‘Rental places will surge back’: readers on the fight to preserve physical media

‘A reluctant necessity for space reasons’

At home we have been getting into the habit, when we identify (a knack in itself!) a show or movie we are confident we will want to re-watch, of ordering an inexpensive DVD copy.

Related: The film fans who refuse to surrender to streaming: ‘One day you’ll barter bread for our DVDs’

At the end of 2020, when we moved to a new apartment in a different part of Seattle, I threw out bin bags full of VHS tapes. While a reluctant necessity for space reasons, I strongly suspected we might regret this. As it turns out, even we had not anticipated just how fast and strong the move would be for TV channels to start charging to view the kind of old content (from Jaws to Airplane! to vintage dramas) almost literally overnight after that binning date! MountainAspect

‘Ultimately wind up as future landfill’

I quite like the idea of owning a DVD collection whose shelves I might browse like a rental store.

However, I can’t shake the notion that most of the valued things we amass in life will ultimately wind up as future landfill for the next generation to deal with. I am also very conscious of some day taking on the burden of disposal or redistribution of my various interests, or leaving that process to my next of kin whomever that may be. The idea of owning even a small DVD collection extensive enough to cover all the bases fills me with dread in that regard. I think of my grandparents and their accumulated belongings of their lifetimes that ended up in boxes destined for the dump, the attic in my parents’ house, or charity stores. TypeONegative

‘The difference in quality … is considerable’

Maybe I’m a Luddite, but I haven’t really caught on to this streaming thing.

I’ve watched films on Disney+. The picture on new films is often too dark (a complaint which a few people I know have complained about). Older films are often shown in the wrong ratio, or the soundtrack is poor. I’ve just subscribed to Prime Video for TV shows for my boy to watch, and haven’t tried searching for any films yet. Somehow I doubt that the films I want to see will be available.

I’m lucky in that I still have a local HMV store. Nothing beats walking in there, mooching for an hour or so and picking a Blu-ray. The difference in quality between streaming and watching a film on physical media is considerable. After Hours, Eraserhead, Boogie Nights, Naked, The Conversation, The Passenger … The more casual film fan might enjoy their Netflix and chill, but the more serious film fan would prefer their shelves full of physical media. TheManWithoutFear

‘This current phase sucks’

Rental places will surge back, it may take a while but will happen, nostalgia for one and also the new experience of it for others. Like the article says with the resurgence of vinyl, which has boomed again. The more that original fans and younger generations realise they can’t see the real thing the market will adapt. But yeah this current phase sucks, especially [with] streaming pulling titles left and right. MrUsername2014

‘The hype is real’

I recently cancelled my streaming subscriptions and begun a nascent collection of “final format” 4K Blu-rays.

The hype is real: the quality is exceptional, with none of the micro-drops in visual and audio quality you get with streaming. Some discs are particularly well-optimised for the format – Oppenheimer is a prime example of this (viewing it on 4K disk with a set of good quality headphones is three hours very well spent). Villeneuve’s Arrival also looks great.

As for a player, it gives my PS5 something to do as I rarely have time to play 20-hour-plus games these days. bluejay2011

‘Household budgets are stretched’

I can only speak for myself but I think the streaming industry will eventually come to regret attempting to lock their customers in. Because sadly household budgets are stretched and paying for a streaming service costs money. And there is not just one of them. There is a load of them in competition with one another, where do you stop?

At least if the movie or whatever is on DVD or Blu-ray the customer is only committing to a one-off purchase. So these companies and the movie industry in general may well find themselves losing out on a lot of downstream revenue. Whilst [being] under great pressure to make sure they keep customers entertained. And clearly from this subject many of us still like to be able to purchase movies on a disk. Buzz2023

‘I have switched back’

Honestly, I switched over to the streaming platforms for a while, both with movies and with music, but have found that I have switched back. Not only because the platforms would remove what I wanted (movies and shows), but (at least in terms of music) literally a platform change meant that I would “buy” the music, but not really buy it, and therefore, since they decided to change how they did things – I lost my money and no longer owned the music, because I never actually bought it in the first place. My wallet disagreed. That was enough to sour me on this whole thing. Plus, DVDs are so much cheaper in the end and you actually OWN them. BeaconofHopeWari

‘So much clutter’

So much clutter. I keep CDs, but they are in disc folders. The cases go in the bin. Heresy to some, but a compromise I’m comfortable with. SevenHigher

‘I am not a fetishist of the format’

Owning films in digital form is just too convenient for me to go back to physical. I keep buying DVDs and Blu-rays of films that are not available in digital of course, but it’s not that many, and it feels like an effort to take the DVD out it case, go to a DVD reader, start it etc … While in in digital I can start the film in seconds wherever I am. I am not a fetishist of the format or of the support, I just want to be able to watch a film I love whenever I want and wherever I am and only digital can offer it. bf_silvertown

‘I never got into it until DVDs came out’

Owning movies was never as popular as owning books or music (CDs, records, tapes). I never got into it until DVDs came out.

What I miss about the prevalence of physical media is going to someone’s house and seeing their book/record/DVD collection and getting an idea of their interests. And then you have something you can talk about. Jjfbjj

‘The biggest loss of films since the old studio vault fires’

We’re going through the biggest loss of films since the old studio vault fires. And I know people will say, oh, this or that unavailable film still exists somewhere. But if nobody can ever see it, so what?

And besides, digital formats change frequently. One day, every digital copy of a film will be obsolete. Will Disney or whoever go to the effort and expense of transferring all their popular films to new formats? Of course.

Will Disney or whoever go to the effort and expense of transferring thousands of films that haven’t been made available in years, and which have probably been forgotten, listed in some database that hasn’t been accessed in a long time? Very unlikely. SonOfTheDesert

‘I no longer live like a mad hoarder’

Two years ago I gave thousands of DVDs and Blu-rays to charity shops. I no longer live like a mad hoarder and have much more peace of mind. There are so many old and new works to watch that in decades I never re-watched any of the discs I had purchased, in fact I gave away hundreds still in shrink-wrap. I could have paid off my mortgage if streaming had been available 30 years ago. RGouveia

‘A course in film-making’

One of the reasons I bought so many DVDs over the years, and continue to do so, is because of the bonus content like the director’s commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and interviews with cast and crew. David Fincher’s Seven may exist on some random streaming service, but the DVD commentary tracks alone are on par with a course in filmmaking. Sagarmatha1953

‘DVDs are fragile and will not last forever’

Still have all of my DVDs and am buying new ones as well. I will keep them as many films are not always or never available on streaming services. The only problem is that DVDs are fragile and will not last forever. Same goes for DVD players. I had just recently thought of buying a new DVD player as a spare. I do use streaming services as well but they are very limiting and I do not always find what I’m looking for especially when it comes to “older” movies, eg 1920s, 1930 - 1970s. The other day I watched the original Ladykillers again :) Its recent remake is a no go. abot

‘It’s not one or the other’

For me it’s not one or the other. Streaming (via the usual platforms) has its place. It allows you to watch films you may not choose to watch, or try something different etc. And physical media allows you to have your own collection, either of films not available to stream, or those films you want to own as you watch over and over again. IronMorg007

‘A badge of honour for the wealthy’

Physical media has become a badge of honour for the wealthy with a big enough house with enough space to store it. Vinyl records are mainly a middle-class boom for “man caves” rather than a superior choice. I sold off all my CDs, DVDs, vinyl, etc as I simply don’t have the space. Those with the space happily fill it with a physical media library. tjhvaliants