Is Physical Media Dying?

Physical media isn't dying. Physical stores are dying.

Collecting physical media has a bit of a nostalgia factor for me. Back in the early 90's me and my dad would hunt down VHS copies of the James Bond movies, we were trying to collect them all. Internet wasn't a big thing back then so we couldn't just order them online, we had to hunt. So we would spend our Saturday getting up super early, hitting up yard sales, flea markets and even rental stores trying to find them...it was great. We collected together from the early 90's until he died in 2006. The first blu-ray players were released a few months after he died so he never got to experience the High Definition Revolution. I kind of stopped collecting myself shortly after that sadly, i would love to get back into it and i have dabbled every so often but then i tell myself "whats the point, its probably streaming somewhere anyways" This video was a nice reminder of why collecting psychical media is so much fun. So thank you for the trip down memory lane, it was nice. This comment ended up being much longer then i thought it would. But for those out there that shared this hobby with your parents, cheers to you! If you have kids, share this hobby with them. It can shape how they view the world of cinema later in life.

Long live physical media!! I want cover art, liner notes, bonus features etc. Streaming is a one trick pony.

If you don't own the book, CD, or DVD, you don't own it. You can't download New Book Smell!!

The stores are what is dying. The selection of what stores carry now is so much smaller. You can find almost any product cheaper online.

Physical media is all I watch. Physical media forever!

One thing that always bugged the hell out of me, was going to a friends house for a weekend. Trying to find a good horror movie on one of his or her streaming services, none, none. Michael Myers, Jason NOT ON STREAMING SERVICES! If you want your favorite horror classic OWN IT, OWN IT NOW.

I’m 13.I got made fun of by my “friends” for buying an album on cd recently, i started watching lots of videos on physical media like cds and stuff to figure out that, i’m not the only one that still uses these things. “Why did you buy that when you can just listen to it online” And also, I don’t know if i can say “still” because i, being a 13 year old did not experience nostalgia with things like cds or other stuff in that nature. I also just started collecting cds anyways, so its gonna be a while before i start calling it “nostalgic”, but my dad used to collect them, i just never seen them i only heard that he did, considering i never really see him that much (r/nobodyasked). And i really enjoy owning physical pieces of media, it makes it feel like i ACTUALLY own it, considering i DO actually own it. But i digress, y’all have a good day.

I really appreciate this explanation. I have tried to explain this to other people before but couldn’t quite find the words. I absolutely love my physical collection and no one will ever talk me out of it! Great video!

It's not dying, it's slowing down a bit. I've said it before, it's a niche market, much like vinyl is

I love all of the bonus features you get with physical media -- audio commentaries, deleted scenes, gag reels, storyboards, interviews, "making of" featurettes, and so much more that let you dive deeper and explore different aspects of the film. Not gonna get all of that with a streaming file. Plus my wall of blu rays and DVDs is a great conversation piece.

The coming problem won't be getting physical media, the problem will be buying physical media players!

When you have slow, expensive, data restricted internet you hope it never dies!

Too many people are ordering online now, the demand for physical media hasn't gone away yet but buying them from a store has

Fantastic video, Heath! This year, I've returned in a big way to buying movies & shows after giving my home theater a massive upgrade. My driving force for physical media is to have the best picture & sound available for the art that I love. (I didn't realize until then what a wide gap there is between 4K/Blu-Ray and streaming quality.) But a very close second to A/V quality is everything you discussed: ownership, beautiful packaging, and choice. Also, few things make a home more wonderful than shelves and shelves of physical media. There's enough of us who are passionate about movies, shows, music, and books to keep physical media alive for many decades to come. Your channel is amazing and great service to this community. Thank you for all that you do!

Seriously, you speak to my collector brain. I love collecting physical media, and will always continue to do so.

I just love physical media. Like this Friday is the date when Nirvana: Live and Loud concert has it's first vinyl pressing. I just bought Hellraiser 1-3 Blu-Ray box set on Arrow and it's gorgeous. Thanks for this and cheers from Finland, Petri

Someone mentioned games, and we recently had a case where Capcom pulled the online version of Ducktales Remastered, and people who loved it were scrambling to find a copy, and some scrambling to find a copy and jack up the price on eBay. So u just never know when a title you love will be gone for whatever reason the rights owner has.

Great compelling and insightful discussion on physical media. I am in total agreement with you. For a physical media collector like me, it is great to see that there is a vast catalog to choose from not only at Amazon but at boutique online companies (Indicator, Criterion, Arrow, etc) that are dedicated to preserving, restoring, and presenting amazing films and TV programs. To me, physical media is alive and well and I hope will be for many years to come. If anything, streaming services are a convenience and help me to explore and discover new films or TV shows that I eventually will want on physical media. I'm beginning to think that physical media collectors like us are the new librarians. We are buying, storing, and watching films and TV shows that represent our history in many ways, a history that can be (as I think you have pointed out on earlier videos) altered and then streamed for a period of time chosen by companies and licensing agreements that are out of our control. Long live physical media!

‘Convenience over choice” sums it up perfectly. The one thing I struggle with are bonus features. I’m a student of film and relish the real BTS and work that goes into making films I love. Companies like Arrow and Criterion give up the goods most of the time but many of the other guys like Kino and mill creek don’t give us much other than some archival stuff from previous releases once in a while. You know another thing about Discovery and streaming, I don’t often find them to be two great tastes that taste great together. Netflix and Hulu both have very shallow options for not only classics but just films from the last 20 years. My best options for discovery are gearing about cool stuff on shows like yours and just taking a chance and buying them.