The Death of Physical Media or the Rise of Small Indie Labels

With each outing to a Best Buy, Frys Electronics, or a Target. I see less and less space dedicated to physical media. Rumor has it Best Buy may be dropping all physical media with exception of games after this holiday season.

A lot of this has to do with streaming services and I love streaming myself, but this trend is leading to the death of physical media as we know it.

Alot of these people are complacent or simply just don't want to spend the money on physical media. Others have a misinformed  belief that DVD is the best any film can look made before 2000.

If you have that misinformed belief maybe a few things are leading to that belief. The most obvious one is a bad at home theater setup.

The right setup you can have a film experience honestly better than anything you can experience at 90 percent of the theaters. Few excecptions films that are better with a crowd and IMAX.

For BluRay to get the full benefit that means you need a TV at least 42" or bigger along with a player that can perform. That leads to the question do you have a setup that can perform and deliver?

I do at home I have a Samsung 4KSUHD 65" TV at home that was the best when it came out a few years back along with an Oppo UDP 203 the best 4K player on the market. Not a cheap setup by any means, but a setup the delivers a superior performance.

I am what you call a videophile freak obsessed with video quality. In the world of cinema there are plenty of us. That means we are willing to pay for the best experience possible.

Come over to my house and watch Blade Runner 2049 and 2001: A Space Odyssey you will wonder what you are missing. Yeah a setup can mean that difference.

With that setup you can see the glorious or not so glorious difference between thw media options.

1. VHS and Laserdisc - Are you living in the stone ages still.

2. DVD an acceptable media that leaves alot to be desired on 4K. Sometimes looks like a movie Ted Turner had colored in the 80s and 90s

3. Streaming even in 4K looks a few steps above DVD, but you run into issues with with things that can interfere with the ability  to stream. Honestly any film on BluRay with any proper restoration and transfer beats the quality of streaming.

4. BluRay a great format for most movies made before CGI. Delivers a superior picture and can be jaw dropping at times with the right setup. In most instances the majority of your films made wont look much better than this.

5. 4K BluRay A format meant for films shot in 70mm, filled with deep rich colors, CGI's dream, and animated films of all types best friend

So why accept an inferior product and cause the demand for a superior product to go away? Are we really coming to the end of physical media for films?

In the short answer yes as we know it, but do not fear as long as their is a demand for a film there is a market for physical media. It just means small physical media label companies will license, restore, scan, and release the film.

What this actually means under the upcoming model most films will get new found loved and presented the way they should look and be. That also means alot of limited releases anywhere from a 1000 discs to around 5000 on a more popular film.

Fun world of film we live in

The Modern Film Goer or That Smeghead Sitting Behind Me in the Theater

Since about mid last decade the theater going experience has been getting worse since the rise of multiplexes. So many theaters and not enough employees to monitor the the theaters to make sure everyone can follow a few simple rules.

1. Turn your cellphone on airplane mode by the time the film starts.

2. No talking whatsoever during a film. A quick laugh, scream, or 2 to 3 word comment out of shock is fine

3. No wearing of perfume/cologne products.

This seems like pretty simple rules to follow so everyone can enjoy a film at the theater. Yet people can't seem to follow these rules anymore.

Instead people want to use this as a social gathering with friends and think apart of that includes talking with your friends the entire film. While other people want to throw in your own commentary.

Guess what you are not in your own house. You have to be respectful to those people around who paid to the see film. If you can't be respectful don't expect this theater goer to remain quiet. I will shushh you first. If you don't get that cue, then I'll tell you to shutup or leave the theater.

Why? You might ask because I was taught at a young age by my parents how to act inside a theater and proper protocol.

One of those protocols was don't make an arse of yourself.

Top Ways to Make an Arse of yourself

1. During a sing along/crowd interactive film. Don't get so carried away with your actions to where you make others feel unsafe. Never block the screen because you feel the need to renact a scene in front of everybody.

2. If you can't drink without making an arse of yourself don't come to the theater and drink. If your whole idea is to drink and socialize with friends including talking then maybe the theater isn't the best place to go.

3. Feel the need to be that guy who loves a film so much that they need to do a social commentary and inform the crowd of upcoming scenes. If you can't contain your inner fanboy stay at home and bring your friends to watch the film there.

4. Don't make excuses or threats to people when they ask you to be quiet. If you can't  be quiet then leave. It's  no like you are a two year old at an animated movie. I don't care if you tell me the film is 40 years old it's not my fault if you haven't seen it. I'll still you shut up or leave. Oh and for those weaklings who feel the need to threaten people to come over and make them shut up obviously you should see a psychiatrist.

Simply I pay to see the film on the big screen with no distractions and that is what a theater promises me.

I shouldn't have to say this, but this is how the zombie theater goers ruin the experience for someone at an Art House Theater.

Don't Make an Arse of Yourself!