Dropping Netflix for physical media

[betty boop]

Perhaps the worm has tuned .... people's realisation finally hit that likes of netflix is mainly about block busters and even there slowly dwindling for more their own netflix this and netflix that productions.... fans of movies like myself find turning more to physical media for our movie fix as dont find it in netflix .. that there are now more and more of these services and that they are exclusivity being locked in so end up having to lock into all of them for even access to the blockbusters and this is not viable. 

 

I too also tend to look back catalog, foreign films arthouse and such which likes of netflix really doesnt cater for ... then if looking for very best picture quality and audio quality this is still on physical media.... 

 

I myself am locked into netflix, amazon prime and apple TV + but not sure will stay with them going forward... I tend to be viewing more in TV stations streaming eg sbs on demand, abc iview and such and turning to streaming services more for mini series than movies anymore ...

 

https://www.theage.com.au/culture/movies/tale-of-the-tape-why-film-fans-are-dropping-netflix-for-physical-media-20191115-p53b1o.html

 

Tale of the tape: Why film fans are dropping Netflix for physical media

 

The rise of streaming services like Netflix and Stan hastened the demise of the local video store, consumers sold on the idea that anything we wanted to see was just a click away. But about half-a-decade into Netflix's local existence, film junkies are coming to understand what's been lost.

"I've seen a lot of people migrate to streaming services and then come back to us after exhausting those libraries," says Ben Kenny, who has run Sydney's Film Club video store in Darlinghurst for eight years.

 

"[Streaming services] like to present the image of having a comprehensive library, but the irony is there's like ten of them now and they all want to be the only game in town, and even between all of them combined they still don't cover even a fraction of film history."

Let's say you want to watch Truffaut's Stolen Kisses (1968), or an obscure cult favourite like The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) – where do you go? With a vast selection of film culture trapped in the empty space between video shop closures and streaming's commercial indifference, many titles aren't available physically or virtually.

 

"I have people coming in every day looking for something they can't find legally, or even illegally, on the internet," says Kenny. "When The Force Awakens came out [in 2015], we had a massive rush on Star Wars movies because none of those films were on any of the streaming services yet, so even a cultural juggernaut like that can sort of get overlooked."

 

Streaming's focus on "what got released today, what you can binge on the weekend" neglects so much valuable pop culture, says Kenny.

 

"The film canon, film history, is constantly being rewritten; what's a classic film and what needs to be rewatched from 60 years ago is always being decided, and I think we lose track of that with streaming," he says. "[The conversation] shouldn't just be about the new, fresh, pretty, shiny thing."

While the music industry has seen vintage media blossom, with recent ARIA figures revealing vinyl sales were set to outstrip CDs for the first time in decades, could the same come true with DVDs and videos? Jeanette Bresaz, who's worked at The DVD Collection in The Walk Arcade at Melbourne's Bourke Street for over 20 years, isn't so sure.

"We still get people walking past who didn't know or are surprised that there's still a DVD shop," laughs Bresaz.

 

We've always had collectors who want hard copies; we get elderly people who don't stream, don't download, don't trust the internet... But streaming pretty much has put the boot in," she says.

 

"I get people calling me every week wanting to get rid of their [movie] collections because they'd rather go down the technology route and save space. But you can't find everything there."

It's a complaint regularly voiced by customers, she says.

"[Streaming] is all about the blockbusters. They don't care about the classics or arthouse or foreign films, something that maybe didn't even make it to the cinema but is still a great film... We have things here like Roger Corman B-grade films. You won't find those things on streaming."

 

Dr Liz Giuffre, senior lecturer in communications at the University of Technology Sydney, says a splintered landscape of exclusive copyright licenses and regional access rights around movies and TV shows, and streaming services who want you to sign up and spend your money before you even get a glimpse at their complete libraries, is to blame for the lack of availability.

"There's lot of stuff that's still not available, or is only available in one form or another, or on one service or another, or in one region or another. The idea that everything is going to be there... nothing's going to have everything," she says.

 

The lack of accessibility around titles that streaming services deem commercially unviable is problematic. But it's also too easy to romanticise lost video shops and the simple tangibility of physical media, says Giuffre.

"Titles getting lost forever, that's going to happen with physical media anyway. We've got the [National Film and Sound Archive's] 'Deadline 2025' around the decay of physical media and the machines that can play those tapes; those things are deteriorating. The idea that something can last forever is a problem no matter where we look."

"I don't think we're necessarily going to have a repeat of silent films or early TV shows getting lost en masse like it was when those things were considered worthless," adds Kenny, "but copyright law keeps a lot of things from easy distribution and that's why streaming services are so focused on making their own content, so they have control over the rights.

 

"But that does mean that a lot of great films, classic films, they're not lost exactly but they do become inaccessible. They're just sitting in cold storage in some film distributor's basement gathering dust, which is not what films are supposed to be. They're supposed to be seen, they're supposed to be part of the conversation, part of the culture."

[groovem]

The same article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning.

[Dean Gale]

I was right into Netflix and heaven forbid Foxtel for years because it was a break whilst looking after my Dad, I can remember when Blockbuster shut the local video store boomed. I've always preferred that movies be special and for me that is a disc !
The rubbish and drivel Netflex throw up ( literally ) making it harder to watch . Not unlike home brand at the supermarket their own productions are mostly bland homogeneous garbage.

[rantan]

Unlike music, who wants a library of movies they have seem many times?

I get it that there are some classics that people may wish to collect but really, most movies you watch once only. After that they just take up space.

 

I love physical media for music but that is a completely different thing.

Edited November 16, 2019 by rantan

[betty boop]

30 minutes ago, rantan said:

Unlike music, who wants a library of movies they have seem many times?

I get it that there are some classics that people may wish to collect but really, most movies you watch once only. After that they just take up space.

 

I love physical media for music but that is a completely different thing.

perhaps not a movie buff or re watching just not your thing. am sure it isnt for some of perhaps even many folk.

 

I re watch movies ... and enjoy my collection. movies i will not re watch or didnt take my fancy i tend to move on. certainly  there are movies you only watch once...

 

this isnt just about re watching though... if care to read the article ... people seek out movies... movies you just cant find streaming ...

[betty boop]

2 hours ago, DEANO23 said:

I was right into Netflix and heaven forbid Foxtel for years because it was a break whilst looking after my Dad, I can remember when Blockbuster shut the local video store boomed. I've always preferred that movies be special and for me that is a disc !
The rubbish and drivel Netflex throw up ( literally ) making it harder to watch . Not unlike home brand at the supermarket their own productions are mostly bland homogeneous garbage.

this probably sums up very much. flicking through netflix even blockbusters are thin on the ground. 

 

love your description of "home brand at supermarket" probably pretty apt with regards netflix productions...

[Dean Gale]

Unlike music, who wants a library of movies they have seem many times?
I get it that there are some classics that people may wish to collect but really, most movies you watch once only. After that they just take up space.
 
I love physical media for music but that is a completely different thing.

That's why libraries or just good old plain swap n sell come into being .

[Guest Muon N']

I usually watch a movie once and no more.

 

I used to waste cash at the video stores, as most of what I hired I either didn't get around to watching or I was disappointed within the first half hour or sooner.

 

Different strokes...

[RCADees]

Interesting article. Since the late 90's I've enjoyed having a good movie collection, not a big one, but one for those movies which I have always watched a few times and have defined moments in my life. First VHS, then DVD and now a few Blu Ray (about 50 discs). I enjoy the physical media and the way they look as part of the décor. So not a big collection at all, but the last few months after having had enough of Netcrap I've been pondering if the time has come to make sure I keep building up that collection with worthwhile movies.

 

I have spent a few times giving Netcrap shows and movies a go, thinking: oh this looks good. So 20 minutes later I realised how I had been dragged into another non-sense Netcrap trap really not worth of my time. 

So true what has been said above, the industry expect us to pay for ten different services for something we don't own and cannot choose and it is just fed to us in which ever way these companies want. So in ten or twenty years what do we own? and who owns our choices? The only thing we'll own is a subscription or many for that matter.

 

But what really broke the camel's back was when Netcrap had E.T available. I was looking forward to watching E.T with my kids on a Friday afternoon. So we waited a few weeks for the right time to come for us as a family to watch the movie. As you can imagine, the big disappointment came when Netcrap decided to remove E.T from their list.

I was lucky I had a copy on DVD. The next day I made sure I went and bought the Blu Ray because I felt that I had to regain control of what I choose to watch. I felt betrayed and manipulated. These services tell us that we have choice. It is not choice, it is the illusion of choice.

 

So there, I've learnt my lesson. Buy in physical media those few movies which you treasure and leave the time wasting mind numbing TV to Netcrap and their friends. 

[Chigurh]

I would drop Netflix if my Wife would let me. Much more interesting films on SBS On Demand for free.

[RCADees]

5 hours ago, Chigurh said:

I would drop Netflix if my Wife would let me. Much more interesting films on SBS On Demand for free.

Yes I find SBS a great alternative, a quality alternative.

In fact, the last few times we've watched movies together as a family has been from SBS. We found a couple of brilliant French movies and a Japanese one as well. The kids really loved them and every time we felt a sense of satisfaction. It felt that we learnt something and we explored other cultures. 

 

My only issue is with the adds, but I choose SBS over Netcrap any day. 

On the other hand even with SBS those movies one treasures would only fade away into cyberspace as well.... Which brings us back to buying and owning the physical format... Or not. 

[betty boop]

14 minutes ago, Andpi said:

Yes I find SBS a great alternative, a quality alternative.

In fact, the last few times we've watched movies together as a family has been from SBS. We found a couple of brilliant French movies and a Japanese one as well. The kids really loved them and every time we felt a sense of satisfaction. It felt that we learnt something and we explored other cultures. 

 

My only issue is with the adds, but I choose SBS over Netcrap any day. 

On the other hand even with SBS those movies one treasures would only fade away into cyberspace as well.... Which brings us back to buying and owning the physical format... Or not. 

netflix indeed has nothing on sbs demand.... amazon prime seems to have lifted its game and id take it over netflix now days

 

but an important point raised in your earlier post. and that is a real bug bear for me the way movies tend to come and go and how the streaming platforms control their access to what they want you to see. something as an aspect am not really very happy about. atleast with physical media can seek out what want to watch and watch it. keep it to watch again. I watched Casino royale yesterday with its re release on 4k uhd blu-ray havent seen it for years, what an absolute stunner of a movie with a new lease of life on uhd ...very much enjoyed ! where is it on streaming to appreciate like this in all its glory ? 

[RCADees]

5 minutes ago, betty boop said:

watched Casino royale yesterday with its re release on 4k uhd blu-ray havent seen it for years, what an absolute stunner of a movie with a new lease of life on uhd ...very much enjoyed ! where is it on streaming to appreciate like this in all its glory ? 

Couldn't agree more. I didn't know that Casino Royal came out on 4k. There you go, this is exactly what I am taking about. I love that movie and it is one of those that I enjoy so much and watch at least once a year. That opening sequence in Madagascar makes me sweat every time. 

You took control and you decided. 

Imagine not having the joy of doing this because the service provider decided that we shouldn't watch it any more. No way! 

[Mobe1969]

I was sort of thinking all this ridiculous fragmentation of services with every company and their dog starting their own service diluting content so much it's start hurting the concept. I was already in the physical media camp and never left. Aside from being an AV enthusiast, I tend to watch and rewatch planned content not browse. And nothing ruins a viewing experience more than outages, glitches, or sudden quality degradation. I have Netflix, but barely watch it. I have prime, but more for free shipping. And The Grand Tour. I'd drop Netflix if not for my wife. I do buy TV shows on iTunes for hd when no Blu Ray release of shows we watch, but not much. At least with iTunes hd you can download to PC and watch via home share on Apple TV, so not WAN dependent.

 

The thing that really galls me about the steaming services is their utter disregard of av enthusiasts in their ability to download for offline viewing to a stupid mobile device, but NOT to home theater gear.

 

I rewatch so much of my library too. My rewatch list just keeps getting longer and longer.

 

I do see streaming as a great alternative to free to air and cable. But no to media.

Edited November 17, 2019 by Mobe1969

[RCADees]

1 hour ago, steffanth said:

im with netflix and prime and im finding it harder and harder to find things im actually interested in watching. . .  ..is forcing me to go outside and actually do things . . . . with people . . . 

That can only be a good thing. Yes, it is amazing the amount of time tv watching requires me to throw at and I really don't have much of it these days. I found that the most common thing I do is keep scrolling from show to show. And as usual fifteen minutes later I haven't actually watched any show at all. Unless I am saved by my partner a bit earlier and snaps me out of it and forces me to turn it off and finally go to bed! What a waste of time. That Netflix vacuum is really a trap.

[Mr_Gadget]

1 hour ago, steffanth said:

im with netflix and prime and im finding it harder and harder to find things im actually interested in watching. . .  ..is forcing me to go outside and actually do things . . . . with people . . . 

The horror!

[Mobe1969]

18 hours ago, Andpi said:

That can only be a good thing. Yes, it is amazing the amount of time tv watching requires me to throw at and I really don't have much of it these days. I found that the most common thing I do is keep scrolling from show to show. And as usual fifteen minutes later I haven't actually watched any show at all. Unless I am saved by my partner a bit earlier and snaps me out of it and forces me to turn it off and finally go to bed! What a waste of time. That Netflix vacuum is really a trap.

My experience has some similarities in that if say I'm watching a planned show with my wife on blu ray or possibly streaming, and my wife goes to bed a bit early, a couple of times I'll start having a look and I end up just wasting time. It is too much like channel surfing... 

 

98% percent of my viewing is planned either earlier in the day or at the least BEFORE I sit down to watch. And this week, being that the once in a lifetime Blade Runner day is tomorrow, I know what I'll be watching tomorrow night... And Thursday night I'll watch the sequel.

[RCADees]

13 minutes ago, Mobe1969 said:

My experience has some similarities in that if say I'm watching a planned show with my wife on blu ray or possibly streaming, and my wife goes to bed a bit early, a couple of times I'll start having a look and I end up just wasting time. It is too much like channel surfing... 

 

98% percent of my viewing is planned either earlier in the day or at the least BEFORE I sit down to watch. And this week, being that the once in a lifetime Blade Runner day is tomorrow, I know what I'll be watching tomorrow night... And Thursday night I'll watch the sequel.

So the trick is to plan ahead so as to not succumb to the power of the never never black hole that is Netflix. 

We must fight back THE Illusion of Choice 

[t_mike]

What's Netflix?

[blybo]

2 hours ago, Mobe1969 said:

And this week, being that the once in a lifetime Blade Runner day is tomorrow, I know what I'll be watching tomorrow night... And Thursday night I'll watch the sequel.

How do you know it's this week and not another November 2019 week?

[Mobe1969]

1 hour ago, blybo said:

How do you know it's this week and not another November 2019 week?

I'm going by BR2049, which as far as I'm aware is an official BR movie, where they show the date of the Rachel interview as being November 20 2019 (as in the screenshot I attached)....

[blybo]

7 minutes ago, Mobe1969 said:

I'm going by BR2049, which as far as I'm aware is an official BR movie, where they show the date of the Rachel interview as being November 20 2019 (as in the screenshot I attached)....

fair enough I guess. Not sure I'll be able to watch as we have other plans.

[Tweaky]

Netflix is a quadruple edge sword that is cutting 4 ways.

 

1]Movie makers like Netflix because they are given money for projects up front, and usually given far more freedom to make what they envisioned than if made with a 'Movie Studio'.

2]Cinemas hate Netflix because they are destroying the 'Cinema Experience', and making a long run of any movie at the box office a thing of the past....Scorsese new movie is a point in case.

3]Consumers are enticed into thinking they are getting a large choice, put as this thread reveals, that's not necessarily so....besides, what happens if your internet goes down? You get nothing.

4]Netflix has both fragmented and blurred the lines on WHO actually owns the 'Product'....the Netflix subscriber doesn't, and I'm not too sure about the copryright situation with 'Project's' made with money funded by Netflix.

 

I'm not really surprised there has been a bit of 'Consumer - Waking Up' regarding both Netflix, and hopefully other streaming services, including the Music ones like Spotify.

 

I refuse to use them on principle, because I know so very very little of the money earned by these services, ever make it back to the artists.

And if artists can't make a living doing what they do, then they will either work among themselves and NOT release stuff, or just feel satisfied to remain unknown, and again not release stuff......all you will be left with is manufactured K-Pop style rubbish.

 

Did you known that a artist needs to have had 3,000 streams of one of their songs to receive 1 cent in royalties ?

 

**UK that , that's just rude and soul destroying for a artist.

[Guest Muon N']

I end up binge watching the few things that grab me, so run out of things, I think being able to binge watch is half the problem for myself.

I'm not a big watcher of foreign stuff especially if I have to read sub's. Although I loved "Better than Us" and am hanging for the next season, Russian but no annoying sub's to read, I suck at multi tasking

I do love me some Asian Epic historical (fact or fiction) movies as well though.

[Hergest]

I've got shelves full of dvds of films I watch again and again that I never tire of, quite a few of those dvds replaced videos so I've got films I've watched countless times for countless years. I can't see how anyone can watch a film on commercial free to air such as SBS with the constant advert interruptions whether during a break or scrolling across the bottom of a film during the action. Physical media is a wonderful thing. Yes it takes up a lot of room but who wants to sit in an empty room with nothing collected? It's like being in a dentist's waiting room. I love the clutter of books and records and tapes and dvds, it's part of my life.