! In the future I predict, streaming services will become tiered. The cheaper options will contain commercials and possibly be limited in content. The more broad content with little to no advertising will be costly. Yes, we’re going back to Cable Television. So get your physical copy of your favorite movie, shows, or music now. Because the final thing I’m predicting is that these media companies will stop producing physical content to force you to pay for streaming services.

[@matthewrodgers740]

You are 100% correct I recommend people to still purchase physical media that doesn’t require an Internet connection to enjoy because there’s gonna come a day where they’re gonna take that all away and the day that happens is the day that I quit movies TV shows and video games and will just dig out my old-school physical media and plug-in play all day Why the rest of the slave creatures are reliant on computer servers and can sit there and watch loading screens or get halfway through a movie and the service crashes

[@timothymorgan1175]

I have been a huge fan for physical media for years for all the reasons that are happening now. Spend a monthly fee that keeps going up,and losing movies/shows just because the heads of the service wants a tax write off, or pay a one time fee for a physical disk and own it,have a better viewing experience. I will always come back to physical media.

[@Kilakro]

I've recently started doing a digital detox in my life and part of that is starting to acquire movies on physical media again. Naturally like so many others I got rid of all my discs years ago and now I'm regretting it. I've also been buying music that I actually own instead of streaming on Spotify for a lot of the same reasons.

[@jasonforester7292]

Great video. 100% agree. Also, this video isn't negative, it's real. I'm a recent convert from streaming back to physical media. Unsubbed and deleted all the streaming apps, except for Netflix for now because I want to see the last season of Cobra Kai, but after that bye bye. Bought a 4k UHD player and have been slowly building my collection again and am slowly replacing old DVD's I still have with 4k's, if I can of course. The viewing experience alone is BY FAR superior to streaming. That and the experience of physically shopping for it and finding it and the joy I feel if/when I do find it is just awesome.

[@crisbivolaru819]

The quality of this video is pure gold. Long live physical media

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks!

[@BlueHarvey]

If you continue making youtube videos with this quality, you're cannel will absolutely blow up! The quality is REALLY high for someome with "just" 272 subs. Incredible vide, you've got this!

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks!

[@james4flix925]

I think you nailed it, people will realise streaming is an expensive illusion and the discerning person will keep buying discs but not from the shop in town anymore. Netflix had the market mostly to themselves for a long time but now the pie is cut up into too many slices for any one company to make real profit. I think when people get fed up paying the subscriptions they will turn to illegal streaming a bit like the torrent sites back in the day.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

Streaming didn't completely stop my physical media purchases, but it did slow it down. I have always added great films to my collection, even if they were available on a streaming platform, but the 2010s definitely saw me buying less. However, the last few years, especially since 2020, I've gone the opposite route of everyone else. I started buying tons of BluRay and 4Ks. The addition of adverts to streaming, especially if they price out users of the ad-free versions, I expect to be especially damaging to the concept.

[@WRNFILM]

Very similar. If I purchased physical media it would be a Criterion or Arrow release. Something that really made have a disc worth it. But what kicked it into high gear was DUNE. The stream on (then) HBO MAX looked awful. There have been only more benefits of owning discs since then.

[@artridge1]

I personally never stopped. It's really a kind of a golden age for physical media collectors with so many boutique distributors and 4k discs and restorations. Also, great small scale distributors that focus on restoring films never seen in USA, an example company( like two guys): Deaf Crocodile. Another problem with streaming I face often is trying to watch a show or movie and the quality dips to SD for like 10-15 min for whatever reason.

[@TheRedmondGamer]

Let me just take a quick moment to appreciate the INCREDIBLE editing you put into this video. These videos will continue to pick up traction over time. Keep up the great work. Cheers!

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks so much!

[@timpage9424]

I watched so many movies for the first time through Netflix DVD delivery, then through streaming, but I've always collected the ones I've loved the most. But that transition was insane.

[@WRNFILM]

Absolutely insane.

[@LennyNero2019]

I subscribed to Netflix by mail in the early days, 2001-03, primarily to copy anime DVDs and some others to DVD-Rs, as they were expensive then and I was a student. I bought most of it later officially, but I download a lot now, in 2160p that's not being released on disc at all, or on DVD only. I believe they don't want my money by not releasing it, and those files are like VHS recordings of the older days, not really stealing... 😂

[@watchforever1724]

Me too

[@James_Austin]

Wow. Your video is well made and i definitely see your channel growing. Two thumbs way up 👍👍

[@WRNFILM]

Thank you so much 😁

[@jasonleetaiwan]

I wanted to watch Patton on Netflix one night and they took it down at midnight. I bought it on blu ray soon after and realized streaming wasn’t dependable. It’s an additional source for content but not a replacement for physical media. It’s there for us to watch things we don’t want to buy on physical and that’s it. For the true classics, you better have a physical copy so you can always watch it.

[@randylevy]

Newly minted movie and TV physical media collector here. A lot of great thoughts in the video and comments; another thing I like about a lot of physical media are the special features and commentary tracks which are not typically available on streaming. I'm eager to get more insights and info about movies or shows I love.

[@DonnDeVoreMusic]

cancelled all streaming services few months ago. going back to DVD, VHS, CDs, cassette and bit torrents.

[@WRNFILM]

Wow! Haven’t watched a VHS in a long time haha

[@goldengriffon]

Discs are totems. Physical manifestations of ideas, emotions, even relationships with others. Streaming is too hollow to be fully satisfying. Yeah, in most cases you only care about the content and streaming is more than enough. Same with ebooks over physical books. And streaming music over discs or vinyl. But for those things you truly care about beyond their mere pretty colors and sounds, art must be embodied to be fully savored. That's just how our brains are wired.

[@TheTylerpoe]

Hey great video! I had a similar path and experience. Totally agree with those early streaming days as well, I discovered so many films because of Netflix. I started experiencing issues with some titles not playing at all on Vudu or the quality was really poor. Nothing like being in the mood to watch one of your favorite movies but not being able to get through it because of buffering issues. Anyway, I just transitioned back to physical media a couple months ago and it’s been great. I absolutely love all the boutiques like Second Sight, Arrow, Criterion, Vinegar Syndrome, etc., it’s amazing to see the care that they put into their transfers/releases.

[@WRNFILM]

100%. Criterion has been an amazing resource. Looking forward to digging more into other boutique brands.

[@TheTylerpoe]

@@WRNFILM yeah and while I know physical media will never be what it once was, I’m totally ok with that. The products that these boutiques are putting out, have restored my faith and then some. Especially the limited edition sets, they’re just so damn cool.

[@cameronboushehri9423]

I find that really hard to believe that Blu-ray’s, DVDs and even books are considered going out of style. Physical media is the perfect alternative for whenever Wi-Fi is not available. And not to mention the bonus features on Blu-ray’s and DVDs as well, which streaming does NOT have.

[@Daniel__Nobre]

We shouldn’t keep saying that being critical and pragmatic equals being negative. I really liked the video. Thank you for sharing!

[@WRNFILM]

Absolutely!! Just wanna be positive about the current state of media…even if it’s tough haha

[@Daniel__Nobre]

@@WRNFILM Yeah, I understand haha I just mean that I know that people look into social media content to get either validation or that "dopamine" bump, and maybe its because very recently I've been reading a lot of comments in youtube videos where people do complain about "negativity", but I just hope we don't start conflating criticism, critical thinking and pragmatism - which are things that you so perfectly displayed in your video - with being negative. They are very different things. Anyway, again, great video.

[@stephendevore9926]

I'm 58 and still use my dvd collection. With streaming it's becoming an elephant 🐘 in the room.The movie BARBARIAN will not be released on physical media so your left with Bootleg copies to fill the physical media void. It's creating an a marketing option for those hard to find movies or shows. Simply many of these Bootlegs are very good quality and you cannot tell that they are a knock off.Streaming is listed as CONTENT a dirty word the devalue the streaming animal for lack of a better word. At the moment I use all options because I can to always have access to basic movies. So when something or the access option 🤔 is limited .I can play any of my favorites regularly. But that not always possible. The streaming services are at crossroads to where they haven't to many options equal to slim and none in reality. If the consumers get screwed over they will revolt instantly. That could bankrupt these services no matter how big they are .Turn The Virtual Page🤔.

[@watchforever1724]

Me too

[@Daniel__Nobre]

You are so right! Streaming has changed. A lot. Netflix became quantity over quality. It’s all about trends and algorithms. Just look at how KZbin works now.. the actual “any person can create content” is dead now. Social Media killed organic dissemination and KZbin just followed as well.

[@WRNFILM]

Well said

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

"Netflix became quality over quality" - Did you mean quantity over quality?

[@Daniel__Nobre]

@@ApolloT-vp5dn Yes, corrected. Thank you for mentioning it.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

@@Daniel__Nobre Haha!! I wasn't trying to be that annoying person on the internet who corrects everyone's grammar. Just wanted to make sure 😀

[@Daniel__Nobre]

@@ApolloT-vp5dn No worries. Makes sense. Glad you did :)

[@realmchat6665]

There is someplace in between, where you keep a library of movie rips on a removable drive, so as not to be dependent on internet service or a streaming subscription and the whims of those deciding what content to add and drop.

[@WRNFILM]

100%! A Plex (or services like it) server are a great option.

[@Nina.playdead]

Amazing video! Love the pacing and editing! Here’s a few things I started doing. • I bought an iPod classic to move away from an algorithm sending me the same music over and over again, surprisingly you can find a lot of music online for free and iPod’s are mod-able. • Started buying blurays after realizing the movies I purchased on KZbin can’t be downloaded to my pc. • I got rid of all my streaming services because of the all price hikes and overconsumption, I did keep criterion though because they have an amazing film collection. Its it’s funny, the online spaces I am around a lot people are starting to buy physical things again, but in IRL spaces I get called in nostalgic nerd who wants to hold onto the past when in reality I’m just trying to save some money and I’m tired of algorithms telling me what to watch and listen to. It’s kinda hard finding new things when you’re constantly spoonfed specific things based off of your history, it made me feel like I was in the box and I needed to get out.

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks for the compliment! I haven’t tried the iPod classic, but I might need to try it now. I complain I have about streaming but always exclude Criterion, Mubi, and Kanopy! I get the feeling that those IRL folks will come around.

[@Sacromento80085]

The problem with streaming is you don’t own them. The thing about physicalized media is you own it. As long as you dont break it you will own it for as long as the disc lasts

[@CharlieB3723]

Totally agree wholeheartedly. I went back to physical media about a year ago and haven’t looked back. There’s so much PM out there, you’re spoilt for choice.

[@WRNFILM]

We truly are 🤙🏼

[@excelsiormoviereviews]

I also live in Indianapolis and I still collect Blu Rays and 4K Ultra HD discs. I recommend everyone watch this entire video. I’m also a KZbinr.

[@WRNFILM]

Hell yeah!

[@WorldMoneyWins]

Really good points! As a physical guy, I like the counterpoints you brought up. I'm still going to keep expanding my collection. :-)

[@WRNFILM]

Right there with ya!

[@adamwest3637]

Heroes get remembered but legends never die -The Sandlot

[@MattTathamis]

I make a digital backup of every movie I buy (granted I am bit behind after the holidays). I should eventually get a plex server going

[@WRNFILM]

I tried to make this video as streamlined as possible so I removed a section talking about all the various ways a physical disc can be a value proposition. Adding it to a Plex server is a great one.

[@JulianDeBacker]

Great video! Also love the intentional typo in 'Steaming age' (5:41)

[@yourdogsnews]

the “they could just remove it” has been a reality since 2006 or so when microsoft removed purchased software from peoples Xbox 360 hard drives. Personally I have always been a real media guy. I have always bought hard copies of movies music and software whenever I could. It is not hard in the case of movies and music to store the contents on a local NAS or something and if your digitized collection get wrecked for some reason, you always have the physical back up to restore it. I also don’t like paying monthly for access to something, just let me buy it if I want it.

[@Downhuman74]

Another thing people don't tell you about physical media -- you're more likely to revisit a title when you own it physically. You buy something digitally (or stream it), you watch it once and you'll likely never watch it again. Because the services are constantly pushing you to something else - usually something that they paid a lot money to purchase the rights for (or produced themselves). They don't care about what you actually want to watch.

[@mitchellangelo86]

Fantastic video. I am a huge advocate of physical media, and love to see videos like this spreading the word.

[@WRNFILM]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@peakoil-ko5oq]

Physical media 100% , im over 1800 moviesbin my collection. Only Blu-ray and 4k

[@Superdimensional]

For me, I enjoy the collecting aspect. The packaging, insterts, bonus discs it’s all part of the experience. The steel books have taken my hobby to the next level, I really feel like I own a piece of nostalgia and movie history. It’s been so long now collecting that as someone said it has just become sort of “ritualistic”.

[@WRNFILM]

Well said!

[@watchforever1724]

Great video definitely something interesting for you I never used streaming til 2017

[@Summer_and_Rain]

I am doubling down on games and movies. I have realized the important of having what I like and it also feels kind of nice having something in your hand.

[@WRNFILM]

Absolutely 🤙🏼

[@mysticfellow9843]

I work at a library and it's just so much nicer to check out DVDs at ease, without the hassle of looking around within the plethora of streaming options. If you're a cinephile, it's tough to keep up with great movies unless you have 3+ streaming subscriptions (which is insane and expensive. Criterion alone lacks a lot of great titles as well). You'd be surprised at the amount of obscure/foreign films - as well as classics - you'd find at a library that you otherwise wouldn't find on any streaming platform. It's old school and unreliable in a lot of ways, but worth it if you 're tired of dealing with streaming mishaps.

[@WRNFILM]

Couldn’t agree more! I love Criterion and Mubi as streaming resources but they do come with a price tag. Libraries offer so much! I wish more people also knew about Kanopy as an additional free resource. It’s one of the few streamers I advocate for.

[@StevieZala]

I'm just an old fart & don't get along with streaming. It's very well produced mediocrity these days, especially Netflix. Plus all that searching to find something meh, at best. I've gone back to my cupboard of DVD's now my Husband has departed this mortal plain. He was a bugger for finding stuff online. Oh God, what is on all those additional hard drives? Great vid, totally understand your nostalgia for 'the good old streaming days'.

[@RANDOMUSEDNAME]

The one flaw of Physical media, is a House fire so its better to keep all your stuff in some Vault to protect them or a protective case

[@bunny-mi2yw]

Yeah, very true and I was just about to comment this and don’t hear much about this.. because this happened to me in December and now I don’t know what to do. I still think physical media is extremely important and so are backups but I don’t think I’ll collect as much again and will be very cautious in what I want vs need .. 😅

[@betag24cn]

i love to have discs and no optical drive where to read them the simplicity of not needing to burn discs and figth with optical drives made netflix prosper in no time, i dont miss it much tbh, only when i dont have internet i miss that, and not much tbh

[@watchforever1724]

Actually as a kid I always got it on physical media and still love it as a young adult and I’m 25

[@wezbeh4363]

Bro I used to live by that exact same Blockbuster in Indianapolis when I was a kid! Great video btw

[@WRNFILM]

No way! That’s crazy man

[@johnwallace3861]

I still have a blue ray 6 player at i still called dvds to this day because i onley such Disney +

[@andrewparke1764]

I collect discs for the A/V quality alone. The best package is the feature film on one high bitrate UHD disc and then a second HD disc with the extras.

[@MrGhostown81]

I do the same thing with music. I noticed stuff taken down from Spotify. So I still have my CDs and backed them up on a hard drive. There was a Japanese group called Billie Idle that when they disbanded, all their music got wiped off the internet, except for a few music videos on youtube.

[@Dredd2042]

I do both streaming and physical media. The reason I started collecting is because with physical media, you can't have that taken away from you.

[@alxcia]

I understand that most of the videos about physical media vs streaming focus on the US/Canada and Europe, but the real importance of physical media (apart from preservation), specially DVD, is the rest of the world. While streaming is certainly an option in many developing countries, DVDs are still the most cost-effective way of delivering movies and shows in most parts of the world. They can be borrowed and traded, players and compatible TVs are rather inexpensive, and the DVD catalogue far surpasses that of blu-rays (due to its open licensing). The only thing that's more accessible than DVDs in piracy, which is also considered fair play in many parts of the world that studios and distributors would never care for.

[@WRNFILM]

Thank you for the additional context to the conversation. I came at this video as a “personal doc” seeking to highlight my lived experience, fully aware it is informed by both my country of origin and privilege.

[@doublebillmovies]

Nicely put together video. It's a hard topic to cover. On one hand some of us want to help the environment so streaming is the way to go and people just happy to watch a film not paying much regard to the quality of its presentation, streaming is ideal for them. Except now they are starting to learn about licensing and how their subscription really works and might be thinking twice. I stopped purchasing from Prime quite quickly for that reason. Then theres us who want to be in control of our collection and for me anyway, to see films in the best format possible. I'm definitely an Advocate for the Physical Media camp as I worked in the industry for 10 years as a QC Technician. On my KZbin channel it allows me to give out a little more information than most other Physical Media channels, regarding the discs that is. So I'm definitely no a streaming person accept to my advantage on try before you buy. Trevor

[@WRNFILM]

Absolutely a hard topic. I could probably make a 2nd and 3rd video with all the talking points I left on editing room floor.

[@rsolsjo]

I use all three: physical, streaming, digital purchases. They all have their strengths and drawbacks, and I genuinely think anyone who likes movies should try them all for at least a couple of months. Physical is far from perfect, so are the other options. I essentially see them as tiers now: I just want to watch something? Streaming (or digital rental). I want to collect a little more casually (the way I used to buy bargain discs in stores)? Digital purchase. I LOVE the movie with my whole heart and want it around? Physical.

[@johncasey5594]

I transitioned from my DVD case to media on a media server early 2000's. I never fell for streaming services. I have over 6,500 movies, over 1,600 TV series. I don't get the lure of physical media. If you have a decent collection, you need to devote a room to it, there is dusting, inventorying, etc. If you ever have a fire, flood, etc., you are screwed. If you are comfy in bed, you have to get up eject what you are watching, go into whatever room has your media, find wheat you want to watch, put the old one back, return to your room, put the new one in and crawl back into bed. Nope, not me, I can switch between any movie, TV series, music track, gaming console emulator or even KZbin without leaving my comfy bed. I backup my media server onto 2.5" external drives. I can literally hold my collection in the palm of my hands. I am sorry, I don't see any benefits to physical media or streaming, only negatives compared to media on hard drives.

[@paulrose319]

just didn't have the net speeds 26/2700 dvd and blu rays in my collection of Couse i stream as swell

[@paulf6973]

I think of streaming like rental. It's a great means of finding new content, and enjoying 'event' programming worth seeing at least once. But physical media is my thing for preserving films and series I'll be going back to. Not relying on some licencing arrangement between companies, or hoping it won't be edited the next time I return to it. It's not healthy to be surrounded by stacks and stacks of discs you're never going to watch again, but there's nothing wrong with having a selection of classics that mean something to you

[@lacriptavideoclub]

I still have one of those from the 90’s. It’s not that beat up 😂but not great either. I actually made a video last night about video games rentals back in the late 80’s (in Spanish language tho) but I touched the importance of saving our physical games and movies and how they have (in some cases) a story behind them that takes you back to those years collecting movies or games. Great video!! I’ll be checking out more of your stuff 👏🏽👏🏽

[@SunyJim]

I think that physical media is coming back into the conversation because companies are more and more trying to get a subscription model and take away your ability to actually own anything. Netflix may be a huge number of movies, but the day you stop paying, no more access. Game companies also are talking about purchases, not as something you own, but purchases* something that is temporarily yours while we have the license rights and feel it's worth while to host this data. Am i looking forward to buying a $500 4k blueray player to update my old DVD player (I went computer after DVD and skipped bluray) and then going online and to stores to buy movies again? Ugh. no. For now I'm on Plex and I sail the high seas in search of movies and shows. It's a lot of money to lay out, and almost everybody says there is only Panasonic in the player business, Sony is big glitchy, and the others are tiny names with big price tags.

[@WRNFILM]

The Panasonic is on my radar. My Sony X700 has (thankfully) not been buggy.

[@definingslawek4731]

A little off topic but I find it heart breaking how most music videos for music I like are uploaded to youtube in 1080p or worse. 1080p itself is a fine resolution but the problem is youtubes bitrate for 1080p is horrendous to the point where if the video is anything other than a talking head video with 95% of the frame being unmoving, the image is heavily compromised. With movies you can have the definitive experience of the theatrical release or you can have like a 50GB video file on a bluray disc, but music videos are mostly filmed by pro filmmakers on cinema quality gear, and yet the only place the work is destined to be experienced on is on youtube in 1080p lol. The worst part is, even if it was recorded in 1080p, simply uploading it at 4k would give people a much better experience. I'm starting to see a few music videos by smaller artists I like getting posted in 4k though which is giving me hope.

[@billybarnett2846]

This about laziness. People not wanting to get up, look through a bunch of discs, and load it into a machine. Physical media was a journey because inthe beginning you had to leave your home to get it. I get it. I haven't been in a movie theater since Spiderman. The first one with Tobey McGuire. I rented for a decade until all the stores closed up. I went down a rabbit hole online and found you could watch things for free if you wanted to.

[@SolitaryWolf]

Your text overlay of “I own a digital copy“ is a dream they allow one to have. The term they should be using is lease. They can, per the ToS remove “your” copy and one does not have any legal standing.

[@Cincinnatis5StarBarber]

I was right there with you. Sold all of my physical media. I own over 800 movies on ITunes. But you simply cannot find ALL the movies you want on steaming. And maybe you, but not me. I will NOT sacrifice picture quality and sound for being lazy from the ease of streaming. What happens if your streaming gets taken away? What happens if your internet is down? What happens if streaming takes away your purchases? Not to mention, my 4K movies look awesome up on my walls! So yeah, i left, but im back to physical! I’m with both, but i cant just count on streaming 🤙🏻

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

I never really got into streaming movies and shows. DVDs and BDs are better quality without wasting your Internet bandwidth. There's maybe one BD I want to buy a year. One BD costs much less then 12 months of many streaming services because movies are scattered across different platforms. When Discovery started removing content that people had bought, it's like, what did you expect? You're having someone else watch your stuff knowing full well they could just throw it out at any time to free up space. The only way to make sure content is available is to buy it on physical media and take care of it yourself. If physical media goes away, it may be that the only way to watch some content is on physical media or piracy. Piracy doesn't help anyone, so keep buying physical media to give publishers a reason to keep making discs. Even if stores stop selling discs on location, you should be able to get them online which is probably where it's going.

[@matthewrodgers740]

The Internet destroyed everything it should’ve never became a thing

[@Jojken]

Nice video! I may be sub #300. What a movie btw! Maybe it´s only me but I did not buy a 4K TV until this year and for that reason I have not been interested in UHD until now. My 50" plasma from 2013 is still going strong and I have a hard time letting it go. My new 83" LG C3 will hopefully physically kick me on a path for a new journey. I have not unboxed it yet! Written on my old panny 🤗

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks for the sub! I get the feeling you’re going to love your LG.

[@RetroTechSelect]

Definitely a different take and one that I think a lot of folks who haven't returned to physical media yet can relate to.

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks! Hope it can reach folks still on the sideline.

[@austinacl02]

WOAH, Frostwire. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time...

[@firehawk128]

Not sure if this was on purpose, but really got Johnny Harris vibes from this.

[@WRNFILM]

Not on purpose. I hadn’t heard of him till your comment, but 100% see it 🤙🏼

[@ElliotCoen]

I really loved the video and agree with you on so much. It’d be great to have a chat with you someday! Cheers

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks so much! I’d love to chat anytime haha.

[@watchforever1724]

Honestly physical media was always there for me as a kid while streaming exist if you ever want to rewatch with family and audiences it’s better in my opinion

[@MrOnyxWolf]

It's a good thing I've never wrote off physical media in my life. As of recently, I've been slowly, but steady, moving into blu-rays. However, not enough to write off DVD's however. I don't swing that way. Flexibility is key for me. Plus, DVD's are affordable which is a important factor when costs are concerned. To me, holding a DVD/Blu-Ray/HD-DVD in my hand of my favorite film is more meaningful, tangible, & genuine. streaming offers NONE of that for me. Yes, I mention HD-DVD. Let's not forget the fallen titan. The only I don't do is rip my discs onto my HDD & flash drives. Only because it's just not me to do so. That said, I'm noticing that people are now realizing the downsides of streaming & how bad it has gotten. Especially with Crunchyroll getting rid of their customer's digital copies. It seems all that is making people go back to physical media. In fact, I welcome it. If this keeps DVD's around for a longtime, then let it be so. Bluntly.

[@TransCanadaPhil]

I’m surprised your DVD binder from only 2009 (what feels like just a few years ago) is so beat up. I have similar DVD binders from 2001-2002 era that I still use to house my Blu-Ray recordable backup archives of various data that I still use to this day. BD-R is great for cold storage, un-DRMed audiobook archives, etc, that kind of thing. I still burn new BD-R discs, stick it in one of those binders and sit it on shelf for 20+ years. Heck that’s what I did for my DVD-R archives from 2001-2002, they survived intact. So those binders will be great for another 20 years at least of cold storage BD-R discs. It’s still probably the best way to maintain your personal archives of data in cold storage over the long term even today.

[@WRNFILM]

That case was made of pleather and used throughout college. I could not tell you what manner of alcohol was spilled on it but I have no doubt that hastened its demise.

[@skyler2020]

Very great video

[@WRNFILM]

Glad you liked it!

[@PaulTimothy]

i love the acesssibility of streaming but 1080p blu rays look better than 4k streaming half the time

[@WRNFILM]

couldn't agree more

[@AmbientGoofball]

u deserve more subs

[@WRNFILM]

Thanks! Spread word haha

[@BartRos1980]

Still have mine. Dvd was a great experience

[@mt8956]

I still buy physical media and rip them in ISO files the ones I want to keep the menus and bonus content. The rest are made into MO4 or MKV files. Once I have a big enough storage I’ll keep everything in both formats ISO for back up and the other formats for my local server

[@richardvillafana8111]

I not only think that physical media will make a resurgence, I also think there is an outside chance that we might see the resurrection of 3D TVs and 3D media. I have literally thousands of DVDs, BluRays, 4Ks and have no intention of quitting purchasing them.

[@83shadow3]

The way I see it is both have their place streaming is good if you never seen it before. Along with if you don't mind if you see it again. Along if you don't care about things like bonus features like deleted scenes an other things. But if you like the movie or show an you know you will want to watch it again. Along with want to see bonus features like deleted scenes an what have you. Then you get it on physical media that why you can watch it any time you want an it can't be altered. Along with the fact that only physical media comes with bonus feature. No streaming service has those. So both have their places it just depends on what you want. That being said I have a big physical media collection an its still growing.

[@bacarandii]

You're right: Video streaming has returned us to the antiquated cable TV business model of the '80s to the '10s, where consumers pay for all kinds of garbage they DON'T want and the artists (I refuse to use the term "creatives") get screwed out of the royalties. I used to have ALL the premium cable channels, then switched to the corresponding and conglomerated streaming services: Netflix, HBO Max (now just Max), Criterion, Showtime, Hulu, AppleTV, TCM... I even had Disney for a VERY short time. Now I've gotten rid of almost everything but Criterion. I get Sling for live news only -- and am trying to find a way to eliminate Fox from the package, but I think I'm stuck with paying for baseless fascist propaganda that I don't even watch.

[@EntertainmentKorner]

Why you putting your discs in a binde? Don't you want to keep them in good condition?

[@WRNFILM]

Only my old discs that have lived in a binder since 2009. New discs are safe in their case.

[@EntertainmentKorner]

@@WRNFILM okay! Phew

[@stitchfan_8290]

I have never used streaming. Well not paid streaming any way free KZbin with ads yes. Why did I never try streaming? Because my internet was crap. KZbin buffers at 720p and some time at 480p. Yes, my internet is still crap.

[@Fullbatteri]

Twin Peaks is the reason I went back to physical media.

[@WRNFILM]

OG or The Return?

[@matthewrodgers740]

The digital age is for the digital slave creatures. I am physical media for life.

[@MrVidification]

Both digital purchases and streaming of any media should be seen as a form of rental, given you are not in full control and the middleman between you and what you play, listen or watch can modify the content or take it away from you at any time.

[@iio58]

I hate to the lie of a line so many spin “we have streaming now. We can watch anything and everything whenever we want” 🤦🏻‍♂️ Jesus, no. Not once since streaming began have I ever sat here and thought “I’m really in the mood to watch X film” and found it on ANY streaming platform. Netflix has less than 0.5% of movies made at any one time. I’d hardly call that anything, or everything. It’s also not whenever you want. It’s we’ve THEY LET YOU watch from whatever dismal choice they have allowed you to watch that month by adding and removing titles from their services. I’ve always bought physical and always will. But I’ve got so fucked off with dire streaming my physical media purchases has gone through the roof. 83 brand new Blu rays and 4Ks bought this last 5 weeks alone to give me some decent choice on a night. Not the latest blockbuster or teen grand streaming services allow you to bore yourself with

[@Jesus.X]

I think I still have a cd/dvd holder from like the year 2000 in my garage lol. I sold my dvd collection in 2017 that was a dumb move.

[@WRNFILM]

Ugh! I was so close to that too. Well definitely not to late to start rebuilding that collection 🤙🏼

[@tomelew8465]

This could have been me speaking. Great video! Thanks.

[@WRNFILM]

Glad to hear it!

[@Disthron]

...why is it so messed up though?!

[@WRNFILM]

HA! It made out of pleather from 2009 and started falling apart. The poor case went through a lot.

[@stonesfan285]

The quality is better with Blu-rays. I have had so many problems with digital 4K stuff where 4K isn't supported because I don't have x device or all this stuff about how you don't own it, service is down today, etc. I own my favorites on Blu-ray. I have 8 of those 336-disc cases in my cabinets under my TV with all my stuff in it.

[@WRNFILM]

4K is a frustrating upgrade…but it did bring me back to physical media.

[@stonesfan285]

@@WRNFILM Other people may disagree - but 4K Blu-ray has to be the most disappointing physical media format of my lifetime. The improvement going from VHS to DVD was huge, going from DVD to Blu-ray was huge. But 4K Blu-rays seem like they're a barely noticeable upgrade most times. The only difference I see is HDR for newer movies. For older movies it seems like they just color them differently. I think one of the big problems is the format is overrun with 2K upscales. That and I absolutely hate opening up a new 4K Blu-ray and the thing is scratched. They make them in Mexico now and the quality control is terrible. I sold the few I had and went back to regular Blu-ray and I'm happy with those.

[@pagus6616]

I've been heavy on nostalgia for a couple months here, but yeah, there are so many reasons to return to physical media beyond it. With streaming, not only can what you want to watch be removed (Even AS you're watching a title it can be deleted!), but titles are shuffled between streaming services like the world's most expensive game of hackey sack. (The dude-bro comparison to streaming services I think makes sense, lol.) Before you can even settle in to watch anything, you need to figure out what service it's streaming on that month and whether you need to pay extra for any additions to your existing subs. Then there's the matter of choice - it sounds good in theory, having access to so much media near-instantly, but lost is the art of discerning whether a piece of media is *for you*. Back in the day, you'd have to have seen a trailer for a film/show or hear of it from someone, look for a copy of the VHS/DVD/Blu Ray, bring it home, then find the time to settle in and watch it. There was ritual involved, respect for the media. Now it's all too easy to fall into a binge hole, churning through titles without giving a one of them a second thought. Is it possible to use streaming to enjoy media intentionally? Of course it is! But you still have to deal with annoying/shady business practices from the streaming companies (Like making their lowest tier subscriptions have ads, paying customer or not) as they continuously try and push you into spending MORE money with them. I haven't gotten started yet, but I plan to cancel all my subscription services. I'll replace tv/movies with physical media also backed up on an NAS server, allowing me to own my physical collection and enjoy the benefits of streaming content I own to any device in my home. Music? I plan to drop Spotify, go back to buying CDs, rip the tracks from them and store them on a good old MP3 player - there are lots of good new options available! Video games? I've fallen into a pattern of buying games digitally for a few years now, but I plan to go back to buying physical copies, also backing them up digitally to use on a variety of handheld platforms available now - again, having the same benefits of this digital ecosystem, but truly owning my own media again. It's really the only way to go until streaming companies and industries get the message and get back to providing value, not headaches.

[@jessechristensen6028]

I think to the crux your point the reason physical media may come back, is dissatisfaction With the streamers. i’ve told this to my friends, saying I understand why no one wants to buy it in college, but when you have a home and have your own place, have a few of your favorite titles, not just the movies any piece of media. A book, a piece of music anything.