GUILLERMO DEL TORO AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL MEDIA

All indications are that the DVD is headed the way of the Dodo in the next few years. Retailers have already begun to remove them from their shelves. I smell a rat.

While I am skeptical about conspiracies, this one has all the earmarks that the industry (aka "The Powers That Be") is making a sub rosa move to exert more control over consumers. In the end, I'm afraid that, after the smoke clears, physical media will have all but disappeared all we'll be left with is streaming. All your ability to view films and TV shows will then be in the hands of your "provider" and will only be as good as your router. I'm already seeing bandwith issues while watching Prime, Freevee and Tubi, with Netflix remaining more stable than the other three. This was not the case when, just a few years ago, everything loaded up quickly and streamed without the audio mismatched with the video, etc.

The reason for this is the same as it has been forever: money. I predict we'll all be caught by the short hairs and held hostage by huge corporations that are nothing short of predatory. It's all a stark reminder that, like driver's licenses, entertainment is a privilege and not a right. Corporations are doing their best to keep it that way.

If you like a movie well enough to buy it, opt for physical media instead of "owning" it from your streaming service.

In the meantime, here's Guillermo Del Toro offering a compelling argument for the advantage of physical media.

Guillermo Del Toro Raves About Physical Media & Says A Blu-Ray Buyer Is “The Custodian” Of Films For New Generations

By Charles Barfield | November 21, 2023 | theplaylist.net

Recently, it was announced that Best Buy was cutting out DVDs and Blu-rays from its physical stores. Gone are the days of wandering the aisles and searching for a cool movie to buy. The decline of physical film releases first began with the closing of video stores and the rise of streaming. But soon, it really does seem as if the idea of buying a Blu-ray will be looked at as if you’re buying some sort of novelty or collectible. But for folks like Guillermo del Toro, the people buying physical discs of films are doing an admirable thing, and they’re preserving films for generations who might miss out.

This whole discussion recently started because Christopher Nolan (the filmmaker obsessed with using physical film and practical effects in a digital age) brought up the idea that streaming films aren’t actually your property. No, we’re not just talking about films available on streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. But the truth is (and many people don’t actually know this), when you buy a film on a digital service—you know, when you pay the $19.99 or whatever to “own” your copy of “The Flash” on Apple, Amazon, or wherever—you actually aren’t paying for the film. You’re buying the right to watch the movie on the digital service. And if, for some reason, Amazon, Apple, or wherever loses that license to show the movie, then even though you paid money, you will effectively lose that movie, as well. 

Basically, if DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery realizes “The Flash” is a dumpster fire and the film should be gone forever, it can make sure that it won’t be sold anymore and the people who “own” the film on a digital format could lose access to their film. Remember, you don’t “own” anything digital. So, if you’re worried about your precious “The Flash” disappearing and joining (way too many) other films which don’t have digital options and are out of print, you better buy the physical copy. At least, that’s what Guillermo del Toro wants you to do. 

“Physical media is almost a Fahrenheit 451 (where people memorized entire books and thus became the book they loved) level of responsibility,” del Toro posted on X/Twitter. “If you own a great 4K HD, Blu-ray, DVD etc etc of a film or films you love…  you are the custodian of those films for generations to come.”

To put all of my cards on the table, this is actually something I believe in as well. I am fortunate enough to get some discs mailed to me from the studios, but I still buy my favorite films when they are released on the current format. Not only is it great to know that I have the copy for posterity, but also, there is a real difference in watching a 4K UHD disc than watching a version that is streaming. The picture quality, the sound, everything is just better. So, I get it.

That said, is the world going to collapse and Apple will no longer give you access to your library of digital films? Not anytime soon, probably. But just remember, what you “own” digitally isn’t actually yours. And if you want to make GDT happy, you’ll buy physical from now on.