Looks like I gotta adapt again - DVD/BluRay disappearing

[Iron Mego]

The only thing Hulu had, that made me sign up, was the Criterion Collection. Now they're losing it to TCM's new streaming service called Film Struck. I'll be stopping my subscription with Hulu soon because I don't need it for TV shows. Plus, it's the worst of the streaming services I use in terms of buffering. Amazon is pretty well stocked, and stuff goes in and out of Prime availability pretty regularly. I use these services mainly for watching horror movies, and they all rotate due to licensing. For example at one point all the Friday the 13th movies will be available on Prime, then they jump to Netflix, then they're OnDemand. And so on.

Another great service is Shudder, which I'm doing as an add-on through Amazon. It's all horror, and they keep adding stuff. Just in the last few weeks I've added a ton of movies to my watchlist, most recently the original Phantasm (which I will buy on Blu-Ray when it comes out), Society, The Howling, Happy Birthday To Me, and a bunch more. You can do Shudder separately, but have to have a device, like Roku to play it on your TV. Using it through Prime I can simply use my smart TV. There are still some movies on Shudder that I can't access for free on Amazon, but like I said, the list keeps expanding.

Netflix has great stuff, and does end up with most new horror flicks I want to see. Eventually. It can be a wait, but their other programming makes it worth it. Not that long ago Netflix had a TON of great old horror (like Bava, Fulci, etc.) but that has gone by the wayside now. It's pretty much all moved to Amazon/Shudder.

[VintageJoe70]

Ooh, that's another question...to watch amazon video on my tv, does it have to be a smart tv?...it's a flat screen, but I don't think mine is actually a "smart" tv...

[Iron Mego]

Ooh, that's another question...to watch amazon video on my tv, does it have to be a smart tv?...it's a flat screen, but I don't think mine is actually a "smart" tv...

Yes. Or you can get a device, such as Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV or Amazon's Fire Stick. They all require WiFi. I may get the Fire Stick, because it integrates all your apps. I.e. I can tell it to search for a movie and will go through all my subscriptions to find it. The remote uses the Alexa voice command system, which is kinda cool. The new TCM service I mentioned will be available via the Stick. You can also listen to Prime music on it, and order from Dominos.

Or get a new TV. Most are smart TVs now.

[EMCE Hammer]

I worked for The Wiz and Circuit City, helped Circuit City put together 4 of their first stores here in NY, and after I was laid off by them in '98 they decided to start downsizing their "Accessories" in the music and video department. The "Accessories" were the back catalog CD's and DVD's that are accessories to the electronics that they were selling...CD players/DVD Players/VHS etc. That was around '99/'00. This has been going on for the last 16 years and nobody should be surprised by it. Especially with today's generation that doesn't want to pay for anything when it comes to music/video/TV etc. It's sad because what most don't realize is that what you are getting via a download is COMPRESSED even more than the material is already compressed to fit the CD and DVD format. You lose high end and low end and also lose sharpness in picture quality. It's a fact. As much as computers and tech can re-master or re-distribute analog audio and video it can never be EXACTLY like the original source. Look up wave form in google. I learned this when I was a student in recording and engineering. The tech/computers of today still map out waves and wave forms in points on a wave. The new wave created by this tech will never be as rounded and smooth as an original sound/analog wave. Probably one of the main reasons for the resurgence of Vinyl. I am a fan of the original source be it vinyl or reel to reel or VHS. As imperfect as it may have been...it's still a lot closer to the original source material than downloading/digital format. That's my 2 cents...

Preach on brother Meanie.

[cjefferys]

It's funny, I used to be so obsessive about media. I was collecting movies on VHS, then DVD when that came out, then Blu-ray (and HD-DVD) when they came out. I used to research reviews to find the best version of a film, even if it meant importing the disc from Europe or Asia. And now...I'm just burned out, I really don't care anymore. I'm looking at shelves and shelves of DVDs and Blu-rays in my house that for some reason I had to own, and for many of them, I've only watched once or twice. And the vast majority are worth pennies on the dollar now, no point of going through the hassle of trying to sell them. I hardly buy any Blu-rays anymore, it has to be a film I really like and can rewatch multiple times. I'm happy with streaming, via subscription services (Netflix, Amazon and HBO Now are all I need, I don't have cable or satellite any more, waste of money) and cheap rental deals. I would never buy a digital copy though, in the rare instances I want to own a film I would still go the Blu-ray route. Anyone want to buy some movies?

Since we are on this subject...anyone here have amazon video or hulu?...which is better or offers more stuff?...are there any downsides to either of these?...I'm asking because I'm thinking of going this route and wanna know what I'm in for.

Amazon and Hulu are really apples and oranges. Hulu is good if you want to watch current network television shows (and used to be good for Criterion), Amazon has good original content but rarely has current shows from other channels (Brain Dead was an exception) and also has a decent selection of movies and TV shows (not as deep as Netflix though). I prefer Amazon out of the two, and for streaming quality, HD streaming on Amazon is excellent quality IMO, beats Netflix, Hulu, HBO quality wise, and their high def stuff looks great. I guess I lean towards them too because I am in the Amazon "ecosystem", I have their Echo/Alexa speakers, Fire tablets and Fire TV sticks, so Amazon Prime is a no-brainer for me.

[VintageMike]

I'm still a physical media guy first but have to admit there have been benefits to streaming. If it's something I'm only going to watch once a few dollar streaming rental is nice. For segments of my collection where space is really running out, streaming is nice because I can continue to get new stuff without the space worries. For the stuff I really love I stick with physical. Most major movelases are still released ob blu ray/DVD so I grab them when they come out if I want them. They are also usually cheaper when they first come out, I guess to sell more copies and get higher sales ranking. For instance, I will buy Blu-rays of whatever Star Wars movies come out until I literally have no more space. For classic TV I prefer DVDs because I still have an old tube TV to watch them on and I have a prtable DVD player I bring with on vacations for the express purpose of watching the old shows I have on disc.

[MegoSteve]

Ooh, that's another question...to watch amazon video on my tv, does it have to be a smart tv?...it's a flat screen, but I don't think mine is actually a "smart" tv...

As Iron Mego said, you can use one of those cheap devices to stream Amazon to your TV. You can also stream with a video game system like the Xbox or Playstation (both the current generation Xbox One and PS4 and the last gen Xbox 360 and PS3 offer streaming apps, though I'm not sure if you need to have Xbox Live to stream).

I like Amazon Prime. For video, I prefer Neflix, but Prime does have some things that Netflix doesn't, like The Americans, Orphan Black, and the Superman and Batman Animated TV shows, plus some HBO shows like Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sopranos and The Wire (no Game of Thrones, though). They get some movies that Netflix doesn't, like Ex Machina. Prime also includes a music streaming service as part of a Prime subscription (you can listen to the Hamilton soundtrack, for example), as well as a Prime reading library, including sample issues of magazines. I think they even offer some cloud storage as part of Prime, but I haven't used it. Honestly, I don't use many of the features of Prime, but the TV streaming of the occasional show and the free two-day shipping make it worthwhile to me.

What I really like about Prime is that you can download video when you have internet to watch later when you don't. (It behaves like a rental... you have 24 hours to watch it once you've started.) That means I can download a show and take my $50 Fire Tablet to the gym and watch it on the treadmill without having to depend on the gym's crappy WiFi.

What I don't like about Prime, at least with the Playstation 4 app, is that they include paid downloads with their search results. So, you might do a search for Superman, and Superman The Movie comes up, then you click on it and find out it's a $2.99 rental and not free to watch with Prime. But, that's a pretty minor complaint.

[Iron Mego]

What I don't like about Prime, at least with the Playstation 4 app, is that they include paid downloads with their search results. So, you might do a search for Superman, and Superman The Movie comes up, then you click on it and find out it's a $2.99 rental and not free to watch with Prime. But, that's a pretty minor complaint.

Actually, I kinda wish Netflix had this option. Not sure if it's a licensing thing or not. But I'd be willing to pony up for certain movies that aren't available for free anywhere else.

I've learned to be patient and wait for one of the services to offer something for free. The Witch finally turned up on Prime, and I'm happy I didn't fork out another $5 or more to rent it when it first came out.

[Bruce Banner]

I also much prefer physical formats for movies, games and music.

[CrimsonGhost]

Yes. Or you can get a device, such as Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV or Amazon's Fire Stick. They all require WiFi. I may get the Fire Stick, because it integrates all your apps. I.e. I can tell it to search for a movie and will go through all my subscriptions to find it. The remote uses the Alexa voice command system, which is kinda cool. The new TCM service I mentioned will be available via the Stick. You can also listen to Prime music on it, and order from Dominos.

Or get a new TV. Most are smart TVs now.

I just got a Fire Stick over the weekend and I LOVE IT!! I have a Smart TV and a Roku and the interface of the Fire Stick is better than both of them.

I'll have to look for the TCM service, that sounds like something I need.

[CrimsonGhost]

Oops. Somehow I managed to double post.

[Iron Mego]

I just got a Fire Stick over the weekend and I LOVE IT!! I have a Smart TV and a Roku and the interface of the Fire Stick is better than both of them.

I'll have to look for the TCM service, that sounds like something I need.

I think it officially starts at the end of the week. Here's the link with info:

http://www.filmstruck.com/?sr=+filmstruck

[SKotK]

I didn't realize Hulu had the Criterion Collection available for streaming previously. That might have been worth considering. I love the Criterion releases and own quite a few of them, but there's still a ton of them I haven't seen and don't know anything about...and since those discs sell at a premium (often $30-40 and up each!), it's not feasible to just buy rando discs on the off chance you might like them enough to own them. If I had them available to watch via streaming service, I could sample stuff I was interested in very easily. Chances are I would end up buying a few of them on disc if they were that good, and everybody wins.

Has the Criterion Collection moved to another streaming service, or is it just gone entirely? I have Netflix and Amazon Prime currently.

Speaking of Criterion Collection, Barnes & Noble has them on annual sale right now for 50% off through November. Their prices are normally way high, but at half off they come in at lower than Amazon with no shipping cost if you buy in-store. Plus you get an additional 10% off if you're a member, which I am. I just picked up a small haul of Criterion Blu-rays, which included The Last Emperor for under 20 bucks (still listed at $48.97 on Amazon). Worth checking out.

--SKot

[Iron Mego]

Has the Criterion Collection moved to another streaming service, or is it just gone entirely? I have Netflix and Amazon Prime currently.

--SKot

The only thing Hulu had, that made me sign up, was the Criterion Collection. Now they're losing it to TCM's new streaming service called Film Struck.

I think it officially starts at the end of the week. Here's the link with info:

http://www.filmstruck.com/?sr=+filmstruck

Here you go.

[cjefferys]

What I don't like about Prime, at least with the Playstation 4 app, is that they include paid downloads with their search results. So, you might do a search for Superman, and Superman The Movie comes up, then you click on it and find out it's a $2.99 rental and not free to watch with Prime. But, that's a pretty minor complaint.

Yeah, all the Amazon apps do that and it's a pain sometimes. I hate it when I find a show I'd like to start watching, Amazon says there are, for example, four seasons available, but after you binge watch the first one or two seasons, all of a sudden the following season isn't included with Prime and if you want to watch it you need to pay for it. Kinda sucks when that happens!