Do you buy physical media (CDs, Records, DVDs, etc.)

[Beth3346]

so i've been complaining were for a while about how much streaming stinks now. all of the stuff with the strikes and prices for streaming going up is making me want to just start buying physical media again. mostly DVDs and records. i already buy most books in a physical format. i usually only buy digital if it's something i know i won't revisit.

TBH in addition to steaming being terrible for pretty much everyone who's not an exec at a streaming company I miss the feel of the cd cases, reading the song list, etc. yes i grew up in the 90s i can remember when CDs and DVDs were new

so my question is what kind of physical media do you buy/collect? how do you organize and store it? also, what kind of setup do you have for viewing/listening to physical media? I'm thinking of getting a record setup and buying a DVD player. i had such bad luck with the last DVD players i bought. they all broke quickly. i don't want to waste money on something that will break within a year or 2. I do have some space and i'm willing to save up to get a setup that lasts.

[Flitter]

I utilize my library a lot for books and DVD. I refuse to pay for any streaming service, though I do have Amazon Prime and use the Amazon Video and Amazon Music that comes with that. But Amazon Video is implementing ads at the end of this month unless you pay an extra fee, which I won’t be doing, and I also refuse to watch ads so I won’t be using that service anymore once the ads are added in. I watch some things on YouTube (with an ad blocker).
I only really buy media if it’s not available at my library or it’s something that is an absolute favorite I know I will watch or listen to again and again. I did pick up a few dvds at a thrift store and library sale this last year because they were very cheap (like $1.50-$2.00) but I actually kind of regret it.
The only things I plan to buy from now is cds. My car is older and has a CD player and there’s some albums I consider favorites that I don’t own yet. Right now if I want to hear a specific song I’ll usually use YouTube but eventually there are some albums I’d like to own.
When it comes down to it I don’t consume massive amounts of media and for how much any streaming service costs I could buy 1-3 CDs/DVDs a month which is way more that I’d even want.
I currently keep the DVDs I own in a cabinet and watch them on our PS3. The CDs are in in a binder and I listen to them in my car but also occasionally on the PS3 as well. All the physical media for my household (books, video games, cds & dvds/Blu rays) are contained in an IKEA Billy bookcase with cabinet doors.

[Leave a Whisper]

I only buy physical books. I only buy physical movies/box sets. I only buy physical music, but am not opposed to listening to it on YouTube. I buy mostly physical,  but some digital games.

[BlackCurtains]

I still buy DVDs and games and the occasional CD or cassette. I have a premium Spotify account and listen to it everyday, so I don't buy physical music much anymore. The exceptions are bands not on Spotify and friends music.

I have a ton of digital games but I also have a ton of physical going back to the NES

The last DVDs I bought were Them! and Drumline. I have too many to fit on my media shelf so I'm thinking of buying another one to put next to it.

I have a bunch of harcover books, but it's been a long time since I bought a new book. I don't do audible or kindle, I find reading that way makes me forget more of what I've read. Besides, I like the feel and smell of physical books.

Here's a quick snap I took of my media. My CDs are off to the side in a big CD case.

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[shockponie]

I buy books but usually borrow from the library if at all possible.

I only buy music in cd format, but not often. I have a local Zia Records where I get used cd’s for $5-8 (depending on how new it is). I’m not opposed to listening to music on YouTube though!

Edit to add: I prefer to buy physical copies of Switch games, but sometimes it’s impossible.

[Carrehz]

I've always bought physical! I'm old-fashioned and refuse to upgrade I see far too many things getting yanked off streaming services, it just seems pointless to me. If I like something enough to want to pay for it, I want it for keeps Streaming just feels like a rental, I don't trust it. And I never really got into eBooks.

That said, I do mostly get music online (and off YouTube), but that's because I tend to listen to odd songs here and there rather than complete albums. I do have a shoebox full of anime CDs :B And a stash of musical theatre cast recordings, film soundtracks, etc.

[Ponybookworm]

If I really like something I'll get a physical copy. Books can be passed on to the next reader, CDs can be listened to whenever I want, & with our community film days back on, I'm not the only one sharing DVDs for us all to enjoy.
If I don't want to buy I can stream music via digital radio, & films via Netflix.
I too am old-fashioned in that I don't believe I own a copy of something I can't touch

[Beth3346]

you have an amazing collection BC i can't read the SNES titles but i'm interested to know your faves.

yeah i mainly want to buy stuff i know i will listen to or watch over and over. lately i mostly listen to podcasts and i listen to music in the car. streaming is way more convenient for the car. i still think streaming/youtube is great for finding stuff that i would never hear on the radio. i found a lot of new/old music i missed out on when i was younger. maybe i should think of the physical media as a complement to the digital stuff instead of as a replacement.

you're right PBW. you don't own digital media even if you paid to have forever access to it. the company could have changes to licenses, change their TOS, or go out of business. then you've just wasted money and you may lose access to something you love.

i feel like my posts on this site are going to be a record of me moving more and more off grid. I really want to be less dependent on the internet for entertainment. and yeah it's not the most important thing in a disaster, but having something to listen to of watch to pass the time  helps me keep calm. i live in Texas and our infrastructure is trash so being less reliant on it makes sense to me. things aren't getting more stable either.

I sold my DVDs and CDs years ago because i moved them to digital. i do regret it but i moved so many times in the last few years so it would have been a pain to transport them in addition to my other collections. i used to be way more into setting up home network servers for streaming video and music that i own through my home network. i also used to know a lot more about hardware too. using streaming/cloud/subscription services is just so easy and convenient that i lost a lot of those skills. i still have a lot of the hardware so i need to get that set up again. i'm not 100% sure the stuff i bought from iTunes works without an internet connection anymore.

[Taffeta]

CDs, these days mostly only if I have to. I often have to buy CDs from Japan if I want to get certain tracks, but I haven't a lot of space to spare.

Manga volumes, yes...books, sometimes. Some are fine on digital, some not.

DVDs...if it's a show I really like, if I can get it on DVD then I will try to. It's not always possible though.

I don't like that stuff doesn't stay on streaming sites eternally, and it's not fun when a streaming site suddenly decides not to operate in your region anymore (yes hidive, looking at you), so if it's important I'd like to have it.

Daiya no Ace is an exception. No way I can afford the number of DVDs that comprises as there is only a Japanese release...so if that drops off CR anytime then I guess I'm screwed.

[BlackCurtains]

Beth, thanks! My NES carts are in an old carrying case just off to the side too. My fav SNES games I own, well my all time favorite game is LoZ: Link to the Past. Tetris Attack, Pac-Attack, The Lost Vikings 1 and 2, Demon's Crest, Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Kirby Superstar and Dreamland 3... I own so many it's hard to pick. I've been trying to add Rock'n Roll Racing to my collection but keep getting out bid. I know you didn't ask but the rarest one I own is E.V.O.

[Lady Frostbite]

You'll take physical media from my cold, dead claws!!

I LOVE DVDs; like others have said, I don't trust streaming media as they can remove things from their catalogue at any time, and I like to keep mine forever. Plus it's always super handy when you want something and the internet is down. I avidly collect true crime and documentaries I like, as well as niche movies. For CDs, I'm very much MP3 as I tend to like particular songs over particular artists, but I buy the physical CDs for my favourite artists.

Digital media like books and episodes I tend to get if there is no physical copy OR the physical copies are very rare/out of print

[Ponyfan]

I do! 

I'll usually buy DVD's or Blu rays over digital.  That being said, there are a few that I've bought digital copies of from US iTunes so I have them in a more portable format if I'm stuck somewhere with my iPod and get bored listening to music.

I love books.  I prefer a real book over digital.  Daiya is only published in English in ebook format.  I can't read Japanese, so if I want to read Daiya instead of watch it, I have to get an ebook.

I have to really love an artist these days to buy a whole CD.  Otherwise I just get the songs I want from iTunes if they have them. 


Ponyfan

[Beldarna]

I buy physical books. Although I have a reading tablet I prefer to turn the pages in a book and you can't get that new booksmell with a tablet.

The last CD I bought was Sarah Brightmans Dreamchaser, which was released 2013. I did not even have a CD-player but loved it so much and wanted to support her. I've not had a cdplayer for close to 15 years now. I stream all my music. I mostly listen through my phone when going to and from work and sometimes when I sit by the computer but it's not even an hour a day.

When it comes to movies, we stream a lot, but when it's something we really like we buy the physical copy. Like the new Mario-movie and the Blue Ray box set of Game of Thrones. I have a small collection of Charles Dickens Christmas carol where a lot of the versions are unavailable to stream. I also have the Extended edition of LotR and the Hobbit. We're also on the constant lookout for old kids series and movies from our childhoods, mainly Dr Snuggles, Dennis the menace (with the old dub), and all of Don Bluths movies . I scored big time when I found a Lady and the tramp DVD for next to nothing at a fleemarket on Disney+ and blue ray they have the remastered version with a new dub which I don't get why they got new voices and don't like the new voices. I don't think anyone who grew up with the movie back in the days does. Our player do both Blue Ray and DVD, and it's the same brand as our TV so the TV controller works on the Blue Ray and the Blue Ray controller works with the TV so if any of them breaks we have a spare .

Games are a bit of both. Hubby is the gamer and he buys lots of digital copies on STEAM. When it comes to Xbox (and when he had the PS5) he buys the games on release and if he likes them, he sells them quickly when he's done to get back as much as possible and rebuy the digital version when he wants to play again (he has Hollow Night on Pc, Xbox and Switch by the way) When it comes to Switch games there is a second hand market where you get almost the same amount you paid no matter the timeframe so he goes for the physical copy often keep those for a while. We don't have a big game collection because of this. They pretty much all come and go. Right now we have like ten physcial Switch games.

[Minty_Magic]

I’m starting to miss physical media more and more myself. I don’t often buy a lot of media just because for books, movies, and TV shows I am someone who seldom rewatches or rereads things, even if I really enjoyed them. Streaming is becoming more and more of a nightmare though and it makes me miss video rental stores I loved the smell of them and being able to browse through all the different titles!

Music on the other hand, I very much buy in the physical format because I will revisit my favorite albums over and over again! I’ve had a turntable for vinyl records ever since I graduated high school, but once I got my own place I knew I wanted one of the console turntables! I was never around the same time of them, but I love how special having a dedicated piece of furniture for your music makes it feel more cozy and special. I got my console off Marketplace for 30 bucks. The speed setting are wonky and at the time it sounded distorted, but a bit of cleaning and a new needle has it running good as new! I think I may need to replace the cartridge in the needle at some point, but it still sounds good enough for now.

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The other thing I love about physical albums is being able to see the artwork on a larger scale and reading the liner notes. I feel like you can miss a lot of what the artist is trying to communicate in their music without the context of some of the notes they include. Even if nothing is written, often there is more artwork or photos on the inside that you wouldn’t otherwise see if you didn’t own the album. Streaming music is still my go to for travel and discovering new music, but when I am at home I strongly prefer listening on my console over anything else!

[BlackCurtains]

I love your console What a steal too! I have one that's been in the family since the 70s. It plays records, 8-tracks and has a radio. It's in storage unfortunately due to having no room, but I'm so glad it's mine now, I think it's totally cool