Physical Copy Vs. Digital

CommanderZx2 said:
There is one big advantage that physical media has above most legal streaming services. The physical media is uncut while the streaming version is always edited down for TV.
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Yep, Ran into this problem with JoJo's: Stardust Crusaders on Netflix which uses the TV broadcast version. Also the basic fact that licensing is all over the place and limited leading to a lack of availability especially in the UK. I mean, how many shows are in licensing limbo, only having newer seasons and missing catalogue titles or particular versions (such as English dubs being not available even when they exist). Anime may be the worst particular example of this but it does affect other things like older films and TV shows where they either aren't available anywhere apart from out of print dvd's (like the tv show Millennium for example) or aren't seen as palatable for a streaming service (Disney has a large amount of Fox films that have not appeared even on digital storefronts, let alone Disney Plus which insists on a particularly broad family image for its streaming library, making the decision not to license out to independent video groups like Arrow and Eureka irritating).
 
Oh yeah, I forgot some other important benefits to physical media anime. You don't have the issue of dimming of action sequences in the physical release. On top of that we have the benefits of some scenes being redrawn to improve them.
 
Plus physical media has the advantage of being available to watch anytime you feel like with none of the restrictions that streaming companies can enact whenever they feel like it.
 
For movies and TV shows, I'll only buy physical, partly for quality, but also because I don't trust any given DRM-based streaming platform to still exist ten years from now, as we saw when Ultraviolet predictably went belly-up. If your storage space is at breaking point and you want to switch to digital for something, I'd say to only buy mainstream movies and shows digitally, and even then only the most popular stuff. That way, when the streaming platform eventually ceases to exist, you can hoover up 2nd hand DVD/blu-rays of your lost content on eBay for pennies. There will always be hundreds of copies of The Matrix going for £1 on eBay, but you'd have to pay a fortune to replace something more niche that only had a limited physical release.
 
Almost all of the anime I watch is digital but I still go back into my very large collection of dvds and blurays all the time to rewatch something.
 
D1tchd1gger said:
Next question is does it play when you're back in the UK, so to say?
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Yes however only for the current episode you're watching. You'll need to connect the VPN (United States) to watch another episode. Disconnect again while watching or just leave it connected for no interruption with next episodes.

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I think download-to-own is a key area where anime really needs to catch up - I think in the UK at least, Manga Entertainment are the only distributor that really pursues it? I've yet to take the plunge though, because those titles will more often than not already be available streaming, and I'd be using the same device to watch them anyway - so why pay more? Perhaps that's one downside of SVOD being so prevalent with anime. I'm not sure I trust, or really see the point of, Funimation's digital codes either. I'm fully expecting that when they lose the rights to a title, they may (accidentally or deliberately) cull the digitally-owned version too - although I really hope not.

So, when it comes to purchasing, I still buy physical Blu-rays - although space is certainly becoming a consideration!

For manga and light novels, the greater availability and choice of digital platforms means that I've adopted a policy of starting any new titles digitally where available. For things only available physically, or that I've already started buying physical volumes for though, I stick to buying the ol' dead trees.
 
Joshawott said:
I think download-to-own is a key area where anime really needs to catch up - I think in the UK at least, Manga Entertainment are the only distributor that really pursues it? I've yet to take the plunge though, because those titles will more often than not already be available streaming, and I'd be using the same device to watch them anyway - so why pay more? Perhaps that's one downside of SVOD being so prevalent with anime. I'm not sure I trust, or really see the point of, Funimation's digital codes either. I'm fully expecting that when they lose the rights to a title, they may (accidentally or deliberately) cull the digitally-owned version too - although I really hope not.

So, when it comes to purchasing, I still buy physical Blu-rays - although space is certainly becoming a consideration!

For manga and light novels, the greater availability and choice of digital platforms means that I've adopted a policy of starting any new titles digitally where available. For things only available physically, or that I've already started buying physical volumes for though, I stick to buying the ol' dead trees.
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I remember Steam tried entering this market place a while back, early 2010s. They were selling digital copies of anime, which didn't even yet have physical releases at the time and undercutting regular physical copy prices, for example Re:Zero was £7. Unfortunately there wasn't much interest in it and so they eventually dropped it and stopped selling them.

I still have the digital copies in my library, some of my purchases include Re: Zero, New Game!, Hinako Note, Sound Euphonium, Toradora, Kemono Friends, Gabriel Dropout, Space patrol Luluco and many more.
 
Going to wake this thread up a bit.

I have my own home NAS server - Synology DS1815+ with 4 x 10TB WD Reds - so I am generally happier with digital media. Main benefits are that I don't need to swap discs in/out of a player, my watched status is synced centrally to my devices, and I can resume play from my devices.

I have a small (but growing) collection of physical anime Blurays, mainly to support buying the shows I enjoy. Even when I own them, I still just play my digital versions though as it's easier!

I would like to maintain a position where I can fit all of my physical collection into one bookcase. At some point I am going to look at buying a better bookcase than my current shelf ladder thing I am using, but I have decided I will try and get to at least my 2nd shelf full before I consider changing it.
 
I'm definitely in the boat of not being a fan of digital. I'll buy digital games if they're on an extreme sale... digital anime sure but I love to own my favourites, but digital manga? I won't take it unless it's free, and even then I'll probably hesitate. Just not the same as holding a book in my hands. For any form of media I love to have all my favourites on my shelf.
 
zrdb said:
Way I see it is that if the licenser decides to take back the license you're sol. On the other hand physical (be it discs or on a hdd or ssd) it's yours.
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I know what SOL stands for in this context but I couldn't help thinking "I, too, would like to be a slice of life anime" :p
 
zrdb said:
Way I see it is that if the licenser decides to take back the license you're sol. On the other hand physical (be it discs or on a hdd or ssd) it's yours.
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Puzzled here, which licensor does sell their movies/series on HDD/SSD? … oh wait I know what you mean, no in this case it’s theft is never ownership 🤯:(
 
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