Tori Baker, Contributing Writer
Physical media rules. You know this. I know this. It is a fantastic way to take control of your media outside the hands of corporate-run streaming. However, I have a lot of issues with the way people talk about it, because more than anything, I want physical media to survive.
You cannot build a future off of used media alone.
I love used media and I understand the simple appeal of walking into Goodwill and getting four discs for eight bucks, but I see people purchasing used media and saying they are fighting back against streaming, especially on TikTok. I enjoy that as an artistic-political stance, but that is simply not what is happening.
For one, DVDs really are not that much cheaper than Blu-rays — you are just comparing used prices to new prices. The average new DVD is $20 to Blu-ray’s $23. Don’t believe me? Go and check your local Walmart. Used Blu-rays hover at around only $2 more than their DVD counterparts.
Second off, in the fight against the streaming standard, new art is just as important as the classics. Yet new art is being ignored under a deluge of nostalgia posting for old DVDs, menus and players.
If you really are going to be watching DVDs in 2026 for whatever silly reason, get a Blu-ray player to watch them. The upscaling done by a Blu-ray player will be so much better than what your TV can do with 480p input. They are 30 bucks used, which is not even that much more expensive.
I am not saying to never buy used DVDs, but if you are invested in physical media as an art form, you should be supporting the instances where good new physical releases are made! They do happen — Discotek, Arrow Video, Criterion and Shout Factory are all companies making quality new Blu-ray (and sometimes DVD) releases. These are releases made with care by people who want to see art get the best release possible.
It has been 31 years since DVDs were first released. How are we still pressing new DVDs and expecting people to pay 20 god-forsaken American smackers for them? This format can nearly run for president and we sell it as a relevant competitor format.
Art is an industry and if you want that industry to remain healthy, you need to offer it tangible support. Look for new releases that are quality and look for independent films getting their first physical release. The people making the art you love need money and on a broader scale, when it comes to the major distribution companies, they are comparing disc sales to new streaming subscribers.
I see new physical media shops go up in Richmond, where 90% of their catalog is VHS tapes, 8% DVD and 2% Blu-ray and I just wonder what we are doing. Are the vibes all that we should focus on? Are questions of low bitrates and flawed masters always going to be secondary to “the vibes?” Is this sustainable?
I want to see the conversation around physical media evolve past nostalgia into a conversation about art preservation. In so many ways, time is running out for these new shows, movies and music to be preserved in a way that will not go belly up when the server costs get too expensive. In a way that is not hampered by an executive deciding that 480p is “good enough.”
I have a little bit of a fear that that will pass us by while we wax poetic about the “Shrek 2” menu.