The Future of Home Media

[JamesMay82]

I keep getting recommended videos on social media and YouTube about subscription fatigue and how some people are returning to physical media. A lot of them talk about how much better it feels to truly own the content you pay for, rather than just renting access through a streaming service.

For example, one Business Insider report claimed that music consumption is now 84% streaming and only 11% physical, while movies are reportedly 98.33% streaming and just 1.68% physical. Even if those numbers are slightly exaggerated, it’s still shocking to see how dramatically physical media has declined.

It really makes me wonder what the future of ownership looks like. Are we moving toward a world where everything is temporary access?

Personally, my biggest wish would be for companies to remove DRM from digitally purchased movies, similar to what happened with music downloads. That change could restore a real sense of ownership and give consumers more control over the content they buy. I have over 500 movies I've bought in iTunes and to be fair I've never lost one but I don't like the idea that its all tied to DRM and that I could lose access if there was a license issue between the studios and Apple etc.

on a slightly different note, Michael Eisner from Disney predicts that movie theatres will be gone in 20 years.

What do you all think or wish for?

 

[Basic75]

What's with the third category, digitally downloaded assets that you paid for once? Can you still buy DRM-free music files from Apple?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Can you still buy DRM-free music files from Apple?

Yes.

All songs offered by the iTunes Store come without Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection. These DRM-free songs, called iTunes Plus, have no usage restrictions and feature high-quality, 256 kbps AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) encoding.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

music consumption is now 84% streaming and only 11% physical

I'm curious what they mean by "physical." Does downloaded, purchased music count? Or even STREAMED, purchased music?

Personally most of my listening is "Streamed" but it's all music I own, using iTunes Match to let me stream it on my phone. I do have downloads of it on one computer but everywhere else, I stream it. So I'm not sure if I'm one of the 84%, one of the 11%, or one of the "Other" 5%.

 

[JamesMay82]

I'm curious what they mean by "physical." Does downloaded, purchased music count? Or even STREAMED, purchased music?

Personally most of my listening is "Streamed" but it's all music I own, using iTunes Match to let me stream it on my phone. I do have downloads of it on one computer but everywhere else, I stream it. So I'm not sure if I'm one of the 84%, one of the 11%, or one of the "Other" 5%.

I suppose you’d be a mix of digital purchases and CDs depending on the source of your music.

Physical would be CDs, vinyl, blu ray etc and items you can physically hold.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Certainly a lot of my music came from CDs I've owned, some since the mid-1980s.... some 500 discs worth.

I kept the CDs themselves for a few years after ripping them but finally got tired of them taking up space so put them in a dumpster years ago. So it's "Physical" music though the true physical portion is gone at this point 🤔

Certainly the vast majority of music obtained in the last 20 years was purchased from the iTunes Store. So yeah, a "mix" I guess. But all digital at this point, and all streamed from iCloud music library.

I also have a fair number of movies that I've ripped from DVD or BluRay, and put into iTunes (when iTunes existed; now it's in the TV app). Just like the CDs, I kept the discs for a few years but eventually trashed those too. And of course I've purchased some also.

What I'd like to see, personally, is video handled the same way as audio by Apple. While my music is all "in the cloud" and can be streamed to any device, any where - movies aren't as flexible. The files are stored on the same Mac mini where my music originals live (backed up by Time Machine and using a cloud service) but for movies, I have to use Home Sharing to access them with Apple TVs or iPads on my local network. I'd love to see an "iCloud Video Library" similar to the Music Library, where it holds all my personal stuff along with items purchased from the iTunes Store. I don't think it's likely though... Apple directly supported ripping CDs to iTunes/Music; they never supported ripping DVD or BluRay. So for now, while I can stream video purchased through iTunes Store - I can't stream my own stuff, without using a 3rd party solution.

Removing DRM would be nice - but I don't think it's likely to happen. It's not like Apple can just "Decide" to start selling DRM-free movies; the studios need to be involved too and that's a tall order.

 

[colodane]

I have a somewhat similar situation as the previous poster.

Had a fairly large CD collection back in the day and then slowly uploaded them to Apple iTunes (now called "Music", I guess).

Have discarded all the physical CDs. Also augment my collection on Apple Music by purchasing individual tracks of newer music.

So have a hybrid collection of content that I feel I "own".

Paying a monthly fee for Apple Music (or Spotify, etc.) has never had any appeal to me.

 

[ClaraStahlbaum]

Unless there is some big huge film coming out, I see no reason to go to a theatre. I've been to a few movies in the past couple of years though. One thing I don't understand is paying monthly fees for media, I will wait until it comes out for free or a cheaper price.

I could comfortably live without a "TV". Now that I think about it if I was living alone, I would actually just use a 55 inch or larger screen as my computer monitor, have my desktop setup in the living room, and have a recliner in the middle of the room with a foldable tray for my keyboard and mouse.

 

[kiranmk2]

As a Xennial I had a lot of CDs and DVDs from my teens and 20s in physical format. In the 2000s I ripped it all, but kept the physical media as a backup/proof of ownership. As Blu-Ray and 4K started to become more common I found that I could buy the digital codes that came with physical discs from various forums for a few $ per film which gave me "purchase" access to the content from Apple and other providers through Movies Anywhere. iTunes move sales also helped with a lot of films available for $4.99. Via this method I have effectively upgraded the vast majority of my DVD collection to HD/4K that I "own" and been able to donate the physical DVDs.

Music wise, I find that I don't listen to as much music as I used to so I am happy with Spotify free or making use of the 3-4 months per year of Apple Music free promotions that come around and my ripped ALAC collection. If I do feel the need to buy more music, I would probably just look out for the CD on sale and rip it.

I've never liked the idea of paid subscriptions - no mater how much money you've paid over the years, you are left with nothing if you ever stop paying...and in recent years the costs have been going up.

The only thing that seems to separate me from others is that I still have some physical media. Mostly my CDs because they don't take up that much room (probably half an Ikea bookcase), I have an emotional attachment to them (music and my collection was a big large of my life as a teen/young adult) and I'm also a bit weary of being "caught" with only the ripped versions and no proof that I own the music!
For films/TVs, I tend to keep my absolute favorites on physical and there are some TV boxsets I keep because for some reason the digital versions don't seem to come with the extras in the same way digital films do (I love the creator commentaries on The Simpsons and Futurama for example). Otherwise, I will get rid of the DVD/BluRay once I buy a cheap digital version. I've gone from around 4-500 discs down to about 150...and around 100 of those are just waiting for a good deal on the digital versions to appear.

 

[OverTheHill]

I keep getting recommended videos on social media and YouTube about subscription fatigue and how some people are returning to physical media. A lot of them talk about how much better it feels to truly own the content you pay for, rather than just renting access through a streaming service.

For example, one Business Insider report claimed that music consumption is now 84% streaming and only 11% physical, while movies are reportedly 98.33% streaming and just 1.68% physical. Even if those numbers are slightly exaggerated, it’s still shocking to see how dramatically physical media has declined.

It really makes me wonder what the future of ownership looks like. Are we moving toward a world where everything is temporary access?

Personally, my biggest wish would be for companies to remove DRM from digitally purchased movies, similar to what happened with music downloads. That change could restore a real sense of ownership and give consumers more control over the content they buy. I have over 500 movies I've bought in iTunes and to be fair I've never lost one but I don't like the idea that its all tied to DRM and that I could lose access if there was a license issue between the studios and Apple etc.

on a slightly different note, Michael Eisner from Disney predicts that movie theatres will be gone in 20 years.

What do you all think or wish for?

My kids are turning to physical media. Early to mid 20’s. It’s an interesting shift. A few years ago they thought I was wasting space with by BD collection. Their comments hover around owning the media vs endless monthly fees for streaming services. I think we’re on the verge of a shift toward big screens and quality surround systems in the home. Watching older films, sports and some streaming. The home theater space has been flat for a few years now. Streaming now costs almost as much as linear programming to get everything so there is potential for a revolt. I think the next step will be à la carte. You get something like 25 channels for x dollars, then pick the channels you want.

If Hollywood can put out good content, people will go back to the theaters. If this happens, I think we could see venues with fewer, but larger screens again similar to the 70s and early 80’s before the multiplex business exploded and movie runtimes shrunk as fast as the theaters themselves. I think we’re still in a bit of a hangover from COVID and the strike. This will in turn help physical media sales. In terms of quality theaters, Dolby Cinema is that, but the screens and venues could be a little bigger like there were in the Cinerama days.

Growing up we had four theaters where I lived with screens 80-90’ wide seating 600-800 hundred people on average, one had close to 1,000 seats. Fewer, yet higher quality, films were the norm. Metroplexes with 3-4 screens ran films after they were in the big theaters and often reruns. They were small and often in strip malls. Theaters overall were few and far between and Hollywood had to make it count to make money. A lot to be said for that model. Quality over quantity.

Companies like AMC should look into fewer screens 80-100’ wide supporting multiple surround formats. Using the Dolby Cinema model, a single large format auditorium would seat about 500 people in recliners give or take. Then maybe 4 other screens in the multiplex for B flicks and extended runs etc…. I think we have 6 multiplexes around here with a dozen screens in each. It’s ridiculous. Half of them sit empty most days. Make it an event again.

 

[JamesMay82]

As a Xennial I had a lot of CDs and DVDs from my teens and 20s in physical format. In the 2000s I ripped it all, but kept the physical media as a backup/proof of ownership. As Blu-Ray and 4K started to become more common I found that I could buy the digital codes that came with physical discs from various forums for a few $ per film which gave me "purchase" access to the content from Apple and other providers through Movies Anywhere. iTunes move sales also helped with a lot of films available for $4.99. Via this method I have effectively upgraded the vast majority of my DVD collection to HD/4K that I "own" and been able to donate the physical DVDs.

Music wise, I find that I don't listen to as much music as I used to so I am happy with Spotify free or making use of the 3-4 months per year of Apple Music free promotions that come around and my ripped ALAC collection. If I do feel the need to buy more music, I would probably just look out for the CD on sale and rip it.

I've never liked the idea of paid subscriptions - no mater how much money you've paid over the years, you are left with nothing if you ever stop paying...and in recent years the costs have been going up.

The only thing that seems to separate me from others is that I still have some physical media. Mostly my CDs because they don't take up that much room (probably half an Ikea bookcase), I have an emotional attachment to them (music and my collection was a big large of my life as a teen/young adult) and I'm also a bit weary of being "caught" with only the ripped versions and no proof that I own the music!
For films/TVs, I tend to keep my absolute favorites on physical and there are some TV boxsets I keep because for some reason the digital versions don't seem to come with the extras in the same way digital films do (I love the creator commentaries on The Simpsons and Futurama for example). Otherwise, I will get rid of the DVD/BluRay once I buy a cheap digital version. I've gone from around 4-500 discs down to about 150...and around 100 of those are just waiting for a good deal on the digital versions to appear.

I’ve never heard the term xennial and I had to look it up and turns out I’m one… born in 82.

I’m the same as you as I did all the digital codes. I did vhs, re bought on dvd and then gave up on blu ray as it annoyed me having to re buy plus I discoverd the digital codes around then.

I’ve kept all my CDs but ripped into iTunes. I’ve recently considered collecting blu ray again but not sure if I will or not.

 

[Basic75]

As a Xennial

Is that planet far away? Never heard of it.

I've never liked the idea of paid subscriptions - no mater how much money you've paid over the years, you are left with nothing if you ever stop paying...and in recent years the costs have been going up.

I'm starting to separate music subscriptions from movie and tv show subscriptions. For the latter there's a lot of slop and only a few things worth watching that I might as well purchase.

Or not, and do something more constructive with my life, like writing forum posts with music in the background.

And speaking of music, there's so much more good stuff that I can listen to for hours while constantly discovering new things that I couldn't posibly all buy.

 

[jerry78]

I’ve gone back to buying some Blu-rays for the same reason — ownership. Streaming is convenient, but DRM-tied libraries feel fragile long term. I’d love DRM-free purchases too. Theaters may shrink, but I doubt they’ll fully disappear anytime soon.

 

[kiranmk2]

I’ve never heard the term xennial and I had to look it up and turns out I’m one… born in 82.

I’m the same as you as I did all the digital codes. I did vhs, re bought on dvd and then gave up on blu ray as it annoyed me having to re buy plus I discoverd the digital codes around then.

I’ve kept all my CDs but ripped into iTunes. I’ve recently considered collecting blu ray again but not sure if I will or not.

I'm not sure I could go back to BluRay now: the unskipable startups, long load times (at least, on my old BluRay player), the fact my TV doesn't passthrough DTS audio to my surround speakers... Digital HD/4K purchases have spoiled me now - especially as they often feature just as many extras as the physical disc. Yes, the bitrate is higher on disc and the audio is lossless, but I honestly can't really tell and my days of trying to bask in the slight improvement in image quality or audio depth are over and I would rather just enjoy the film.

 

[kiranmk2]

Is that planet far away? Never heard of it.

It's the last 3 years of GenX and the first 3 years of Millennials/GenY. "Analogue childhood, digital adulthood" - basically we grew up with mostly physical/analogue media (VHS, books, cassettes, film cameras, no internet) with the internet, mp3, DVD, digital cameras only really hitting when we came of age.

 

[JamesMay82]

I'm not sure I could go back to BluRay now: the unskipable startups, long load times (at least, on my old BluRay player), the fact my TV doesn't passthrough DTS audio to my surround speakers... Digital HD/4K purchases have spoiled me now - especially as they often feature just as many extras as the physical disc. Yes, the bitrate is higher on disc and the audio is lossless, but I honestly can't really tell and my days of trying to bask in the slight improvement in image quality or audio depth are over and I would rather just enjoy the film.

ah yes! long load times and if watching a tv show with multiple episodes with multiple discs would be hard to get use to again.

 

[Jamie0003]

I'm at a bit of a crossroads with this.

Back in the day, I used to rip DVD's and stream them using iTunes home streaming, but as soon as it was possible to stream iTunes purchases, I moved over to buying stuff on there.

However, with a lot of shows and movies these days being exclusive to streaming services, and the quality not being quite as good (especially for audio) I decided to give a Jellyfin server a go, starting with a few blu rays.

After filling up a 1TB drive with about 3 TV shows and a movie, I realised why I bought iTunes in the first place. And even comparing the BD rip vs iTunes side by side, the picture quality difference was absolutely tiny.

In terms of the storage, I know you can compress into an MP4 file for the Apple TV, but if I'm having to compress it anyway, what's the point in buying physical?

I decided to move away from it, and will just continue to buy iTunes movies and TV shows. It's cheaper, easier, and I don't have to worry about backups or managing the media in any way. I also like that some movies get updated to 4K for free, though in my experience this isn't always the case, and you have to rebuy, but it's at least better than BD where you're stuck with the disc you buy. Also 3D, if you own a Vision Pro.

Sure, I can't own everything, but the convenience trumps everything else, especially considering the amount of time investment needed to rip BD discs.

The only thing discs have over iTunes streaming really is that audio quality. If Apple ever adds true passthrough support to the Apple TV, there would be no need for physical discs imo, and it could completely kill blu ray.

I get that there's that risk that shows and movies can be removed from iTunes, but I own quite a few movies and TV shows that are long gone from iTunes, but are still available to stream from my library.

The only other major downside is that for some reason, Apple never decided to release a 4K service for TV shows, only HD. This sucks, and I hope this is rectified one day.

I do have a full 7.1.4 setup with an OLED TV, but I'm more a gamer than a movie watcher so I still get to take advantage of those high def formats that way, I guess.

Now, what will take Apple's service to the next level, is when the Vision Pro becomes affordable. If it didn't have that stupid battery pack attachment, I'd buy one tomorrow even at its current price, because the experience there is amazing. Also 8K content on there would be good, if that ever happens.

 

[cynics]

Streaming is the best! Nothing better than the feeling of finding out every show or movie you've ever wanted to watch is on a streaming platform you don't have.

I ended up getting rid of all the ones I was subbed to. Prices keep going up and quality keeps going down. I was trying to watch a show on Hulu before I cancelled it and there was 6 minutes of ads in a 23 minute show (20 minute if you subtract ads).

I still have an Apple Music sub for music.

 

[JamesMay82]

I'm at a bit of a crossroads with this.

Back in the day, I used to rip DVD's and stream them using iTunes home streaming, but as soon as it was possible to stream iTunes purchases, I moved over to buying stuff on there.

However, with a lot of shows and movies these days being exclusive to streaming services, and the quality not being quite as good (especially for audio) I decided to give a Jellyfin server a go, starting with a few blu rays.

After filling up a 1TB drive with about 3 TV shows and a movie, I realised why I bought iTunes in the first place. And even comparing the BD rip vs iTunes side by side, the picture quality difference was absolutely tiny.

In terms of the storage, I know you can compress into an MP4 file for the Apple TV, but if I'm having to compress it anyway, what's the point in buying physical?

I decided to move away from it, and will just continue to buy iTunes movies and TV shows. It's cheaper, easier, and I don't have to worry about backups or managing the media in any way. I also like that some movies get updated to 4K for free, though in my experience this isn't always the case, and you have to rebuy, but it's at least better than BD where you're stuck with the disc you buy. Also 3D, if you own a Vision Pro.

Sure, I can't own everything, but the convenience trumps everything else, especially considering the amount of time investment needed to rip BD discs.

The only thing discs have over iTunes streaming really is that audio quality. If Apple ever adds true passthrough support to the Apple TV, there would be no need for physical discs imo, and it could completely kill blu ray.

I get that there's that risk that shows and movies can be removed from iTunes, but I own quite a few movies and TV shows that are long gone from iTunes, but are still available to stream from my library.

The only other major downside is that for some reason, Apple never decided to release a 4K service for TV shows, only HD. This sucks, and I hope this is rectified one day.

I do have a full 7.1.4 setup with an OLED TV, but I'm more a gamer than a movie watcher so I still get to take advantage of those high def formats that way, I guess.

Now, what will take Apple's service to the next level, is when the Vision Pro becomes affordable. If it didn't have that stupid battery pack attachment, I'd buy one tomorrow even at its current price, because the experience there is amazing. Also 8K content on there would be good, if that ever happens.

I’m kind of in a similar place. When you actually look at the storage, ripping time, it makes you realize why digital purchases took off in the first place. Convenience really is hard to beat. plus the cost of maintaining storage... my library with all movie and tv shows eps downloaded was over 10TB!

That said, the one thing that still nags at me is the fact that we’re technically buying licenses, not ownership. I don’t think it’s likely Apple will suddenly wipe libraries, but it does make you think differently about long-term.

For me, I think the middle ground makes the most sense: digital for convenience, and maybe physical for the handful of absolute favorites where I want true control and the best possible audio.

I only have SONOS 5.1 play bar from 2013 set up so not sure I'd get full benefit in audio upgrades?

 

[Jamie0003]

I’m kind of in a similar place. When you actually look at the storage, ripping time, it makes you realize why digital purchases took off in the first place. Convenience really is hard to beat. plus the cost of maintaining storage... my library with all movie and tv shows eps downloaded was over 10TB!

That said, the one thing that still nags at me is the fact that we’re technically buying licenses, not ownership. I don’t think it’s likely Apple will suddenly wipe libraries, but it does make you think differently about long-term.

For me, I think the middle ground makes the most sense: digital for convenience, and maybe physical for the handful of absolute favorites where I want true control and the best possible audio.

I only have SONOS 5.1 play bar from 2013 set up so not sure I'd get full benefit in audio upgrades?

Yes, totally agreed. I think something needs to change there, hopefully the stop killing games movement will expand to other media in future?

Simple solution to this is allow us to download the full 4K movies, perhaps a couple times a year if the server load is too much for Apple, DRM free. That way we can do what we want with the content, and in addition they should bring in laws that make it illegal for a company to take content away from you unless in extreme circumstances, such as the service shutting down, even then you should have a grace period where you can download the content, DRM free.

With everyone moving away from streaming, it annoys me that so many companies still choose to put all their eggs in one basket, Netflix being an example. Why can't I buy their shows? I have zero intention to subscribe again, but I'm more than wiling to buy those shows that I did like when I had Netflix, but nope, I can't buy any of them anywhere. So they miss out on my money.

Maybe if this stuff happened, streaming services will actually start to see declines and maybe they will rethink the constant price hikes and such. It's only going to get worse form here on out.

 

[JamesMay82]

Yes, totally agreed. I think something needs to change there, hopefully the stop killing games movement will expand to other media in future?

Simple solution to this is allow us to download the full 4K movies, perhaps a couple times a year if the server load is too much for Apple, DRM free. That way we can do what we want with the content, and in addition they should bring in laws that make it illegal for a company to take content away from you unless in extreme circumstances, such as the service shutting down, even then you should have a grace period where you can download the content, DRM free.

With everyone moving away from streaming, it annoys me that so many companies still choose to put all their eggs in one basket, Netflix being an example. Why can't I buy their shows? I have zero intention to subscribe again, but I'm more than wiling to buy those shows that I did like when I had Netflix, but nope, I can't buy any of them anywhere. So they miss out on my money.

Maybe if this stuff happened, streaming services will actually start to see declines and maybe they will rethink the constant price hikes and such. It's only going to get worse form here on out.

I think the industry has already devalued media by training people to expect unlimited access for the price of one subscription. When everything is bundled into streaming, individual titles don’t feel valuable anymore.

That’s partly why I’m not convinced DRM-free access would actually hurt them as much as they think. The piracy argument made more sense when discs were the main format, but now the people who want to pirate will pirate regardless.

If anything, giving legitimate buyers stronger ownership rights might increase trust and long term spending instead of weakening it.

At the moment it feels like the industry is trying to protect a value perception that streaming itself already diluted.

 

[Jamie0003]

I think the industry has already devalued media by training people to expect unlimited access for the price of one subscription. When everything is bundled into streaming, individual titles don’t feel valuable anymore.

That’s partly why I’m not convinced DRM-free access would actually hurt them as much as they think. The piracy argument made more sense when discs were the main format, but now the people who want to pirate will pirate regardless.

If anything, giving legitimate buyers stronger ownership rights might increase trust and long term spending instead of weakening it.

At the moment it feels like the industry is trying to protect a value perception that streaming itself already diluted.

Agreed, I think what the big content owners is for us not to own anything full stop, and to endlessly subscribe, with no option to buy digitally, and no more discs. Kill the movie theatres also.

Of course, none of this will stop pirates

I hope I’m wrong

 

[erihp]

Agreed, I think what the big content owners is for us not to own anything full stop, and to endlessly subscribe, with no option to buy digitally, and no more discs. Kill the movie theatres also.

Of course, none of this will stop pirates

I hope I’m wrong

i know one certainty, nothing will stop pirates!

 

[Jamie0003]

i know one certainty, nothing will stop pirates!

Yep, no point having DRM as it never has stopped the pirates. Arrrr

 

[subjonas]

My somewhat plausible implausible ideal would be using free streaming services (which will necessarily have ads) just for discovery, then being able to purchase individual digital songs, shows, and movies that I like--all at lossless quality and without DRM, amassing my libraries on my Mac, and syncing them to all my devices. But the only way I can think of that labels and studios would sell lossless digital media without DRM is if all files sold had a unique identifier and the transactions were registered in a blockchain. But I don't know how plausible that is.