To transmit or not to transmit
There’s no arguing that streaming movies, shows, and music is extremely convenient for the average user, but is it really worth it? Being an author and recording artist myself, I’m not a huge fan of streaming services as they only pay pennies in royalties for any musical composition they stream. This is not fruitful for the average musician who used to make dollars from CD sales. Streaming services like HULU, NETFLIX, and AMAZON picked up hundreds of new subscribers last year, mostly due to the pandemic we’re still facing. Disney and Discovery recently launched their own streaming services. Major Hollywood production companies reported that they would release new movies via streaming at the same time in theaters.
But what about the local cinemas? If someone could see a new theatrical release on their tablets or smartphones, why would you want to go to the local theater? This could certainly hurt the theater industry. I’m all for supporting local businesses, especially for that BIG SCREEN experience. Now is obviously not the time to mingle with crowds of people until we fight this dreaded virus, but what will happen when it’s over? Will we really go back to normal or will we continue to isolate ourselves at home with our IOS devices?
I recently read an interesting article online that Blu-ray was dead and Samsung killed it. The article mentioned that Samsung announced in February 2019 that it would no longer be producing new 1080p or 4K Blu-ray players. The editorial went so far as to mention that Blu-ray was becoming obsolete similarly to HD discs, VHS tapes, and Laserdiscs. 4K Blu-ray gave us the best picture and sound quality for home theater. Soon, we will have nothing tangible in the form of music, movies, or literary items to pass on to our children. Ah, the good old days of holding a REAL BOOK, CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Tape or LP Disc in your hands… will soon be gone forever. This is a large part of our culture that we must not let go.
Streaming has its drawbacks. For example, I’m not crazy about accepting another bill. Streaming services may start out cheap, but like anything else, prices will eventually rise as new subscribers get into the game. To throw another wrench into service is the question of, what happens when the cable goes offline during a big storm? Also, what if you are in a low marginal receiving area, like being underground in a subway train or tunnel? There goes your music or movie. Unless you have pre-recorded media or downloaded files, you won’t have any entertainment… bummer.
I, for one, pride myself on having a home theater with a projection system and a large selection of movies and shows in various formats including 16mm movies, Blu-ray discs, and DVDs. I still like to go to the movies, especially horror or thriller movies with my daughter. I miss going to the theaters, or going out to the local restaurant. We must all be diligent to conquer COVID-19 and get back to normal.
As for streaming, it has become a very important part of our lives; well, for most of us. Unfortunately, not all titles are available for streaming. Some classics and especially independent films are missing. Also, keep in mind that since almost everything on the Internet is compressed, you won’t get the same quality as a CD or Blu-ray Disc; and forget about 4K, especially projected on a big home theater screen. That’s not going to happen with streaming. You should also keep in mind that streaming HD video is only as good as your high-speed Internet service. However, for those of you who are short on storage space in your home, streaming may be to your advantage.