There’s no arguing that streaming movies, shows, and music is extremely convenient for the average user, but is it really worth it? Being an author and recording artist, I’m not a huge fan of streaming services, as they only pay pennies in royalties for any musical composition they stream. This is not fruitful for the average musician who used to earn dollars from CD sales. Streaming services like HULU, NETFLIX and AMAZON picked up hundreds of new subscribers in the past year, mainly due to the pandemic we are still facing. Disney and Discovery recently launched their own streaming services. Major Hollywood production companies reported that they would release new movies via streaming at the same time in theaters.
But what about local cinemas? If someone could see a new theatrical release on their tablet or smartphone, why would you want to go to the local movie theater? This could certainly hurt the theater industry. I’m all for supporting local businesses, especially for that BIG SCREEN experience. Now is obviously not the time to mingle with crowds of people until we fight this dreaded virus, but what will happen when it’s over? Will we really go back to normal or will we continue to isolate ourselves at home with our IOS devices?
I recently read an interesting article online that Blu-ray was dead and Samsung killed it. The article mentioned that Samsung announced in February 2019 that it would no longer produce new 1080p or 4K Blu-ray players. The editorial went on to mention that Blu-ray was becoming obsolete in a similar way to HD discs, VHS tapes, and Laserdiscs. 4K Blu-ray offered us the best picture and sound quality for home theater. Soon, we will have nothing tangible in the form of music, movies, or literary articles to pass on to our children. Ah, the good old days of holding a REAL BOOK, CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, tape or LP disc in your hands… will soon be gone forever. This is a big part of our culture that we shouldn’t let go of.
Streaming has its drawbacks. For example, I’m not crazy about accepting another bill. Streaming services may start out cheap, but like anything else, prices will eventually rise as new subscribers get into the game. To throw another wrench into service is the question of, what happens when the cable goes unplugged during a big storm? Also, what if you are in a low marginal reception area, like being underground on a subway train or in a tunnel? There goes your music or movie. Unless you have pre-recorded media or downloaded files, you won’t have any entertainment… bummer.
I, for one, pride myself on having a home theater with a projection system and a huge selection of movies and shows in various formats, including 16mm movies, Blu-ray discs, and DVDs. I still like going to the movies, especially watching horror or suspense movies with my daughter. I miss going to the theaters, or going out to the local restaurant. We all need to be diligent to conquer COVID-19 and get back on track.
As for streaming, it has become a very important part of our lives; well, for most of us. Unfortunately, not all titles are available for streaming. Still to be added are certain classics and especially independent films. Also, keep in mind that since almost everything on the Internet is compressed, you won’t get the same quality as a CD or Blu-ray disc; and forget about 4K, especially projected on a big screen home theater. That will not happen with streaming. You should also keep in mind that streaming high-definition video is only as good as your high-speed Internet service. However, for those of you who are short on storage space at home, streaming may be to your advantage.