What I Miss From Physical Media
While streaming has made watching films more convenient, their are some aspects about physical media that I personally miss.
The film and television industries have entered the age of streaming. I've discussed the positives and negatives when it comes to digital streaming several times and I've mentioned how we watch films differently as a result. What I'm about to discuss, however, are the small things I personally miss about physical media. I'll be honest, when I came up with this idea I thought this was the moment that finally made me old (I'm 29 at the moment), but I just had to get this off my chest. So join me while I give a little rant about the things I miss from physical media.
The first thing I miss is the ability to collect them. I miss going to the stores and finding specific films on blu ray, putting them together on a large shelf for all to see, and watching it grow in size. I also miss special collector editions that would have things to display like statues or steelbook cases for the discs. The thing I miss most about the cases, however, is the artwork that would be put into some of them. It made them look really cool and they would stand out on my shelf.
Another aspect I really miss about physical media are the bonus features. These were the extra goodies that would come on the disc besides the movie. They would feature things like behind the scenes making of the movie, deleted scenes, director's commentary, and sometimes even interactive game (such as the ones found in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" blu-ray). There are certain films on streaming networks (such as "Avengers: Endgame on Disney Plus) that do feature things like behind the scenes footage and deleted scenes so maybe we can see a return in bonus features on streaming. However, it feels too early to say whether bonus features will return to their former glory on physical media.
One of the most important things about physical media that I miss was the ability to watch films without needing an internet connection. Having to travel to rural parts of the state I live in meant that I wasn't always able to get a consistent internet connection. Because of this I relied on physical media like DVDs and blu-rays to watch movies in places that didn't have any internet. I would also rely on them during a power outage. If we lost power, I would sometimes pull out a portable DVD player and watch a film during a storm. I really miss that ability, if a power outage happened now I wouldn't have the internet to watch anything.
I thank you all for humoring me like this. This was mostly just about me waxing nostalgic about physical media, again. However, I wanted to also point out how some people can become nostalgic for things that seem out dated and cumbersome by today's standards. Sometimes, that outdated technology can have some advantages that more advanced modern technology doesn't have. Either that or I really am just getting old (don't laugh, it will happen to you one day).
