Best Buy will no longer carry physical movies in 2024

[SeattleCardinal]

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/13/23915567/best-buy-discontinue-physical-media-dvd-blu-ray

I can't recall the last time our household purchased a disc. It might have been my wife's purchase of Phantom of the Opera (2004) around 2006. And we canceled our Netflix DVD-by-mail service (also going away) at least 7 years ago. The way we consume movies has obviously changed immensely over a couple of decades.

 

[Devilmaycare]

This is really bad news. The death of physical is coming sooner than I thought it would and that's not good. I still use UHD discs as much as possible. I want my high video bitrates and lossless audio.

 

[Chaplin]

This is really bad news. The death of physical is coming sooner than I thought it would and that's not good. I still use UHD discs as much as possible. I want my high video bitrates and lossless audio.

Best Buy is one of the worst places to buy physical media, so no big loss.

 

[jbjarko]

While I appreciate good quality audio and video, I'm by no means an audiophile or videophile. Some may say my TV is overkill; but streaming is good enough for me!

 

[Devilmaycare]

Best Buy is one of the worst places to buy physical media, so no big loss.

They had their exclusive steel books and junk though. Hopefully someone else picks those up.

 

[Chaplin]

Steel books were a nice gimmick but not worth much. And this is someone who collected almost 8000 dvds and Blu-ray’s back in the day.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

This is really bad news. The death of physical is coming sooner than I thought it would and that's not good. I still use UHD discs as much as possible. I want my high video bitrates and lossless audio.

Same. It's impossible to get a stream that isn't compressed. Although I stopped buying a lot of physical media a while ago, I still will use it whenever I can.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Steel books were a nice gimmick but not worth much. And this is someone who collected almost 8000 dvds and Blu-ray’s back in the day.

... and I thought my 1200+ collection was nice.

 

[Dan H]

This is really bad news. The death of physical is coming sooner than I thought it would and that's not good. I still use UHD discs as much as possible. I want my high video bitrates and lossless audio.

Sounds like Wal-Mart and Amazon will still be options going forward.

I’ve been scavenging the used movie stories around where I live ahead of cancelling most of our streaming services. It’s been pretty amazing the Blu Rays I’ve picked up for 3 bucks a pop.

 

[puckhead]

One less big buyer of physical media for brick and mortar retail is not good for the fans of that media.

Our march towards 'good enough' continues. I don't blame anyone for feeling that way and I'm admittedly on the side of wanting cutting edge tech to keep pushing forward.

 

[PDXChris]

They said records were dead in the late 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s. But, look at this! Physical movies will survive!

Over the past decade, vinyl records have made a major comeback. People purchased US$1.2 billion of records in 2022, a 20% jump from the previous year.

Not only did sales rise, but they also surpassed CD sales for the first time since 1988, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Who saw that coming?

I certainly didn’t. In the mid-1990s, I sold off my family’s very large collection of records over my wife’s protests. I convinced her we needed the space, even if the buyer was picking up the whole stash for a song.

Vinyl record sales keep spinning and spinning – with no end in sight

Their popularity can’t be explained by the nostalgia of baby boomers or superior sound quality. So what’s going on?

theconversation.com

 

[Chaplin]

They said records were dead in the late 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s. But, look at this! Physical movies will survive!

Vinyl record sales keep spinning and spinning – with no end in sight

Their popularity can’t be explained by the nostalgia of baby boomers or superior sound quality. So what’s going on?

theconversation.com

I've recently gotten into the VERY expensive vinyl collection universe, but it's pretty fun. I'm not sure blu-ray/DVD is old ENOUGH to provide a nostalgic return to.

 

[Dan H]

I've recently gotten into the VERY expensive vinyl collection universe, but it's pretty fun. I'm not sure blu-ray/DVD is old ENOUGH to provide a nostalgic return to.

Have you heard about Pete Davidson’s venture?

LOL

Pete Davidson is trying to get rich selling old VHS tapes

Pete Davidson says he has collected 'three to five thousand' sealed VHS tapes that he hopes to sell for profit: 'It's my GameStop.'

ew.com

 

[puckhead]

Have you heard about Pete Davidson’s venture?

LOL

Pete Davidson is trying to get rich selling old VHS tapes

Pete Davidson says he has collected 'three to five thousand' sealed VHS tapes that he hopes to sell for profit: 'It's my GameStop.'

ew.com

Pete clearly has access to the best weed money can buy. You'd have to be stoned if you've ever seen a VHS signal blown up on a modern screen and thought there was anything remotely redeeming about it.

 

[elindholm]

They said records were dead in the late 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s. But, look at this! Physical movies will survive!

Vinyl record sales keep spinning and spinning – with no end in sight

Their popularity can’t be explained by the nostalgia of baby boomers or superior sound quality. So what’s going on?

theconversation.com

I simply don't understand the vinyl comeback. I don't resent it, but I can't attribute it to anything other than nostalgia. The myth that records provide better sound quality than CDs is demonstrably false, but it persists. Young people are buying Bluetooth turntables! It's nonsensical.

For video, it's much different, because the losses suffered through streaming compression are substantial and obvious. Of course DVDs have that problem as well (and Blu-rays to a lesser extent). Most people have TVs that are overkill, given the quality of the signal they're trying to view. But marketing triumphs.

 

[PDXChris]

The myth that records provide better sound quality than CDs is demonstrably false, but it persists.

Them fighting words!

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[puckhead]

I simply don't understand the vinyl comeback. I don't resent it, but I can't attribute it to anything other than nostalgia. The myth that records provide better sound quality than CDs is demonstrably false, but it persists. Young people are buying Bluetooth turntables! It's nonsensical.

For video, it's much different, because the losses suffered through streaming compression are substantial and obvious. Of course DVDs have that problem as well (and Blu-rays to a lesser extent). Most people have TVs that are overkill, given the quality of the signal they're trying to view. But marketing triumphs.

Nostalgia is probably the main thing, but there is a kind of 'spiritual' component to dusting off your favorite record, placing it on the turntable, and gently lowering down the needle before sitting down to a listening session. Add your own substances and incense to taste, and you're in business.

Some other things that don't hurt:

Album artwork is definitely emphasized and more enjoyable in the larger format.
Liner notes and bonus inserts are much more common in albums.
My biased opinion is that older music has much more staying power than modern and explains the reverence for artists from the earlier eras in music when vinyl was prevalent. The fact that good condition originals exist adds to the whole collectible element as well.

So, I get it. I don't subscribe to it, but I get it.

 

[puckhead]

Them fighting words!

You must be registered for see images attach

That they are! But, he's not wrong.

All else in the chain being equal, a record mixed from the same recording session will not provide better sound quality than a CD.

That doesn't mean it can't sound better to an individual, though.

There's all sorts of reasons for that, but namely, our system for interpreting air pressure variances isn't a calibrated linear device. Our ears and brains are more sensitive towards certain frequencies and less sensitive to others. A playback system that also isn't linear can sound better to someone because those distortions and flaws can still sound good to a walking bag of water and meat. So, if you like the sound better, then by all means enjoy!

 

[elindholm]

Nostalgia is probably the main thing, but there is a kind of 'spiritual' component to dusting off your favorite record, placing it on the turntable, and gently lowering down the needle before sitting down to a listening session. Add your own substances and incense to taste, and you're in business.

Some other things that don't hurt:

Album artwork is definitely emphasized and more enjoyable in the larger format.
Liner notes and bonus inserts are much more common in albums.

All good points.

My biased opinion is that older music has much more staying power than modern and explains the reverence for artists from the earlier eras in music when vinyl was prevalent. The fact that good condition originals exist adds to the whole collectible element as well.

I work in the classical music world, so I hadn't thought of the distinction between "older" and newer popular music. But there's definitely something to that. A half century ago, when there was a greater expectation that someone would sit down and really listen to an album, it made more sense to try to get the sound quality as good as possible. Something released now is going to be heard through a streaming service 99% of the time, so it's more about getting something deliverable out quickly. If you stick with stuff that's legitimately from the vinyl era, there's a good chance it's going to be better sounding.

However ... there's no advantage to a Rolling Stones vinyl over the same album on CD. For marketing reasons, they might end up getting mastered slightly differently, and a listener could prefer the sound of one over the other. But the same master on CD will sound as good or better than on vinyl, plus will be more durable, in most cases.

 

[PDXChris]

That they are! But, he's not wrong.

All else in the chain being equal, a record mixed from the same recording session will not provide better sound quality than a CD.

That doesn't mean it can't sound better to an individual, though.

There's all sorts of reasons for that, but namely, our system for interpreting air pressure variances isn't a calibrated linear device. Our ears and brains are more sensitive towards certain frequencies and less sensitive to others. A playback system that also isn't linear can sound better to someone because those distortions and flaws can still sound good to a walking bag of water and meat. So, if you like the sound better, then by all means enjoy!

This is the nerdiest, but also sexiest post in the history of this site!

 

[PDXChris]

All joking aside, throwing on an old punk vinyl and hearing the cracking to the raw sound still gives me chills!

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[Dback Jon]

This is the nerdiest, but also sexiest post in the history of this site!

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[puckhead]

This is the nerdiest, but also sexiest post in the history of this site!

My wife loves it when I call her a walking bag of water and meat!

 

[PDXChris]

My wife loves it when I call her a walking bag of water and meat!

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Chaplin]

I simply don't understand the vinyl comeback. I don't resent it, but I can't attribute it to anything other than nostalgia. The myth that records provide better sound quality than CDs is demonstrably false, but it persists. Young people are buying Bluetooth turntables! It's nonsensical.

For video, it's much different, because the losses suffered through streaming compression are substantial and obvious. Of course DVDs have that problem as well (and Blu-rays to a lesser extent). Most people have TVs that are overkill, given the quality of the signal they're trying to view. But marketing triumphs.

It has nothing to do with "better" sound. Of course they don't provide better sound. It's nostalgia and more collectable than buying just for the music.