Blu-rays are still up for grabs
Today we stream movies. But some things never change — well at least not for me!
I like movies. A lot! Collecting them in a sense of ownership gives me certain pleasure and assurance that I can watch whatever and whenever I want. And I do that quite often. I know what you’re thinking: behold the vanity and #firstworldproblems galore! I’ve heard all that before. Even my family calls me a hoarder — even though I prefer a collector :) But that is my hobby so to speak and I give myself some slack. So I like Blu-Ray discs. Tangible stuff. For someone that could look a bit obsolete today. People apparently like digital these days. Intangible stuff. Technologies emerge at rapid rate now but sometimes I guess it’s ok to stay old fashioned if that makes sense to you. I embrace both. Most of my music library is digital today. Those few CD’s that I own — I listen mostly on Spotify anyway. We get overwhelmed with online read but I still have some magazine subscriptions running. I read books mostly on iPad but I do get some paperback editions from time to time. But movies — I do rarely online.
Format (r)evolution
It goes way back when I used to stock myriad of VHS tapes archiving TV recordings of “American Ninja” series so that I could get back to them as I please. When DVD was introduced I immediately jumped the bandwagon as quality was more than obvious. Supported by affordable entertainment systems of the day it was truly pleasure to enjoy all those flics.
Today’s mainstream are Blu-Rays. In Belgium, where I live, one can really find affordable discs. One can find weekly batches of older and recent production. And Amazon is just a click away. The only downside is never ending shortage of storage space but then I do pick and choose what to buy. So I don’t see any reason not to add few more items now and then. Even some DVD’s are still good to watch today, when HD is default quality. And they have some sentimental value. “Only Fools and Horses” and “Monty Python’s” boxsets probably don’t need an HD upgrade (if there is any). There is a certain charm to watch shows from that period as it is — SD and boxy.
There are so many choices today. And they all coexist perfectly. One can choose to buy SD, HD and 4K discs for an affordable price. And you can do the same while streaming: iTunes offer SD or HD downloads respectively, Netflix can be configured to suck the bandwidth as fast as you can afford. So I don’t see this as a replacement but more as a commodity. You pick and choose.
Going online and staying offline
But digital copies never felt right (in terms of personal library). Sometimes I rent iTunes movies but mostly to catch up on things. What I also find unfair is the price that is put on a digital copy and which is basically equal to a physical medium. I will always support the industry. It’s fair. But intellectual property is just a fraction of price. We all know that. So digital ownership should be much cheaper. And that undervaluation of a digital copy is evident when buying a Blu-Ray disc. You get something tangible (as previously explained), something with cool packaging, design, sometimes with extras (movie cards, posters, even magazines), something that every movie buff will appreciate. And often I get a digital copy merely as a bonus. And all that for the same price as I would buy on any digital marketplace. I did setup my Ultraviolet account and unlocked some movies but never watched it online. What makes sense to me is to watch it while abroad or on holidays but geolocation restriction doesn’t allow it. So what’s the point? Too pricey and too dependable. Maybe that’s the reason why it can’t gain traction on the market:
Streaming is not going to kill physical media. We got the same narrative repeatedly during the course of history. Books, radio, TV… and now digital. We still flip the paper and listen to the radio. I am quite aware that streaming will probably become the market leader in terms of movie distribution but fans will always want an added value to it. I guess that’s why we witness the vinyl revival. There has been a stagnation within Blu-Ray market share lately but bare in mind that that market is greatly diversified now — those consumers are both offline and online.
Streaming and crying
My streaming preference is Netflix. That’s how I perceive television now. I choose what and when to watch. But then… what itches me the most are again — dependencies: network availability and… geolocation. I get the purpose of it but I can’t shake the feeling it causes more damage than good. For legit users it’s a real pain in the butt and for illegal ones it is nothing more but incentive to continue with their practice. And that puts me off from using streaming as a sole way of consuming the content. Some favourite shows or movies get removed from streaming library after some time and I do experience network outages (whether it’s connection or server issues). Never had that problem during weekend marathons browsing through my library. Netflix is great nevertheless. They have amazing production these days and it is worth every buck I give them.
To sum it up
For me digital copies and streaming are an extension, not replacement of the technology. I understand that acquiring physical media is not everyone’s cup of tea these days. A typical user might have changed but there is also greater diversity of choices. So I think everybody is a winner. Physical copy is still the best choice for me but I also adopted other ways to consume the content. Sometime in the future discs will become just an artefact for “Antiques roadshow” but for now, and hopefully during my lifetime, it will be the best thing on the market. And life is good.
