Physical Media v. Downloadable Services
By: Mohammad Hassan
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Entertainment
With the recent advancements in technology, faster internet connections and the ability to download almost anything off the internet, the battle between the physical media such as DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and CDs vs. downloadable services such as iTunes is becoming more brutal.
Nonetheless it's a battle which will last for a long time. Both of these formats are competing fiercely for their place in the entertainment world and for consumer attention and their wallets. Not to mention the arrival and popularity of High Definition TVs and Blu-Ray players has also fueled this battle to mega proportions. However, both of these formats have their advantages and drawbacks.
Internet downloading services are becoming a big thing, what with the recent advancements of internet technology and the arrival of popular and reliable downloading services such as Apple's iTunes store. With many movie studios, record companies making deals with iTunes, it has become one of the biggest vendors of music and movie downloads. The service allows the user to purchase a variety of movies, TV shows and music directly to their computer. However, they can only be used on an iPod or can only be played on your computer and cannot be transferred to a blank disc. But perhaps the biggest problem with downloading movies and TV shows is that many people do not have the luxury of time to sit in front of their computer and wait for the movie or the show to be downloaded to their computer. The majority of people like to go to a retail store and buy it on a DVD because it is easy and convenient. Oftentimes, people end up buying individual episodes on the internet which costs consumers more than they would pay at a retail store if they buy the exact same show in a box set.
Another problem with downloadable media lies with the computers themselves. Though with the recent advancements in computer hardware, computers have become much more robust, however, with these economic times average consumers wallet has tightened significantly. Not to mention the constant worries we have about our computers. Computers can crash; they can get viruses and all sorts of things which can damage the computer beyond repair and one can end up losing all those movies and music and TV shows in an instant. So, while downloading has its advantages, it also has its fair share of problems.
Nonetheless it's a battle which will last for a long time. Both of these formats are competing fiercely for their place in the entertainment world and for consumer attention and their wallets. Not to mention the arrival and popularity of High Definition TVs and Blu-Ray players has also fueled this battle to mega proportions. However, both of these formats have their advantages and drawbacks.
Internet downloading services are becoming a big thing, what with the recent advancements of internet technology and the arrival of popular and reliable downloading services such as Apple's iTunes store. With many movie studios, record companies making deals with iTunes, it has become one of the biggest vendors of music and movie downloads. The service allows the user to purchase a variety of movies, TV shows and music directly to their computer. However, they can only be used on an iPod or can only be played on your computer and cannot be transferred to a blank disc. But perhaps the biggest problem with downloading movies and TV shows is that many people do not have the luxury of time to sit in front of their computer and wait for the movie or the show to be downloaded to their computer. The majority of people like to go to a retail store and buy it on a DVD because it is easy and convenient. Oftentimes, people end up buying individual episodes on the internet which costs consumers more than they would pay at a retail store if they buy the exact same show in a box set.
Another problem with downloadable media lies with the computers themselves. Though with the recent advancements in computer hardware, computers have become much more robust, however, with these economic times average consumers wallet has tightened significantly. Not to mention the constant worries we have about our computers. Computers can crash; they can get viruses and all sorts of things which can damage the computer beyond repair and one can end up losing all those movies and music and TV shows in an instant. So, while downloading has its advantages, it also has its fair share of problems.
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