What do you think is the best way to consume/own video content?

[chowdog13]

As I stare at isle after isle of DVD's, CD's, and Blu-ray's, I can't help but wonder how long these mediums will last, how walled off their future's may be. I also look at the various digital content providers, Google Play, Netflix, Hulu, and think the same thing. Both physical and digital mediums appear to each have their own shortcomings. For example, on Google Play, if I download a movie I'm not permitted to share that with anyone outside of my account, that content is tied down. I also can't make a copy of that movie or otherwise manipulate it. I'm curious as to what others have to say on this topic. What do you think is the "safest" way of purchasing video content? 

 

 

[LegacyStijncat]

As I stare at isle after isle of DVD's, CD's, and Blu-ray's, I can't help but wonder how long these mediums will last, how walled off their future's may be. I also look at the various digital content providers, Google Play, Netflix, Hulu, and think the same thing. Both physical and digital mediums appear to each have their own shortcomings. For example, on Google Play, if I download a movie I'm not permitted to share that with anyone outside of my account, that content is tied down. I also can't make a copy of that movie or otherwise manipulate it. I'm curious as to what others have to say on this topic. What do you think is the "safest" way of purchasing video content? 

Piracy.

Sadly enough.

You can burn it and share your stuff, while re-downloading it as much as you want.

[Dredgy]

For me, streaming will never be an option, as I like to have the highest quality (and my internet connection is not always on). The best way to have most content is unfortunately to pirate it.

 

So what I generally do is buy a Digital download/BluRay and then pirate it.

 

For 3D content I will rip the BluRays, and sometimes I will with TV shows, but I can't usually be bothered renaming all the files.

 

It staggers me the price of a digital download - it's more expensive than a ticket to a movie, and for TV shows, it's cheaper to buy a box set on BluRay than to download it on iTunes. And then you're stuck with DRM. And since you need commercial software to play BluRays, it's a dick to play on multiple machines.

[MatthewEnderle]

What you can do is have all the disks and Rip them to your computer. As per this article here it seems it's not illegal (in the US) to make a personal copy under the provision that you don't distribute or sell the dvds after. You can't go to the library and rent a movie, rip it, and return it. Or you could catalogue all your movies and download them all from sites like yifi. I live in a dorm with limited storage so I left all my physical DVDs back home with my parents and have acquired them on my external drive. As for ripping, I can download a blue-ray quicker than my external usb dvd drive can rip.

[Sauron]

It's sad to say, but pirating a movie is still the easiest and most practical way to watch it. If you buy the disc and then pirate the movie you aren't really doing anything wrong (although depending on your country it may still be illegal).

[Mujteba]

Piracy.

Sadly enough.

You can burn it and share your stuff, while re-downloading it as much as you want.

+

- Can re-encode away bloated file size

- Can fix sub mistimings and grammatical/spelling errors

- Move soft subs up and down the screen if too low (this is a big issue on some media)

- Add or subtract different audio tracks

- Change the default sub and audio lang. for dual or multiple tracks

 

So helpful when it comes to anime

[Blebekblebek]

I do wonder, according few sources disk would last for at least 50 years before the magnetic field starts to fade away. The disk it self could last even longer, apart from durability why worried about the medium when our lifespan isn't that long enough

[EChondo]

I haven't bought anything physical in a while, well, except for movie theater tickets haha.

 

Everything I consume media wise is streamable/downloadable. YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll, etc. If I torrent/pirate anything, I always buy a digital copy first except when it comes to video games(unless the game has a demo/trial, then I just download that), because I'd like to know if a game will actually run on my system before putting down $50+ and then having it not work and not get a refund from Steam. I like to archive my favorite things and I trust my RAID array more than YouTube/Netflix/Crunchyroll, so piracy is my only way of obtaining local restriction free copies.

 

So to answer your question, the safest way is to pirate everything and throw it on a good RAID array with off-site daily/weekly backups.

 

but I can't usually be bothered renaming all the files.

Bulk Rename Utility could help you on that front, it's what I use for my anime.

[Kyuubixchidori]

What you can do is have all the disks and Rip them to your computer. As per this article here it seems it's not illegal (in the US) to make a personal copy under the provision that you don't distribute or sell the dvds after. You can't go to the library and rent a movie, rip it, and return it. Or you could catalogue all your movies and download them all from sites like yifi. I live in a dorm with limited storage so I left all my physical DVDs back home with my parents and have acquired them on my external drive. As for ripping, I can download a blue-ray quicker than my external usb dvd drive can rip.

This. I ripped all my DVDs and just stream though the house. Its legal as long as you don't distribue them

Or if you want to be bad, redbox, get the movie for a buck, then rip it. Full DVD quality. Not that I would ever recommend that

[LegacyStijncat]

+

- Can re-encode away bloated file size

- Can fix sub mistimings and grammatical/spelling errors

- Move soft subs up and down the screen if too low (this is a big issue on some media)

- Add or subtract different audio tracks

- Change the default sub and audio lang. for dual or multiple tracks

 

So helpful when it comes to anime

ANIME.

I LOVE ANIME.

[vembutech]

+

- Can re-encode away bloated file size

- Can fix sub mistimings and grammatical/spelling errors

- Move soft subs up and down the screen if too low (this is a big issue on some media)

- Add or subtract different audio tracks

- Change the default sub and audio lang. for dual or multiple tracks

 

So helpful when it comes to anime

I agree to what said which all done.

[slenderman379]

With a hook and an eyepatch.. Catch my point matey??

[moderategamer]

I don't think that streaming media is a viable option untill fibre is fully adopted as there is too much file compression. Having said that I think the futures bright when it comes to fibre as we're not far from doing this I myself had 100mb fibre for two years when I lived in the city and it was unreal, and with the way physical mediums are being phased out we are given an oportunity to possibly/hopefully obtain raw uncompressed files in 4 to 8k. When you pair this with the inevetable price drop in 4K projectors (the best way to view video imo) we will truely be able to say we have cinema quality media in are homes.