How Long Until CDs/DVDs/Blu Rays and Other Physical Copies are Obsolete?

[MadVillainy]

People really don't think Physical copies will never become obsolete?

 

[Octoberist]

I don't think they will ever be obsolete. Also, I think hacking will be a bigger concern into the future, especially if everything will in 'cloud' form or on HD.

Also, I can't image walking into a house and seeing nothing to show off. That's why vinyl came back in a big way; just to have something physical.

 

[Doc Ock]

If vinyl can come back, anything can come back.

 

[Octoberist]

Also, I would like to point out that, while I sometimes read digital comics, they're a pain in the butt sometimes to read, especially with the splash pages, where it zooms and out.. I really think comics, even more so than books, work better in physical form.

 

[Doc Ock]

I like that many Marvel titles have digital copy codes. I redeem them but I have never actually read them. I may have a overgrown collection of books and comics that take up space, but it's far less strain on my eyes than looking at a screen.

 

[MadVillainy]

Maybe obsolete is the wrong word. But physical copies will become a niche thing like vinyl.

Vinyl is fairly popular. But I dont think it's that much of a big thing.

-Digital copies of music are usually cheaper than a physical CD. And WAY cheaper than vinyl
-Digital copies is near physical satisfaction. You can get them quicker than a physical copy. On another note: Amazon actually does this really cool thing called auto rip where you can buy the physical copy and get a digital copy immediately. That's why I like to order CDs from Amazon
-Spotify, Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services are becoming/are really big. In addition to that piracy is huge. So even buying digital CDs,DVDs, etc. has taken a hit.
-As Ive said before, computers are doing away with CD drives. I think a big thing will be when cars stop putting CD drives in their cars. I think they just announced a car with wi-fi which will help toward streaming services

In any case, I'll keep buying physical copies. One because I like looking at my collections on the shelf. Two because I have had so many problems with technology that I don't trust having my whole collection in there. I do like getting a digital copy along with my physical copy. I think streaming can be cool, I just bought a Google Music subscription and I really like it, but it's not better than going into my Itunes, Winamp, etc. and having all my music right there without having to stream it through wi fi.
However, I don't think physical copies will be big forever. I can already see the early stages of them being on the way out or at least going the way of vinyl

 

[Octoberist]

I think it's human nature to have some vanity, or to show off. That's why we value fancy cars, or clothes.

That's why I think physical copies will just stay, even if they become more niche.

Another thing: Criterion Blu-Rays are something that I adore and they're worth keeping.

 

[redhawk23]

Maybe obsolete is the wrong word. But physical copies will become a niche thing like vinyl.

Vinyl is fairly popular. But I dont think it's that much of a big thing.

-Digital copies of music are usually cheaper than a physical CD. And WAY cheaper than vinyl
-Digital copies is near physical satisfaction. You can get them quicker than a physical copy. On another note: Amazon actually does this really cool thing called auto rip where you can buy the physical copy and get a digital copy immediately. That's why I like to order CDs from Amazon
-Spotify, Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services are becoming/are really big. In addition to that piracy is huge. So even buying digital CDs,DVDs, etc. has taken a hit.
-As Ive said before, computers are doing away with CD drives. I think a big thing will be when cars stop putting CD drives in their cars. I think they just announced a car with wi-fi which will help toward streaming services

In any case, I'll keep buying physical copies. One because I like looking at my collections on the shelf. Two because I have had so many problems with technology that I don't trust having my whole collection in there. I do like getting a digital copy along with my physical copy. I think streaming can be cool, I just bought a Google Music subscription and I really like it, but it's not better than going into my Itunes, Winamp, etc. and having all my music right there without having to stream it through wi fi.
However, I don't think physical copies will be big forever. I can already see the early stages of them being on the way out or at least going the way of vinyl

Vinyl is actually more popular now than in 1990 as ridiculous as that is.

I like still having physical copies of things because they are not effected by licensing agreements. In a couple of months or a year from now, Snowpiercer will be taken off of Netflix. I will still be able to watch it or lend it whenever I want.

 

[MadVillainy]

But still what's the percentage of vinyl albums bought.
I mean say, Taylor Swift's album sold like about a million copies first week. How much of that was digital, physical, streams (she took down her music from streaming services right?), and vinyl sales. I'm sure vinyl sales would be the minority.
Even if vinyl has become more popular it's still a niche/cult thing.

And honestly I think the increase is just from hipsters or people who think it's cool to be retro rather than those who care about the sound. But to each there own.

 

[SuperFerret]

We live in a physical world, so people will always want something physical.


And what's this about laptops coming out without CD drives? How the hell are you supposed to load **** onto it?

 

[MadVillainy]

We live in a physical world, so people will always want something physical.


And what's this about laptops coming out without CD drives? How the hell are you supposed to load **** onto it?

Ive been looking for a new laptop and some laptops come without CD drives. Lenovo I think most of their laptops come without them. Im pretty sure Mac laptops dont have CD drives either. And then there was another brand but Im blanking on it.
Even in a thread on here someone pointed out to me that a good amount of laptops dont have CD drives.

I prefer CD drives

 

[bullets]

The external dvd/cd drives seems like just another way for these greedy companies to make money. I'm never converting to a digital library . Not ever , no never.

 

[<(o_o)>]

We live in a physical world, so people will always want something physical.


And what's this about laptops coming out without CD drives? How the hell are you supposed to load **** onto it?

You either download it directly from the net or use a flash drive via usb port.

 

[-Arya-]

I'm still old fashioned and stick to physical purchases for books, comics, movies, games etc...

If the demand for physical copies remains high, they won't become obsolete. On the other hand, it's more cost effective and economical to go digital so companies save more money that way. In the end, the digital approach might just replace the need for physical copies. It's up in the air how long that will take though.

 

[thalidomide]

Vinyls are here to stay...

http://www.nerdist.com/2015/01/dang-people-bought-a-ton-of-vinyl-albums-in-2014/

 

[SuperFerret]

You either download it directly from the net or use a flash drive via usb port.

So... if I want to get a new laptop, but I want to continue using Windows 7, the disk I already have is worth ****? Cool.

 

[Duke]

We live in a physical world, so people will always want something physical.


And what's this about laptops coming out without CD drives? How the hell are you supposed to load **** onto it?

This.



I recall on one occasion, I uploaded some digital copies of movies I had bought onto my laptop, not too long afterwards my hard drive crashed & all the movies I had uploaded were GONE. So, physical copies are far superior & better than digital for me.

 

[terry78]

I am an advent of the cloud, regardless of possible security issues. My only gripe is if the damn thing goes down or becomes discontinued you're ****ed. Ubuntu One used to be where I stored all my movies, documents and music then last summer....we're shutting down.

 

[Teelie]

The cloud is precisely why physical copies of media will never die out. It is far more volatile and prone to losing your stuff than if it were in a physical form.

All it takes is someone to decide to shut down a server somewhere remotely and that's it. Or for it to get deleted by malicious or accidental means. You can still lose stuff in a fire, be robbed from your house, etc. but those are less likely than a company deciding they don't want to host your files anymore or someone deleting it "for the lulz."

 

[Duke]

I am an advent of the cloud, regardless of possible security issues. My only gripe is if the damn thing goes down or becomes discontinued you're ****ed. Ubuntu One used to be where I stored all my movies, documents and music then last summer....we're shutting down.

Have you ever thought of buying your own cloud storage? It be more convenient & safe for you.

 

[Mustang69]

I'd prefer to have physical copies of all my movies because I am a little paranoid about something happening to digital copies and not being able to watch them. Though I would be ok with having an actual digital copy, as opposed to a virtual copy, like you get with Flixter. I want to be able to watch my movies without needing an internet connection, like on a flight for instance without having to download them from some service before hand.

 

[SuperFerret]

Have you ever thought of buying your own cloud storage? It be more convenient & safe for you.

I'm gonna bet that a good bookcase is cheaper.

 

[MadVillainy]

-For music a great cloud service is Google Play Music. 20,000 songs can be for free that you can play anywhere in the US
-For movies, there's Plex which is $150 for a lifetime subscription.
-Photobucket is great for pictures as is Google Photos.
-Google Drive and One Drive are great for files.

Nothing wrong with the cloud. Yeah I have physical copies, but there's fire, flood, theft, etc.; just like for the cloud there are hackers, crashes, etc.

I dont see why a person wouldnt put stuff in the cloud as well as having a physical copy

 

[spideyboy_1111]

I hope they're never completely obsolete. I'll always like owning a physical copy over a digital copy any day.

Hey, Vinyl came back.. so you never know. DVDs and Blu-rays may just get limited releases or, like Amazon does now with certain DVDs.. "make on demand" for instance, you can't buy Season 3 of Happy Endings in stores, but if you order it off Amazon, they produce it and mail it to you.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

I hope physical copies don't go bye-bye anytime soon.

just look at what the recent game network hack attacks showed. if you rely on your machine to connect to a network to download or stream the digital media, you'd be pretty much screwed if your machine goes offline.

whereas even if the machine can't connect to the network, you can always stick in your physical copy to enjoy your movie or whatever.

and let's not even mention the time it takes to download stuff, especially larger files like movies or games.

then there's also the fact that what if the service becomes obsolete? you lose everything you paid for