@The Cynical Librarian:
True enough, but in true anal complusive fashion I generally avoid any problems with a little care (have plenty of CDs from the early 80s with pristine playing surfaces which have never been cleaned). This mostly involves simply taking care of the discs: handle them by the edges only, and always store them in jewel cases (NEVER, NEVER use storage cases in which you have to slide the discs in and out of pockets, and certainly avoid the car sun visor cases).

Unfortunately, some new CDs are being released in packaging which in and of itself risks damaging the discs; a good example is the stereo Beatles remasters-very disappointing packaging, especially the White Album. (Conversely, the mono box discs are BRILLIANTLY packaged in replica LP jackets complete with replicas of the paper inner sleeves-typical awesome Japanese attention to detail contrasting with typical American half-assedness when it comes to CD pressing/packaging).

Also, I NEVER load CDs into any player that makes contact with the playing surface (such as slot-loaders common in cars and computers); drawer or top-loading players are the easiest on the discs. If I want to listen in the car or take discs with me, I simply burn a copy and leave the original safely at home. It IS a little bit of extra work, but I have a fairly large collection with lots of OOP stuff that would be very difficult (and expensive) to replace.

I'm a collector, so I enjoy keeping a nice collection of my DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games and CDs. I have the freedom to use them however I choose instead of being restricted to a proprietary format that can only be played in approved devices. I also stream movies from my computer to my living room through my XBox, though if my hard drive fails I don't have to re-download a 2TB of movies or even worse, repurchase them. I have the physical discs on hand as the primary format and the backup format. If they get scratched, I can have the scratches buffed out for $3, and Blu-Rays are really difficult to scratch, as they have a different type of coating that's highly scratch resistant.

I also have tons of records. :)

Or... COLD DEAD HANDS.

@AirIntake: And that helps you when you lose or scratch the disc?

@diasdiem: You can add me to the list of luddite holdouts who refuse to abandon physical media. In my case its music (I don't really care much about movies, one viewing is usually enough for all but the best films), and I've NEVER downloaded a single track from iTunes or anywhere else.

First, I want ALL of the bits. (Actually prefer the nice analog waveforms you get directly off vinyl, but I digress.) Compressed audio just DOES NOT sound as good as uncompressed redbook CD (not to mention SACD or vinyl). The same applies to compressed video. If I have the actual CD/SACD, I have all the bits, AND I retain the ability to rip at whatever compression I want if going "mobile" (all without DRM, of course). I'm stuck if all I have is a 128 or 256 kbps file crippled with DRM or other restrictions on its use/distribution.

Next, I want the physical media because it's more pleasurable to actually use. I sit in front of a garish computer display all day at work, and just don't want to do more of the same when I get home (especially if there are software or hardware problems, which is not uncommon). The dimly lit, warm ambience (often with a little incense/aromatherapy) I prefer when listening to music is just not compatible with a computer display! It's simply much more relaxing to browse through shelves of CDs and LPs (looking at artwork and liner notes in the process) than it is to scroll through lists with a mouse. Particularly with vinyl, and to a lesser extent, optical media, the act of interfacing with the equipment and preparing to listen builds anticipation and turns it into an "event".

Also, as you alluded to, maintaining a music/movie COLLECTION has its own intrinsic rewards. It has nothing to do with impressing anyone; some people (like myself) simply enjoy the activities involved in maintaining a collection. Some folks collect coins, some collect beanie babies, some collect die-cast models of their favorite cars, and some like to collect music and movies! It's a nice little "subhobby".

Finally, I like my CDs because I retain "custody" of my music at all times. Hard drives fail, back up services involve companies that may or may not survive long-term (then what happens to your stuff?). If I have everything shelved in my own home, I only have to worry about fire and theft.

I can't imagine I'm the only one who feels this way, and I don't see physical media going extinct anytime soon (despite what Wal-Mart and BB do - I get along quite nicely never darkening the doors of either!)

Anything that these media/entertainment companies say is bad for you is actually good for you and anything that they say is good for you is actually bad for you.

Richards Maxim

@Front_Towards_Enemy: Have you checked out Napster now that BB owns it? I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but for $60/year you can stream as much as you'd like and download at least 60 DRM free mp3 tracks. That's right, no DRM on their mp3 downloads.

There are lots of legitimate complaints with BB. They usually stem from stupid or uninformed store employees or managers. However, if what they've done with Napster is any indication, they understand what makes a good streaming service. I'm hoping for some healthy competition with Netflix. (And I'm not knocking Netflix. I love the service. Competition will make everyone work harder, though.)

So what do you do when your 1 TB drive craters, along with your movie collection?

@subtlefrog: Napster is pretty awesome now that BB bought it. I haven't regretted the $60 I dropped on it for the year.

@redskull: Your hard drive is only a ticking time bomb if you're too dumb to keep backups.

All hard drives will fail one day. Be prepared for it. Backup solutions are simple and plentiful.

@TheSpatulaOfLove: I'll throw this out: Napster kicks ass since BB bought it. $60/year for unlimited streaming plus at least 60 DRM-free mp3 files (you get some bonus downloads if you pay by the year or quarter). I didn't think I'd ever say "Napster kicks ass" in this century.

Hopefully they will do as well with their DVD service. I loves me some Netflix, but I'm all for any competition.

@flugennock: Your wife streams movies to your TV because - guess what - it's probably not playing on the actual TV at that very moment or maybe she missed an episode of something. Just because there's TV available doesn't mean there's something she wants to watch.

@GMFish: Have you seen four people trying to decide what movie to watch? It's so much easier to actually stand in front of some bookcases and talk about it, rather than designate one poor soul to list movie names off the computer.

However I think Netflix has Best Buy beat if they charge per DVD. I like Netflix's one time fee and unlimited access to streaming. I may not have the hard copy but it's nice knowing that I can stream unlimited titles while I'm at home. It may not work while I'm traveling though. It would be great if Netflix allowed you to 'rent' a movie like iTunes by allowing you to download a digital copy that expires after 30 days or within 24 hours of viewing. That would rock.

Oh, dear Lord, yes.

That said, it doesn't sound like that's what BestBuy is trying to do.

@The Cynical Librarian:
Sadly, no. I think the Phils needed to win at least two at home, and Lee can't pitch every day. But it's been a fun World Series regardless. Even more off-topic: as a life-long Yankee hater, I often find myself rooting for your Red Sox.

@redskull: I believe Best Buy would like to call that "recurring revenue."

So true. So very true.

@GMFish: Ummm... looking at one's DVD/book collection can be quite a conversation starter - and very informatative - when you're beginning to get to know somebody.

My wife occasionally likes to stream movies or TV shows to her laptop -- I don't know why; we already have a goddamn' satellite dish -- and it slows our DSL to a crawl, and really pisses me off.

Oh, and don't forget that little imbrogilo with Amazon and their Kindle content. Wouldn't trust them -- or Worst Buy, or Circuit Shitty -- as far as I can throw them.

Sincerely,
A sad Red Sox fan, just wanting to enjoy the World Series.

What I'm saying is that this option is nice. HOWEVER I doubt Best Buy's competence/good faith to do it right. I'm waiting till Netflix does it.

You know they will only offer DRM-laden downloaded that will only be allowed to play once, not be tranferable acrossany platforms, will be subject to remote deletion without notice, etc.

Downloaded content will never fully succeed until they offer the downloaded without DRM and that, once you download, it is yours permanently.

Handbrake to the rescue!

Knowing BB's business practices and the MPAA's demands, this will likely be much the same as the DivX fiasco. I'll agree, the devil will be in the details, but I don't expect the combined ham-handedness of BB and the draconian policies of the MPAA to allow this to be an awesome offering.

If I'm proven wrong and it actually is a cool offering - you now have my public offer to have me eat my words! ;)

So do you buy movies to watch or to impress? I'll let you in a secret, no one gives a frick about your DVD collection.

Or you could simply remember where it saves the file, which is the same place each time. Or after downloading it, you could move it to someplace where you would remember it.

Do people have this sort of problem remembering where their meat-space videos are?!

I hate buying stuff from Walmart because I never remember were I put it after I buy it.

That would require that they not use DRM...

Wait, I can do all of that already with any DVD I buy.

Why would anyone want to stream movies. The bandwith isnt there for most people, especially for 1080P content, and even if it was, what happens when your internet goes down and you want to watch a movie. Plus it's nice actually receiving a physical copy of something you buy. streaming from your PC to TV would be OK though

Despite having a supposably fast internet connection, I've never had much luck streaming anything other than baseball games. Just this morning I tried to watch Amazing Race on CBS's website, and it was so choppy I gave up.

This happens to me, too, and I've decided it's more of an Operating system/ AV software problem.

There are programs you can use- Windows Media Center, Meedio, even Tivo analogues like BeyondTV that can manage audio and video files, organizing them so you don't forget they exist.

Mind you, none of the products mentioned are perfect. Some of them might not even work with your hardware. And this is a HUGE problem, as I see this as the future form of most home PCs. yeah, you'll still use them for word processing and web surfing, but the lion's share will be investing in managing local media collections and accessing media in the cloud. All of this uncertainty is making a vacuum that a startup with the right brain power could fill immediately. Hopefully someone will step into it soon.

the devil's in the details, though. divx failed b/c it was too proprietary, too costly & the real benefit to consumers was too small. if BB can roll out a digital store that's easily accessible, provides cost incentives to consumers & is easy to adopt (like itunes), then i can see this being an awesome offering.