As streaming service prices continue to rise and the quality of original programming feels like its faltering, it’s as good a time as any to consider embracing physical media. Blu-rays and even DVDs can offer better audio and video fidelity as well as more reliability. They are a sure thing unlike what you get when you start streaming.
However, one of the drawbacks of amassing a physical media collection is cost. Acquiring individual movies and box sets of all your many favorite shows and films can definitely add up. But t doesn’t have to be an expensive investment. Here’s how I save money when acquiring physical media.
Cut out your streaming services
Cancel subscriptions to save money
If you are serious about switching over to physical media and using discs instead of supporting streaming services, then at some point in your journey you need to start unsubscribing. It’s reverse cord-cutting. You don’t need to start canceling services all at once, but it’s important to sit down and tally up everything you subscribe to and see what that monthly cost looks like.
Streaming services have been steadily increasing their prices, with Netflix raising its monthly fee again recently. Whereas once it seemed a few individual services might not total that must money, each one is now becoming its own substantial monthly payout. That means if you’re subscribing to quite a few options, all of them together can add up to a big monthly bill.
By canceling your services, you’re allowing yourself to invest in the media you really want. It may be helpful to think of that money as being reallocated: when you cut a monthly service, put those funds towards your physical media collection. You’re investing in yourself and your future instead of directly giving money to rich studios that will continue to raise prices and offer you more ads.
Seek out discounts, trades, and giveaways
Find people who are trying to get rid of their media
At least for now, there are plenty of entertainment enthusiasts who aren’t interested in buying discs or holding on to them. With relatively low demand, it’s a great time to go scouting for opportunities. Firstly, always check those bins at big box stores that are selling DVDs and Blu-rays. Discs are unceremoniously tossed into display containers with no care about how good they are. There’s always a good deal to be had at stores that may not be prioritizing entertainment.
Similarly, it’s worth checking any second-hand sellers, both online, like Craigslist or FB marketplace, or in person. Be mindful of any sort of trading or bartering app that may be available in your region as well. There are so many discs floating around the world, just sitting in boxes in someone’s basement just waiting to be watched again. Go seek them out.
It’s also worth following your favorite studios and entertainment companies on social media. There are countless giveaways happening every day, and those may include physical media discs.
Set up an entertainment plan
Create a budget and acquire accordingly
It can be overwhelming enough searching through one streaming service for something to watch, let alone a bunch of different services with varied catalogs. All that choice makes watching TV a chore at times; it can be just as overwhelming when you’re trying to build your collection.
It’s important to create a plan or system for your library and acquire media with a purpose. Create a budget and consider what you’re willing to pay for a specific title. You must assess every disc that comes across way and place value on it, whether it’s a TV show from the 90s or a Steelbook Blu-ray of a major movie.
If you own a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, you already have a 4K Blu-ray player with HDR10. While both support Dolby Atmos, they both also lack the top HDR formats. While PS5 Blu-ray playback is integrated within the console, an app is required for Blu-ray use on the Xbox.
Don’t just go and buy everything that you see, either. That’s how streaming services distract you and take up your time; they fill your screen with mediocrity and get you to press play. Buy the shows and movies you really enjoy. Seek out the titles you will rewatch along with those of high-quality specs and features that will look great at home.
Don’t settle for inferior quality
Find the titles and features you want
One of the ways streaming services hook you in is by bombarding you with titles that seem like they’re good. Whether it’s using familiar faces, stylish branding, or heavy advertising, Netflix, Apple TV, and every other service works hard to promote its own content to you so that you don’t switch over to a competitor. Every service wants to keep you on its service, so these titles they offer don’t need to be good; they just need to be good enough.
This is a concept you want to avoid when amassing your collection if you want to save money. If you can’t help but want to collect everything you possibly can and build a massive catalog to keep you company during the end times, that’s fair. But if you’re looking to not spend tons of money while maintaining a worthy collection, then you have to be discerning.
Decide what qualities and features are important for what kinds of titles. If you’re looking at old sitcoms or network shows from decades past, then you probably don’t need to find Blu-rays loaded with special features; you can just enjoy them as they are. However, if you’re considering a major blockbuster, then you might want to hold out for a 4K version with a top HDR format.
Be sure to consider your home entertainment setup as well. Your TV and your media player will inform what you should be investing in. You want to match the capabilities of these devices with what’s offered on the disc so that you can fully enjoy the content. It’s not worth buying a 4K Blu-ray if you don’t have a 4K Blu-ray player. Similarly, if you have a PS5 and a 4K TV, then make sure you have some titles that offer those specs.
Change how you consider home entertainment
Discs offer better value over time
It may be helpful to consider what you’re investing in and what exactly it means to develop a physical media collection versus subscribing to a streaming service. Because while the costs may seem high, there is far more value for purchasing discs. A monthly or yearly fee for an online service grants you access to a vast library of movies and shows, and a single disc only grants you access to the content on those discs. But there is more to consider.
Among the reasons to invest in physical media is that they offer consistency and reliability now and into the future. Provided you take simple care of your discs, they are going to last a long time. What you watch today on discs will be the same thing you want in 10 years. The same can’t be said for streaming services.
A streaming service library is a fluid thing. Titles are added and taken away, and there’s no guarantee what you want to watch will always be there. It’s likely going to end up somewhere else. It’s worth remembering you don’t own anything when you subscribe to a streaming service. You pay for acces to the library, but what’s in that library, and the quality of those titles, will vary. Some may even be censored or changed over time.
When you buy a DVD or Blu-ray, you own that piece of media, and it’s going to last a long time. You’ll be paying upfront for that title, but you’ll have access to it for decades and won’t ever pay for it again. Streaming services come knocking every month or year for another payment.
Lastly, your privacy and time is worth money. With streaming services, your personal information is collected, harvested, and sold. Companies are building profiles of you based on what you watch, and they’re going to sell you items as a result. By opting out of streaming services and returning to physical media, you’ll be better protecting your identity and reducing your exposure to insidious advertisements and intrusive commercials. And that will save you a lot of money, time, and sanity.
