Why physical media is having a comeback, explained

Streaming dominates how we consume content, but physical media like vinyl, DVDs, and Blu-rays is making a surprising comeback. This shift reflects a growing appreciation for quality, tangibility, and ownership in an increasingly digital world. From the superior audio and video quality of analog formats to the nostalgia of collecting physical items, the resurgence of physical media challenges the convenience of digital streaming. Discover why more people are turning to vinyl records, Blu-ray collections, and other physical formats for their entertainment and how this trend is reshaping modern media consumption.
--
Correction:

4:05 Blu-rays and 4K UHD discs do indeed use compression. However, they still offer significantly higher bitrates and better quality than most streaming services.
--
📲 lets connect:

🙋🏻‍♂️ about:
Hi there I’m Dean! A creative and storyteller exploring how technology and media shape our lives, culture, and society. In a world where digital devices and new technologies evolve at a rapid pace, I believe it’s important to take a critical look at our relationship with them and how they shape our digital lives. Through my videos, I aim to present these ideas in an easy-to-understand and thought-provoking way, uncovering the profound ways technology and media influence the world around us.

▸ Notable Sources

#physicalmedia #media #movies #music #gaming

[mgthestrange]

THIS, exactly this!!! Another worry of mine is lost media, a film or series goes on a streaming, everyone raves about it, the hype dies down, it’s removed and it’s gone.

[josephmayfield]

It’s also important to point out, streaming is censoring content.
Scenes have been changed and removed from movies, and whole episodes of tv shows have been removed due to modern taboos.

[bloomfilms]

The reason I buy vinyls is because I like owning my favorite albums, physically. Having the album in front of me makes me feel like I bought a piece of art that has personal value to me

[UrLocalSplatoonFanGuy]

People when Streaming was introduced: Wow this is more convenient than DVDs and Blu-Rays!
People now: They removed our favorite movie off the platform! We’re going back to DVDs and Blu-Rays!

[mattgron]

If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't theft

[segasdreamer]

I've been going back to physical because the feeling of disconnect from the medium. I've been buying DVDs to play on my PS2, cassettes for music because there's a mindset with it. The hiss before a track plays gives a sense of excitement for the music.

[RevanNL]

I might see it wrong, but to me the picture of a regular 1080p blu-ray is still miles better or crisper than a 4k streaming movie

[SilverScribe]

Once the internet goes, so do Streaming Services. Not to mention the way studios keep removing content from services gives us all the more reason to buy books, DVDs, CDs and so on.

Therefore, physical media DOES have a reason to exist

[sefarba]

Not mentioned but books and CDs are also slowly but surely making a comeback everywhere. More than the ‘physical experience’ which relates more to appreciation, I think it’s about permanence and access.

[muelabruno]

Some people will never know what it feels like to wake up at 3:30 AM hearing the same song on a loop and DVD menu of your favorite movie.

[shinyocelotarchive]

I wanted to watch Infinity Train and Summer Camp Island. They were removed from HBO Max and since there were no physical releases available, the only way to watch as piracy. Infinity Train Book 1 & 2 eventually got reprinted, but the other half of the series never got a physical release.

Physical media helps keep creators' stories alive, especially with how much content is being pulled from services.

[marioherrerajr]

After nintendo shut the eShop got their older consoles it made me reconsider how I purchase games, now I only get physical copies of games, I don't wanna be losing all of my games in the near future

[GrackAlaciN]

I never stopped buying physical media. I only used streaming as a supplement to my collection, until I got fed up with way content is being presented to you on the services. It doesn't help that content is now jumping from platform to platform either. So for the last about 1½ year I've been living without Netflix/Max/whatever, and only used Spotify for music. When it comes to music I support the artists I really like by going to their concerts if possible, and buying their music on physical media if available. I'm even considering getting a tape deck again.

I have an ever growing collection of DVD, Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray, LaserDisc, and a few VHS tapes. Sure, a lot of new stuff might not turn up on those formats, but then there's over 100 years of movies and TV shows that I can dive into, and never run out of stuff to run. My latest additions are Shawscope Vol 1 from Arrow, a collection of old martial arts movies, and two John Waters flicks.

Games is a very different story though. PC gamers have been living with digital distribution for about 20 years, and while physical media is still a thing on consoles, except for maybe Nintendo games, I don't think you can count on the entire gaming being on a disc because it's so common that a major patch or update drops on day 1, fixing all the stuff that wasn't fixed before the discs were pressed. On PC the only real way to make sure you don't lose the game, is to get it on GOG, and back it up yourself.

[Novaconis]

in my school they're calling this new period "l'economie d'usage" (economy of use in french), and it can be beneficial to the planet, like for renting out sports gear from a store and returning it when you no longer have a use for it, reducing overconsumption and if the gear is maintained well, leads to far less waste when disposed of at its end of life or forgotten and even recycled, repaired or reused, it even was in my final exams, I answered it wasn't a perfect all around solution as it can easily be abused by companies and media and digital goods could disappear because of it.

[No_Life_Alex]

one thing you neglected to mention about gaming is: most games are considered "lost", meaning there is no official way to obtain them. The only way to play them is to buy a used copy or download a pirated one. Despite game studios not making any money off of used game sales, the ESA (Like RIAA but for games) still take down copies of their old games.

[kingjaries]

I believe a lot of people are fearful that the digital media they "buy" can be removed at any point and might as well be named as rented instead.

[Slurpy_Films]

I’m not kidding, your video has one of the most unique and vibrant thumbnails ever. I love it so much

[simplyshorts]

Even having the files on your own HDD is a much better experience than streaming.
You can sort stuff the way you want it to be sorted. Sometimes you rediscover old songs or movies you haven‘t seen in ages.
Not possible if you are streaming..

[KaleidoSTAR_PH]

as someone who's buying album CDs for the past 20 years, you own it and no one will take it from you except if it was mishandled it.

physical media brings so much sense of ownership and control of what you truly want in your library and not overwhelm you with 1k of titles to choose from on streaming services

[DaveMiller]

Physical media is king. Streaming can be taken from you or censored easily. If you own it physically, you actually own it. DVD/Bluray, vinyl records, physical books.