Digital Content: Streets ahead? or can it only handle 6 Seasons and a movie?

[Coolness Bears]

 

What are your thoughts on Digital Content.

 

For me:

 

Music:

 

I still enjoy the physical product and actually owning music bought digitally doesn't feel like it's mine. It's certainly much easier though to store and such as I have an external hard drive, I just need to organise it! Plus to me CD's/Cases are ugly but I will be going Vinyl in the Summer/later this year.

 

Books:

 

Not that I read much at the moment and in fact any books I read last year were mainly old and I read online (even though it was uncomfortable) but I do prefer the physical form and it's much nicer to tuck yourself up with a book imo. I have not experienced any of the E-book readers so I can't say about that but in terms of space I don't get that many books anyway, I only want to read one on the go etc.

 

Films/TV shows:

 

I see no merit to have my films digitally. Again it doesn't feel like own them and I actually love to display my collection on my shelves. I don't get any TV Shows really bar The Simpsons Seasons (I am up to date) but I do enjoy my films and the big winner here is Bluray which lures me in greatly because the picture quality is immense and like digital ectasy.

 

Videogames:

 

I'm in two minds about this. You can get some great cheap games of the many online stores and such my main concern which may only annoy me is that if I get a game and don't like it then I'm sort of stuck with it and can't sell it on, it's just there taking up space and deleting would also annoy me because then I'm getting rid of part of my collection and hiding my secret buying shame.

 

:p

 

 

Are you prepared to take the plunge? or are you clutching to your VHS tapes?

[MoogleViper]

I always listen to music on my computer. Although I would never buy music digitally, instead opting to buy the CD and rip it.

 

I don't think I could read an eBook. However I very rarely read anyway (I know, I know, I'm a terrible person) but when I do it has to be a book. Although for academic journals I prefer the digital copies. Can't beat ctrl+f.

 

As I don't own a TV most of my tele comes from online, and most of my films are digital as well. I like owning DVDs but I find they're much more of a hassle, and take up too much storage, than digital.

 

I usually buy games as a physical disc. Feels like you're actually owning something and saves your bandwidth. Although the steam sales are an exception.

[S.C.G]

Music:

 

CD's always, I never buy the MP3's directly as I love getting a new album, reading the sleeve-notes/admiring the artwork while the CD is ripping then listening to it on my PC first and then MP3 player thereafter; it's a ritual that I love even if the discs are starting to take up a lot of space.

 

Books:

 

I recently purchased a Kindle which I am most defintiely pleased with as before I hadn't read a book in ages but now I'm starting to get back into reading which in itself is priceless, the cost of the device will pay for itself in about a years worth of use most likely plus being that I don't have much room for books it's by far the best solution for myself even though I do enjoy the feel of actual books.

 

Films/TV Shows:

 

Being that I don't watch very many films I tend to just buy them on DVD when there is one that I'd like to see, the cinema lost its appeal long ago for me... as for TV shows I don't really feel the need to own any TV show that I've already watched unless it's exceptional, those however that I can't watch due to not having/wanting Sky like Game of Thrones obviously I will splash out on the boxset because it seems worthwhile so that I can actually experience it.

 

Videogames:

 

For the mostpart I prefer to own the physical media purely for ritualistic (the manual sniff) and materialisitc reasons (I like to see my collection on a shelf) so when there's the option to 'download' a retail game I will usually turn it down also for the other reason that they seem to cost more than the physical product which is ridiculous.

 

The only exception is of course games which are made to be download only like the many games on XBLA for instance including the utterly brilliant Trials HD and of course the Virtual Console on the Wii/PSN on Playstation formats but I tend to only buy the rarer games that I don't already have which feels worth it to at least experience the games while not having to bare the heavy burden of a huge pricetag for buying it in it's original physical form or just for the games that I wish to experience again but either no longer have/don't have easy access to the original console.

[nightwolf]

Well, well, well..

 

Music:

 

I've been a Spotifier for about three years now, even more so now that I work for them. Digital streamed music and you can get it free.

 

The only time I listen to CDs is in my car, but I'm quickly looking into putting in my iPod/iPhone (when I get one.)

 

Books:

 

I have a Kindle but I've pretty much stopped using it, I miss having real books and love bookshelves, so I don't know if I'll ever fully go over to the digital side on that one!

 

Films/TV shows:

 

I am still a bit of both here, I'll watch a movie online such as Netflix but still want to buy it, for example Fight club was one film recently I had to have in my collection, plus I love boxsets.

 

Videogames:

 

Same thing as above, I use Steam a lot, but find that online games are pricey and if you've not got the best connection (currently I've got 3meg which is awful - it took two weeks on and off to download Tera) then it can be a hassle, whereas you can pop in/buy online a real copy for you to keep.

 

Not to mention, have you seen Steam's terms and conditions? If they think you've done something wrong, they'll just get rid of your account, games and all - cringe.

 

Anyway, yes digital is pretty cool, but in some aspects, like books, I'm not quite sure it's the way to go.

[Jimbob]

Music

 

I've moved onto the downloading market for tunes, i find it's easier these days, since i don't actually own a CD player. Plus, it is cheaper to purchase by a couple of quid.

 

Books

 

Still purchasing the hard-copies, i like the fresh smell of printed copies of books. Havn't moved onto the Kindle or downloading books yet, and probably won't do for a while at least

 

Movies/TV Shows

 

I've only just started to focus on high-definition movies, and i like hard copies. Plus the smell of a freshly opened case is awesome.

 

Video Games

 

Unless it's an Arcade game on either the Virtual console or Xbox Live, i still like a hard copy.

[Coolness Bears]

ITT so far: people like to sniff their goods. :p

[nightwolf]

ITT so far: people like to sniff their goods. :p

 

When they can start making digital smells of books, come talk to me. :awesome:

[Coolness Bears]

When they can start making digital smells of books, come talk to me. :awesome:

 

I have sniffable digital content but it's not safe to talk on these fibre optic waves. Google are listening.

 

If you want some I'll meet you behind the firewall at 21:05 make sure you bring the cash (and read the terms and conditions) otherwise my boss will come and delete you from the server.

[ipaul]

Music

Digital is highly practical and I love my iPod/Macbook for holding so much music and for playing it with such ease. There is something to be said for physical copies however. I'm not really a fan of CDs, never have been, but I do love vinyls and the idea of a record collection. Not a fan of services like Spotify at all, I like to own my music.

 

Books

Fuck ebooks. I appreciate the practicalities of a kindle but I do not want to read whilst staring at a screen. Normal books all the way.

 

Films

Quite happy for me to consume films digitally, I don't feel any particular attachment to DVD cases in the same way that I do with vinyls. However, I don't think it's desirable that streaming/downloading completely replaces DVDs or Blu Rays.

 

Video Games

Quite happy with the weird hybrid state of affairs we have at the moment. One of my big problems with digital content is that it is often extortionately priced, so physical copies often act as a remedy to this.

[Cube]

Music

 

90% of it is through Spotify, which thankfully is free with my contract (it was supposed to be just for six months...but it hasn't stopped). I buy the odd thing digitally (like soundtracks) that aren't on it.

 

Books

 

I tried a couple of books digitally, however I missed the feel of the pages and the bulkiness of the book itself. So I'm back onto proper books.

 

TV Shows

 

I download American shows as they take ages to get over here, then delete them after watching. If I want to watch them again I'll buy the Blu-Ray. For British shows, I use the BBC iPlayer (which is built into my TV). I would absolutely love a universal service where you could watch American shows straight away for a monthly subscription.

 

Films

 

I use Lovefilm. I prefer renting the actual discs (Blu-Rays), and as I'm absolutely dreadful at deciding what I want to watch. So the Lovefilm service of picking for me is handy. Even if Netflix was the quality I want I would never be able to decide what I wanted to watch.

 

Games

 

For console games, I prefer the actual discs and once again I use Lovefilm for the games I want to try, but I don't want to buy. With PC games I usually go through Steam.

[Grazza]

I love digital content, especially flipping open my 3DS and having all that content to choose from without swapping cartridges. I'd be quite happy to go all-digital, but there are two things about it that are driving me mad:

 

1) Permanent rights to content. In other words, if I've paid for a game on Wii, I should also be able to download it on 3DS and Wii U free of charge, and so on... Taking it further, if I pay for a multi-format game, I'd like to be able to download it on both PlayStation and Xbox, and any other console. Basically, I want to move towards buying the content from the owner and move away from content being tied to different services.

 

2) Streaming. This is the one that really gets me. I don't mind not owning something physically, but I do want to own it. At the moment, games and music are OK, but I don't like the way video is going. If I download a film or television programme, I want to watch it at my leisure, not whenever I happen to have an internet connection.

[Magnus]

I think I would die if I couldn't download TV shows. :p

 

Literally, I think my heart would stop and I'd slump over in my chair, and my family would only realize something is wrong when I don't come down for dinner the next day.

 

Collecting video games was more fun back when I only owned one console and they still came with manuals. Then I could say, "these are all the games I think are worth owning on the GameCube". Now it's more, "these are some of the games I think are worth owning on the Xbox 360, and then there are some downloadable games that I had to delete because I didn't have enough space for them, and I own quite a few multi-platform titles on the PS3 or I played them on the PC", which isn't nearly as satisfying.

[nekunando]

Well, @Magnus, I would recommend you forget about your XBOX 360 and PS3 and just go back to your Gamecube. You'll obviously be much happier

 

As for me, I tend to prefer having a physical copy of whatever I buy, though I have purchased some music digitally in recent years..

[Magnus]

Well, @Magnus, I would recommend you forget about your XBOX 360 and PS3 and just go back to your Gamecube. You'll obviously be much happier

But then how would I play Mass Effect? :p

 

Maybe I should go back to the SNES and just play Yoshi's Island forever, though.

[Coolness Bears]

Maybe I should go back to the SNES and just play Yoshi's Island forever, though.

 

This is the new plan.

 

ALL

 

HAIL

 

YOSHI!

[nekunando]

But then how would I play Mass Effect? :p

 

Maybe I should go back to the SNES and just play Yoshi's Island forever, though.

 

Haha.. go back to the SNES by all means ..just don't put all your eggs in the overrated Yoshi's Island basket

[Jonnas]

Music: Digital. So much more practical and versatile than CDs (Vinyls are sexy, though)

 

Books: If it's not paper, I don't enjoy reading it. That goes for magazines and news as well (also, I'm following the "sniffing is good" bandwagon)

 

Film/Series: I don't usually watch series more than once, so I rarely store these. With films, I tend to prefer DVD cases.

 

Videogames: The only medium where I'm truly torn. I love physical copies (sniffing included), but digital format offers small&cheap games, classics on modern consoles, not needing to switch games on a portable, not having to deal with retailers or having to find copies of a rare game... On the other hand, there's no collection to admire and problems with storage constraints arise.

I prefer to see digital and retail gaming existing side by side, though. They offer two different things, and each has its valid merits.

[bryanee]

Fine for music but for films/TV/videogames I'm all about the physical product and thats unlikely to change for a long time.

[Iun]

When they can start making digital smells of books, come talk to me. :awesome:

 

Precisely why I like girls and not porn... I like the way they smell.

 

As for everything else... movies and TV, yes - if it makes them cheaper. Books no, I like the feel of a book and I have to wear glasses to look at a screen but not to read a regular book.

 

Video Games... well, having an iPad is awesome and I already have downloaded games on that, so yeah, sure, why not.

[Jav_NE]

Digital sucks. I still buy real CD's, but i don't buy many anyway and they are only of bands i really like. I guess if it was just an impulse buy, digital would be okay. For books and movies though, i say no. The tactile feel of paper is something that can never be replaced digitally and the size of HD movies is just too big to bother with for me. I hate the faff of downloading and managing memory for the stuff, let alone converting files and all that bollocks just to get it to play on the PS3 or something on the tele.

 

Games have their advantages, but only the small stuff. I would never buy a full-retail priced game as a digital only download. Again, file size is too big, and eventually gets expensive having the storage media for it.

 

I just realised the other day that we have no way of playing cassette tapes in our house anymore since we got a new hi-fi for Christmas. Sad times

[Tales]

Music: I buy everything online. I could do an exception for an LE edition for one or two of my favourite artists but that's it. Download is significantly cheaper than retail cds, from roughly half the price on street and 50% cheaper from online stores that sells physical cds.

 

TV: I want to watch tv on stream like there was no tomorrow. But they don't let me. Instead I have to follow a tv schedule decided by someone else other than me(if it's even running on the sub channel I have, which isn't always the case), forcing me to watch the show at times I could have to or be wanting to do something else. More time than not I end up stop following. So 90% of all TV-shows I have watched I have either bought box sets or downloaded illegally. Last count, a couple years ago, counted 70+ box sets. I would love to pay for streams if I could.

 

Movies: I adore Lovefilm. A bluray costs roughly 200 NOK. On average, I pay 20 NOK to rent from Lovefilm. I win. I have no interest paying 200 for a movie I'm going to watch twice at most, just to own it. The price do not merit that as opposed to video games. I don't mind watching movies on stream either, but I should get a tv with a pc socket if I were to watch more than the one a week from Lovefilm.

 

Games: If I had the option, I'd always go for the cheaper option. It's not that important to have it on a disc, be it Journey or the next Mario. Maybe I would go for the download anyway, it's just more handy.

[Ganepark32]

Music: Mix of both really. Big fan of Spotify as it has meant I have access to millions of tracks that perhaps I'd never buy the CD for but also a big fan of CDs. Just love having the physical product, even if my collection is starting to take up too much space. Probably just nostalgia that has me liking getting hold of the CDs rather than accepting the death of the medium and going fully digital.

 

Movies: Rarely buying movies on DVDs lately, but then I haven't sat down and watched a film in weeks. Too expensive. More than happy to go digital in this respect but given my internet is shaky at the best of times, downloading is just out of the question until Virgin pull the finger out and sort out the cables like they said they'd do years ago.

 

TV: Still occasionally buy DVDs for certain TV shows, but only on the cheap. Pretty much watch everything online anyway, thanks to the lengthy delays between the US and UK getting shows. If UK stations could agree terms for faster turn around for the shows I watch, then I'd probably watch less online but it's just so much more convenient to stream and save having something spoiled waiting for it to turn up on UK tvs.

 

Games: Pretty much the same as movies. Until broadband speeds get beyond the average 8MB that is currently doing the rounds here in the UK (apparently I'm on 6.75MB but that can drop to as much as 1MB at times), then downloading games in a decent and timely manner is just out of the question. Also slightly nostalgic for getting hold of the boxes but they again take up more space and so I'd more than happily trade that for a download.

[Cube]

The speeds aren't the only problem with broadband - it's the cost, too. I have 14Mbps broadband because it's really well priced. I could choose cable, but even the 20Mbps is much more expensive, let alone the 100Mbps I can get where I am.

 

It must be annoying for areas with poor broadband - my mum has to pay significantly more than me for her internet, which is a maximum of 0.5Mbps (but most of the time 0.25Mbps).

 

Although with 14Mbps I can stream 1080p YouTube videos, iPlayer HD, etc.

[Will]

If I could I would download absolutely everything. I used to enjoy having a collection of stuff but now I just find it annoying, messy and a waste of space. I'd much rather have a harddrive full of content or good streaming than a load of discs.

[MoogleViper]

If I could I would download absolutely everything.