The Future of Physical Media

[Monsters For Sale]

We have discussed the steady encroachment of digital downloads and studio film libraries that exist in some nebulous Interwebnet "cloud" in several other threads dedicated to new releases and BLU-Ray topics.

I wondered about the future of sales in a thread talking about COVID-19 side effects.  Darned if DigitalBits.com didn't have an informative article about just that topic:

            https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/070720-1500

Reading this makes it seem like we will be lucky with whatever we get in the next few years.  Likely, the really obscure cult moves will have a hard time obtaining the necessary funds for proper restoration.  I hope they are not allowed to deteriorate beyond all hope of rescue.

I know these old movies mostly represent a tiny fragment of our cultural heritage, but they are a part.  Their collective influence over the years has contributed to our combined consciousness as a society and informed, and prejudiced, the thinking and opinions we all have in ways we don't even realize.

[Mike...In 3-D!]

I wonder how much those numbers are skewed. For example, if those numbers take everything into account, I'm not surprised by them. But when you look at boutique/specialty lines such as Arrow, MVD, Vinegar Syndrome and Scream Factory in particular, what their numbers are like. Us horror folk have collecting in our blood and I think they benefit greatly from that. Especially because those companies give us restorations of long out of print films that a good amount of the community has been looking for. I bet Scream Factory will sell more physical units of Curse of the Werewolf than Sony will of Jumanji: The Next Level.

Hell, we're starting to see (albeit very limited) new VHS editions being released. As a whole, I agree that physical media is on its way out, but I think the horror/sci-fi community is still in good shape.

It'll definitely be a bummer if it all goes away. I would have less of an issue with digital if you could actually own it. My experience in purchasing digital is very limited, but I hate that if I buy something off Amazon I'm limited in how I watch it/which program I'm allowed to use.

[Joseph_Baeza]

Physical media isn't going anywhere soon, in my opinion.  It is still a thriving industry, and as long as companies like Criterion, Arrow Video, Kino Lorber, Indicator, Shout Factory, etc. continue to put the love, work and care into their products, they will always have a solid support base from die-hard film lovers like myself.  Right now, there is nothing streaming on any service that compares to a beautifully transferred 4K with HDR.  That could all change, of course, with the arrival of 5G, but we will see.

[Majere]

I don't think physical media will ever truly go away, it will just change.  It will become more of a niche product, like vinyl.

[Mike Scott]

It will become more of a niche product, like vinyl.

Nice to hear from you, again!   

[Monsters For Sale]

There is a call to remove Donald  from future copies of "Home Alone 2".

I don't happen to be a fan of the man's work, but I am not in favor of altering artistic ( that's right, I think Home Alone 2 is an artistic work) work that has earned a place in so many millions of people's hearts.  Leave it the hell alone.

There will always be political and personal behavior that makes some people wince at the inclusion of persons they no longer favor.

Bill Cosby lost the approval and support of many people in his later years.  His early spoken humor is still funny.  His classic comedy on audio disc is timeless.  Two words:  Chicken Heart.


Screw movies stored in some nebulous electronic web that can always be tweaked for current values and tastes.  I'm stickin' with my physical media.

[horrorhunter]

Screw movies stored in some nebulous electronic web that can always be tweaked for current values and tastes.  I'm stickin' with my physical media.

I agree.

The whims of political correctness change with the wind. I don't want my entertainment censored just because somebody somewhere picked it to satisfy their current desire to be offended. Off the net (and the radar), my library of entertainment stays the way it was originally created, intended, and enjoyed. They can have the cloud. I'll keep my physical media.

Also, I don't think DVD/BDs will go away during our lifetimes. They will get more niche, but they'll still be around. Just like back issue comics or any collectible which has thousands of fans, there will be eBay sellers, and websites, and flea market/convention dealers, and little hole-in-the-wall stores, where you can still buy discs (and tapes) of your favorite genre films. Some may get more expensive over time as they get harder to find and demand rises, but they'll still be there. We love them too much for it to be otherwise.

[Joseph_Baeza]

There is a call to remove Donald  from future copies of "Home Alone 2".

There is also a call to remove Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars: A New Hope (Un-Special Edition), which I would be far more in favor of!

[marsattacks666]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FhkSuLenqV0

[Rich]

There is a call to remove Donald  from future copies of "Home Alone 2".

I don't happen to be a fan of the man's work, but I am not in favor of altering artistic ( that's right, I think Home Alone 2 is an artistic work) work that has earned a place in so many millions of people's hearts.  Leave it the hell alone.

There will always be political and personal behavior that makes some people wince at the inclusion of persons they no longer favor.

Bill Cosby lost the approval and support of many people in his later years.  His early spoken humor is still funny.  His classic comedy on audio disc is timeless.  Two words:  Chicken Heart.


Screw movies stored in some nebulous electronic web that can always be tweaked for current values and tastes.  I'm stickin' with my physical media.

I agree. I am not in favor of sending a film back to the editing room 30 years later just because a cameo appearance turned out to be a [censor my opinion to not turn this into a political debate] president.

[Hepcat]

I'm in the physical media camp. Other people can have their cloud.

And I'm opposed to bowdlerizing films in deference to current sensibilities. I want to see the original unexpurgated Fantasia and all the other cartoons the way they were originally released.

[marsattacks666]

With the popularity of Boutique movie companies among younger Cinephiles,  physical media isn't going away any time soon. The younger generation of real Cinephiles and Hipsters are collecting and buying bluray and DVD. Vinegar Syndrome, 88 Films, Arrow, Severin and Synapse are the go-to Boutique companies for collectors.

These aforementioned Boutique companies are offering lots of ballyhoo, in terms of promotion of their products.

Social media, especially the usage Instagram and Facebook has Trended  the popularity of Physical Media.

As, Horrorhunter wrote. The word Niche is great adjective that best describes now and the future of physical media
collectors.

[Mike Scott]

I want to see the original unexpurgated Fantasia

What did they expurgate from FANTASIA?

[Hepcat]

The Censored Centaurs - Cinema Crazed

Incidentally I've attended and enjoyed several of Reg Hartt's Sex and Violence Cartoon Festivals over the years:



Reg Hartt's Cineforum - Torontoist

[Mike Scott]

The Censored Centaurs

Oh yeah, I forgot about that.