https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/netflix-to-end-dvd-by-mail-service-that-changed-video-rental-industry
Here is the end of an era that peaked in the 2000's the DVD rental service.
Thought they already had.
I'm surprised that Redbox is still around.
Another nail in the physical media coffin. :angry:
Wait until the streaming services stop carrying the extremely niche films because they aren't commercially viable.
What do you mean, they're stopping DVD by mail service in 2023? I thought they stopped by the time their streaming service got popular.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on April 18, 2023, 09:18:15 PM
I'm surprised that Redbox is still around.
I'm seeing a lot of them disappear that used to be outside various convenience stores.
Redbox will be around as long as there are rural places with shitty internet.
Quote from: LilianaUwU on April 19, 2023, 05:39:28 AM
What do you mean, they're stopping DVD by mail service in 2023? I thought they stopped by the time their streaming service got popular.
Fall 2023.
Mike
Quote from: ZLoth on April 19, 2023, 05:17:12 AM
Another nail in the physical media coffin. :angry:
Wait until the streaming services stop carrying the extremely niche films because they aren't commercially viable.
Capitalism sure sucks when it doesn't directly benefit you, doesn't it?
Quote from: ZLoth on April 19, 2023, 05:17:12 AM
Another nail in the physical media coffin. :angry:
Wait until the streaming services stop carrying the extremely niche films because they aren't commercially viable.
Althouse theaters have already been decimated by streaming. The beat goes on.
Meanwhile, I heard on a podcast today that companies like Disney are starting to bring back DVD/BluRay releases of their titles, at least on a limited basis, as they realized that there is still a market for it, albeit not as big as it used to be.
Today's Netflix see itself as a Streaming TV Network going after Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Max for viewers. When Netflix was a DVD rental service it was more about them going after Blockbuster and Tower Records.
If I'd known Netflix was still in the discs by mail business, I might have subscribed.
I'd rather buy a disc and have it for eternity than to pay $4.99 and only be able to watch it once.
Oh, for the days when I would rent a video, copy it onto another video, and watch it as often as I wanted. Now I can't even get a movie off my DirecTV DVR to watch elsewhere.
Quote from: hbelkins on April 20, 2023, 05:11:30 PM
I'd rather buy a disc and have it for eternity than to pay $4.99 and only be able to watch it once.
Netflix didn't restrict you to only watching the DVD once. You could watch it as many times as you wanted before having to return it. :-P
Interestingly, there is still an operating Redbox in front of the downtown Appleton, WI Walgreen's.
:spin:
Mike
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
CD sales went up 1% last year after years of going down. It might not even take until 2045
Quote from: 1 on April 21, 2023, 06:58:20 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
CD sales went up 1% last year after years of going down. It might not even take until 2045
You sure about that one? I found they went from 47 million in units sold to 34 million, with an 18% revenue drop.
Quote from: SectorZ on April 21, 2023, 07:03:53 AM
Quote from: 1 on April 21, 2023, 06:58:20 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
CD sales went up 1% last year after years of going down. It might not even take until 2045
You sure about that one? I found they went from 47 million in units sold to 34 million, with an 18% revenue drop.
https://pitchfork.com/news/cd-sales-have-increased-for-the-first-time-in-17-years/
Quote from: 1 on April 21, 2023, 07:08:05 AM
Quote from: SectorZ on April 21, 2023, 07:03:53 AM
Quote from: 1 on April 21, 2023, 06:58:20 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
CD sales went up 1% last year after years of going down. It might not even take until 2045
You sure about that one? I found they went from 47 million in units sold to 34 million, with an 18% revenue drop.
https://pitchfork.com/news/cd-sales-have-increased-for-the-first-time-in-17-years/
2021, there are new 2022 numbers. It's a bloodbath.
https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-Year-End-Music-Industry-Revenue-Report.pdf
https://www.ecoustics.com/news/vinyl-record-sales-pass-cd-2022/
The second link is funny in that it says why vinyl is selling, and 4 of the 6 reasons apply to CDs anyways.
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
Not long ago I was going through my DVD boxed set of the first series of
The Power Puff Girls to check something on a specific episode. I noticed one disc would not load up at all. In the past Universal Pictures discs would usually fail on the second layer, but this is the first time a major studio, pressed DVD has failed to load up entirely. Vinyl is simple. Petroleum plastic is not likely to spontaneously melt down in our lifetime, but DVDs don't last forever.
Quote from: ErmineNotyours on May 02, 2023, 12:51:54 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
Not long ago I was going through my DVD boxed set of the first series of The Power Puff Girls to check something on a specific episode. I noticed one disc would not load up at all. In the past Universal Pictures discs would usually fail on the second layer, but this is the first time a major studio, pressed DVD has failed to load up entirely. Vinyl is simple. Petroleum plastic is not likely to spontaneously melt down in our lifetime, but DVDs don't last forever.
Prerecorded CDs and DVDs have a very limited shelf life and are not at all a good medium on which to archive things like dong and video files. 'Burned' disks are even worse.
Mike
I put several 1980s CDs on my computer about two weeks ago (in addition to some from the 1990s and early 2000s), and over 90% of them worked perfectly.
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
Except unlike vinyl, CDs and DVDs can degrade significantly after a few years, especially if stored improperly or in a humid environment.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on May 02, 2023, 08:35:36 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 21, 2023, 04:15:56 AM
Hang on to all those DVDs. By 2045 or so there will be a move that makes them trendy again, like vinyl.
Except unlike vinyl, CDs and DVDs can degrade significantly after a few years, especially if stored improperly or in a humid environment.
CDs are rather indestructible, even if stored improperly. I have used CDs I've bought where the entire thing was clearly submerged in water given the booklet condition and it plays fine. As
1 above confirmed, CDs from the 1980's (I have some confirmed back to manufacture in 1985) that play, even on a computer, just fine. I only have a few CDs out of over 2,000 that have some sort of issue, and usually if so track 1 seems to take the brunt of it.
Most of my DVDs have been replaced by their BluRay equivalents because of the higher image quality. Of those that are irreplaceable, I have created ISOs backups and stored them on my server and backed up to an external hard drive. In addition, my entire physical media collection has been "ripped" and available for my private use, however, anything above stereo sound has been reduced to stereo because 5.1/7.1 sound isn't needed in the bedroom or home office.
The biggest problem I see at the moment is "laser rot" where, due to problems with the adhesive during the manufacturing process, the laser disc halves are separating.
I had kept a CD in a case for decades and it some how ended up with scratches at perfect 90-degree positions (think N, S, E, W) that looked like vinyl record grooves. I liked to think that I took good care of my CDs by being careful with them, so this was frustrating and inexplicable.
Issues like this are why I would advocate for media piracy. With all the shortcomings of physical media, physical media players, and endless disputes between giant corporations who own copyrights, it's a moving, expensive target to keep track of what you want to watch/listen to. Add a layer of "Oh you can't say that anymore" and there is a strong case that the best way to consume media is to download a pirated copy and store it locally. That will never go bad; you'll always be able to update that media to future file formats. You can have your own back ups since data storage is cheap. The corporate overlords can never 'pull that episode' because it turns out the star raped someone or they say "retard" too much. It will never disappear from the streaming service you paid for because some other streaming service snatched up the rights. And you'll won't have to put up with that obnoxious cropping some outlets do to old 4:3 aspect ratio shows to "make it fit" on today's 16:9 screens. I hate that so goddamn much.
The way the consumer has been dicked around over the last decade, I have zero sympathy for the institutions that have created this ridiculous media ecosystem. They screw over people who try and play by the 'rules', so screw them.
Used CDs are $2-$3 now, and even if you put it on a computer, you have the physical file and truly do own it. No need to pirate.