8 experiences ruined by streaming

As streaming becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives, you cannot help but notice all of the things we give up along the way. If we are to solely rely on internet-based entertainment, we're setting ourselves up for failure and miss out on the important things we love about the physical media. Here's some of the things we just love about movies, TV and music that streaming hinders.


Renting DVDs

As a child, going to your local video shop or Blockbuster was the key to a perfect Friday night. Browsing through all of the choices before making your informed decision (and being told to hurry up), then getting home, cosy, ready to watch a new film. This is the epitome of a simple pleasure that has been lost within the rise of streaming services. Video shops don't exist anymore, as their popularity began to dwindle.


Cover art and insert notes

When you first buy a new album, you take in the cover art. The more eye-catching the better! Look at Nirvana's Nevermind, Pink Floyd's The Wall; even Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday. With streaming, you don't bother to look at what the cover looks like; it tends to be a tiny image that you bypass anyway. The cover notes inside a CD aren't transferred into a streaming service for you to browse through which is a shame. These notes let us dig deeper into the making of the album; who's produced it, who the artist cites as inspiration, and sometimes even the lyrics are included.


Removes the excitement of a new release

Streaming removes the excitement we get over a new release; be it music or film. We can all remember a time when we'd eagerly await a new album from our favourite artist or band; you'd see promotional posters and adverts with the release date emblazoned on it. There's no better feeling than having the physical copy on the day of release so you can immerse yourself in it! It's hard to get excited the stream of a new release; it becomes like any other musical experience, there's little excitement around it.


Special features

With TV shows and movies on DVD, more often than not, you're treated to some special features "" it might be a specific cut of a movie, deleted scenes, interviews and bloopers. These options aren't available when you stream, so you miss out. The scenes that didn't make the cut are always worth seeing for a new perspective, or sometimes they're just hilarious.


Options will change

What is offered on a streaming service is subject to change. You might fall in love with a show, that has a whole heap of seasons available "" and it gets removed before you've finished. When shows and movies are taken off the service, it's normally done without warning.  Consolation comes from new options, but how long before they're cut too?


Artist boycott

It's no secret that musicians have differing opinions on streaming services; mainly as it tends to affect the money they make. Famously, Taylor Swift removed all of her music from Spotify in 2014 as she had issues with the idea that anyone involved in the creative process of making music would not be paid for their efforts. Swift isn't the only one who's had issues with specific services, so when faced with this "" do you stick to one streaming service, or do you use a number to get your musical fill? Who'll boycott next?


Image quality

Streaming movies and TV shows means you have to compromise on the quality of the image "" there's no real way around it. Even the highest quality stream won't be able to match the clear-cut image of DVD and Blu-Ray. For avid fans of cinematography, this could be the deal breaker; especially as surround sound isn't really an option on streams either. For convenience, we're missing out on the core of the film or show.


General interaction

It might sound dramatic, but it rings true. With the ease of streaming, we become engrossed in the possibilities at our fingertips and shut off the rest of the world. You can stick in your headphones and watch anything you want, or listen to anything you want, but in turn you end up ignoring those around you. Parents become frustrated as kids are more reliant on phones and tablets now, rather than playing with their friends.


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