When it comes to entertainment, we live in an age of access over ownership. We don't own movies anymore; we subscribe to a service that lets us access movies. But the problem with access is that access can be taken away at any time, for any reason. Even the digital copies of movies that you've purchased that exist in the cloud are subject to removal without notice.

For example, I just got an email from Apple that said they're moving from My Photo Stream to iCloud, and every photo that isn't moved to the new platform will be permanently deleted. The email didn't apply to me, so I brushed it off. But this is an example of a consumer being subject to the whims and decisions of a big company. "We're doing something else, so get on board or lose all your stuff." When you value access over ownership, you put control in someone else's hands.

Here's another example: I love the show 30 Rock. It's one of my favorite TV shows of all time. But the creators of 30 Rock have taken a few episodes out of their streaming collection because they decided the episodes aren't appropriate in 2023. Agree or disagree with their reasoning, the point is they control the access. If I as a consumer want to enjoy streaming 30 Rock episodes, I have to do it under their rules.

I subscribe to streaming services, and I buy digital copies of movies. And for the most part I don't mind the tradeoff. But I still value DVDs and Blu-Ray discs in no small part because I own them. Nobody can come into my home and alter them or take them away. I own the entire series of Seinfeld on DVD, and that means even if Jerry Seinfeld wakes up one morning and decides he's not going to offer his show for streaming on any platform anymore, I'll still be able to enjoy my favorite show whenever I want.

So yeah, I still think DVD and Blu-Ray players have their place. And not just for ownership reasons; DVDs and Blu-Rays also offer other things by way of special features, sound and picture quality, etc., that streaming services can't.

Anyway... kind of an odd flag to rally around, I guess. When I woke up today I didn't think I'd spend part of my Thursday morning passionately arguing for the value of DVDs and Blu-Rays, but here we are.