Streaming is dead! Long live physical media!
This is what all of us who grew up during the era of VHS tapes and DVD want to proclaim from the top of our voices, right? Well, maybe – but the truth is, streaming isn’t dead.
Streaming is very much alive, and it is very popular. Oh, it might be going through a bit of a bumpy patch at present, due to an oversaturation of services, some general disinterest from subscribers, and the ongoing impact of inflation, but streaming is still very much big business.
Some of us might be getting a bit fed up of shelling out for countless services, which never seem to have anything on them we actually want to watch, but we all continue to subscribe anyway because it is a convenient way to access media. So yeah, streaming is not dead and I doubt it ever will be.
But even if we have accepted the fact we are forever locked into some kind of subscription package to access films and TV shows, does that mean we have to completely turn our backs on the past? Well, no, it doesn’t.
Even if you are a digital devotee, you can still indulge in a bit of physical media too. There’s room for both, neither has to fall completely to the wayside, and you can have your cake and eat it – you simply need to decide what you want to watch and how you want to watch it.
In recent months I’ve become a bit despondent when it comes to streaming, and I’ve had a longing for physical media. As such, I’ve reinvested in this particular corner of my life, and I’ve re-embraced physical media in a number of different ways, starting with new DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K discs.
I should add, I’ve not ditched my Netflix account, and I still buy some films digitally, however, I am moving back to more tangible ways to access entertainment. I’m doing this because I am becoming increasingly cheesed off with streaming; I am aware of the precarious nature of owning something digitally; and I simply want some films on hard copy.
So, what exactly have I done? Well, I’ve gone back to basics, and I’ve started to re-build my physical media collection.
But rather than go ‘all in’ like I would have done in my younger years, I’m now taking a more curated approach than I did before. Less is more, and I’m building accordingly.
I’ve picked up some of my favourite films on shiny disc, I’ve rescued some of my old DVDs and Blu-rays from the back of a dusty cabinet, and I’ve created a space where I can show off my love for film. I don’t plan on letting my collection overtake or overwhelm my entire living space like it once did, but I do want it to exist in the physical realm as a display of my interests and appreciation for cinema.
When I previously switched to ‘all digital’ in the past it felt like the best way forward at the time, but I now know that wasn’t the case. By bringing a bit of physical media back into my home, I feel myself reconnecting with the movies I appreciate and/or adore and I am reminded that great films exist in the world.
Perhaps to put it more accurately, I should be spending more time with good quality movies which I’ve created space for in my home, rather than the dross that is being served up on Netflix or Disney+ etc. The rubbish that is being passed off as ‘content’ on streaming platforms is taking up far too much of my time and by buying physical copies of films I like I am redirecting my focus.
As noted above, I’m now taking a curated approach to physical media, which basically means I will be picking and choosing what I want in my collection based on a.) what I am likely to watch multiple times, b.) what I would miss if it was pulled from a streaming service, and c.) what I believe deserves a place on the shelf because it is a damn fine film or TV series. I will occasionally add in the odd classic title too, if it is simply not available on any of the major streamers.
Those who subscribe to streaming services will know the streamers don’t carry everything and in the case of Netflix, which is the most popular streamer of them all, this service doesn’t carry many films beyond the 1990s. If you want to watch something on Netflix from the ’80s, ’70s, ’60s etc, you mostly have to go elsewhere, which is frankly a bit rubbish.
I have no major issue with going elsewhere of course, and I actively encourage everyone to seek out other streamers beyond Netflix (if you can afford it), but my point is there are limitations. So, my new approach for a physical media collection is to pick up a copy of something on disc if I really want to watch it and don’t feel the desire to stream it elsewhere.
The key thing here though is curation, curation, curation. I don’t need to own everything, I can utilise both physical and digital however I see fit, I just need to live by the motto there is room for all different formats and tastes.
As part of my renewed appreciation for physical media, I have picked up some funky boxsets from the likes of 101 Films and Second Sight, and I’ve thrown them into the mix with my existing run of Walt Disney Animated Classics on Blu-ray, which I must admit I’ve not shown any love for, for quite some time. However, I do plan to rectify this in the not-too distant future, because I believe my days of monthly subbing to Disney+ is coming to an end as I move to a more sporadic subscription, and this means I’ll be checking out those Blu-rays more frequently.
I’ve also ‘rescued’ some old Smallville DVDs which I’ve had for well over a decade now, but have largely been hidden at the back of a cupboard and housed within a battered and frankly rather dull looking boxset. I’ve now freed the DVDs from the boxset (hurrah!), binned the crappy outer case (which I’ve never liked) and have given them a new lease of life.
The spines look uniform on my shelf and now when I reach for the DVDs I can see the pretty artwork. This is how they should have always existed, and this is how they shall remain.
And this brings up an important point: Now that I can see my collection in all its glory, and I’ve given it a few tweaks, I feel more compelled to pop out a disc and give something a watch. It’s amazing how things can be revitalised with a bit of TLC and a new outlook.
My former collection of DVDs and Blu-rays felt a bit like a dead weight when technology evolved and digital and streaming took over, and it all became unloved. I had countless DVDs, many of which I’d only watched once or twice, and it kind of got out of control.
But stripping everything back, starting again, and keeping things more streamlined has done wonders. Owning DVDs and Blu-rays no longer feels like an outdated pursuit, and I’ve sort of found a second wind.
And to make my collection feel more like a focal point, I’ve brought out my love for film in a few different ways, including the addition of VHS tapes and a nod to the Blockbuster days. I’ll go into detail about these in separate posts, however, one thing I will highlight now, is the inclusion of a few film-related books which I’ve integrated onto my shelves.
As part of my curated collection, I’ve added a few books from the BFI Classics series (The Silence of the Lambs, The Terminator, The Birds, etc), which are informative and look great on display. Part of re-embracing physical media is delving deeper into the movies I love, and not only do the BFI books help with this but they push the collection beyond just DVDs and Blu-rays.
I’ll pick up my discussion on physical media in the next post, which talks a little about Blockbuster, and how I’ve sort of integrated the old video rental store into my physical media collection, but for now I’ll wrap up this post with a repeat of what I’ve highlighted above: Owning DVDs and Blu-rays no longer feels like an outdated pursuit. To some it might seem that way, as streaming saves space and is (mostly) more convenient, but there’s still plenty of life in physical media.
I previously gravitated away from physical media because I felt it was time to move with the times, plus I had a few bad experiences with digital degredation which impacted some of my older discs, but moving to streaming and digital didn’t prove to be a complete winner for me. It had its perks, but it also had its problems too – namely availability issues – and a few years on, I’m getting tired of paying more and more money for an inferior service.
By re-embracing physical media, while keeping my foot in digital/streaming, I can have the best of both worlds. And ultimately, why restrict yourself to one, when the option to have both is currently available?
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about curating a physical media collection. For more useful posts on It’s A Stampede!, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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