ditch your dvds?
it’s tempting to ditch your dvds -- they take up so much space, and with streaming services you don’t need ’em, right?! wrong! says slate. there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to find your faves again, and nothing beats blu-ray
- streaming platforms add/remove titles all the time
- they’re not as comprehensive as we like to imagine
- you might get rid of a movie or show then never be able to find it anywhere
- even if you never watch your dvds it’s nice to know they’re there
yep, cautions a wapo op: don’t do it! censorship is real. unless you physically own your dvds, you can only watch what “corporate overlords” let you watch 😨
- when allegations of child abuse came out against michael jackson, references to him were edited out of the simpsons
- it’s scary to think that corporations can just edit out things they don’t like
- but that’s exactly what’s happening
- if you don’t want to suddenly lose access to your fave movies and shows, keep those discs!
even when you “buy” a movie on streaming sites you don’t really own it, explains review geek. you’ve only purchased the right to view it through a certain platform
- streaming platforms sometimes lose the rights to certain films
- you might wake up one day and find your fave movies have suddenly vanished from your digital library
- but if you own the actual dvd, no one’s gonna take it from you
- plus, w/ dvds you get special features like the director’s commentary and extra footage
and wired says that for some, holding onto dvds is a sentimental act. one man in his forties says of his collection: “every one was a choice i made”
- dvd purchases are def trending way down, but some ppl remain devoted to the medium
- the most devoted dvd-buying demographic is people aged 25 to 39
- tv ad exec tony gunnarsson explains that some people think of dvds as “a sign of your identity and your personality”, kind of like a bookshelf
- maybe one day they’ll come back in style just like records did
but theminiminalists.com is having none of it. why spend money on a movie you’ve already seen? stop watching reruns and live your life!
- why do ppl want to watch the same movie over and over?
- it’s just “living in the past”, and keeps you from having new experiences
- try watching a new movie, it’ll enrich your life
- you’ll also save a bunch of money
plus, holding onto all those dvds can take up a ton of space, writes dischounds.com. and the equipment you need to play them is getting harder to come by
- dvds take up way more space than digital files
- the discs can get easily damaged
- and technology is def moving away from discs
- finding a dvd player will only get harder
it can be really hard to part with your collection tho. for this washingtonian writer her dvds represented a dream she shared with her husband. giving them up was like giving up memories
- when they were younger, she and her husband dreamed of having a room w/ a projector and walls full of dvds
- letting go of the dvds was the final admission that the dream would never come true
- and parting w/ each dvd was like losing a unique memory
- objects “are portals into ourselves”, and now some special portals are closed
and treehugger notes that while streaming might seem like the more eco-friendly option, it actually uses about the same amount of energy as getting a dvd thru the mail
- driving to the store to rent/buy a dvd uses the most energy
- but ofc if you have an electric car or bike your consumption goes down
- streaming isn’t much better than getting a disc by mail bc of the energy used to transmit the data
- if more data centers switch to green energy that’ll help tip the scales in streaming’s favor
these redditors think throwing out the cases and keeping the discs might be the best strategy. it saves space but you get to keep your flicks!
- it may be ok to get rid of popular movies that will probably stick around on streamers
- but def keep your faves or anything that isn’t mainstream
- you never know when a movie is gonna get dropped from a service
- using binders makes the footprint way more manageable
you can also digitize them and get the best of all worlds. androidpolice.com breaks down how to do it, including how to bypass the digital rights management restrictions
- there are ways to set up your digital content to stream from one device to all your others
- it takes some work but it’s worth it!
but if you do decide to move on don’t chuck your dvds in the trash -- it’ll take ages for them to biodegrade. sell or donate ’em, or repurpose ’em and make art!
- there are plenty of places you can resell your dvds
- they can also be donated to places like goodwill
- and pinterest is full of craft ideas if you want to go that route
- just don’t put them in the trash! they’ll literally take thousands of years to break down
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