Thank you all for watching and welcome new subscribers! I appreciate your kind words and feedback on the newest essay! I can see that the most common criticism on this video is my lack of information on the quality of streaming vs discs. I do agree that I didn’t go into much finer detail of the technical aspects. Though this could be a subject I can tackle for a video essay on its own. I think most of the topics I briefly covered could probably have their own separate video. I definitely could have worded the essay a tad better for this section to get my point across that discs are more superior in this realm. I appreciate the criticism nonetheless and will put that into practice for the next essay!

Physical movies are a lot like headphone jacks: only "obsolete" because big companies told you so.

@Seffyseffyseffy

21 сағат бұрын

exactly

@LizziesLukas

12 сағат бұрын

headphone jacks doesn't need improvement for well over 100 years now... it's already in it's perfect, timeless form

I have around 1,000 dvds, Blu-ray and 4K discs. One of the things I love about them is the feeling of watching ‘offline’: no algorithm is tracking me, I’m not going to get any ‘because you watched’ notifications boxing me in, nobody will ever know I watched that film at that time. Probably silly, but I appreciate that feeling!

@user-in2cs1vp6o

12 күн бұрын

Extremely cucky to be proud of paying tens of thousands of dollars for that

@TheSteedMuffin

10 күн бұрын

If you have a smart tv it tracks what you’re watching on your media player.

@user-in2cs1vp6o

10 күн бұрын

@@TheSteedMuffin Don't connect it the internet

@kithu1231

8 күн бұрын

No compression , true 1080p, 4k better audio quality..and yes more expensive

@user-in2cs1vp6o

8 күн бұрын

@@kithu1231 I have a 80 inch Sony Bravia. If there is a 4k UHD version of a movie, I will pirate it. Such a night and day difference between a 4k UHD movie I downloaded, and the 4k streaming option that Netflix provides.

Something that I feel gets glossed over in this debate is preservation. If physical media disappears, you can kiss film preservation goodbye. There are so many great films and tv shows that aren’t even on any streaming platforms. What happens to them all if physical media goes away?

@damian9303

12 күн бұрын

Is that bruised eye from a boxing tournament you won? Thats the vibe I’m feeling from the pfp

@Kameron-The-Crafter

6 күн бұрын

Theirs pros and cons to each. Physical media has some and digital has some.

@aaronstark5060

6 күн бұрын

@@Kameron-The-Crafter Yeah but from my point of few, just solely based on my personal preferences and what’s important to me, the cons of digital far outweigh the cons of physical.

I refuse to buy a digital copy of a movie because you don't own it thanks to sony

@P-LOWN1997

14 күн бұрын

No only that but for the quality as well

@user-in2cs1vp6o

12 күн бұрын

​@@P-LOWN1997I just pirate digital media 24/7

@zZiL341yRj736

12 күн бұрын

@@P-LOWN1997 True, I got a 4K streaming version of End Game just for the hell of it and instantly knew something was off. So I downloaded 1080p Bluray version and The Hulk actually looks green and not yellowish brown.

@watchforever1724

12 күн бұрын

Yeah agreed

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Yes you do

Watching this, as a physical media collector and not having any subscription on any service, I just realised that subscription services are "almost" "like" renting stores. Entering a store full of movies, asking what they have and watching a movie we don't own. The problem is subscription services substituting physical media. We could chose if we wanted to rent a movie or buy it at a store. But now, at least in my country, we don't have a choice. Blurays and DVDs were taken off shelfs and I believe the some unsold were burnt. We can't watch a movie with portuguese subtitles or dub, unless is on cinema or subsceiption service. No DVDs or Blurays have Portugal's portuguese subtitles since 2021. We're sad. 😢 So, the problem is not digital movies existence, is physical media unexistence.

One thing that I don’t think you understand very well is the difference in picture and sound quality (you are right looking at it on a cell phone it’s gonna look the same) but if you have a good TV like Sony Samsung or LG, The picture quality is going to be 10 times better. Even a standard 1080p Blu-ray looks better than any streaming services fake version of 4K. Also one of the benefits I like to owning physical movies is I buy it once and I never have to pay for it again. If you watch any movie twice on something like Netflix you might as well consider you purchased it twice so instead of paying $20 for it you paid 40.

Something I love about physical media - despite all of the death knells being sounded for years - is that boutique labels keep putting out amazing restorations and special editions of movies that were considered lost, beyond repair, or sight unseen for decades. Many of these will never appear on streaming services. Companies like Kino Lorber, Vinegar Syndrome, Severin, Imprint, Umbrella, Radiator, CIP, etc are just delivering the goods like heroes. With my own collection once in a blue moon I've crossed paths with something that doesn't work any longer (Criterion's DVD edition of "A Night to Remember" springs to mind) but it's rare - and I've got movies on tapes still that have never made it past that analog format yet still play perfectly.

the only entertainment I like watching on digital now has to be youtube videos

@bethvaughn4231

6 күн бұрын

I love KZread and I watch it much more than other digital. But I like and enjoy other digital too.

Lots of physical media come with a digital code with them, so you can have both if the code is still good. Physical media has the same benefits of a physical book. You can see it on the shelf which has value in itself because it’s easier to visualize it that way over a streaming site.

I like physical media too. I started a record store a couple years ago. I found out that my distributor also has DVDs and BluRays... and they way more affordable at cost!... I guess what I'm saying is make yourself a friend with a record store. I guess. LOL

I use physical for movies. Streaming for shows, if the show becomes a favorite ill buy it physically for rewatching and in case the internet goes out

I have hundreds of films and TV shows on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc. I can watch certain films over and over again and a few once in a while. I go to Barnes and Noble for Criterion Blu-ray Discs and 4K, Movie Trading Company for DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and 4K, and occasionally stores like Goodwill and Savers. When I'm out of town, I also buy them from Rasputin Music and Video and Streetlight Records.

Here here! You make great points. I wanted to make one additional note about streaming quality. Video compression encoding is an ART, and not every film will look the same with standard compression parameters. Very dark films, for example, look better with different settings than films with different coloring biases. And then there's things like film grain and screen effects that are difficult to preserve, but absolutely can be done with reasonable file sizes if done intentionally and with the right understanding of codecs. But as far as I know all streaming services (KZread included, Vimeo/Criterion might be different idk) use the same compression settings across the board for a given quality setting, which means while you're usually getting a "pretty good" quality rendering, you're never getting the best possible rendering for the file size. DVD and Bluerays are probably not any different in that there are standard settings that publishers use across the board, but it is hard to tell because there is so much overhead in the bitrate that there are much less video compression artifacts to notice (although I find very dark films and high contrast films on occasion don't look very good). If you've ever seen what some of the better video encoders out there can achieve with a relatively small file size, it really puts the quality of streaming video to shame. Not that it's ever unwatchable or anything, but given how much money is being spent it really seems like a rip off, on top of all the other issues you mentioned here.

Having compared the 4k stream with the physical disc on many occasionz, I've often noticed a night and day difference with the disc. Then there's also th added fidelity with the sound.

I built up an atmos / 4k Oled tv setup during covid and now I’m an avid 4k movie collector

Literally just picked up a vhs/dvd player at our local media shop. It was sold as is, untested. After we bought an a/v to hdmi converter, we turned it on and tried playing our fantasia vhs tape and it worked perfectly! We are still buying physical media and we will continue to do so. Who knows, we still have some laser discs, so we might look into a laser disc player as well.

I have CDs from the 80s that I bought used that still work, and I've been able to even rip them to my PC. That whole argument is so absurd, it's like people don't know how to take care of their shit.

I'm very interested in stereoscopic movies, so the 3D Blu-ray format was a revelation for me. Almost nothing available on 3DBD is available to be streamed, except for on the apple vr headset which is obviously not a reasonable replacement. So for me streaming is a total non-starter

Went into this expecting another “streaming bad, physical good” caveman argument that’s all over KZread right now. And got the most fair and balanced explanation of the actual pros and cons of each. For me it really comes down to cost and the ability to cheaply try things out. Physical media for shows and movies is just too expensive for what you get in return in my opinion. A video game I can respect the $60-70 price tag because you can get a very solid dollar per hour return on that investment. And video games far more reliably get to the $20 and below sale price and stay there. Shows are better than movies but still, both are not great. And particularly I think you lose the ability to trial a movie, yes you can digitally rent it but that’s an added cost on top of the physical copy and isn’t really in the spirit of the whole concept of physicality. But I agree that as streaming gets more and more fragmented and more and more costly, it may be simpler and potentially cheaper to just buy what you have a legitimate interest in and then only subscribe to a streaming service to try stuff out or see what’s available at the time and cancel immediately.

Now I get most of my movies from The Lake Chapala Society. There's a small video store there and a large shelf full of cheap DVDs (and occasional VHS) for sale. You can find a lot of great stuff in places like that. Unfortunately, I can't seek out exactly what I want to see and am pretty much dependent on what happens to show up (I can't buy online very often because I'm not a multi-billionare). Still, I've found a LOT of good stuff. And, if you're worried about space, you can always give away/sell what you don't want to keep.

As I very much agree with most of what You said. I must admit though, really think You don't give the disks credit when I comes to quality. It is true that Apple (and only them, imo) are very close in therms of video to a 4K Blu-Ray. But the audio on HD and 4K disks (they are the same lossless format) blows anything streaming services have to offer out of the water. It's more or less the same codec but takes up about 5 times less space. And you don't need to have any massive equipment to hear the difference or in some cases feel it, since the bass is basically castrated on streaming because of the compression. You can get a new receiver based 5.1 bundle with an active subwoofer of less than 700 CAD and the difference will be really noticable on such a system. Don't recommend a soundbar for home theater purposes unless it has physical surround rear speakers and cost above 2K. ;) The quality is for me what trumps the convince of streaming. But in music for instance I'm using Tidal, that has a lot of Hi-Res music that is superior to a CD so I use that in stead of my over year old 300+ movie soundtrack collection od disks. From that I've seen in the video You are primeraly an HD Blu-Rat user with PS4 as a player? Try switching to a standalone player like the Panasonic 420 (or the 820, if the budget allows) and some 4K Blu-Rays. If Your TV isn't like 10 years old You probably already own a 4K TV. HDR is a real game changer! I touched on the sound before. In the space department, despite being in my early forties I'm a relatively modest collector then it comes to numbers because I have only about 150 titles. Since my aim is quality I also exchanged my collection twice already. Form DVD I upgraded to Blu-Ray and now my collection is very focused. I choose exclusively 4K Steelbooks with only a few exceptions (like Picard S3, that wasn't released on physical media in 4K but the audio on an HD Blu-Ray is still better then streaming). Getting around to making a Steelbook wall as my next renovation project 😅. BTW. I had the same LORT collection and I agree it's a master class on special features. I of course replaced it twice over by now. The golden 4K Steelbooks are... Golden 😊

This is a great video! I’ve started to make a collection of vhs and dvds and it’s super nice to be able to watch all of my favorite movies w/director’s commentary, it’s like a whole new way of watching the movie! Super cool

have a physical collection nearly as big as yours simply as not have all the apps to find every movie i have plus ripped them so can watch without find the disc

Great job with this Nate!

3:05 And Max doesn’t give you the specific date so they can just easily yoink that movie from the streaming service.

I have five cheap Blu-ray players that I’ve gotten at thrift stores. I connect them to a five port HDMI switcher. That way when I’m watching a tv show on Blu-ray I can load up an entire season and I don’t have to switch discs around. Those are for shows on Bluray, I also have two 5-disc DVD players for my shows on DVD. I can hit two buttons and it switches to the next disc.

I love physical way better picture+ sounds 4k uhd its wet dream of movie lovers

Great video!!

I honestly get so frustrated when a movie I don’t have and was on my watchlist isn’t on a streaming platform. I end up just renting it… could this be the return of movie rental stores?

@ianb.6582

18 күн бұрын

Are you suggesting we burned down the Blockbusters of the world too soon?? (And I don't disagree with you!)

@Mal_Freeman0451

15 күн бұрын

No, rental stores are too similar to streaming from the point of view of not owning the product. Those who care will buy physical, those who don't will watch whatever is available to stream. There is no market to support the return of rental stores.

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Lol, video rental stores making a resurgence. You're too funny 😁

As if CDs and DVDs aren't digital themselves. All of the benefits of digital playback with none of the compromises of streaming.

With physical media,its yours to proudly own! Today,you can buy a few DVDs for as much as it costs to pay for a streaming service. The Video Police wont be coming after you !

One of the big reasons i havent swithced to pc gaming wise is cus the feeling of having a physical case in your hand will never be beaten

Excellent video, this gives me hope for physical media

I enjoyed your video!

The space my vhs tapes occupy laughs at your neat and tidy dvd collection

The only digital purchases I have made so far concern PS4 games, given that I don't have physical stores in the area and I don't use Amazon much, but when it comes to films and books I will always continue to prefer the physical copy. There is also a form of personal challenge in searching for old editions at flea markets or comic fairs.

One of the best things about dvds is that you can get them extremely cheap 2nd hand

@spindle3341

12 күн бұрын

Spot on 💯 Thrift shops are the best Today I purchased Stars Wars complete saga 2011 version blu-ray with book It cost me $2.

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

And they may have scratches on them

@kurtrussell5228

7 сағат бұрын

For now, in a few years that won't be the case....get em now while the getting is good.

I’ve been collecting a lot of complete series on DVD because of this. I used to watch Dexter and It’s Always sunny on Netflix but they removed everything I loved. So buying dvd was safe sure way they can never take my favorite series from me

The visual quality is noticeably better, especially when it comes to HDR on 4k Blu-rays.

Ever since i was a kid, i've always hated digital stuff like Netflix just because they removed Batman the brave and the bold and an Ironman show from the 90's that i was almost done watching like on the last episode. So i've always tried getting physical versions of stuff and i still do

My expectation is DVD to disappear, Blu Ray and 4K Collectors Editions to be released only. ❤ OPPENHEIMER 4K is the perfect example, High Demand from 'Adult Collectors' only, the 'average 2.4 children family' is NO-LONGER the target-consumer for Film-Discs IMHO.

I would check your WB stuff from mid 2000s and make sure it plays still. It is a pretty well known issue WB seems to not care to adress.

great vid

My biggest issue with digital media is most tv shows are not remastered into full HD to 4k but streaming might have it remastered. Like Disney tv shows from 2000s are harder to get remastered

Yeah agreed I like the bonus features for movies/tv shows

Great video.. I'm just getting into collecting physical media. I'm so sick of streaming services for all of the reasons you listed. It's nice to know I own it till the end of my time (unless some draconian laws come into effect in the future where authorities break into our homes and take all of our physical media/personal belongings LOL).

I’m a huge advocate of physical media but once I became a father and going through the toddler stage ooof the amount of ruined disc I’ve endured is breathtaking. I’m stuck on streaming until than

I love buying movies. Sometimes I just sit there and stare at my collection

The ultra violet and flixter shutting down hits home i lost the Back to the future Trilogy digital copy for flixter thankfully the 1st film got transferred to youtube for free but the rest were gone

I’m not sure what people are watching on but the so called 4k on every service does not look or sound as good as an average 1080p Blu-ray. 4k Blu-rays look and sound better even from something like a ps5. A dedicated player will give you an improvement in picture and sound. 4k HDR is outstanding. The great thing about streaming is convenience. But that’s it. I bought the game of thrones box set and all of the night scenes look awesome. I even enjoyed season 8! 😅😂

I make it a point to snag a couple of DVDs when I see them at the dollar store.

Another reason to have physical media: using frame advance to examine the details of a scene is almost impossible on a streaming service. You can pause it, but good luck with trying to time a pause and unpause to duplicate frame advance.

I use a bit of both. Apple TV is honestly fantastic. Great bitrates, bonuses, free and automatic upgrades from HD to 4K, great layout and design. I'm hooked. But if it's rare or means the world to me I get the disc.

Streaming 4K usually has a bitrate of around 20-30 Mbps. 4K disc bitrates are 60-100 Mbps. Dolby Vision on disc is two streams of video, while streaming converts it to one stream (poor quality). Streaming is to video what MP3 was to audio. Viewable, but very subpar quality.

great video maybe just turn the background track down a few db

I agree

For console games in particular, even those that have flashcarts or are capable of being homebrewed, I like having the actual copies. As to the rest, however, I say do whatever you want cuz a pirate is free. Limewire and other P2P networks used to be much more instantaneous than torrenting where you have to rely on long lost seeders with only 0.0% leechers in the peerlist

4:48 This happened to me when they removed my purchase of the PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2, Once Upon a Deadpool.

Great Essay, BIG Well done 🎉 yes, Another serious collector here, with 4000+ BD/4K ...NEVER used a Digital Code in my life, couldn't see the point!?

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Digital is the future.

@ginarae5739

4 күн бұрын

"Digital WAS the Future" 🧐

@Scifi4life

4 күн бұрын

@@ginarae5739 still is

Physical is better

@masonteague4039

3 күн бұрын

Absolutely

I support physical media i always buy DVD's

Anyone have any recommendations on a cheap, barebones DVD/BluRay player?

@Anonymous-wb3nz

10 күн бұрын

Amazon has some basic players for around $30.

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

LG

@kurtrussell5228

6 сағат бұрын

Just visit goodwill....expensive players show up all the time for 5 or 10 bucks....the workers don't know what they are.

In regards to piracy even tho it is an all-around amazing option for watching movies, it can be a pain in the ass to get the movies you pirate on to your TV without a significant amount of set-up and most video game console or TV media players are pretty bad so a blu ray is a bit more convient to me than piracy when it comes to watching movie in the way, I'm most comfortable with, which is laying on my couch as opposed to being hunched over my desk, staring at my small monitor for 2 hours straight, if any of feel I'm wrong about this, feel free to correct me cause I am interested in finding better ways to pirate

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Pirate quality sucks

I go to the local flea market and buy them every week! Last week I got 10 for 2€ 😏

I still buy VHS

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Betamax is the best to this day.

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Burn and see the movies from Plex or Jelltfin without use or just brake by accident

as for Tv series I rip them and put them on my Plex media server as it's so much easier

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

But the quality sucks

Never buy digital waste of money

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Then how do you get your movies?

if you ever plan rewatching films or tv you enjoy, it’s worth the investment to build your own collection. it is so fun to collect and you have so much to show for it. not to mention some titles that are just rotting somewhere and will probably never be put on streaming. own your media 🫡 great video, brother !

I even think the disclaimer before "offensive" movies or tv is almost as bad as totally taking the movie off. Like just cause some white liberal with rich parents got butthurt doesnt mean something is actually offensive. They do not dictate reality. Leave art alone

I have over 7300 movies in my collection ❤

@JillDinardo-mb6ii

12 күн бұрын

God Bless you!

@masonteague4039

3 күн бұрын

Wow!!!

Ppl will pirate before going back to physical media it’s just easier. Consumers are picking the easiest thing - no matter what. Streaming is just the easiest thing, thats why it works. The prices are like cable now but the functionality is a thousand times better than cable. Functionality is key, not price. Ppl were happy to pay the cable premium when that was the easiest option - the key is being easy. Ppl are happy to pay for the easiest way to quickly watch a bunch of option. Physical is inconvenient and expensive - double dagger. Its cool and fun to collect but i see no way it will be mainstream again.

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

No. Pirate quality sucks. Looks like bootleg films from the 1990s

I get the need to own what you purchase but why are you keeping the physical DVDs and physical media? Rip the movie and keep it on your own server with backups. You could always burn the disks again later if you have a fetish for shiny things.

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

The quality is awful if you do that. Digital download is the best way.

Because if you care about visual quality, audio, and preservation, you wouldn't stream it like the filthy casual.

why the F**k would anyone move once a year ???

@thecanadianexpressionist

13 күн бұрын

Haha well, it certainly isn’t by choice. My reasons for moving have ranged from having not great roommates, to being kicked out for renovations, to the roof leaking, to roommates leaving and me deciding to move as well, to living with friends. I’ve also moved to 5 different cities within 10 years due to work. Until you own a house, moving frequently is pretty common when you’re in your 20s. I’ve lived in my current place for almost 2 years now and could probably call it home for the time being, at least fingers crossed it is haha

@jamessickmore236

13 күн бұрын

@@thecanadianexpressionist my sister moved like 4 times and guess who she would call to help ? and never had anything packed 😡, I also like physical media picture and sound are awesome. sorry for being rude, guess i just have the heebie-jeebies about moving, good day sir 😁

@watchforever1724

12 күн бұрын

Yeah

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

Military

you do not actually own it.

me who pirates everything digitally: ok sure buddy

@Scifi4life

5 күн бұрын

That is awful quality

Digital world sucks, streaming movies what a laugh, seriously

Movies are meant to be watched not to be owned how many times you can watch the same movie all over again

@kurtrussell5228

6 сағат бұрын

100s of times