[Brian Hampton]

I read an article recently that said Blu Ray will win this format war but it won't matter because physical media is on it's way out.


So,... I wonder do people on this forum believe that physical media will quickly be a thing of the past?


I'm thinking I love my CDs, DVD's, Blu Rays and so on. There's plenty of download-able video online and most of it has one common feature - ultra low video quality.


Now,.. MP3's gave stong indication that people don't care about quality whatsoever so maybe Google video and youtube and so on will continue to skyrocket. It is easy to find something to watch on those sites.


Anyway,.. I love owning physical media and don't want everything to just be online,.. how do other forum members feel about physical media?


-Brian

 

[Maxx_75]

This issue keeps comming up and keeps going away. Every few years someone shouts that physical media is going out.


It did not.......It is not.......And in 5 years someone will say it again.......and it wont.



People like to touch it. Hold it. Lend it. Collect it. Stack it. Put it on their cat and take pictures of it. ( Stuffonmycat.com )


Physical media is not going anywhere.

 

[hmurchison]

Physical media is great. Where Blu-ray and HD DVD need to go IMO is a hybrid.


Give me physical media and allow me to augment the data on said media with extensive and fresh online content. Thus the disc becomes a dongle of sorts that authenticates my data. We're not ready for online only stuff because here in the US there are still people with crappy broadband woefully stuck under the yoke of no competition in their area.


I like listenging to my music in iTunes but movies are a bit more involved. I don't make movie playlists or carry movies with me to the gym. There's going to be some key differences in how consumers utilize downloaded movies vs music.

 

[taz291819]

I'd prefer to be able to download it, and burn it for back-up purposes. Having a media server, and a front-end like xlobby is great. I never have to hunt down a disc, or worry about someone else scratching it.


It's really, really great for kids and the elderly. Simply scroll through the "movie posters", click on the movie you want to watch, and it plays.


When ISPs can deliver 50Mbps connections (for the majority mind you), I see high-quality high-definition going mainstream on the internet.

 

[alfbinet]



Quote:
Originally Posted by taz291819 /forum/post/0


I'd prefer to be able to download it, and burn it for back-up purposes. Having a media server, and a front-end like xlobby is great. I never have to hunt down a disc, or worry about someone else scratching it.


It's really, really great for kids and the elderly. Simply scroll through the "movie posters", click on the movie you want to watch, and it plays.


When ISPs can deliver 50Mbps connections (for the majority mind you), I see high-quality high-definition going mainstream on the internet.

I have an iPod and the convenience is great, but I have my main system. Great Video/Audio. My concern is the quality of the experience...downloadable is not there yet. I don't want to settle for mp3 sound and certainly not video at the present state for my video viewing. I also like the fact that when I buy a HD DVD I own it. The downloadable format smacks of the old Divx format to me.

 

[balanceofpower]

I like having both a physical and a computer option. I watch a lot of HD on my laptop and wouldn't mind downloading if the price were much lower. However, the physical disc can be re-sold and is a bit of insurance in the event of some sort of computer disaster. I don't want to see physical outright disappear, but if say it were $8 to download vs. $20 to buy the movie on disc, I'd be much more tempted to go with the former option. On titles I really want, I will probably always purchase the physical if available. HD and BD (physical) are pretty nice for easy storing versus say LaserDiscs, so it's not as much of a hassle as it used to be to move and travel with them.