I'm finally falling out of love with Blu-rays: here's why

I'one thousand finally falling out of love with Blu-rays: here's why

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For the final decade and a half, I've been a passionate Blu-ray collector. My constantly swelling collection of plastic blue cases has been my pride and joy, and over the years I've spent a frankly silly amount of money growing it further.

When the and then-chosen "digital revolution" really started to take concord in the mid-2010s, and concrete media sales took a nosedive equally streaming and digital purchases began to dominate, I stubbornly clung to my means. I point-bare refused to buy any motion-picture show digitally for several years and instead opted to stick with concrete.

However, as we enter 2022, something has changed. I'm suddenly feeling a strange urge to join the masses and shirk physical media purchases in favor of ownership my favorite movies on a digital storefront (many of which are available on the best streaming devices) instead.

In a move that I would have thought unthinkable just a couple of years agone, this calendar week I decided to cancel my pre-lodge of an upcoming Blu-ray and have decided to purchase the flick digitally instead (Belfast, if you were wondering). Let me explain why my Blu-ray collecting days might exist coming to an end.

Can't put a price on convenience

If I'd opted for the Blu-ray, that wouldn't have been possible. Not without shipping the disc.

Like most people, the biggest thing that has recently drawn me to digital purchasing is the convenience factor. I've recently moved to a new place, which meant I was faced with the job of lugging my unabridged Blu-ray collection across the country and so finding a identify to really store it. That's headache would have been completely avoided if I instead had a digital collection.

Furthermore, I don't currently take a Blu-ray player hooked up to the television in my chamber, which means if I want to sentinel anything from my drove I'm restricted to the main TV in the living room. Once again, that's not a problem with a digital movie equally you lot tin access it on just virtually whatsoever device capable of connecting to the internet.

I as well recently learned the upside of buying digital, I recently purchased a digital copy of the cinematic adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen for my partner, and I was able to share the film with a family unit member who lives hundreds of miles abroad instantly. If I'd opted for the Blu-ray, that wouldn't take been possible. Not without shipping the disc to them.

When the toll is right

Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Fergusson in Dune — (Image credit: Chiabella James/Warner Bros. Amusement)

In the past, I've had no qualms about spending big on my Blu-ray drove. I've even spent more money to get a first-run printing that came with a paper-thin slipcover over a cheaper 2d printing that came just in a plastic box.

Even then, I wouldn't phone call myself an irresponsible spender and even I cannot deny the savings you go with digital media. Unlike in the video game industry, where digital games often price more than than their physical counterparts, digital movies are typically cheaper than buying a DVD/Blu-ray.

Let's take for example the recent release of sci-fi epic Dune. On Amazon, the 4K Blu-ray of the film costs $29, while the regular Blu-ray costs $24, however buying the film digitally costs $19. This price discrepancy is very standard, this single example is past no means an exception.

For obvious reasons, if you want an actual concrete production you're going to have to cough upwards more money, but when you lot couple the cheaper cost-bespeak with the convenience advantage discussed above, the entreatment of digital starts to get harder to deny.

Unfortunately, I'm non able to be cut and dry with this. It's not similar I don't see the value in physical media. The argument that you actually own a Blu-ray compared to ostensibly permanently renting a digital purchase (remember when Amazon erased 1984 from Kindles?) remains a compelling ane. After all, with a digital purchase, you are wholly dependent on the platform you purchased from giving you lot continual admission to that product in perpetuity.

Let's not also forget that Blu-ray discs oft come loaded with special features and digital purchases are typically no-frills in that regard. Plus, the quality when watching a film digitally can fluctuate based on your internet connection. On a Blu-ray, yous're getting a stone-solid resolution every time.

If but, I think, we in the U.K. had Movies Anywhere, the U.Due south. service that made it adequately common for Blu-ray purchases to too include a digital lawmaking. As my editor tells me, this gives you lot the best of both worlds. Although, that practice is unfortunately significantly rarer over here in the U.K. and most Blu-rays come with solely a disc copy.

So while I'll primarily buy digital copies (so my concrete collection doesn't become too large), I'm not throwing out my egregiously large Blu-ray collection. Heck, even I'll admit I'g considering buying Dune on Blu-ray (for brandish purposes alone).

But if the tides are finally turning with Blu-ray holdouts such every bit myself, I wonder how much longer physical media volition go on to have a place in the market.

In other media news, Roku's new plan fights Netflix right where they're strongest.

Rory is a staff writer at Tom's Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics including tech news, deals, gaming, streaming and more than. When he'south not writing hot takes on the latest gaming hardware and streaming shows, he tin exist found watching a borderline unhealthy amount of movies and existence thoroughly disappointed by his terrible football team.