Why You Should Collect DVDs Again 

I will never stop buying dvds/blu-rays.

Even if you prefer standard DVD, the point is, you are in control of it. With streaming, you are not.

I can't stand the fact that streaming services like Netflix also created a higher price rate for 4k quality streaming. Everything in standard just looks terrible.

I fully agree with your point, I have been collecting DVDs for about 10 years, a big hug from Italy!

I still have my DVDS. I'll never gets rid of them. Plus, my friend has gone back to DVDs.

I can understand people not wanting to have massive collections of DVD/Blu-ray in the streaming age, but think it's short sighted not to have at least your favourites on a physical format. I have certain films or TV shows that I rewatch every few years as I feel the urge - it'd be very annoying to rely on the "hit and miss" nature of streaming.

I agree with your thoughts. Another reason why I prefer physical media compared to streaming are the special features that are usually included on physical media copies. I find them interesting especially for my favorite movies.

In the UK the best places to find DVD's is in charity shops, sometimes you can get tham for 3/4 or even 5 for a pound. I mean in the last year I bought a copy of The Wolf of Wall street for a pound, still in the wrapper.

That’s why I’m hanging on to my DVDs/ blu-rays

I still buy and collect DVDs, even though I get “stick” from people for being “ old fashioned “. How can anyone get rid of classic films just to “ fit the trend of streaming “…. I also used to receive underhand comments as I refused to ditch my vinyl years ago….well, vinyl Is back so, “well done” for anyone getting rid of LP’s that are now sought after and cherished.

I bought the 4k blu ray version of 2001 and my god what a huge difference in quality over streaming.

I recently started collecting dvds and blu-rays again. It started because The Hunger Games, as big as that franchise is, isn't streaming on anything. So I bought the 4-movie collection on blu-ray. I watched them and while at first I was annoyed that I had to manually get up and swap the discs between each movie (I'm lazy, leave me alone!), I realised that I didn't have to worry about it freezing. I have bad wifi, and it sometimes takes me a couple hours to watch an episode of Loki. So I started buying movies and shows physically. Currently have 45 blu-rays and 15 dvds. Unfortunately, some streaming exclusive titles are literally streaming exclusives and aren't available physically. Oh, and I don't understand why everyone is so strongly against physical altogether. I was determined to get the disc version of the PS5. All my friends were like, "Why? The digital only version is cheaper, and everything is downloadable anyway". I mentioned maybe getting blu-rays someday (this was before the Hunger Games incident) incident) and they were like, "Everything you could ever want to see is streaming". The Hunger Games movies, Anne of Green Gables 1-4 (Sullivan Entertainment), Yellow Submarine, Pink Floyd: The Wall, The Ring trilogy, Ringu, The Wind (1928 Silent Film), San Francisco (1936 Clark Gable film), Eyes of the Mothman, and I Know My First Name Is Steven are movies I own which are not streaming. So yes, I'm glad I own the disc version of the PS5!

I have a ton of those and not to mention all my music CDs. I refuse to pay a subscription to listen to my music or watch a movie without the interruption of commercials. I'm a senior and I don't do that, lol.

Way ahead of you, I've been doing it for decades, I own ~2K movies and still counting.

I have been collecting horror on physical media since VHS and have about 3000 movies on VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/4K. Hopefully printed media will make a comeback too, I grew up in the heyday of fanzines and I much preferred reading those over all those blogs nowadays.

Fantastic video, sir! I recently cataloged my physical media collection of films and series, and the total sits at over 1000. This poses the greatest challenge of owning physical - storage. That said, it's a task I am happy to undertake. Physical media, especially dvds, often have all sorts of interesting extras not offered by streaming services, and in my opinion the tactile experience and owning what you pay for are more than worth the cost. My wife didn't really see the benefit of physical media until our interent was out for a few days, and then she was glad I had some of her comfort series on disc. That brings me to your most salient point - the value of controlling your media cannot be understated. Sony's recent controversy shows that even "buying" digital content doesn't convey any true ownership. Capitalism isn't a system in which the best product wins, but the cheapest, and even then the price will go up once sufficient corporate control is established, as we are seeing with the no longer cost effective option of streaming. Physical is the way to go, period.

If the movie or show is really meaningful or highly sentimental to you then owning a physical copy is a must. It just makes the experience of watching it feel more involved and you have the cover art to look at and the back of it to read plus the menus and bonus content. As a bonus its something to fill the shelves of your home library if you are not an avid reader or console gamer. it feels like a more authentic movie watching experience than streaming the same way going to the theater feels like a more authentic experience than watching the physical media.

Good points. The other day someone asked me why i always buy movies. Before i could answer fully, they randomly mentioned wanting to watch sling blade and if i had it. They answered their own question before i could get the words together 🙃

Streaming is convenient but! you cant go wrong with physical media that is in your hands end of story.

There’s something Pavlovian about cracking open a noisy dvd case, popping the disc out and loading the dvd player. The minor tactile ritual places me firmly in the moment unlike anything streaming can do. I start a dvd and I’m mindfully present like my brain is singing “we’re going to the mooovies”. It makes the watching experience more enjoyable.

Very well said. I hope physical media makes a comeback. Nice video!

I never stopped collecting them. I've been both amused and horrified to see how easily people have been convinced to get rid of their stuff, whether it's clothes, books, dishware, or DVDs. It's astounding, really, how corporations can talk people into upending their lives just so they can be sold something they didn't need, i.e., streaming sites. You might as well just get back on cable if you're going to hand over the choice of what you watch to them. No, thanks. I like to own what I own; I'm not interested in renting it. There are public libraries for that, and they're FREE.

Streaming is awful. The picture quality is usually subpar and the amount of commercials is ridiculous. Plus the censorship and missing episodes. There is usually nothing I want to watch on streaming anyway. I have a nice collection of around 500 to 600 movies on Blu-ray and DVD. They don't take up much space with my nice shelves and sit flat against the wall. I can watch whatever I want, whenever I want with no commercials and no censorship. Not to mention the movies people buy digitally and it suddenly disappears with no refund. People who trust streaming are suckers. Wake up people! You will lose everything

I love my dvds got least 400-500 movies and tv shows in my collection been collecting for the last 10-15 years

I love how accessible streaming has made watching movies, but I always try and buy DVD’s when I can. Second hand stores and the Walmart $5 are the best places to look. Affordable and always with lots of selection. I usually get one new release on dvd each year as well, those always cost more though.

With streaming platforms, I can't avoid thinking... "but how long would this movie or series be available?" As every streaming site removed titles after a time, to give space to new titles.

Ive collected video games for like 10 years, and started collecting DVDs this past year. It's so nice to buy a stack of awesome horror DVDs for ten bones, whereas if it was video games it would be hundreds. Having a great time at flea markets and goodwills

I have been collecting silent movies and older films, like Hitchcock, Hammer Horror, and Laurel and Hardy on blu ray and DVD because these films are going to get forgotten with a focus on streaming.

Own physical media before they erase it all… invest in 4k for your favorite movies

I have never subscribed to a streaming service and have always bought the physical media. The reason is simple - choice. Now I had a recent experience in HMV. I asked, did they have a dvd copy of La Regle du Jeu? (a French film that frequently appears near the top of film lists). No they didn't. It is unavailable, the film is not presently being released on dvd, blu ray disk, or 4k Ultra HD. One of the greatest films ever made. Nothing. Anywhere. So I headed round the corner to the CeX and asked, would they check the availability of La Regle du Jeu on their database. Sure, there were six dvd copies in the UK, nearest was sixty miles away. I drove there next day and bought it, a copy produced by the esteemed BFI from 2003, for £5.00, wonderful

Half Price Books in the US is probably the best store to get DVDs.

I never stopped collecting DVDs as the movie I want to watch never seems to be on a streaming service I have, is on one but I have to watch ads (looking at you Hulu), or simply isn't available anywhere anymore. I just like knowing I have a physical copy that I can watch at any time I feel like. The only issue I've run across is some services like Netflix won't release their movies on DVD even after years, meaning I either have to keep paying for Netflix (not a big deal) or just pirate a copy and burn it to a DVD. Back in 2019 they released a movie called Klaus, which to my knowledge still doesn't have a legitimate DVD option.

I've gone from VHS, to VideoCDs, to DVDs. Haven't really adopted BlueRay as with my relatively poor eyesight there's limited gains wiy the extra quality. In any case, yeah. Physical media will never get obsolete in my household. You have it in your hands, you own it, it's yours.

Power Of Nostalgia And Nostalgic

I love blurays

We have other creators screaming "Oh it's going to be fine, they won't get rid of physical media". Well this Christmas at my Walmart they used to have hundreds of games color tagged for discounts. Usually older systems like Xbox 360 or Xbox One, or the occasional PS3 or Vita games. Not anymore. In fact, I asked the manager in electronics why so few games? She told me it was because Walmart no longer is willing to devote so much shelf space to games that not only don't sell, but have a high probability of theft. So between these two extremes, big box is realizing people are just downloading games and forgetting physical media. So they cut back slightly at first, and now? There are nearly 70 percent less physical games and gaming gift cards are now in the same spots. That's why you can't reason with some people. They don't want to admit there is a war on physical media at for companies it's simple economics. You don't have to make a disc, artwork, or a box as most of that can be put in a game download. You don't have to have theft mitigation to stop thieves. And you have much more control of a game as it's directly downloaded to your console/PC/handheld. So what's the downside? No ownership, Ubisoft's "The Crew" is shutting down March 24th 2024 and even if you have the disc, you can't play it. This is happening to other games as well. So now any publisher can basically "turn off the the game" on a digital format and you lose what you purchased. At least with most physical disc games you still can at least play a single player game. So you get your money's worth.

Anything I think that I will probably only watch once I will use a streaming service for. If I think I will watch more than once I will buy a DVD or Blue Ray, especially box sets, I don’t mind having them in the house as I have the space. I buy a lot of discs used from Amazon or eBay for a lot cheaper than new. At least I don’t have to worry about the streaming services deciding to “edit” the series for any reason. 😂

Customers of a "video streaming service," are at the mercy of a faceless company, some of which Censor/Cancel/Eradicate all traces of ANY movie or TV show that you may like for unknown (to you) reasons. Should this "castle built on shifting sand," go out of business, you have Nothing. In late Summer 2023, Spectrum and Disney went to war over ESPN licensing fees. For 12 days, all Disney-owned channels were gone. Spectrum struck a deal for Disney Plus, tossing away EIGHT channels "the nobody watches." FXX, FX Movies and Disney XD didn't come back, so "Bob's Burgers," "Futurama" and "Gravity Falls" were gone forever. A visit to Amazon yielded the "Gravity Falls" Collector's Edition, to be seen at any time. "Bob's Burgers' and "Futurama" might be found on another channel, like Cartoon Network or "the comedy channel." Physical media is the only sure thing in this "video streaming world," where corporate decisions don't include YOU.

I'm an independent film maker and many of the streaming services pay independents lees than a penny per view, and with dvds I can actually get a fair return for my films. Its also very cool to go into a store and see one of my films on the shelve.

Some movies that were never available in streaming are Brubaker 1980, The Entity 1982, Pink Floyd The Wall 1982, After Hours 1985, Cocoon 1985 and The Abyss 1989.

I tend to buy my favorites on BluRay/4K UHD BluRay when I can. I don't really buy DVDs anymore as the quality isn't that great. I never rely on streaming.

I never stopped blue ray and dvd I don't strem

I find streaming okay for renting new titles but not for buying anything. Ive also found that netflix uk doesnt have what i want to watch. Prime is better but they charge separately for many titles.

The biggest problem I see is that these steaming services that buy the rights to these movies/shows usually end up editing/altering the original content. Owning physical copies of you’re favorites is the best way and soon to be the only way to watch the original versions.

Letting my subscriptions expire this month. Good while it lasted but after collecting years of my favorite dvds, still nothing compares to popping them in and enjoying the ride.

You look like the oldest brother from Home Improvement. Good vid also lol

I barely watch streaming services, I have been watching physical media pretty much all of my life starting off with VHS mainly VHS and then later on DVDs, but also getting the Blu-Rays and Ultra HD Blu-Rays even though I don't have a Ultra HD Blu-Ray but most of them have a Blu-Ray copy which can be handy if you're lending copies to your family and families

Only reason I have any streaming is because of the original content. The movies and shows that are *exclusively* for that platform. Theatrical movies though? I watch them in theatres and if I like them I buy them. I collect all Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and DC movies. Plus movies I really enjoy like Oppenheimer, Barbie, Nope etc are easy buys for me.

I have over 3,000 blu rays, 200 plus dvd’s and about 50 4K’s. I can watch whatever I want to whether it’s John Wick, Oppenheimer or Full House.

Ya took the words right outa my mouth...

I've over 3K film & TV. VHS, DVD, & Blu-ray. Haven't got around to 4K yet. I actually prefer VHS/DVD. It's nostalgic for me and I often prefer the colouring. I'm selective with Blu-ray but I do collect them if it's for a favourite film/animation.

Streaming is great for the shows and movies that you just watch but don't think too much about. There could be a gem or two that could be worthwhile. But DVD and Blu-ray are for the titles you truly care about. That made an impact on you.

I habe over 10k dvds, bluray, 4k movies in my collection. Physical always looks and sounds better than digital. One problem with many game oh physical is a lot of them are nothing other than boot keys. You inset them and they just reach out to the web to install them. Thats not what physical media is suppose to be about. Heck some ps5 games have like a 10k file on them and thats all thats on the disc.

i dont know about other countries, but i've found charity shops like british heart foundation or st helenas hospice that sell dvds for 3 for £1 or the cheapest ive found, 10p per disc, something i value so dearly to me, they value so cheap and i can do charity shop crawls in many different towns, so far ive done felixtowe, ipswich, colchester, mersea, bethnal green and brighton and you literally never know what you'll find, i shouldn't give away such valuable secrets but please if this helps you to choose dvds over streaming, you'll love the art of physical media

I actually like owning things so tradition is king

To be fair I think everyone should have a good horror collection. During Halloween all the streaming services lack during October. They do just the basic movies. Nothing special.

Nostalgia And Nostalgic Forever

Hey mate thanks for nailing it on the head I've never streamed I've only bought physical media dvds blu-ray and now 4k I love having every tv series and movie I like .I've still got some movies still to watch ❤😂🎉😢😮😅😊awesome

Streaming is cool, though I still prefer buying a physical copy of a movie, game, book etc.

I started collecting last year and I'm loving it. Renting digitally online ehhh they take films away everyday I want one film forever

I agree 100%. I also hate advertising popping up during my viewing.

I can confirm the Xbox Series X has a disc drive! It has helped fuel my physical media addiction lol

I've kept most of my old media, DVDs, CDs and video games dating back to the Mega Drive and Game Boy.

My journey of DVD collecting has just started…

At my library they have a dvd bin where DVD and Blu Rays are $1. It’s a toss up you never quite know what you’re getting. I scored Parasite on Blu Ray for a dollar. Can’t believe it

Yep, I've never stopped getting physical copies of movies, games and, music. LOVE CD's, physical games, and DVD/blu ray! I don't have streaming services. Not even Gamepass for games haha...Love having tons of movies, shows, games, albums at the touch of my hands. With no need for membership, no need for an internet connection (accept for a few newer games).

Nothing quite like physical media. Streaming and Digital platforms are great, But, Dvds, CDs and Blu Rays will always be cool. The appeal of watching something whenever you want, In whichever format you want will always be a good thing.

DVDs - Buy Once - Watch Forever STREAMING - Buy Forever

I love DVD's, right on!

During the vcr format war i chose Betamax so was always wary after this of obsolete formats - luckily, this is irrelevant now as (allowing for HD DVD) the 12cm disc covers everything - 4K, Blu Ray, DVD and CD with players backwardly compatible. There will always be a market for physical media in some form, even if more niche and mainly online. Having said this, HMV in the UK seem to be (thankfully) on the ascent again.

I have 700+ DVDs and 500+ Blu-rays (half of which are 4K)... but more to get, and unfortunately out-of-print discs are _very_ expensive.

I’m 16 and just started collecting dvd/blue ray and I love to look through my collections and find a movie to watch and knowing that I can’t just stop it and do something else I have to finish it if that make sense and sorry for bad grammar/English it is not my first language

I bristle at joining any service that can/will arbitrarily pull content. "You will own nothing and be happy".

Probably one of the best videos on this subject....i have Netflix with adverts..and amazon prime...my wife pays and uses them...( we dont have a TV license) and if its something we can both enjoy...Monk...Stanger Things...for example...but theres not a lot on them im bothered about ...ive been buying DVDS and CDS for the last 7 years ..( ive always bought them tbf but the costs ensured a modest collection in the 90s and 00s...) theyre really really cheap...i like the packaging especially on box sets...i like to geek out on all the extras...ive more or less got all the stuff i want...(im 56 and a sucker for the old 60s 70s and 80s films and TV )... but this month i was looking to fill a few gaps and noticed a steep increase in prices on ebay...i quickly bought the ones i wanted before this DVD...or "physical media " as younger people call it lol...catches on...that said my local charity shop still does 5 dvds for a quid...and gems can be found among the landfill lol

I'm not really connecting dvds, but blu rays and 4k blu rays I've enjoyed getting my hands on

use sleeves too, they take up very little space and look like vinyl on the shelf also.

I agree with what you said about streaming services becoming less and less consumer friendly by removing large amounts of content and forcing exclusivity to a lot of popular shows and movies to only their streaming service. It just makes it harder (and more expensive) to watch what you want to watch. I buy the movies I enjoy the most in the best format available. I would resist watching DVDs if at all possible, though, and use bluray and 4k Ultra HD because the picture quality is so much better. 4k wasn't that important until I upgraded my TV, but with an OLED TV, the picture is so good on 4k, it feels like I'm watching it for the first time on some of the excellent transfers. If the streaming services don't carry it and it's unavailable or too expensive to buy, I'll just download it, if it's available that way. For me, it's about choices, and if I have it on disc or SSD/HDD, I can watch it whether it's removed from the streaming service or the internet goes down.

I have been buying DVD for years, I’m not in the USA but since the streaming services took off, free to air TV is crap, so I buy DVDs and watch what I want, when I want, without all shockingly bad adds trying to sell me crap that i don’t want or need🐸

I’m still using cassette tapes for recording radio shows and programmes

Still got my 05 PC still Burning Mp3's on to Disc's

Library Card + Ripper + NAS = Freedom

Reason why I always buy physical media

Goodwill. Hit it up

What happened to HD Discs & Will we ever see those again!

I always had DVDs, CDs, and Vinyl. I am now buying more and decreasing my dependence on Streaming

I'm starting to buy films again as they are alot better and cheaper too. Used to own Disney plus but got rid of it temporarily as I couldn't afford it.

Physical copies for favorite movies, streaming for discovering movies

What about disc rot? Or manufacturers one day not making disc players anymore? (There’s surprisingly few choices for UHD Blu-ray)

I’m tired of paying subscription fees when I can buy dvds for dirt cheap.

Perfect thumbnail

TV shows on DVD to save on cost, and favorite movies on blu ray for better viewing experience!

i have quite a few dvds movies and tv shows because i don't like having so many subscriptions and i still buy some vhs because in my option some movies look/feel better to watch on vhs

Blu-Ray or 4K

I like streaming for crap I’ll only watch once. But I’m slowly building a second hand library of stuff I don’t see offered often or at all online.

Agree. Example…final season of Pennyworth…not available in the UK. Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy..not available. The Menu…not available in the UK

Streaming modern films makes perfect sense, as they're all ai concocted disposable products, never meant for repeated viewings. Real film should be owned on any physical media format you can find it on.

i read research that could lead to next gen blu ray discs able to hold like 100TB, last for 100 years+ and be cheap AF! that would be awesome no if one wants to own their media on physical discs...

I never stopped buying physical media, i have always preferred DVD/blu-ray over streaming.

Netflix is also phasing out live TV broadcasts. There was a Rocko’s Modern Life TV movie that was supposed to air on Nickelodeon in 2018 but was cancelled at the last minute and thrown away to the Netflix afterlife, nullifying its canon. I want that undone because I need Rocko to return from outer space and it doesn’t count if it’s a Netflix Original instead of a Nickelodeon movie.

I never stopped buying physical media, be it a cassette tape or a blu ray.