HOLLYWOOD—Yeah, the digital craze nowadays is absolutely everything America. I recall maybe 3 to 4 years ago, the notion of streaming became a thing, but now it exploded. I have been someone who has always collected movies; I am a movie collector and have been since the age of 11. Whether it was VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray or a 4K HD disc, hell I even collected DivX at one point (many of you probably have no idea about that). However, VHS and DVD are things of the past, I do however have a collectors VHS edition of the 1978 classic “Halloween” that I KNOW IS WORTH SOME MONEY IF I WERE TO SELL IT PEOPLE! Will that happen? NEVER!
With that said, I cannot believe how quickly a film can be released in a theater and then within 2 weeks it’s already available to stream, rent or purchase a digital copy. Like “Fast X” came out in May 19, it was available to purchase and stream digitally within 2-3 weeks after releasing in theaters. I could not fathom or understand at all. With that said, it did make me question is having all my films in a digital library smarter than having physical copies?
My answer is simple: NO. There is something about having something you can touch, you can see, you can feel that you do not receive from a digital copy. I always question streaming and digital because guess what: if the internet goes out, you have a technical glitch, there will be no streaming people, and there will be no entertainment for you. In addition, you can store only so much data in the cloud before your library becomes full people. With physical copies that is not an issue to worry about, you always have them on hand and you can insert them into your Blu-Ray player or 4K HD Player at your choosing.
I do like the concept of a digital copy of a movie stored in your personal library, but the costs are ridiculous! Twenty-dollars to rent a movie for a one-time viewing is crazy. Why? The cost of a movie ticket is $9-$12. The cost for a digital copy of a movie is even higher around $25 to $30 and guess what you do not have a hard copy at all people. You want to know something even more surprising? The cost of a physical copy of a movie or TV show nowadays ranges $20 to $30 and it comes with a digital copy.
Yes, things are released a lot sooner on streaming and digital, but if you just want a few weeks or a month or two longer, you have the perk of not only having a physical copy that will last with you forever, but you also get a digital copy at the same time. I know with some movie buffs we cannot wait, but I’d rather wait for the physical copy so I’m NOT paying twice for a movie that I can pay for ONCE and still get all that I want and then some.
Do I suspect at some point we are going to run into an issue where you can no longer purchase physical copies of movies? I do believe so because the cloud is just so strong and its modern technology that has taken over old school habit. However, as long as physical copies of movies exist I will always purchase them. There is nothing like having a collection you can actually see and touch, with digital, you can see it, but it’s not something you easily have on hand if technology decides to falter or act up.
