Ha ha ha. You collect physical media. You’re a nerrrrrrrrrrd.
Physical media is obsolete. Streaming is more convenient. You can watch what you want when you want it.
You’ll often hear some variations of those arguments in the “physical media is dead” discussion.
Today, if you search the term “physical media is dead” on Twitter, you’ll see many conversations pop up, from people either staunchly agreeing that physical media is going the way of the dinosaurs or insisting that physical media will live on forever.
I will admit I’m completely biased on this topic. I’m an 80s baby (born in 1982). I LOVE physical media. I grew up in the age of the VHS and the mom-and-pop video stores and, later on, the age of DVD and Bluray. If we saw a movie in theaters and wanted to own it forever, we waited till it came on TV or HBO (in the age of VHS–and grabbed a blank VHS tape to record it), or we waited till it came on DVD and Bluray (in the age of DVDs and Blurays) and grabbed a copy. And while my collection has waned and grown over the years, one thing is certain.
Physical media is very much alive.
You may think physical media is dead. But here are my thoughts on why you shouldn’t chuck your physical media collection in the garbage.
You’ll always have a copy on hand
Say you’re in the mood to watch something like Evil Dead. You plop down on the couch and search for it…and lo and behold, you can’t find it anywhere! It’s nowhere to be seen…or streamed. But if you have a copy of Evil Dead on your shelf, you can grab it, pop it into your VHS, DVD, or Bluray player, and watch it whenever you feel like it.
Yes, streaming offers the same convenience, too, of watching anything you want whenever you feel like it. Still, that convenience ends when they don’t have your favorite movie in their streaming library.
You don’t have to rely on an internet connection
Comcast. Cox. Mediacom. What do they all have in common? They’re crappy internet providers, and their networks can go down on a whim. Even the best internet providers have their moments…and streaming relies solely on having a stable internet connection. And what if there is an internet outage? Physical media takes internet connections out of the equation.
You don’t have to pay a monthly subscription fee
I have my streaming service subscriptions I swear by…and sorry, my Shudder subscription isn’t going anywhere. But say the movie you like is only on Netflix. You have to get a free Netflix trial just to see it…or fork over ten bucks for a subscription. As for services like Tubi, Pluto, and Plex, they cost you time in ads watched (they’re great services, though!).
When you purchase the physical media, it’s a one-time purchase unless you need the movie in VHS, DVD, Bluray, 4KUHD, AND digital. Either way, no subscription fees!
You get special features
Sometimes, once in a blue moon, you’ll see a movie on a streaming service with special features like a director’s cut and deleted scenes, and that’s all you see. If you pop in your DVD or Bluray, you’ll see special features like director’s cut, deleted scenes, documentaries, commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, storyboard artwork…and so on. Special features make a piece of physical media…well…special.
You get to build up your collection with cool things
Physical media and collections go hand in hand. Often, you’ll see people proudly post their physical media collections on social media. And what usually comes with physical media is a lot of cool things. Websites like Witter Entertainment and Broke Horror Fan sell “modern horror films on limited edition VHS,” scaled down to the 4:3 limited aspect ratio. Arrow Video and Vinegar Syndrome make it a point to restore and distribute films to preserve forgotten genres…and many horror films have crossed their sites. They give the fans beautifully restored films packaged in cool packaging…and sometimes even sell box sets with goodies like posters, postcards, collector’s booklets, and much more.
When you’re streaming something, all the clickable “play” buttons look the same. Physical media? Different.
It’s alive!
Physical media ain’t dead. It’s still alive, even if it might become a niche hobby. And that’s okay! In today’s world, we need both streaming and physical media in today’s world…but I find physical media more convenient than streaming.
And okay, I’m feeling nostalgic. This is Retro Rewind, after all.
Want to support my horror endeavors?
I now have a Ko-Fi page, where you can “buy me a coffee…” basically, you can throw a few bucks my way for me to put towards items like upkeep on the website domain, cameras and lighting, green screens…things to make my horror endeavors even better. Find out more by clicking the button below…or even just spread the word! Any support is appreciated.
