When streaming first broke into the mainstream, it seemed like physical media was destined to die out. For a few years, this prophecy steadily became reality, with physical disc releases becoming less and less popular, and some distribution companies giving up on them altogether. The end of the DVD and Blu-ray era seemed inevitable.
In the last few years, this trend seems to have reversed its course. Subscription prices have skyrocketed, and you need to sign up for a new service seemingly every month. Add to that an increasing level of distrust towards streaming platforms that can, seemingly randomly, add or hide content, or even attempt to bury productions making them lost media. Unsurprisingly, physical releases are coming back into the spotlight as the only way of owning your favorite shows.
Of course, there’s more to the growing popularity of DVDs and Blu-ray. Owning physical copies lets you watch offline and ensures your content is always available. It’s also a nice collector’s item for movie buffs, and boutique releases often get you additional features besides the movie.
That being said, physical Blu-ray discs or DVDs come with their own set of problems, especially when you’re about to pull the trigger on your first box set to start your collection.
The costs can quickly mount up
And buying used is a gamble
Nowadays, there are just so many streaming services. With dozens of options, and the best movies and TV series spread out across all of them, subscription costs can quickly add up. Signing up for multiple platforms can easily exceed the $100/month mark, and that’s not counting the costs of accessing higher subscription tiers with better picture quality or access for more devices.
Unfortunately, physical releases also tend to be quite pricey. A new box-office hit can cost around $30 for a barebone version, boutique special releases or steelbooks are well known for costing an arm and a leg. These include bonus features such as director’s commentary or collectors’ items, but you cannot really call it a budget option.
That being said, there is an alternative. There’s a huge market for second-hand Blu-ray and DVDs, where you’ll easily find releases for under $5. You do have to keep in mind that purchases like that are always a gamble. These discs are fragile pieces of tech, so it’s better to be sure that they were stored and used properly.
Physical discs are rather fragile
One scratch and your favorite movie is gone
Speaking of discs being destroyed, that’s another huge problem you’ll have to deal with. It’s true that with evolving technology, DVDs and Blu-rays are getting more resistant to scratches and other environmental hazards. Still, with a disc, one unfortunate scratch can completely destroy your copy.
Aside from scratches, you also have to look out for disc rot. This is, essentially, a version of corrosion for your disc collection. When moisture gets through to the reflective layer of a disc, either through a scratch or some kind of manufacturing defect, it starts quickly oxidizing and destroying the saved data.
That’s not even the end of it. Even if you store them in ideal conditions, the discs themselves have a relatively short lifespan. On average, you can expect Blu-ray and DVDs to hold saved data for 10 to 30 years. There are also archival Blu-ray discs, but even these go up to a maximum of 50 years without data degradation.
You’ll need additional equipment
Plus, watching on the go is difficult
Streaming services have one huge advantage over physical media: convenience. You can just lie down on the couch, pull out your phone and watch every movie imaginable (I’m sorry Mr. Scorsese!). What’s more, you can do that from almost every corner of the world, you just need to log into your account and you’re good to go.
With physical releases, the whole process is not so simple. You need a dedicated space to watch movies, with a quality player, screen and audio equipment hooked up. All of these are rather pricey, and with the added bulk, you probably won’t be taking them with you on a holiday trip.
Sure, you can get your hands on a portable player, or a laptop with a built-in Blu-ray/DVD reader. However, you still need to be prepared to watch a movie. Pulling your phone out and turning on an episode of your favorite series takes 10 seconds and all you need is an internet connection.
There is, of course, the possibility of ripping your discs and uploading digital copies onto a hard drive. There is a misconception that, if you own a physical disc, doing so is fine. However, due to copyright laws, this is strictly illegal.
Your collection requires a lot of space
Can you fit another shelf in the living room?
Take a look at Netflix’s library. With a few scrolls, you’ll get through hundreds of movies and shows, each one stored in a far-away data center. The best part of it? It still fits “into” your phone, no special cabinet required.
With a physical collection, your living space will have to make some sacrifices. What’s worse, this doesn’t really stop there. If you get into higher-quality, boutique releases, you might need to start thinking about getting a new storage unit. Sure, the limited version of “Evil Dead” with the Book of the Dead looks great, but displaying its huge boxed set somewhere is a different matter.
Buying DVDs and Blu-rays can be tricky
Region locks and low-quality releases can spoil your mood
Imagine this situation: you buy yourself the long-awaited special release of your favorite movie from abroad. You excitedly put it in your Blu-ray player, press play and nothing happens. After a quick, horrified look at the box, you realize you’ve fallen victim to the infamous region lock.
Every player and every disc is assigned a specific region where they can be sold. Unfortunately, only if the player and the disc have the same region assigned can they work together. That’s why, when you’re buying used, you have to be cautious.
One more thing to look out for when buying Blu-ray releases is the quality of the release. These often significantly vary in quality, starting from the source of the image. New 35mm film scans are beautiful in 4K, but VHS scans, even upscaled, will still look much worse. Moreover, consider extra features as well. There are versions with behind-the-scenes content, director commentary, and much more, while budget releases just give you a movie and nothing else.
What if a new format comes out?
You’re stuck with current tech
Tech marches on rather quickly, and with it comes innovation in display and audio technology. Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, or HDR10+ ensure you can watch in the best quality possible, with vibrant colors and crisp, spatial sound. While streaming, you can just use one toggle and start making use of these.
Unfortunately, you can’t say the same about physical media. Here, what you get is what you’re stuck with, there is no way to update them later. The best example of that are DVDs. Once they were the pinnacle of home video. Now, with their measly 480p resolution, it’s difficult to imagine picking up a DVD when you can get your hands on a higher quality Blu-ray.
In a few years, you can expect to feel the same way about 1080p Blu-ray, or even today’s 4K UHD. The content on streaming will steadily get updated to use new technologies. Unfortunately, your dated DVD or Blu-ray on your shelf will always stay the same quality as the day you bought it.
