Via Insty, this happy tale:
You probably know the feeling — you’re in the mood to watch a movie, so you open up Netflix. The next thing you know, two hours have passed, and you still haven’t decided what to watch. Even when I go on a streaming platform, knowing what I’m looking for, it’s easy to get distracted by a homepage flooded with endless recommendations. Eventually, it starts to feel overwhelming and all that content just blurs together into one giant, forgettable backlog.
That’s why I’ve started buying CDs and DVDs again. I recently revived some old PC setups, so I thought it was time to try taking a similar trip back in time with my music and movies. What started as a passing interest in physical media ended up highlighting everything I’m missing out on with streaming.
And the rest, as they say, was history. It’s a lovely story, so haste ye thither and peruse the thing in its entirety.
Longtime Readers will know full well that I’ve never stopped doing that. I’ve always had a large collection of DVDs and CDs on hand, precisely for the reasons stated in the article. Only the recent move by media companies [spit] towards sunsetting access and availability — not to mention editing the original releases into something… well, less — has reaffirmed my preference toward ownership over subscription.
So to all those — Olde Pharttes, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, whatever — who decide to make a similar lifestyle decision: welcome to the club.
It’s a decision you will never regret.
This is a great post. I’m 41. An older millennial, I would have been gen X if I was born a few years earlier. I appreciate this post as it hits many points with me too.
As a kid I enjoyed NES (Nintendo) SNES (Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, PS1 and Dreamcast video games. Also played some PC games.
Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s things were different.
1 – the hardware was built to last. Even to this day you see Super Nintendo and N64 systems for sale used. For big prices if they are in good condition. The SNES came out in 1991. The N64 was 1996. You never heard of the “red ring of death” like you hear about on Xbox or newer consoles. If you wore out a controller there were parts available and you could take it apart and fix it easily. To this day, people buy these systems used. I kick myself for selling my older games. New games have the fancy graphics they don’t have the fun and playability of the older games.
Today every few years there is a new game console or a different version or a new updated streaming device available seems like every 6 months. And they are all built cheaply. Planned to fail or be obsolete it seems.
2 – the games. Many games today you download. There is no box. There is no cartridge or CD. And you can’t trade your friends or sell the game. With NES, SNES, Sega, PS1 you had a cartridge or CD that you owned. And there systems did not depend on the internet. If the power went out or the grid collapsed as long as you had power or a generator you could play these games. And you could trade them. There was something magical about going to Blockbuster and seeing the used games and VHS and DVD videos used after they rented them for a few months they would thin the amount available. And you could pick them up dirt cheap.
And for those saying downloads are easy same day delivery. When I was a kid I could get a ride to Electronics Boutique, GameStop, Babbages, KB Toy works, Toys R Us, Kmart, Walmart, and many others and pick up a physical copy of the game the same day too.
Enjoyability is lost too with the internet and download model. In the days of 90’s and early 2000’s gaming, you would sit together with a friend or friends and play games like Goldeneye 007 on N64 or Mario Kart, Cruisn USA, everyone in one room with one game console and one TV. Interacting and in person having a good time. Today many times the games are multiplayer over the internet. Someone across the town or country or world you may or may not know playing the game. Sure your friends can play too but they won’t be in the same room.
I too have a small collection of DVD’s. While I have an Amazon Firestick and stream movies there or on YouTube (lots of great movies from the past streaming) the movies can sometimes be taken off of the streaming program. Or the internet could be down. Or the movie is not free and needs payment
Any movie I really enjoy, I pickup a copy. Lethal Weapon 1 to 4, Die Hard 1 to 3, airplane 1 and 2, and many more. I have a hard copy on DVD.
These days I have to usually buy them on eBay or Amazon. Walmart and Best Buy has a limited selection of DVDs. Gone are the days of blockbuster having a used copy for cheap or Walmart having a new copy of almost any movie.
Streaming is good when it’s working. I stream movies if they have what I like and it’s free. But what if your movie is not available? And what if the grid is down? And most of all, you don’t own something. Many times changes happen to. Censorship. Deleted scenes.
Something changed from how we all enjoyed movies and games and entertainment with our friends and families in the last 15 years or so and it’s especially changed since the chi com virus. While I work in IT I will say I hate technology when it is complicated or makes life more difficult or less interactive.
Don’t even get me started on the fools who buy a vehicle or even a big ticket item like a lawn mower or snow blower online or from an app. Anyone who does that and has a problem with the product or service fucking deserves what they get.
And for the record we always had Same day delivery that Walmart and Amazon brag about today, back 20 years ago same day delivery existed too, you got your ass in your vehicle drove to the store and picked up the shit you need, same day.
YMMV
Real conservatives still listen to their LPs on their turntables. Although Kim’s moving across an ocean excuses him from this one.
Applause!!! Applause!!! I’ve lost count of the DVDs and Blu-rays I’ve got. I’m reorganizing them now anf trying to figure out where to put them. (I think another bookshelf is in my future.) Okay, so when there’s a TV show people are raving about, I’ll get the disc from the library or buy it, cheap, and so I’m a year behind everybody else. I can live with that, just don’t tell me the ending, if it’s ended, please. I also have real books – no kindle or nook – books! Books don’t have batteries to recharge. If the power goes out I can read by a lamp, the old, old fashioned way. And I never got into Spotify or other music services. It’s CDs for me. (Ya, I’ve got some old vinyl LPs too, but lets face it diamond needle vs. vinyl, diamond wins, and some of my old LPs have been listened to enough that they sound like crap now.) This past week I’ve been listening to a lot of Moody Blues CDs since hearing about John Lodge’s death. Glad to hear others are going back to “hard copies”!
Many arguments with the wife later. I refuse to get rid of my CD’s/DVD’s/VHS tapes even. I spent the $$ on them back in the day and they are still usable. I had the option to “rent” them back in the day but loved the shows enough to want them around.
(Warning: Spleen discharge upcoming)
Also they are not subject to the fuckery of Woke Inc. If I want to listen to/watch Brer Rabbit, its none of your fucking biznezz Disney.
Re-watched the MiniSeries “Centenniel” on Netflix or somesuch a while ago, because its been damn near 50 years since I saw it, and didn’t remember it all that well. While it was not observably “edited” there was a constant reminder that “This may contain outdated language or cultural depictions”, bite my fucking ass Netflix.
Hell, I could have written that, almost word for word.
My hearing is not what it used to be (and I was a sonar tech in my youth – 50+ years ago), so audio material is of less interest to me. OTOH, books! I prefer (exclusively) paper books. Not only the advantages listed by AndrewR, but I don’t have to worry about my hard copies being bowdlerized, stealthily edited or even totally expunged by corporate and/or governmental interests.
Exactly! I am awaiting delivery of an older version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because there has been an interest in editing it and issuing a bowdlerized version because the fictional characters of Veruca Salt, Mike TeeVee have vaguely insulting words written about them, and the Oompa Loompas appear to be slaves.