Quote:
Originally Posted by Kmos
I used to collect a ton of stuff: comics, manga, and toys. Now I'm big into collecting dust.  I didn't think things like DVDs were considered collectibles and never wanted them to be. I kind of blame the whole collectible mentality in the US. I'm shocked to see DVDs going for more rather than less, especially since digital version existed and was & is more than likely to replace dvd/blu-ray sales. I hate the Star Wars scheme. When digital versions fully take over that'll be the end of collectible print and media I hope. |
That's certainly a fair opinion to have, and one that more and more people hold, but I don't think there's much chance of physical media disappearing anytime soon. It's certainly on the decline, due in large part to exactly what you describe; the ease of access digital offers. Not a huge amount of people want to buy a show that they'll watch once, maybe twice. Which is the case for most anime, for most people. Our numbers are dwindling, but I doubt we will truly vanish in the foreseeable future. The market might slowly move to more of a "boutique" thing, with increased prices and more luxurious releases, akin to what Aniplex is already doing.
However, there will still be people like me. People who like to own physical media, and aren't content with streaming; or even a purely digital file, however convenient it may be. We want the box to put on our shelf, flip through the booklet and put that disc into our media device. There's a genuine enjoyment you get from that, and it's not all "look at my collection, I'm the baddest nerd on the block." Though I won't deny there's a certain sense of accomplishment associated with growing your collection. For me though, it's a very personal joy, it's not something I'd brag about, just something I'm personally happy I was able to achieve.
Most of all though, I like to be surround by things I love. A bookshelf next to my computer filled with anime boxes and dvds staring down at me is a joy that a HD full of fansubs can never match. It may be expensive (in fact, I'm quite certain it is), but if you're wired like me, you get a huge deal of enjoyment out of it, making it
worth every penny.
Just to be safe, this is obviously just my own take on it; I'm not arguing that physical media is "better", merely "right for me."
