At Zavvi, we’ve always known that a disc – be it a DVD, a Blu-ray or a 4K Ultra HD upgrade – is the superior way to watch a movie at home. But right now, it seems like the rest of the world is beginning to agree with us again, which is why we’re launching our first-ever Get Physical weekender to celebrate the power of physical media.
Just like Record Store Day helped revive a generation’s interest in vinyl, we’re hoping that this weekender will remind film fans everywhere that the best visual quality you can get at home is via a disc.
Here are five reasons why physical media will always reign supreme.
4K Is Better In Physical
Yes, you can stream in high definition on several platforms, but their visual quality is compressed compared to what you can get on a disc. In simple terms, a 4K disc can hold more data, allowing for a higher quality bitrate, which means the highest possible quality in video and audio resolution.
Streams can also be affected by internet bandwidth, which could reduce the quality of the image even further if you live in a particularly troublesome area – an issue you won’t even have to consider, as you don’t need internet to power up your 4K player.
Watch Whenever You Want
Now, we’re not going to pretend that we don’t subscribe to several streaming services ourselves – but we always find films disappearing from our watchlist without warning, long before we actually get a chance to sit down and watch them.
There’s no simpler solution for this problem than to pick up your own copy instead; once it’s in your hands, it isn’t at the mercy of media companies suddenly deciding they don’t want to keep paying for the rights to keep it on their platforms.
In an era when many streaming services are producing most of the content on their own platforms, you’d think that certain titles would be safe to stream forever. Think again; the past couple of years has seen many services remove dozens of original series and films that never got a physical release, making them legally inaccessible to millions of fans.
And even if you digitally purchase a film on a service like Amazon or Apple, it isn’t guaranteed to be yours for life. The same licensing issues could see it unceremoniously removed from your purchases overnight – and if you delete your account on either, you won’t be able to keep the movie like you would with a physical copy.
This is why, if one of their originals gets a physical release, you should jump at the chance to have it on your shelf. The only way to ensure you can watch it whenever is via ownership – and if you’re a fan of something, there are few things more devastating than suddenly being unable to hit play on one of your favourite films.
Watch How The Creators Intended
As someone who uses streaming services to catch up with acclaimed classics of world cinema, I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve clicked play on a movie and found it’s been dubbed from its original language into English, with no option to change to its native tongue with subtitles. He may not be with us anymore, but I highly doubt that’s how Akira Kurosawa wanted me to see his back catalogue for the first time.
This isn’t the only way streaming services have butchered beloved films and series. When The Simpsons made its streaming debut, many fans were outraged by the early seasons forcibly having their aspect ratio changed – which, in the process, cut out the vast majority of sight gags, which were no longer visible in the frame.
When it comes to the physical presentation of film, directors often help oversee the process, especially when it comes to 4K restorations. You can be assured you’re seeing it like they intended, rather than taking a gamble on the overall quality on streaming.
The Power Of Steelbooks
Once you get back into physical media, it will become your life, but there’s one type of disc which reigns supreme over all: the steelbook. All hail the mighty steelbook!
These limited-edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray releases boast gorgeous artwork and a whole host of extra features for die-hard fans. Once you get one on your shelf, you’ll soon want to replace your whole library – they're the ultimate way for collectors to show their love of film.
The reason steelbooks have exploded in popularity in recent years is because they’re designed with fans in mind, giving them the extra incentive to own their favourite movies. They’re designed to stand out and start a conversation with anybody who sees your collection, which is exactly what physical media should do.
Ensuring Film Can Never Be Forgotten
In addition to steelbooks, various boutique labels – including the Criterion Collection, Arrow Video and Second Sight, as well as countless others – frequently release 4K Limited-Edition titles of beloved movies, both cult and highly acclaimed. These are also collectors’ favourites, with many of these titles coming with features including art cards, posters, and expansive booklets featuring in-depth writing on the film.
These rereleases aren’t just preserving cinematic classics, but aiming to get a whole new generation passionate about them, offering audiences a glimpse behind the camera into film history you could never get by just hitting “play” on an app. It’s further proof that physical media isn’t a thing of the past – it's a gateway to keeping the love of cinema alive for years to come.
Smaller boutique labels, such asour friends at Radiance and Indicator, do important work by diving further into the cinematic archives to rescue forgotten treasures – many of which have never even had a physical release before. These titles are given the treatment they have long deserved, with each of these labels aiming to introduce audiences to underseen gems which could end up being your new favourite film.
That constant process of curation and restoration ensures a far more eclectic slate of titles than what you’d see arrive on any given streaming service each month. There are few things in the world better than the thrill of blind-buying a cult classic and finding a forgotten masterpiece in the process.
Get Physical With Zavvi This Weekend
