With the rise of digital retail services like the recent "Movies Anywhere," is the age of owning films in physical formats coming to an end sooner than expected? With services like iTunes and Vudu, no one needs to buy a film in a store like Best Buy anymore. Is it for the best? Does owning a DVD or Blu-ray come with benefits, or is it now unnecessary?
Ah, verrrry interesting. I have a DVD collection of movies I consider favorites, but now that Netflix, DVR, and etc. exist, I definitely don't watch them as much as I used to and maybe should. For a topic like this, I think you'd have to think carefully about the upsides of owning a film. For instance, is it just the idea of ownership that makes us shell out hard-earned cash, or is there something else to it? – Stephanie M.7 years ago
I have also often pondered this question. One of my favourite weekly activities used to be visiting my local Blockbuster. I now fear that we live in an era of over saturation; there are too many choices when I browse my Netflix account. I don't feel the same commitment to watch something that I once felt when I paid a rental fee (and held the tangible product). For this topic, it might be interesting to revisit the time before home video. Perhaps people felt similarly when home video first came into existence and filmgoers were no longer forced to exclusively watch movies in a cinema. – bcurran7 years ago
We feel special affinity towards certain titles which may resonate with us deeply and thus, wish to associate with it in a tangible form. However, it is true that with leaks and videos available everywhere, there is less incentive for people to buy DVDs just to see the extra content being offered in terms of bloopers, cut scenes and behind the scenes interviews or alternate endings. – Dr. Vishnu Unnithan4 years ago