DVD Player instead of Streaming Apps?

olb81

Hi All,

Due to the frustration of adverts and also the many different streaming apps, with their own subscription fees. And then on top of the subs you still often need to pay to rent or download the films, I am considering going back to a DVD player.

There are loads of DVDS in CEX for example , or online ebay, amazon , charity shops.

Am I mad, or is this something people still do?

If I am missing something with the new smart services then please enlighten me, but every time I have searched for a film, despite being an amazon prime subscriber for example, I am faced with a fee to rent or buy a film.

MyRealNameToo

DVD are 576i in resolution, personally find it difficult to watch such content on the modern large screens and especially as some were encoded in even lower resolutions.

Bluray, at 1080p (aka HD), would be the minimum for me and personally have a UHD Blueray player to 2160p (aka 4k) to really push the boat out.

Streaming services, particularly Prime Video, are heavily compressed and so there is certainly a benefit with physical media though personally find it more noticable in the better sound than the picture.

I use some physical media but also have streaming apps like Prime Video that has no additional fee and I dont pay to stream new releases or older films that arent on the free to view options.

MSE_James

In some quarters VHS is making a comeback - this was on my regional TV news the other week

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/26455358.isle-wight-video-rental-shop-opens-newport---twist/

Neil_Jones

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6682006/dvd-player-instead-of-streaming-apps

Not all films are on streaming services or included in the price you pay for it. This isn't a new thing. But then there are estimated to have been 140k films over the last 100 years or so that still exist (a lot of early "silent" films were wiped or lost), and not all of them are on home media either.

And yes physical media is on the rise, but a recent story about Playstation game ownership (or not as the case may be) could be a catalyst for it, that and licences for digital media expiring on their side.:
https://fortune.com/2026/09/01/sony-playstation-dont-actually-own-digital-games-grand-theft-auto-analog-media-gen-z/

Whether it will roll back streaming is debatable. But as vinyl provided, everything comes back into fashion if you wait long enough :)

TadleyBaggie

My Blu-Ray player hasn't been used for years, rather use a 1080p or 2160p download or stream.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6682006/dvd-player-instead-of-streaming-apps

No adverts on the BBC , and only £15 a month to watch a U.K. based, world renowned multi channel broadcaster.

BridgetTheCat

I still have a lot of scifi DVD box sets and I watch them in preference to streaming with adverts. I like the permanence of a physical media collection, because programmes often disappear from streaming services without warning. The only drawback is physical media can degrade over time and can be difficult or expensive to replace.

forgotmyname

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82124871#Comment_82124871

World renowned for the wrong reasons these days and they have nothing I want to watch.

OP dislikes adverts and what do you get on disc media adverts for other shows and annoying anti piracy adverts. Sometimes
you need to revert to DVD's though because shows are not available anywhere else.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82124903#Comment_82124903

Unfortunately DVD and Blueray arent permanent, the disk itself maybe but the content isnt. Have had several DVDs that suffered from "disk rot" and becoming unplayable due to oxidation of the reflective surface. Anything home burnt has a significantly shorter lifespan.

CD-R and DVD-R used to be used in my line of work to capture data files used when buying reinsurance which is going to run for 60 years or so but now digital files and hash codes are used after two disputes failed because the CD-Rs had become unusable after 15 years in a filing cabinet.

PHK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82125157#Comment_82125157

This is very true, as well as the disks* the players themselves will fail due to aging of components and parts like belts.

A factory pressed blue-ray kept in perfect conditions (humidity and temperature controlled) will last about 30 years.

A factory pressed DVD disc kept in perfect conditions will last about 20years.

Humidity and disc handling are the big factors. Any moisture that gets through the polycarbonate will eventually cause disc rot.

sausage_time

I'm struggling to find charity shops to take unwanted DVDs (and CDs for that matter). Ended up giving a stack away on Freecycle.