The State Of physical Media

[BigPixolin]

I can't wait until physical media is a thing of the past. Case in point my ruined Just Cause 2 xbox 360 game I only had for 4 days until it was scratched beyond repair.

[Szos]

Yeah, physical media as a distribution method is done.

Not next week, or even next year, but in the long-term I see little point in having a physical disk. I would be rather surprised to see a future disc-based standard come out beyond Blu-Ray. Our internet connections might not be quite fast enough yet, and our storage methods might not be there to handle all that media, but everything is moving to the Cloud.

The problem is that Hollywood moves soooooo slowly that it is going to take many, many years for them to figure it out. Heck, look at the Recording industry - their stuff is much more prone to being stored digitally due to it's small size, and even today they are still fighting it. And that is even after online music stores like iTunes have shown that money can in fact be made with online distribution.

[The Gunslinger]

Blu-what-now? I dunno what you guys are talking about, I'm still on VHS ;)

I dunno, personally this sounds like it could go right along side "how much longer does print-media have" and I don't believe either will ever fade off entirely. Perhaps predominantly (I agree that is likely) but there will always be the nostalgia factor, if nothing else, to have something in a physical format. I can't stand reading my news online. But I also can't stand purchasing a DVD that's far more likely to crap out than a VHS tape.

If there truly is to be no more physical media, I rue the day that I get all of my information and entertainment entirely from a computer; it's awfully close already.

[Jettatore]

That's already happening though. I think the bigger question will be, are physical movie theaters going to be around forever and if not how much longer do they have? I don't suspect they will be disappearing overnight but the possibility for them to gradually phase out into oblivion is looming.

As far as physical movie releases DVD/VHS/Blu-Ray. I don't think Blu-Ray will ever be as popular as DVD and I don't feel that we will have anything after Blu-Ray that will be at all successful. It's all digital distribution/streaming/HBO from here on out.

I actually even question the longevity of Cable TV vs. the Internet. About half of my friends have completely canceled their cable/satellite tv subscriptions and do all of their TV and movie through the net or Netflix.

[Michael5188]

I don't think movie theaters are going anywhere. People want to go out and see movies, be part of a group, have it be an event of sorts. But I really can't predict where that is headed, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if someone came back from the future and said they were as rare as drive-in theaters are today.

As far as media goes, look at music. Didn't take long for digital to become more popular than physical. I feel digital will become the norm when you can store your media on an outside server, like Steam does for games. This way you never have to worry about losing your media to scratches or hard drive wipes. Not to mention it can follow you anywhere you go, granted the place has the capability of logging onto your account.

[danlefeb]

I think the bigger question will be, are physical movie theaters going to be around forever and if not how much longer do they have?

This is kind of a pointless question, isn't it? By that I mean that nothing that we know right now will be around forever. I'm sure that even the internet as we know it right now will be completely different in the future - perhaps even the near future. I just hope we don't turn into something like Surrogates. Primarily because it would suck to have to live a life with the story line of that movie with the hair that Bruce Willis had in that. :D

[CofTsucks]

I don't think movie theaters are going anywhere. People want to go out and see movies, be part of a group, have it be an event of sorts. But I really can't predict where that is headed, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if someone came back from the future and said they were as rare as drive-in theaters are today.
People will still go to movies but it will be more of an event. No more will you have the small indies on thought films on the screen.

You have a hard time having people pay for those type of movies anymore. People just wait for the DVD.

I also think as a whole the movie industry needs to simply deliver everything. No more of this distribution when we feel like it or never.
You know how many cool movies are out there that are not distributed in any given number of our countries. We either have to order them abroad or download them online because they will never be distributed in the US. I think that less physical media will start to put an end to that. Hollywood needs to learn people want it when they want it. Not when they descide to give it to you.

That is why youtube has exploded. Hollywood in general hasn't learned.
For example, you can go to American Idol and watch "clips" of the show or you can go to youtube and pick a very specific performance in the show. Hollywood hasn't learned to even do that. Why do you think Hulu and other sights have taken off. We have a "gimme now" society and to stay on top, be competitive you have to cater to that society that you helped create.

Downloading movies and streaming digital does that. It caters to "I want it now" and it is very successful. Now to find out how to really make money off of it.

Music has changed and is in a very easy spot to change. To be profitable you need to go back to the keep it simple days of Motown. Digital sales plus emphasis on Concerts and live venues. Cut out all the middle men.

Movies however will be a little harder....only the future will show us.

[kelgy]

As long as theaters can provide a larger image than what your apartment living room offers, i think they will be around in some form.

[DuttyFoot]

I can't wait until physical media is a thing of the past. Case in point my ruined Just Cause 2 xbox 360 game I only had for 4 days until it was scratched beyond repair.

i had the same issue with both assassins creed 1 and lego indiana jones for the 360. i know the games could be installed on the hdd of the 360 to avoid this issue.
On thing i like about battlefield 2 there is an option to play the game without the cd in the drive. It seems when you play games through steam you dont need to have the cd in the drive.
I bought AC1 for the pc last month and it was nice not having to bother with the box or cdrom, plus i didn't have to drive to the store to get the game. Eventually everything will probably go the way of digital download.

[SmallPoly]

i had the same issue with both assassins creed 1 and lego indiana jones for the 360. i know the games could be installed on the hdd of the 360 to avoid this issue.
On thing i like about battlefield 2 there is an option to play the game without the cd in the drive. It seems when you play games through steam you dont need to have the cd in the drive.
I bought AC1 for the pc last month and it was nice not having to bother with the box or cdrom, plus i didn't have to drive to the store to get the game. Eventually everything will probably go the way of digital download.

But then there's AC2 for the PC, with it's crazy DRM that requires a constant connection to ubisoft servers to play, resulting in many people being unable to play their game at release time because the servers couldn't handle the traffic. If that's the future of digital distribution, I'm fine with physical media.

That said, nowadays, 99% of the time I buy PC games through Steam (and sometimes Good Old Games for classic stuff - gog.com), and both of those do everything right, making things easier for me rather than treat me like a criminal.

G.O.G. stuff tends to be dirt cheap, include a PDF of the manual, the soundtrack, wallpapers, etc. and has the games upgraded to be compatible with current operating systems. What's not to like?

[DanielWray]

I don't have a DVD or Blu-ray drive in my PC any more, It's much easier using steam to get games and as for films, well watching them on a large screen on a comfy sofa is better than at my desk.

Edit: I still need a Blu-ray player, but I could always buy a media hub and stream Hi-def films and all my multimedia to my TV's and PC, which can all be downloaded, so yea. :shrug:

[JakeJK]

All I want is a software that functions like steam, but for movies and music. With iTunes you only got 5 downloads after you buy the song, but with steam you can download your game an infinite number of times.

[DuttyFoot]

But then there's AC2 for the PC, with it's crazy DRM that requires a constant connection to ubisoft servers to play, resulting in many people being unable to play their game at release time because the servers couldn't handle the traffic. If that's the future of digital distribution, I'm fine with physical media.

I have AC2 for the 360 and was planning on getting it for the pc because i enjoyed it so much, but the drm thing made me not get it.

That said, nowadays, 99% of the time I buy PC games through Steam (and sometimes Good Old Games for classic stuff - gog.com), and both of those do everything right, making things easier for me rather than treat me like a criminal.

I haven 't heard of the gog site before, thanks for the link. I haven't bought a pc game through steam as yet, I guess i will give it a go one day.

wow that gog site does have a huge list of games. I was surprised to see kings quest, i remember when i bought that game to play on my 486 pc, :)
mdk was an awesome game too

[705]

until you figure out how to download a 40gb data that used to be in bd, i dont think it gonna be the past.

[Michael5188]

I don't think factors like bandwidth mean anything. Tech is advancing so fast. I mean look at download rates from 10 years ago compared to today.

[Paul McLaughlin]

Theaters are here to stay. However, I think we are approaching a time when they will no longer be the primary source of income from a film. As for physical video stores, they are probably going to end up going the way of the drive in movie theater.

[SheepFactory]

I can't wait until physical media is a thing of the past. Case in point my ruined Just Cause 2 xbox 360 game I only had for 4 days until it was scratched beyond repair.


I am not sure how your shitty xbox scratching discs or you not choosing to install to HD needs to mean physical media should die!

Havent we discussed this enough already? Physical media is not really going anywhere soon. Lets create this thread when cd's are no longer being sold let alone go after blu ray at this point.

[THX1311]

I am not sure how your (ill mannered profanity redacted) xbox scratching discs or you not choosing to install to HD needs to mean physical media should die!


Physical Media for Retail Delivery Will and SHOULD DIE!!!
even sony defacto admits this with PSP GO
IMHO Blue Ray is the last Bloated gasp for petroleum based physical movie Distribution:wavey:
Just as "Super VHS" was for magnetic tape.

Cheers.

[Jettatore]

When your talking about games I think what is going to happen is much different. This, is not going to happen over night, because it's a complicated en-devour at this point, but I can see it as almost inevitable in the future. Basically your platform of choice (PC, XBox6, IPhone, PS5, etc) is eventually only going to stream video and upload player input. All of the calculations, are going to be handled on the server side. It's the most foolproof way to terminate piracy. And with only having to program a client side input and video streaming program, this opens up immense opportunities for simple cross-platform compatibility across a wide range of devices. The player (client) simply doesn't even have access to the games program code, nor would they have to have amazingly powerful 3D processors so long as they could stream the video feed in realtime. "If/when" it's done right, and internet connections can support it there should be no discernible difference to the player. Until then, expect a lot of failures, frustration and lag trying to get this idea to work.

[BigPixolin]

I am not sure how your shitty xbox scratching discs or you not choosing to install to HD needs to mean physical media should die!

Havent we discussed this enough already? Physical media is not really going anywhere soon. Lets create this thread when cd's are no longer being sold let alone go after blu ray at this point.

Yeah it wasn't my shitty xbox it could of happen to a shitty ps3 game aswell.

[Dogway]

ouch, the big companies are indeed accomplishing in changing your minds...

They want you to use-throw the same damn thing over and over, that is the pop culture society is going towards. You are the guy with an empty room with a huge TV, some xbox, fancy 3D glasses and a wii? No thanks. I prefer the appreciation of art, just like having a good artbook I can always pick, or a good paper novel for readers rather than a... e-book?

Physical interaction is good, same for physical contents, benefits are various, more storage (42Gb blu-rays), re-sales, durability (a commercial disc lasts a few times any recordable disc or magnetic storage device), and access (not many people want/know how to deal with downloadable contents, not to say you are asuming everybody has internet access...)

[SheepFactory]

Yeah it wasn't my shitty xbox it could of happen to a shitty ps3 game aswell.

It wont actually because blu rays have layer for scratch protection and is way more durable than DVD in that regard.


Physical Media for Retail Delivery Will and SHOULD DIE!!!
even sony defacto admits this with PSP GO
IMHO Blue Ray is the last Bloated gasp for petroleum based physical movie Distribution:wavey:
Just as "Super VHS" was for magnetic tape.

Cheers.

Sony tried the waters with psp go, which is breaking records in selling the least amount of any comparabe product. It is a disaster really.

Physical media will surely die eventually but I doubt it will be in the next decade or two.

People like being able to have something physical that they can sell\trade. You are screwed if something happens to your HD with digital and usually you are subject to draconian DRM schemes.

[Phrenzy84]

For personal media, i like having DVD's and even (minidiscs... yeah i know they are obsolete but they are brilliant for storing all sorts of stuff on).

For movies and games. If they can find a way to maintain the extra features then im all for it. Same for games. But i want to download to my actual device. Im to insecure for cloud computing and/or on-demand services.

Plus the fact i can take the media anywhere is another advantage.

Some media companies are only beginning to understand that they need to deliver media in as many formats as possible. They are now serving us not the other way round. This goes for TV also. Most of us don't care about watching our favourite shows when they air, we would rather make time for it later.

DVD's and Games, i predict will become a combination between downloading to a physical hard drive (which could be transferred to other media) and Cloud services.

But we are about 5 years out before companies realize that the TV doesn't rule anymore as a venue for their content. Because devices are springing up that draw us away from the box but they need to be able to still serve their content.

I predict the next series of console will have much more improved storage, streaming and backup features (maybe a propriety format to prevent piracy, for maybe around a week).

[THX1311]

Sony tried the waters with psp go, which is breaking records in selling the least amount of any comparabe product. It is a disaster really.



(DISCLAIMER!: THE FOLLOWING POST DOES NOT IN ANYWAY CONDONE VIOLATION OF ANY EXISTING OR FUTURE SONY GAME LICENSING AGREEMENTS BUT IS INTENDED TO MERELY REPORT WHAT IS ACTUALLY OBSERVED TO BE OCCURRING IN THE PSP USER BASE AT LARGE)

Hi I personally run the official Sony firmware on my PSP device, but as a long time PSP owner I can assure you that Dismal Sales of the PSP GO
Can be directly Attributed to the ,as yet, inability of the hardcore user base to easily hack and install
Custom "home brew" OS flavors on the PSP GO.
NOT because of any Love for those bloody Awful "UMD" media Discs that serious users have Dumped Long ago in favor of Hi capacity memory stick Duo's (up to 30 gigs) and "UMD dumper" custom software for discless gameplay.

It is for this very reason( homebrew) that older models
(PSP 1000,2000,3000)
still retain so much resale value on the used market.


Cheers

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