why buy DVDs?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Screw having your music/movie collection attached to an account with some untrustworthy, profit-hungry company that could cut you off any time they want with their dodgy terms of service.

iTunes music has no DRM of any kind.

As for videos - like I said, the bandwidth just isn't there to support the constant streaming of high definition movies. And I don't have anywhere near the kind of hard drive space that I'd need to have downloaded versions of every DVD I have.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Now, if I *want* to burn the media to a physical CD it's pretty easy. So the media is flexible enough that I can create a physical, archive copy if I choose to do so.

Do people actually listen to music these days?

 

[auntiehill]

I probably own 10 DVDs in total, mostly stuff I got as gifts. These formats come and go, why invest in any of it? Netflix is great. I consider it my own personal library, and I don't have to devote any of my own storage space to all that crap. There's so much new stuff to watch, I can't get around to rewatching the little I have on DVD. I got Star Trek for Xmas and I still haven't watched it on DVD.

This. I have one bookcase for our dvds; we don't buy them unless it's a TV series that may not/will not be rerun or that we will want to show to friends later. Other than that, we just don't see point in buying dvds when we can rent them. We don't have the time or interest to rewatch the movies we have--why on EARTH spend more money on things we can just rent? Besides, our house is small. Why waste all that precious space?

I think the only dvds I'll be buying in future will be to complete the sets I've already started or to replace the old VHS tapes I've had for ages.

 

[WillsBabe]

My husband and I were talking about this the other day. We buy barely any dvds these days. Still, there are dvds that I will buy and my inclination is still to have, physically in my ownership certain shows. I think it stems from when were kids and there was no way that the concept of on-demand tv/film would have occurred to us. The notion of being able to see a show as and when you wanted would have been mindblowing. For kids growing up in the UK in the 70's the chances of seeing even all the episodes of the shows you were fond of was slight. If you missed them you'd never see them again. So, I think that's what drives me to own certain things on dvd. I don't want to be at the mercy of someone else ever again.

 

[Hermiod]

Now, if I *want* to burn the media to a physical CD it's pretty easy. So the media is flexible enough that I can create a physical, archive copy if I choose to do so.

Do people actually listen to music these days?

Errr, yeah ? I admit I can be a bit of a snob sometimes - Bluetooth audio is a sin against music - but iTunes' standard 256kpbs AAC format files are good enough for my ears and my fairly decent headphones.

A bigger problem is with the headphones iPod users use. Either they're using the god awful things that come with their iPods or they blow silly money on these monstrosities.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I still (when I can afford it) buy DVDs and CDs. Frankly at the moment, my internet is way to slow for me downloading any files over 100MB. So I'll be continuing to buy DVDs for a while yet (or hire them from a variety of sources)

 

[Geckothan]

A bigger problem is with the headphones iPod users use. Either they're using the god awful things that come with their iPods or they blow silly money on these monstrosities.

Haha I love the description...

Beats high definition headphones are precision-engineered to reveal the full sound of today's digital music including the most sonically demanding Rock, Pop, Hip Hop and R&B.

Yeah "today's digital music" is "sonically demanding" alright, but not on your headphones, just on your ears because it's so brickwalled, distorted and loud that you need eardrums of steel to not get hearing fatigue after listening to it for 2 minutes.

 

[Hermiod]

^The sad truth is they only cost that much because they've got Dr. Dre's name on them and they're manufactured by the same people that make "premium" HDMI cables.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I still buy the odd DVD for things like TV shows, BR stuff up till now has been exclusive for Star Trek stuff.....and that's it.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Now, if I *want* to burn the media to a physical CD it's pretty easy. So the media is flexible enough that I can create a physical, archive copy if I choose to do so.

Do people actually listen to music these days?

Errr, yeah ? I admit I can be a bit of a snob sometimes - Bluetooth audio is a sin against music - but iTunes' standard 256kpbs AAC format files are good enough for my ears and my fairly decent headphones.

A bigger problem is with the headphones iPod users use. Either they're using the god awful things that come with their iPods or they blow silly money on these monstrosities.

What gets me is investing in a decent DAC/Amp will, even with bottom-end headphones, will do a lot more to improve the sound than the most expensive headphones in the world. It's the part of the equation people always seem to forget. Expensive headphones are pointless if they can't be properly driven and you can't do that with the standard line-level output.

Of course, doing this make the compression the most noticeable.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I've never been one to keep up with the latest things and over the years it's become a conscious choice not to because as soon as the latest and greatest new thing comes out, it's obsolete not too long afterward.

As far as I'm concerned, I get to things when I get to them. I still use VHS tapes, I still use CDs and audio cassettes, my video game console is a PS2, and my computer monitor is still as big as a TV set.

The biggest advantage for not rushing out and continually upgrading is that things always eventually get really cheap for me at some point.

 

[JediKnightButler]

It's weird but ever since we got a Blu-Ray player, I feel like DVDs aren't that special anymore and feel like buying a movie in any format other than Blu-Ray- even DVD- is like buying the movie is less superior format- which is technically true but there is less of a difference in quality between Blu-Ray and DVD than there is between, say, DVD and VHS. I do still buy DVDs but mostly for TV shows and other movies that don't have a Blu-Ray release yet. I will say, however, generally speaking, I haven't really felt the need/desire to "double dip" and purchase a blu-ray copy of a movie I already own on DVD.

 

[ATimson]

It's weird but ever since we got a Blu-Ray player, I feel like DVDs aren't that special anymore and feel like buying a movie in any format other than Blu-Ray- even DVD- is like buying the movie is less superior format- which is technically true but there is less of a difference in quality between Blu-Ray and DVD than there is between, say, DVD and VHS.

There's less of a difference in convenience, and maybe even audio quality, but the difference in video quality is about the same (four times the picture area of the previous format).

 

[Dar70]

It's weird but ever since we got a Blu-Ray player, I feel like DVDs aren't that special anymore and feel like buying a movie in any format other than Blu-Ray- even DVD- is like buying the movie is less superior format- which is technically true but there is less of a difference in quality between Blu-Ray and DVD than there is between, say, DVD and VHS. I do still buy DVDs but mostly for TV shows and other movies that don't have a Blu-Ray release yet. I will say, however, generally speaking, I haven't really felt the need/desire to "double dip" and purchase a blu-ray copy of a movie I already own on DVD.

Yeah. I dont think many tv shows will be released on Blu-Ray. Especially older stuff. There were some classic tv shows (Mary Tyler Moore) that struggled to get sales and barely got all its seasons released. SO shows like that I highly doubt ill be released on Blu-Ray or any other format. WHichi is why I dont have a problem purchasing tv shows. Espcially classic tv shows. Beisdes i kinda like the lesser quality of tv shows on DVD. Its closer to old analog tv signals. Whichi is how I originally watched them all.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Can you see a time when people wont even buy DVDS or BLURAY?

Yes 15 years.

I think, within 10-20 years, DVDs are going to go lose out to the streaming/downloading market.

Well the Blu-ray player and high definition television penetration will raise the home video market shares away from DVDs.
The very idea of physical media is what will take the longest for people to not hold onto.

While we already have movie downloads via Playstation Network & XBOX Live and iTunes once you download it if your harddrive dies you no longer have that film that you paid for.
“Buy Once, Play Anywhere” is the type of licensing that needs to have standards and universal acceptance.
Licensing a movie that you can download for many years to come is the long term road of home video viewing and it will start in the next few years with standards that have been created.

The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, or DECE, a coalition that forms standards that would let consumers buy a piece of digital media once, and then play it back on different devices after logging into their account.

DECE has agreed on a common file format and approved five digital rights management technologies for use with its spec

.
Walt Disney Co. is developing a system, KeyChest, that would perform authentication for digital content.

The Walt Disney Co. and Apple have competing proprietary systems at the moment.

The DECE is currently made up of Adobe, Alcatel-Lucent, Ascent Media Group, Best Buy, Blueprint Digital, CableLabs, Catch Media, Cisco, Comcast, Cox Communications, Deluxe Digital, DivX, Dolby Laboratories, DTS, ExtendMedia, Fox Entertainment Group, HP, Intel, Irdeto, Liberty Global, Lionsgate, Microsoft, MOD Systems, Motorola, Movie Labs, Nagravision, NBC Universal, Netflix, Neustar, Nokia, Panasonic, Paramount Pictures, Philips, RIAA, Rovi, Roxio CinemaNow, Samsung Electronics, Secure Path, Sony, SwitchNAP, Tesco, Thomson, Toshiba, Verimatrix, VeriSign, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Widevine Technologies Inc. and Zoran.

DECE hopes to build critical mass to become the one industry standard accepted by everyone.

“The digital proof-of-purchase is in the cloud,” said Mitch Singer, president of DECE and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s chief technology officer.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/450266-VOD_Anywhere.php

What do you think? Will 'hardcopy' purchased media (DVDS/CDS) fade away?
Yes but not for 10-15 years. The 49-80 year old crowd want physical media and are mostly set in their ways...

 

[Steve67]

Everytime I click a new page, I'm asked to "Take a Survey"...

Anyway, as someone who's largely interested in so-called niche market products: film scores, reference books, vintage TV shows, old movies, etc., there will most likely be CDs/DVDs of said products. The collector mentality dictates that there be actual, physical items to covet and things like WB Archive, Universal Vault, limited edition CDs will guarantee that there is some sort of physical storage unit for said items.

As for obsolescence , there are still people who play 78s and eight-track tapes.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

The collector mentality dictates that there be actual, physical items to covet

there are still people who play 78s and eight-track tapes.

First of all we are talking about video (sold by studios for consumers). If you aren't gonna mention VHS, Laserdisc, & Betamax the above media are totally out of place in this discussion about video.
Betamax:

The format is generally considered obsolete, though it is still used in specialist applications by a small minority of people.

FYI VHS update as of December 2008:
The Death of VHS Tape Marks the End of an Era

Can you see a time when people wont even buy DVDS or BLURAY?

I think he is talking about the mainstream consumers(Over 33% market penetration). Collectors will always be niche. If physical media are not sold after 20 years of DVD/Blu-ray video products that would be a sea change in society of how we consume new media after initial cinema release or (for TV shows) original 1st television broadcast.

 

[The Evil Dead]

I look forward to the day when all movies, music, video games and even books and magazines are all digitally purchasable. I don't really need 400 DVDs taking up space in my room, I'd be just as happy with it all being available on my PS3 or PC's media server and honestly, it'd be a great way to give the environment a break, not having to make tons of plastic cases and waste paper on the sleeves, etc.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I don't understand all these people with collections of hundreds or even 1000 or more DVDs. When the hell are you going to have time to watch all of those and are there really that many movies you want to watch over and over again? I love movies passionately...from all eras, 20s to present, but I'm not going to purchase every movie I ever enjoyed.

There are certain ones that have sentimental value to me that I can watch repeatedly and always enjoy in new ways (provided I keep viewings far apart), but since there are tons of old movies (and a few new ones) I'm always interested in checking out every year, there wouldn't be enough time to make sure my collection isn't just taking up space without being used if I let it balloon to the hundreds. Mine is just over 100 and I'm trying to keep it from getting much higher. I already think 100 is too many. Also, a smaller collection shows more personality. It's easier to get an idea of someone's specific taste when they have a relatively quaint collection of movies that are of significance to them personally rather than the same 500 Criterion/A.F.I/etc. so-called classics EVERYONE owns.

Whatever the trend in the future is, it won't affect me. I like what I like. I still listen to CDs. I burn mp3s on to them because I just prefer listening 20 to 30 songs on a CD by one or two artists or maybe half a dozen at a time, rather than hundreds of songs by hundreds of artists on an ipod. I just find that less intimate, so it doesn't appeal to me. With movies, I'd rather watch them on a TV screen than on a computer. If all movies are digital in the future, maybe I'll burn them onto DVDs and watch them that way...I'll be stubborn and resistant to change about it, just like I am with music.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

I don't understand all these people with collections of hundreds or even 1000 or more DVDs.

I agree. I've always thought seriously,
"Would I watch this film 3 or more times in 5 years?"
before purchasing a DVD even a USED DVD. If the answer is 'No' then I can rent it via Netflix anytime I want to see it.
Many people's homes I've been in have about 10-20 DVDs on average.
I own about 90 but I work in film & television industry and about 10 of those are projects I've worked on and will keep for that reason. Usually I have about 2-3 DVDs that are borrowed by various friends at any given time not on my shelf.
I only own 3 seasons of 1 TV show as I know I'll watch them more than twice and it was worth purchasing an entire season as Netflix has each disc as a rental and it's not worth it for 5 or 6 disc rentals for an entire season of a TV show via Netflix. Now with Enterpise I have been watching the entire season 3 very slowly over months even though I intend to purchase ENT on Blu-ray in HD in a couple years.
Now that the season 1 of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The First Season (Las Vegas) is out on Blu-ray I'd like to get it maybe used within a year or 2 if I find it as the cinematography was really good on season 1. Sure it may become available but TV shows may not be available in HD for download anytime soon as 10 year old TV series won't make that much money as downloadable content.

There are certain ones that have sentimental value to me that I can watch repeatedly and always enjoy in new ways (provided I keep viewings far apart),

Some I own because I have a real like for the production design of scifi movies (sets, costumes) and can totally enjoy watching a few scenes to appreciate the beautiful sets or corridors of some production designers or amazing spacesuits even though they are considered "bad movies" by many people that may be half a dozen DVDs that I bought used solely for that reason.