13-05-2020, 10:58 AM
I buy second hand DVDs and Blu-rays - mostly from our local CEX, but occasionally from eBay if I want something specific. I can't remember the last time I bought new, but it occasionally happens. What I like about CEX is the ridiculously low prices (often just 49p), which means I can grab a random handful. I like CEX, and don't mind supporting them in this way.
Not interested in streaming - we just don't watch enough TV to justify a monthly subscription. Having tried Netflix and Now TV, I don't think they offer good VfM for our usage. And in terms of picture quality, HD Netflix is mostly sharp enough, but I notice a lot of motion artefacts that aren't present on the DVDs or Blu-rays. Same for iPlayer as well. Not surprising given the bit rates concerned.
Luckily, s/h media is ridiculously cheap because people are moving over to streaming. Admittedly discs take up space, but "minimalism" is for other people
If we ever get fed up with DVDs cluttering our bookshelves, then I'd rip them and store them on my NAS box.. I have 3 free disc slots in my NAS box, and for just over £300, I can buy the discs needed to up the capacity from 8GB to 16GB or 20GB (depending on whether I go for RAID 5 or 6). If we assume that a typical SD movie comes on a dual-layer disc with the layer change roughly half way through, that implies about 8GB per movie, very roughly. That translates to about 2,000 movies, give or take, and allowing for the other data already on the box. We probably only have 200 discs, so we've plenty of capacity for the future, and it would be all in-house, completely under our control and not reliant on a working internet connection. And should the worst happen, we'd still have the physical discs in the attic.
For the sake of balance, one big advantage of the streaming services might be the recommendations based on your viewing habits. I can't recall a time when I've followed one of these suggestions, but the people in the iPlayer team tell me this is huge factor for most viewers.
Not interested in streaming - we just don't watch enough TV to justify a monthly subscription. Having tried Netflix and Now TV, I don't think they offer good VfM for our usage. And in terms of picture quality, HD Netflix is mostly sharp enough, but I notice a lot of motion artefacts that aren't present on the DVDs or Blu-rays. Same for iPlayer as well. Not surprising given the bit rates concerned.
Luckily, s/h media is ridiculously cheap because people are moving over to streaming. Admittedly discs take up space, but "minimalism" is for other people
If we ever get fed up with DVDs cluttering our bookshelves, then I'd rip them and store them on my NAS box.. I have 3 free disc slots in my NAS box, and for just over £300, I can buy the discs needed to up the capacity from 8GB to 16GB or 20GB (depending on whether I go for RAID 5 or 6). If we assume that a typical SD movie comes on a dual-layer disc with the layer change roughly half way through, that implies about 8GB per movie, very roughly. That translates to about 2,000 movies, give or take, and allowing for the other data already on the box. We probably only have 200 discs, so we've plenty of capacity for the future, and it would be all in-house, completely under our control and not reliant on a working internet connection. And should the worst happen, we'd still have the physical discs in the attic.
For the sake of balance, one big advantage of the streaming services might be the recommendations based on your viewing habits. I can't recall a time when I've followed one of these suggestions, but the people in the iPlayer team tell me this is huge factor for most viewers.
