The Future of Physical Media

[Edmund Kattak]

I've been pondering this now for the past month, as I face the prospect of having being forced to re-think my dwelling situation (Another subject).

While much ballyhoo has been made over the HD DVD/Blue-ray format war (Both are going to fail), I think many people are starting to become de-sensed at the glut of programming available on DVD or any physical media. There are so many choices out in DVD’s there that are so affordable that I start to question whether or not it is even worth buying any more. I am running out of room to store this stuff and don’t want to concentrate on building collections that seem to resemble a “half-assed” bourgeois wine cellar.

I have a 6 foot by 6 foot wall rack filled with CD and retail DVD’s that now look like overstuffed shelving. The top shelf has a "Galactica Cylon Head" and various metal tins of special collectibles that are aesthetically analogous to an affluent aristocrat driving around in a Mercedes S class immersed in lame bumper stickers. It looks horrible and cannot be made to look any better.

I don’t want to have to rent self-storage space in order to store my DVD collection, then schedule times when I can visit the storage center to retrieve an episode of BANICHEK from season two. I’m getting too old and prioritized for this crap any more. Yes, I am a geek, but even that’s becoming cumbersome as I hit middle age in a few months.

Where does one draw the line between personal gratification and trying to lead a relatively normal existence? Some of the things that mattered to me so much when I was younger and single no longer matter to me as much, as the years tick on by. I would argue that there are single people my age who need this collective instinct to keep from growing lonely and insane. This is not a bad thing, but one has to recognize that anything is possible in life. You can be lonely for one moment, then suddenly, your soul mate enters and your life takes on a whole new set of priorities. Some of things regarded most dearly now pale in the scheme of building a life. Yes, I still like collecting film music and watching films. These are the two things that have defined the backbone of my life. But I’m not willing to let my life be guided by whether or not I have enough shelf or closet space to house the “Sea-Land Cargo container set” of the BANABY JONES – THE COMPLETE SERIES.

This is where I believe people will want to have access to this stuff, but feel they don’t necessarily have to own it. With HDTV, new content delivery systems (possibly as Apple’s iTV etc.), computer media center integration, and various other attributes, this concept of removable media having any long-term value will slowly fade out. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray have both lost (like DVD-Audio and SACD) in my book. If I’m starting to feel this way about my “stuff”, then I’m sure there others out there that also feel this way.

[AndyDursin]

I believe there is something about physical media and ownership of it that will never completely go away. Microsoft is a huge proponent of digital-on-delivery content, and I think it's going to be viable one way or another, no question, because of its ease of convenience...but I can't ever see physical media, be it a CD or DVD, going away completely.

Downloading something and letting the company have more control over what/when you watch it -- which is precisely what studios and manufacturers want (more control = more money for them, almost like the old DIVX model) -- isn't the same as journeying to stores, looking through racks of titles, and deciding to make a purchase of something that you can hold in your hands.

There's something about that whole element that isn't going to go away. Consumers don't change habits overnight and given how long it's taking HD to take off in this country, I don't see people flocking en masse to digital downloads of video once they figure out they're getting less value for their dollar doing so.

Besides, with Blockbuster, Best Buy, and video stores all over the place, they'll be fighting to keep physical media going.

Plus 2 other factors to remember:

1. Not the entire world has broadband -- one day they will -- but it's essential to participate in the digital-content realm and even then downloads of quality video can take a very long time. Microsoft's "rental" system of HD video on the Xbox Live marketplace, for example, isn't a deal at all -- for, what, $5 or $6 you get 48 hours access to BATMAN BEGINS in HD...which can take HOURS to download and then doesn't offer everything the HD-DVD does...and for $20 you can actually own the whole movie and then all the special features, without it taking up room on your hard drive.

2. Speaking of that, storage is a problem too -- it's going to be years before people have 30000 GB hard drives. I'm not sure, Ed, that we'll see the day when you can place your whole library in your PC. We're years if not decades away from that happening.

As far as having not enough room you need to do what I do every 6 months, Ed, and that's pare down your library -- if I've owned it for 3 years and never wanted to watch it, it's outta there! Seriously, I try not to "collect" and rigorously pare out my discs/lasers/CDs once or twice a year. It's like doing inventory, lol...

[Jedbu]

There is always Netflix, as well. I recently pared down my collection after deciding that a great many of the titles I had are ones that I do not watch very often and if it didn't have a major extras, it was outta here! A friend has access to copying software, and if I really want to keep it, I can ask him to make a copy. I've also consolidated some discs into multi-disc cases to save space (the entire STAR WARS saga fits very nicely into a 12-disc case that is 1/3 the space of the six films).

I've got a rating system that helps me:

a) Is this a film that I can watch again within the next six months? If yes, continue; if no, it goes.

b) Is this a film that I love to share with others? If yes, continue; if no, it goes.

c) Can I live without it for a year or will I scour used bins 100 miles away to get it again for $4.95? If no, continue; if yes, it goes.

d) Do I watch just parts and skip the rest of the film? If no, continue; if yes, it goes.

e) Did I buy it the first day of release, watch it once and stored it away? If no, continue; if yes, it goes.

f) Did I buy it just for the movie, or did the extras influence the purchase? If the former, it goes; if the latter, continue.

And finally-g) If I die with this film in my collection, will my friends go "Ah, what great taste!," or "What the f---?" If the former, keep it; if the latter, it goes.

[AndyDursin]

Jeff,
LOL, that's kind of how I do it as well.

[Paul MacLean]

I never had many prerecorded videocassettes -- I always thought "why bother to buy when I can record them of TV and get the same quality?"

Likewise I never bought many laserdiscs (as they generally retailed for $35-$40!!!).

But DVDs are so cheap, and I can get 'em used off Amazon.com for a song. Also, with a region 0 DVD player I can finally get all those British TV shows which are either unavailable in the US (like Lovejoy) or only available in inferior editions (like I, Claudius). And I admit I did buy the Japanese DVD of the first Harry Potter just to have the title sequence and dialog which says "Philosophers' Stone"!

I also buy more obscure stuff I don't expect to be in print long, which again is usually British TV. I usually don't buy popular, mainstream movies (I don't have any of the Star Wars films, or Lord of the Rings, etc.) because I figure they will always be in print, always rentable at Blockbuster, or be in the collection of a friend from whom I can borrow them.

Also, as a filmmaker I find special features, "making of" pieces and director commentaries an invaluable learning resource. Bless Ridley Scott for all those commentaries!

I admit my collection is bigger than I expected it to be -- and THREE different editions of Kurosawa's Ran is redundant I know! But the initial R-1 DVDs were terrible, so I had to get the Warner R-2, but then Criterion came-out with their R-1 (which is basically the R-2, just transferred to NTSC). It kinda snowballed!

In any case I agree with Andy. I like having the physical media which I can hold in my hand. I've purchased downloadable recordings, but despite the money saved, I prefer CDs.

I've also downloaded a couple of Battlestar Galatica episodes from iTunes, but I find it very inconvenient that you are limited to viewing them on your computer!

Until downloadable media comes with a user-friendly option to burn it direct to disc, as well as printable artwork for your disc case and the disc itself, I'll keep buying CDs and DVDs.

[Monterey Jack]

Like Andy, I tend to thin out my collection fairly often, selling off older titles at a local FYE store for cash or store credit (25% more for the latter). Sometimes it's to make room for a new-and-improved edition of certain titles (last month I sold off about 12 of my old 007 DVDs and got nearly $80 for the lot), and sometimes it's just because I can't see myself sitting down and watching, say, The Relic again for a long, long time. Eventually I'll probably have to get another rack for my DVDs, but I think I can put it off for a year or so as long as I keep pruning out older stuff.

[mkaroly]

These are fun to read. I "Clean out" my DVD and CD collection every now and then. I sued to buy just about anything I had an inkling of buying on DVD when it first came out. I would go to Media Play or Best Buy or wherever every week and pick out new releases. Now I realize I can't keep buying stuff. It costs too much. I enjoy the "hands-on" experience of buying things, but in all honestly there are so many great deals on-line with free shipping that I am now discouraged from going to the stores and shopping for what I want. It doesn't happen often anymore. The quality of service in stores pre-ordering stuff has declined in my opinion. They also try and get you to go to the website and order it if it isn't in stock, which I think is bad customer service (though they have a good point). I do buy DVDs also because i like having a "library" people can come over and choose from when they hang out. I have saved a ton of money doing Netflix and renting movies I don't really need but would have been tempted to buy if they weren't rentable...does that make sense?

CD-wise most of my money goes to film scores and I admit that I have a difficult time parting with any film score CD since it is my favorite genre of music. The music I listen to (progressive rock, film scores, etc.) are not available in stores because not a whole lot of people listen to them. I like having a CD booklet to read or see pictures while I listen to the music. That's the bottom line ofr me. I downloaded CASINO ROAYLE for the bonus tracks, but I like having an actual jewel case in my hand. I don't have an iPod or anything- I just got my first cell phone this summer, so I'm a bit SLOW with technology.

I haven't answered any questions- just thought I'd share.

[Eric Paddon]

I'm a collector by instinct and the shelf space is overflowing with tons of tapes and DVDs accumulated over 20 years and very seldom do I get rid of something altogether. I admit it's an addiction, but to me it's no different than the days of my earlier youth when I collected coins and baseball cards. And I think as a history teacher, I also don't feel bothered by having such a large quantity of baseball telecasts (over 1000 from 1952 to the present) or every presidential election night newscast since 1968, because I recognize that my life will not be spent watching these things on such a frequent basis, but the thrill of collecting and organizing, and having careful lists that tell me what I have is what I think enhances this kind of hobby for me. When I look at my list of baseball games to me it's like seeing the history of the game unfold before me. Likewise with movies and TV because I organize these things chronologically, for me, it's like having history unfold before me in that neat arrangment when it can be done.

Naturally, I'd like to compress space at some point, and if I am fortunate to one day have a situation in life where a family will take priority, then perhaps my instincts will change but I do think this kind of personal archive is something I like to view as a challenge and accomplishment to take pride in, and so while I try to be more dilligent in my choices nowadays (I don't want to make mistakes like X-Files again, which bored me silly) I still foresee my collection expanding for the areas where I am interested in.