Welcome to another episode in my blog series Breaking Up with Big Tech. In this post, I would like to discuss a phenomenon that has been shaking up the entertainment industry. More and more, consumers have been abandoning streaming services and returning to physical media. Why? Because streaming has succumbed to enshittification and people are sick of rising costs, piss-poor tech, and a lack of ownership.

I am a member of Gen X, so I know what it’s like to own my entertainment. I had amassed a respectable collection of cassettes, VHS tapes, CDs, and DVDs. I had just started to purchase Blurays when streaming became normalized. Buying media in the cloud was quick and easy. The instant gratification felt like the next evolution in entertainment. My collection tanked in value, so I decided to donate it and embrace the digital age.

That … was a huge mistake.

Thankfully, I have learned that reacquiring physical media is a cheap and enjoyable process. And given that Big Tech has entered an era of insatiable greed, I am now on a serious mission to correct that mistake.

It didn’t have to be this way.

When streaming began, it fulfilled all the promises of a cord-cutting paradise. It was a cheap alternative to cable, and HD versions of movies looked so much better than DVDs. Televisions were getting bigger and more powerful (and cheaper). Internet connections were getting faster and more reliable (and cheaper). Digital entertainment was a no-brainer.

Before long, I had gone a full year without touching a DVD. And what do we do with old things that we don’t use anymore? We donate them. I took boxes and boxes of media to thrift stores, thinking I would never need them again. The resale market had fallen to pennies on the dollar, so it didn’t even cross my mind that I might regret the purge.

Oh how wrong I was.

Slowly but surely, the price of streaming began to rise. As more studios entered the market, the more expensive the market became. This undermined the notion that “more competition means lower prices,” which left consumers stunned. Streaming was supposed to be the great liberator, but users found themselves stuck in the crosshairs of digital exclusivity. And it was only getting worse.

Bidding wars over content rights meant that streaming was often the only way to watch a film. Remember that old classic you used to have on VHS? Now the only way to watch it is via [insert whatever service currently owns the rights], but you have to watch an ad every 10 minutes.

Prices climbed higher and higher as quality dipped lower and lower. Ad-free became “some ads mandatory.” Ad-supported became unwatchable. Then they started showing pause ads, i.e. a dystopian hellscape when you are forced to watch an ad when you get up to take a piss. Against all odds, streaming had become worse than cable.

And it didn’t stop there. Even if you “owned” a title in the cloud, that didn’t guarantee access. Studios started writing off content for tax breaks, which meant that titles you already paid for were gone forever. I learned this the hard way when I wanted to rewatch Final Space. Seriously, look up that debacle and try not to rage.

And then I had a power outage.

A massive surge fried my internet connection, which forced me to use a mobile hotspot for a few weeks. My mobile signal at home is decent at best, so streaming wasn’t an option. I still had my old Bluray player, so on a whim, I decided to visit a local thrift shop to browse some used titles. I was pleasantly surprised to find several Blurays of my favorite shows and movies, all priced under $3. I walked out with a dozen titles, all in good condition.

When I got home, I popped in a disc and discovered something truly shocking. The picture was gorgeous! I had long forgotten what a Bluray looked like on a 4K television. I just sat there with my mouth agape, utterly gobsmacked by the experience.

When the movie ended, my joy turned to anger. I realized that everything streaming promised was a lie. You pay for 4K but still get throttled. You pay for ad-free but still see ads. You pay for reliability but still see playback errors. Watching a Bluray provided a seamless, uninterrupted, immersive, and dare I say, complete movie experience.

It felt like someone had lifted a shit-stained veil.

So I went back to the thrift shop. Then I hit another, and another, and another. I started buying DVDs again. And CDs. (I draw the line at cassettes and VHS because the tape does deteriorate.) Stop after stop, I walked in with a giddy smile and walked out with a sack of goodies. I felt like a kid in a candy store, only the sugar rush was the thrill of restocking my media shelf.

When my internet was restored, I barely noticed from an entertainment perspective. I had rediscovered the joy of watching something that I actually owned. Do I need a high-definition restoration of a movie from the 1970s? No. I am perfectly happy watching the standard version on DVD. In fact, I like it better because it feels like a more authentic experience.

Dune 1984? DVD. Dune 2021? Bluray. This is the way.

What started as a temporary solution has morphed into a full-blown obsession. The more physical media I acquire, the less I turn to streaming.

At this point, I have canceled most of my services. I may resub for brief periods when I want to watch something specific, like a new season of a show I enjoy. But even then, I cannot help but notice the enshittification of streaming. It might be worth passing entirely and just buying the Bluray when it drops. I don’t mind the wait if it means that I won’t be assaulted with ads when I pause to get a snack.

The return to physical media has awakened something inside me. It’s the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of ownership, and the appreciation of an art in its intended form. I used to laugh at audiophiles who collected vinyl records, but these days, I can’t listen to anything online without waiting to skip an ad. I finally understand them. I have become them.

I now see the entertainment world created by Netflix and Amazon in the same way I see the productivity world created by Google and Microsoft. We had something special, but the ghouls in the boardroom took it away. Streaming has joined the Big Tech dystopia, and consumers are rejecting it with two-finger salutes.

I am one of those consumers, and I have joined my brethren in the thrift shops. I would rather give new life to a DVD than struggle with the endless frustrations of streaming.