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Commentary, behind-the-scenes features, bloopers: What did we lose when we said goodbye to DVDs?
(english.elpais.com)
this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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Technology
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I did say goodbye to almost all DVDs, but I haven’t said goodbye to 4K Blu Ray discs, nor will I.
I am disappointed it feels like physical media is slowly going away though. It's not only nice to have a physical collection in my opinion, but it directly supports the stuff you like, and you don't have to deal with the bs that comes with digital "ownership" or the ever changing mess that are streaming services.
Check out bandcamp. It's for music, but you can stream tracks to give them a listen, and then buying them nets you a straight up file download in an audio format of your choice.
A world where you can both support the creator online, and receive something you get to keep in return, is possible.
I hope we'll get there for movies one day.
I just want to legally buy a DRM-free movie file containing multiple audio tracks and subtitles that I can slap in my Plex server and call it a day.
For the moment I'm doing it myself using my own Blu-Ray discs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Good news! You can pirate high quality blueray rips from the internet and since you already own a license to the content it’s not even a crime ;-)
Finding a MKV with the audio tracks (english and french) as well as embedded subtitles for the languages I want is often more work than just ripping it myself.
It’s definitely nice to have exactly the copy you want. Plus (and decidedly more on topic) you can rip any extras you want… although the naming scheme is a bit of a headache, that’s the part that really delights me.
That's all well and good, but physical media is selling less and less as the average person moves to streaming.
Sooner or later, there will be a tipping point where media industry execs just stop selling physical media altogether to deny pirates a source, as the profits no longer outweigh the "downsides".
Webripping is unlikely to stop for as long as streaming options exist, but then we'll be stuck with low quality bitrates as enshittification ensures every penny is pinched when it comes to bandwidth.
High quality drm-free file downloads, available online, officially, would be ideal.
Considering the movie industry is currently at a point where it's even punishing paying customers with low-quality 720p for daring to use the "wrong" browser, I don't think the industry will figure out that there's a market out there for high quality drm-free media anytime soon.
There's something like Plex, but for rich people and with DRM.
You buy some kind of stupid expensive home theater appliance that's basically just a NAS, and it downloads movie releases that the company licenses. I think it was a subscription service that includes basically all theatrical releases you might want to watch, even before blu-ray releases are out.
But you have to use their box, and it costs "fuck you" money.
So the general idea for high quality media that gets downloaded onto local hardware is out there, but not exactly peddled to middle class consumers or with open DRM.
Edit: Found it, it's called Kaleidoscape
I’m not even sure how long MQA took, but the audio world came around and developed a ~~lossless~~ format that runs on ~~commodity~~ hardware and features a ~~wide~~ selection of popular… sound.
Yeah, we’re boned.
The return of the Disney vaults… I admit I’m concerned, but I’ve watched so much soulless bullshit at quality levels that do nothing but make the flaws easier to see… it’s not as much of a concern as it used to be. We’re whitnessing a spasm, it’ll pass. Good content comes from people that give actual fucks about what they are creating. They will always want you to experience the best version you can.
i feel like my 24TB of movies and tv is a physical copy. i can watch over 2500 movies or 30,000 episodes perfectly curated with extras, commercial free and can hand a copy to my kids on a single drive.
I don't mind having downloaded digital copies. I have a Plex server of stuff too. But sometimes it's just easier to just buy a disk rather than find a safe/working torrent just to get it digitally
i spose. theres lots of automation tools available now..
adding a title to sonarr and having it automatically downloaded, processed and added to my library seems a lot easier than driving to some store or ordering online where i would now i have to deal with 'disks'
There's automation for doing it the legal way, too.
You can have a disk drive you just put a disk in and the media will automatically get imported all the way to whatever media server you prefer.
Combine that with disks being small enough to just show up through your mail-slot, and it can be pretty painless, as well.
ha, but you skipped the part where you attempt to obtain a disk! the 'disk level' automation has existed for decades and is much more work than typing a name in a list.
not to mention, shit just isnt all on disk anymore.
And?
Don't pretend like there are no parallels between trying to figure out a source for something that has long since stopped being seeded, and where to order a disk.
Or that putting in an online order is any more complex that making a request on ombi.
Or that there are no disks out there with content no one has ever ripped.
youre seriously saying that working through the process of finding, purchasing, obtaining via shipping and then finally ripping the disk is 'just as easy' as typing a name into an automation system??
youre just flat out wrong. i have volumes of material that have never been on disk ever, and never will be
No. Where did you get that idea from? When did I say it was more better?
I said it could be convenient, in some cases the best option, and sometimes rarely the only option.
Find me an automated system that can find and download a copy of finnish TV series "Pakanamaan Kartta" that I have on my Jellyfin server, and we'll talk.
ahh i see
ive put shit on my torrenting list that were there for years before it popped up again was downloaded. and then, ive purchased home made vhs copies of shit that just doesnt exist anymore. so i get where youre comin from
Haha! Physical media has been "slowly going away" since before UHD existed as a format. Just keep buying whatever format you like and distributors will keep it going. Look at all the catalog titles and niche (often limited special run) titles still being added to UHD.
You don't have to deal with digital ownership bullshit with existing physical media because some people broke the DRM.
The worst development for end users would be a normalization of physical media and new or ("updated") physical formats and players.
With brand new DRM and more tightly controlled playback devices.
Discs mean too much hassle. I'd have to rip them all prior to storing the movies on my harddrives. Streaming subscriptions are convenient, but too limited and they don't offer the best quality. IMHO, a download option is the best of both worlds.
Bandcamp but for movies and TV would be amazing.
With the role physical storage plays today, maybe consumer tape drives are a niche to be filled. Hard drives and optical discs die.