DVD players

[Lark]

What does everyone use to watch DVDs? Is this just obsolete now in the age of digital streaming services? Is it something that's just integrated as a function in consoles and other media players?

My latest laptop does not have an in built DVD/CD player and I'm thinking about using my TV rather than laptop for DVD viewing anyway, so what does everyone own and what do they recommend?

 

[Peter Deadpan]

We use a PlayStation.
I hate technology.

 

[Stigmata]

I just stream everything nowadays. I can't remember the last time I watched a physical copy of anything

 

[The Cat]

Beta maxx is what the people want.

 

[1487610420]

I just go to the local museum media room

 

[Population: 1]

The future will be streamed. I’d buy all the physical copies and hardware you can now before everything is hidden behind paywalls and contracts and content is censored according to the guidelines of our new super sensitive society and our corporate overlords.

Seriously, grab that shit before it’s deleted, monetized, or sanitized for your protection.

Obviously I like physical media and use a PS4 or a European dvd machine I own so I can watch American shows with their original soundtracks intact. For instance, I opted to get the German version of Northern Exposure. Part of the reason it so difficult for Americans to watch one of the best shows ever made (forget season 6 though) is because of copyright bs. F-ing lawyers.

 

[Z Buck McFate]

Obviously I like physical media and use a PS4 or a European dvd machine I own so I can watch American shows with their original soundtracks intact. For instance, I opted to get the German version of Northern Exposure. Part of the reason it so difficult for Americans to watch one of the best shows ever made (forget season 6 though) is because of copyright bs. F-ing lawyers.

This is the God's honest truth. It is so difficult to get a copy (the correct region) sometimes, because of copyright issues. I've waited years to watch Until The End Of The World again, which has taken forever because of its amazing soundtrack (which I hope they were able to keep intact on the version being released later this year).

I'm all for hard copies too. How did you get a European region player? I've long thought that I could probably save money by getting one myself, since region 1 media (U.S.) is often way more expensive.

To op: I have a rather mediocre blu-ray player (Pioneer, I think?) It works fine for me. I read a bunch of reviews and chose for reliability.

 

[Population: 1]

This is the God's honest truth. It is so difficult to get a copy (the correct region) sometimes, because of copyright issues. I've waited years to watch Until The End Of The World again, which has taken forever because of its amazing soundtrack (which I hope they were able to keep intact on the version being released later this year).

I'm all for hard copies too. How did you get a European region player? I've long thought that I could probably save money by getting one myself, since region 1 media (U.S.) is often way more expensive.

To op: I have a rather mediocre blu-ray player (Pioneer, I think?) It works fine for me. I read a bunch of reviews and chose for reliability.

I meant to say it’s a region free Blu-ray/dvd player. Germany is in region 2. It’s a Sony and I grabbed it for about $150.00 on Amazon.

 

[Z Buck McFate]

I meant to say it’s a region free Blu-ray/dvd player. Germany is in region 2. It’s a Sony and I grabbed it for about $150.00 on Amazon.

And it works?! I didn't know that was possible. Thanks. I'll have to look into it.

 

[Population: 1]

And it works?! I didn't know that was possible. Thanks. I'll have to look into it.

Yep. Prices vary depending on what features you want.

 

[The Cat]

get em now before they replace all the weapons in movies with walkie talkies.

 

[Saturnal Snowqueen]

I use my PS3. Heck, we still have a Wii that we can play DVDs with, although we use that for Netflix more. They say you can play DVDs on your PS2s, but they don't play for me. Brought one to my dorm...tech support.

 

[Stanton Moore]

Just buy a blueray player. ~$50.

 

[Tengri]

I still have my universal region CD/DVD player from the early 2000s, that and my digital receiver work just fine and occupy the top shelf of a closet, mostly outdated and collecting dust at this point. Smart TVs, bluetooth devices, and consoles have completely replaced my need to keep physical copies of CDs, DVDs, and games besides the handful I'm sentimentally attached to and keep as mementos, while the rest are burned onto my hard drive. I don't think that DVD players have quite gone the way of the VHS format just yet, but it will certainly be antiquated by the start of the next generation.

 

[The Cat]

I use the pterodactyl projector. It's a bit snarky but eh, it's a living.

 

[ceecee]

XBox One. We have a bluray but I'm not sure where it is since we moved.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I still have a collection of DVDs I don't plan on dumping anytime soon, along with a limited number of blurays. I use my old PS2 or my computer for DVDs, and my PS3 for bluray.

There's something nice about having DVDs on hand, for instance when a hurricane came through, our power was on but our internet was down for several days, so we couldn't really stream anything. It's a good excuse to watch old favorites like John Carpenter and Romero flicks that I don't normally get many opportunities to watch.

People like to joke about DVDs being obsolete, but these days you can find a lot of good, cheaply priced movies at places like yard sales, thrift shops, clearance bins, etc. Sometimes the DVD edition might have special features like making of documentaries that for whatever reason aren't always included on bluray reissues. That said, DVD really doesn't hold up when compared to the quality of picture you tend to get with bluray.

 

[Totenkindly]

^ Yeah, DVD quality is not great considering how cheap bluray is nowadays. Then again, if you have it, and you're watching on a smaller screen that doesn't need hig-res to look as good, it's still doable... and sometimes the DVDs still have the best extras that they've skimped on for later higher-res releases.

I honestly have gone to flea markets and picked up DVDs for a buck a piece for movies I wanted to see and might like, but wasn't sure I wanted to just leap in with a more expensive bluray purchase. or maybe it's a "junk" film that you wouldn't mind having but otherwise don't care much about. They're so cheap nowadays if you find the right outlet, as far as DVD goes.

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you can use a variety of stuff still to watch DVDs and up, the issue mainly is that it's not as essential for LAPTOPS anymore because the marketing direction has been to use them essentially as portable terminals that stream data from a central hub, rather than being a "portable PC." Once you go slimline, you don't have room for the drive.

Case in point, my work laptop has the DVD drive, my personal laptop (HP Spectre) does not.. although it has wireless and cable hookup so I can just run in signals from something else.

Yeah, people have regularly used Playstations to run up through bluray, and I dunno if they can handle 4K yet. The home market is still decently strong because of 4K even if streaming has gotten more lucrative with the fast bandwidths available today. When you buy blurays or 4K, you'll typically get your streaming code too so you unlock the film on Movies Anywhere and you can stream to laptop. Basically laptops, along with smartphones and similar devices, are just items pulling data from the central hub now. But you will use standalone machines (I got a decent 4K player -- which does bluray and DVD and 3D as well -- and soundbar this past year) if you want high-quality viewing.