Physical Media

Physical media is enjoying a bit of a comeback (at least in certain niche and online circles). Gen Z is looking buying up turn of the century tech in a desperate attempt to disengage from the constant online life, and millennials and Gen Xers have been embracing vinyl and most recently cassette tapes and DVDs, in an attempt to own something tangible and to fight back against the false promises of streaming. Having downsized my physical media quite a decade or so ago, I’ve spent the past four or five years rebuilding a respectable library of both DVDs and CDs, with a special focus on TV shows on DVDs. My collection is large enough that a custom-made, “Brandon’s Blockbuster” sign sits upon my shelf, but a few things have happened recently that have sullied my feelings on physical media, and now I’m parting ways with a significant portion of my collection. 

Pricing

New DVDs and blu-rays have skyrocketed in price. Between scarcity, tariffs, and boutique labels, it’s not unusual to see a new 4K disc of a middle of the road movie priced at $40. This is the same price I was paying when DVDs first came out. Older movies and series can go for obscene prices. Recently, I saw that Mill Creek’s release of Roseanne, which I paid $30 for just a few years ago, sells for around $130 these days. Mill Creek, for those who do not know, is a budget label, who would cram as many episodes on a disc as possible and then ship it in the cheapest container they could get away with. This set is now discontinued, so the market has adjusted for demand, which is out of control. 

Quality

A quick YouTube search will give you a richer explanation than I’m going to, but anyone who buys new DVDs and blu-rays can tell the quality is not what it once was. With the exception of the boutique labels, the care and craftsmanship that was put into designing a great movie experience is just not there. The menus are dull, special features are absent, and the quality of the discs leave a lot to be desired. Which leads me to what really pushed me over the edge.

Disc Rot/Discs Not Working

A few months ago, word leaked out that a factory in the mid 2000s, cut some corners and quite a few Warner Brothers titles were experiencing disc rot and were no longer working.

Manufacturing issues affect all industries, so this shouldn’t be too surprising, but this is just proof that just because you own something, doesn’t mean it’s going to last forever. Very few blu-ray players are being manufactured to this day, and even video game consoles are pushing to remove the drives as digital sales out pace physical sales. It’s not unreasonable to think that in just a decade, finding high quality players may be a challenge, (although if sales continue to trend upward, there is always a chance a major company may increase production). Right now, the only major brands who produce blu-ray players are Panasonic and Sony.

In the past year, I’ve experienced issues with a few blu-rays I’ve purchased. One was from a new set of King of Queens I purchased. I got to the second to last blu-ray, when I found it wouldn’t work. Thankfully, I was able to locate my receipt (from three years earlier) and I was able to get a replacement disc. However, had I not been able to locate my receipt, I would have been screwed. 

A month ago, I purchased the complete series of Weeds off of eBay. I got to the second disc for season two, which is in immaculate shape, but the episodes freeze and skip. Since this was a used set, I have no recourse, so I had to use other means to acquire copies of the remaining episodes of season two. Now, this complete set of Weeds, that I thought I would “own forever” feels less special since it doesn’t all work, and I have no idea what other problems I’ll encounter in the future.

Availability

This touches on my point earlier about the skyrocketing prices of older DVD sets, but there are actually a lot of series that never got full releases. For example, Cougar Town, is a show I recently began watching. It was never fully released on DVD, so there is no way to purchase it physically. A show like Burn Notice was released on DVD, but only in DVD quality. Like Cougar Town, Burn Notice was shot in HD, so it really sucks to see a great show reduced in quality just so you can own it on DVD, when other methods can be used to “own” the series.

Convenience

I own the complete series of Smallville. The first five seasons are on DVD, the last five on blu-ray, but I don’t bother putting my discs. Why? Because that means I have to get up and take out whatever video game is in my console. Why should I do this when I own Smallville on iTunes, and it’s also streaming on Hulu? Sure, you can call me lazy, and I’ll own that, but convenience does play a factor.

I’m not trying to convince anyone physical media is bad. I mean, I love it. I truly do, but I’m starting to think the trouble and investment just isn’t worth it for me. Not only is it taking up a lot of physical space, I also find myself investing in discs that I really don’t want, but I purchase because they are a good price. I also don’t have the means to buy quite a few series that I would like, nor can I keep up with the new releases, so it’s beginning to feel like a hobby that it’s time for me to step away from and focus my attention elsewhere. I’m thinking I should put more time into my Plex, since I can obtain shows in the highest quality and I don’t have to worry about discs not working.