Physical Copy Vs. Digital

Stiivun said:
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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I think he meant home made, in which case no ripping your blu-rays onto a plex server isn't theft nor is it illegal. I don't do it myself (as getting the tools together is a pain) but it's a great way to back up your discs incase they start to go.
 
Vincentdante said:
I think he meant home made, in which case no ripping your blu-rays onto a plex server isn't theft nor is it illegal. I don't do it myself (as getting the tools together is a pain) but it's a great way to back up your discs incase they start to go.
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Also you can buy official digital downloads of some series and put them on an external HDD/SSD if there isn't enough space on your computer's hard drive/you want a backup tbf (though yes some of them won't let you play it on there cuz of DRM). Same with manga, like Humble Bundles and stuff.
 
Vincentdante said:
I think he meant home made, in which case no ripping your blu-rays onto a plex server isn't theft nor is it illegal. I don't do it myself (as getting the tools together is a pain) but it's a great way to back up your discs incase they start to go.
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We’ll never know as zrdb will not react on this, hummm is that for a reason… 🤔

Anyways I do have a Plex server running too, where I rip my BD‘s on and then consume them on an Apple TV.
 
I'm planning on stopping (or at least massively cutting back on) buying anime BDs/DVDs and eventually moving to streaming when I finally finish all the series I've amassed over the years.

I've never rewatched an anime series (except Haruhi), so there's really not much point in buying physical for me. I finish the show, then they just take up space on a shelf or in a box or whatever.

I've started selling some of the shows I've watched and already made a little bit of profit against what I originally paid for them, which is nice!
 
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awadama fever said:
I'm planning on stopping (or at least massively cutting back) on buying anime BDs/DVDs and eventually moving to streaming when I finally finish all the series I've amassed over the years.

I've never rewatched an anime series (except Haruhi), so there's really not much point in buying physical for me. I finish the show, then they just take up space on a shelf or in a box or whatever.

I've started selling some of the shows I've watched and already made a little bit of profit against what I originally paid for them, which is nice!
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Since I've subscribed to streaming services, I've realised how everything is in one place and on the go (mobile, Switch etc.) in such a convenient way. Everyday I'm eyeing my physical media shelf telling to it "I'll sell you" like a crazy person.

I've been going on a massive physical clear out and feeling much satisfied with how much space is created as well as making way over the original price paid.

When it comes to Physical Vs Digital, my thoughts are simply this. Purchase physical media you are genuinely happy to get and/or wish to avoid the risk of selling out.

For every other title you're curious about but uncertain to buy or not. That's where streaming comes in where you have access to a massive library. No more commitments or paying for each title you could possibly feel money is wasted.

Though for titles that aren't available in the UK or on any streaming platforms, then go for a physical (while avoiding paying donkey prices if possible 🐴)
 
I've long been converted to digital for video games just because physical copies don't really exist anymore on PC and that's my platform of choice. For anime and manga though, I have a strong preference for physical. Unless I get like a bundle or it's unlicensed (cough cough) I'll even pay much more for physical when it comes to manga and ignore the cheaper digital option.
 
As a millennial I'm still very fond of physical media for everything whether it's anime, music, films or whatever even though it takes up room for storing it all.
I've lost digital purchases in a hard drive crash before and the risk of buying digital is that it becomes unavailable for re-download or re-purchase if something bad happens to your copy. Although I have a NAS these days so buying digital releases is less of a risk. And then there's DRM. The first digital music single I ever bought (in WMA format) became unplayable because the DRM authentication server went offline.
 
awadama said:
www.pushsquare.com

The State of the UK's Physical Games Market Might Explain PS5 Pro's Lack of Disc Drive

Digital world
www.pushsquare.com www.pushsquare.com

Physical game sales were down 35% in 2024!
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A steady decline would be expected, but this is a worryingly abrupt drop. One theory I read was that Nintendo games are driving a lot of physical sales, and it was a relatively dry year for Switch releases. Then there's the utter shambles that is the current state of GAME, making it increasingly difficult for people to buy physical in person, even if they want to.
 
You can buy an Xbox Series S 1tb digital only console and 2 years of Xbox Game Pass for the same price as a bluray Series X

Dont get me wrong, the Series X is a better console, sure. But if you only want to play Xbox games its a no brainer

Along with the Digital only PS5 being £100 cheaper and they might have a subscription service like Game Pass

Its no wonder phsical game sales are down

As someone who hates the idea of digital only. That Xbox is kinda tempting tbh.
 
Dai said:
One theory I read was that Nintendo games are driving a lot of physical sales, and it was a relatively dry year for Switch releases.
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I can 1000% confirm this theory - I go physical for all my Switch games (as long as there's a UK physical release)!

For PS5, I usually wait until they're cheap (about £15-20) in a digital sale. I'll only buy a disc game if I happen to see something I want at a good price in Smyths (maybe 3-4 times in a year).

Most Switch exclusive games (Marios, Pokemons, etc) hardly ever have price drops for physical and their digital sales aren't that good either, so I'm happy to just buy them at full price.
 
awadama said:
www.pushsquare.com

The State of the UK's Physical Games Market Might Explain PS5 Pro's Lack of Disc Drive

Digital world
www.pushsquare.com www.pushsquare.com

Physical game sales were down 35% in 2024!
Click to expand...

Interesting. We really are in a bubble. I always thought physical game sales were holding steady or only steadily declining; but when you think about it, it's not exactly a thriving market.

Not long ago, UK supermarkets announced they were stopping the sale of physical games in their shops; I remember they used to compete against each other for who could have the cheapest copy of FIFA or Call of Duty on release.

GAME and Argos are the only brick-and-mortar stores I can think of where you can buy brand new, physical games in the UK. Of course, GAME's issues have been written on extensively. The Game Collection and ShopTo are the 'big' hitters online for physical games, with a few smaller online companies littered around like The Gamery and Game Kings; so there's not exactly numerous players in the game.

Although, doesn't the PS disc-drive always sell out really quickly when it comes back in stock? Which would suggest a high demand for discs. I wonder if it's the second-hand market driving most of that demand. Brand new games are expensive so video game sales overall (including digital) being down during a cost of living crisis isn't too much of a surprise.
 
awadama said:
I can 1000% confirm this theory - I go physical for all my Switch games (as long as there's a UK physical release)!

For PS5, I usually wait until they're cheap (about £15-20) in a digital sale. I'll only buy a disc game if I happen to see something I want at a good price in Smyths (maybe 3-4 times in a year).

Most Switch exclusive games (Marios, Pokemons, etc) hardly ever have price drops for physical and their digital sales aren't that good either, so I'm happy to just buy them at full price.
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I remember Smyths! I never went in there much but interesting to hear they are still going :)
 
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