Streaming vs. Hard Copies

[Beast]

This was inspired by Guy's post in The Blu-ray Collection Thread as well as a few others I've seen in the HMV Administration and the Blockbuster Administration ones too. I don't know about you guys but I don't really like streaming services. I mean, I like them to see if I like the movie and if I do, I'd buy the hard copy of it on DVD (or blu-ray from now on) but I wouldn't use it all of the time to watch my movies or TV shows on forever.

 

There's just something about seeing a collection on your shelf that's so awesome. Well, it is awesome to me anyway. [/geek]

 

As I've probably mentioned before, I love the artwork on the covers and little things like that and I love that I can view the movie anytime without the need of an internet connection or a HDD, which could very well fuck up. Discs can as well but I've not had that problem yet and, touch wood, I never will! Also, I love to walk in a shop and browse the DVDs/blu-rays, CDs and games and looking out for a bargain, which is why I'm gutted about Blockbuster and HMV (I've found good deals in both).

 

So what about you guys, which do you prefer? The likes of Netflix or does nothing beat walking in a shop and buying a blu-ray, game, CD or DVD?

[Iun]

I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I like to have a physical copy. Lord knows why - I'm well aware that downloads are cheaper, more efficient and more convenient in many ways.

 

But I still like the physical sensation of owning something.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Same as Iun, going into a store and physically receiving a box, or getting the package in the post is something that is important to me. Plus, with downloads, you lose out on seeing physical things such as boxarts. Take the cover for Moon for example. It's iconic now.

 

Although there is one area that I actually prefer having things downloadable...paperwork or my documents for work. They're easier to organise, easier to transfer from place to place, easier to maintain and edit. Makes my life a lot easier.

[MindFreak]

I like having my movies digitally. That means I don't have to get up and take the blu-ray out of the player. And if the quality is the same, I don't see a reason to own the blu-ray. (I never watch the extra materials on DVDs/blu-rays.)

 

If I find the blu-ray cheap enough, I'll buy it if it's a movie I really like but other than that, streaming is fine with me.

[Guy]

I selected the third option... but not because I'm not bothered. This question bothers me EVERY DAY OF MY MISERABLE LIFE.

 

Oh God. I'm constantly bouncing between preferring digital and hard copies of media. One day I'll be convinced digital distribution is the way forward and ready to cast my discs into a filthy ravine (CEX), then the next day I'll be clutching them close and sobbing as I wait for the connection indicator on my modem to stop flashing.

 

There's something remarkably nice about old style shopping, by which I mean walking into a high street store, browsing, purchasing, unwrapping, smelling (we all do this) and popping it into a device for the first time. However, it's impossible to deny the convenience of just loading something up on Netflix... when the Internet is playing ball.

 

Extras are also a pretty big deal to me and digital distribution hasn't found a way to legitimately provide those just yet.

 

I have a really hard time organising my thoughts on digital distribution in general, but I will say that I'm glad I have the option to continue embracing/exploring both over the next few years and that I'm not being forced in either direction just yet.

[Ashley]

Coincidentally, today I plan to try and digitise a lot of my things. I'm sick of having boxes and boxes of stuff whenever I move, so I'm going to cull.

 

I will occasionally buy physical copies if it's something I really like, or for the extras.

[MoogleViper]

If I was going to pay money, it would have to be a hard copy.

 

Although that no longer seems to apply to games.

[Raining_again]

I prefer having electronic copies, but not by streaming. Like for example, downloading music on iTunes. Its there on your computer but doesn't require being online to access it. Same with films etc.

[Serebii]

If I can have an electronic copy that I can save and copy no matter what, so I can play it if the device is fine or if the service I bought from goes under, then sure...that'd be great

 

However, that's not the case. Until that's the case, digital distribution isn't the way forward. Streaming is crap because it's reliant on your connection. Imagine your net's down for a month and you got rid of your hard copies then you're fucked.

 

Plus, there's the fact that streaming and legal digital downloads don't come up to the picture and sound quality that buying on BluRay does.

 

So yeah, hard copies all the way until the industry sorts its life out.

[Gio001]

I do prefer hard copies for all the reasons the OP Animal posted but i also love the convenience of digital copies ie:- shed loads of movies on a usb i can just plug into my TV or my entire music collection on an mp3 player etc.

 

What i don't like are streaming services or anything that relies on an internet connection in order to access them ie :- films, music and games. Especially for example extras on games that you pay for but if your internet is down you can't play them. I can understand streaming can be very useful to a lot of people having access to things wherever you are (internet permitting) but hell you can carry massive film, music and game library's around in your pocket on ever shrinking devices. I think the whole '' you must connect to the internet to access your paid for downloads in order to use them '' philosophy is a fear of piracy by the corporations.

[Jimbob]

I'm split between both. Music, i've stopped buying CD's and moved onto downloads. It's something about a £3-£6 pricetag that appeals for me to download the music over buying a CD. Probably because of 2 reasons

 

• I no longer have a CD player
  
• I'm fed up of burning the disks to the PC to get the music onto my media player
  

 

Also, i understand the concept of owning a physical copy. At the moment, i do burn a back-up disk of all my music once in a while in the case of hard-drive failure.

 

When it comes to movies and games however, it's a different kettle of fish. I much prefer owning a physical copy of the movie/game over a download. At present, even though my internet has been sped up i still prefer owning a copy of the film instead of using Netflix/Lovefilm etc. Not sure if there are places corresponding to legally downloading films to own. Games, i know you can download them via Steam or Xbox Live/Wi-fi but i still prefer hard copies. Except Live/Mobile games.

 

The way my internet is going, i can't rely on a solid connection to stream content. I watch NBA over Xbox Live and it has occasionally logged out.

[Jonnas]

Like Serebii said, streaming is susceptible to a lot of problems. I prefer to actually have access to things at all times, feel like I own the product, instead of essentially borrowing it when I need it.

 

Even when I own something in digital form, I prefer to burn it to a DVD, or at least have it stored in my older laptop. But nothing beats having something in their official, original package.

[Oxigen_Waste]

I have a collection of well over 1000 DVDs/BluRays which I'll be more than happy to dump as soon as I have access to a service like Netflix, but with way more coverage. In other words, when there's something that allows me to watch every single thing ever made by a monthly fee, I'll dump my physical collection. 'Till then, the available libraries in these services are very limited and therefore aren't ideal at all.

[Jim]

All I can say is that if it wasn't for being able to download movies/TV/music illegally... I wouldn't have ~$2000 worth of CD's sitting on my shelf, nor ~$3000+ worth of DVDs, nor would I have ever heard of scrubs, walking dead, heroes, HIMYM, GoT, Firefly etc. +whatever other TV show I've bought the DVDs for but never actually found out about through TV itself.

 

In answer to the actual question... If I am particularly taken by the band/TV show/Movie.. I WILL purchase the hardcopy of it from a retail store (of which I will try and source from an independent store first). One thing I can promise though, is I will never. ever. ever. fucking. ever. buy it from Itunes.

[Magnus]

I would never consider collecting physical copies of movies. That just seems like it would balloon in size really quickly. That, and I'm not interested enough in movies to want to collect them.

 

I'm starting to come around to the idea of digital versions of video games. I used to be fairly obsessed with building a collection of only the best games on the GameCube, but when I got a PlayStation 2 I ended up with a bunch of Platinum versions and those look terrible in a collection (and then all of my PlayStation 2 games were stolen...). And with PlayStation Plus and the fact that a lot of older games are cheaper to buy digitally because hard copies tend to get rare after a while, I just can't be bothered anymore. After all, playing the game is the important part.

[Charlie]

I hate streaming and never do it. Until its fully buffered you have no way of knowing what's going to happen to it.

 

Downloading a copy of it the old-fashioned way is the best.

[gaggle64]

Download and streaming for the most part, with the exception where you need a physical copy that you know you'll always have and be able to access no matter what.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I'm totally with you on this one, Animal. I have a total collector's mind, I love getting all the physical copies, especially the deluxe box sets and special editions with plenty of extra material.

[Mokong]

I like my discs and have no plans to change any time soon

 

Like others have said I like having the physical collection on my shelf, be it games, movies or music (though my CD collection hasn;'t been added to much in the last 2 years)

 

I treid the free trail of Netflix, it was decent but I cancelled it after the free month. I might get it back sometime but I'm fine without it for now. If I did get it back and found some films or TV shows that I had not seen before and ended up liking I'd more than likely end up buying the Bluray of teh film or boxset of teh show still anyway.

 

With games, again I just prefer to have that disc to put in the console when I play. It feels more real to me.

eShop games that are download only are of course an exception as they have no disc options.

[EddieColeslaw]

I would love a physical collection if I had my own place, but I've been shuffling to and from different places as a student, and hoping to move to the US soon, so...idk, I have a weird attitude about physical objects. I would buy like...2 CDs a year, and I have a collection of physical media of my favourite band, the GazettE (CDs, DVDs, tour goods, magazines).

 

Streaming is just so convenient, no need to even open a DVD case or track the thing down in the first place (I also have awkward/obscure taste). So for now, I prefer that.

[Daft]

Streaming, no contest. Not having physical copies is liberating, it heightens the experience and makes whatever it is an event - it's more life like. Knowing you can condition this very precise experience kills it a little. It's hard to explain.

 

It really clicked after chucking an old console, I just had so many games and they were sitting there. I would only ever play the recent ones so everything was just taking up space. Hated it.

[Cube]

Streaming? It really depends. I have Spotify but I don't stream often: I always set stuff to download. It's available on enough devices and I can play the downloaded music when I'm not connected to the internet.

 

If there wasn't the option to download, I simply wouldn't be interested. I would never pay for a service like Netflix where I can't download the content (even if I could only use it through their program).

 

As for other digital content: for digital music/films/etc you buy outright (rather than a monthly subscription) this would have to be for DRM-free content which I can download in a standard format that can be used on most devices, without any internet connection once the content is on the device. If it has any kind of restriction then I'm not interested (of course, console games that only work on the console is a completely different thing).

 

I do like the physical copy, but I rarely buy from a physical shop. I always order online.

[Grazza]

Neither.

 

Well, I prefer having a hard copy, but that's not because I like having a physical collection. It's because I like to own something, and to be able to play it whenever I want. I like a download just as much, as long as it's in a non-proprietary form (even if it's not, I'm not too bothered).

 

Now streaming, I can't stand. Whilst it may be convenient, you never actually own anything and you have to rely on a) having an internet connection working at that precise moment, and b) the content actually being available on a server somewhere.

 

Physical or proper download please.