Much like the time when VHS was phased out for DVD and then DVD for Blu-ray, a huge question remains. There are no clear answers simply because everyone has opinions and things they like.
A few years ago I was talking to a friend and I said I probably would never stream movies because I am one of those people who actually like to have physical media in his hands. Well times have changed.
In 2019 I streamed my first movies on Amazon and left it at that. Then in April of 2020 I got my first Smart TV and it really opened a new world up for me. Now I admit I stream quite a bit. However that has not really diminished my love for owning a DVD or Blu-ray.
Most of the movies I have or had on DVD are now available thru streaming services. These include such services as NETFLIX, TUBI, ROKU and hundreds more I have on my TV. I am not a big fan of NETFLIX, but I'll touch on that later. A lot of these services are pretty good and they do run commercials, some more than others which is a deal breaker for me.
A few ads are fine as these movies must be paid for, but some services run ads every 5 minutes, and if they do that I cut them off. Most are legit services, but every once in a while I stumble upon a bootleg site, but believe me, that is a rare thing and I don't condone it.
Since I stream so much I am selling about 85% of my DVD and Blu-ray collection, but I think that will only make room for more...lol...it never ends. Streaming has a LOT of advantages such as space saving and even the quality of most are far superior to the DVD, but hell, I'll watch a movie that looks shitty if it's something I really want to see.
I still have problems with streaming and here are a few. I avoid NETFLIX most of the time because they have dropped a LOT of movies in favor of self produced series and then they constantly raise their rates to pay for these shows. No thank you. I also abhor YouTube as a streaming service. Why? Because of the stolen material that is placed on there by people who just don't care about copyrights. Too damn many people in this country feel that if the movie is old, they need not pay for it because the makers have already made all their money. That makes about as much sense as me saying Joe Biden is my President. NOT A CHANCE.
YouTube is fine for watching clips, home made material, but not for stolen material, and there is a lot of it. I have even had people tell me I should upload my movies on there. NOPE..YOU WANT YOU PAY.
The other thing that bothers me about streaming is the editing that goes on. The companies can control everything you see and hear with streaming. There are several TV shows that have been turned out on DVD in complete editions, however when they stream they are either edited or banned all together. It's sad that people aren't even aware this is going on, but that is one of the dangers of streaming that I can do without.
I encourage everyone to keep hold of some physical media because a complete switch isn't prudent. I hope that streaming doesn't become the ONLY way people view things because that gives the PC crowd a chance for control.
Well there is my small opinion on the current streaming world, and while people don't have to agree with me I do hope you'll read this with an open mind. Good streaming out there.
