Do you still buy or use physical media?

Do you still buy or use physical media?


  • Total voters
    20

MikeyC

Well-known member
I have a CD collecting obsession. I like to buy heavy metal CD's and keep them in my room which is really getting too small to keep them.

I much prefer the physical format of CD's over mp3's, but I also have to be realistic that CD's are in the twilight of their lives so they will become obsolete in time. Until then, I will continue to collect. I currently have over 1,100 CD's.

As for being expensive and less convenient, buying online has solved both those problems for me. Since death metal and such is not readily stocked at music shops, going to online distros and eBay and other sites has really helped. Plus, even with shipping added, the CD's work out substantially cheaper than if I drove to the store to get it. Of course, there's always the risk of being ripped off/the package never arriving/the CD being damaged, but you can talk it out with the seller and hopefully get a result.
 
I prefer physical CDs so I can make FLAC rips and keep the CD mostly just to say I have it (and in case of hard drive failure).

I also prefer physical books, just because I find them easier to use.
 

Aletheia

Well-known member
I prefer the form factor of books; I can curl up with them in bed. Plus I can borrow them from the library for free.

I wonder what will happen to libraries as physical media become obsolete?
 

Hoppy

Well-known member
Being on the wrong side of the world, and liking books , my very few purchases tends to be physical, with much worrying about importing it from other parts of the world, since postage is always about half the cost.

Purchasing online isn't really an option since connection speeds here isn't the fastest. But two different companies have in the past year run fiber optic though my town and it should become live in a year or so and I'm really looking forward to some high download speeds.
 

Rembrandt Broam

Well-known member
Physical. I like the feel of a book in my hand, and I like to actually get something physical when I buy music or movies. (And with the latter two, I can always rip them to my iPod or stick them on my hard disk anyway.)
 

WeirdyMcGee

Well-known member
As a former film buff, I own alot of DVD's-- only recently, I've been also building a library of blu-ray as well.

Lots of foreign import CD's and DVD's.
Also-- I like Vinyl.

ALSO-- I much prefer physical cook books over any other kind. Recipe cards, etc... yes. I don't have an... e-reader thing or a tablet, so there's no other way; plus, baking can get pretty messy. I'd rather not get any mess all over my 'precious gadget'. Books can take alot of abuse.
 
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Rawz

Well-known member
Yes, I do still buy physical. I have bought some digital things (games), but not many, and they were all on sale for very cheap. I prefer physical. I really like owning the physical product--the case/box, manual, artwork, CD/DVD, etc. I like having a collection (although my current collections are small).

For me, buying digitally-distributed things isn't much of an option. I have a very restrictive limit on how much I can download daily, so the only way I can download movies, games, tv shows, etc is during "free time" from 2-7AM. Streaming services are definitely out of the question for me.

Also, as far as games go, I don't know of a service that allows you to download the iso/install files and use the games as you please. They all seem to force you to use their program to play/install the games, etc. I don't want that. If I bought it, I want more freedom with it.

When it comes to books, I definitely prefer the physical thing. I like it a lot, but also I only have a computer, so I would be limited to when/where I could read it if I had a digital copy and not a physical copy.
 

Iluv

Well-known member
Well, nothing beats a book in my opinion.

But as for music it's too expensive sorry so that's why I get it online.
 

MikeyC

Well-known member
ALSO-- I much prefer physical cook books over any other kind. Recipe cards, etc... yes. I don't have an... e-reader thing or a tablet, so there's no other way; plus, baking can get pretty messy. I'd rather not get any mess all over my 'precious gadget'. Books can take alot of abuse.
Heh, imagine trying to turn the page in an e-reader with raw ingredients all over your fingers. :D
 

WeirdyMcGee

Well-known member
Heh, imagine trying to turn the page in an e-reader with raw ingredients all over your fingers. :D

...I can't even imagine.
When I do get a gadget, I'm so careful with it because I know it has to last me another 10 years before I can afford a new one.
haha
I've some personal trainer cooking 'games' for my DSlite that are kind of fun, though... Just yelling at the gameboy to tell you what to do next.
XD
 

chibiXphantom

Well-known member
prefer books to be physically there to read.
but as far as music and movies go, i just download.
unless i reallyyyy like a band, then ill buy a physical copy of their CD. i just like a lot of bands that dont have CD's in most stores. and im not driving 2 hours to a CD store
 

drganon

Well-known member
I mostly download music and e-books but if its an older book or cd thats not available for download, then I'll buy a used physical copy. I still buy dvd's but with netflix and youtube, I don't buy that many.
 
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