# Do you still use optical discs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408 "2013-01-16T18:39:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/1 "2013-01-16T18:39:21Z")
I’m lucky to have decent broadband where I live so I have pretty much abandoned optical discs for the internet and occasionally a thumb drive. Anyone else given up discs? Frankly, I’m glad to be rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/2 "2013-01-16T18:41:27Z")
Nope, caveman here. Bought one yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/3 "2013-01-16T18:55:36Z")
Blu-Rays and 3D Blu-Rays daily. I’m don’t like the quality of streaming/cable HD video content, downloading HD content is still a pain, and streaming/on-demand 3D is side-by-side, halving the effective resolution. I still dip into my DVDs and laserdiscs pretty often, too, and find them higher quality than SD streaming and downloads. I also buy cheap CDs for ripping purposes (saving quite a bit over digital downloads of the same material), but haven’t used a CD for playback in years. I also haven’t used a recordable optical disc in years. I last bought a spindle of DVD-Rs about 6 years ago, used a couple to burn some school projects, and never used the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/4 "2013-01-16T19:30:46Z")
I still use CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray. MP3s are NOT adequate replacement sound quality for CDs, nor is anything streaming over the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/5 "2013-01-16T19:32:44Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > I’m lucky to have decent broadband where I live so I have pretty much abandoned optical discs for the internet and occasionally a thumb drive. Anyone else given up discs? Frankly, I’m glad to be rid of them. No, I have enough coasters. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/6 "2013-01-16T19:38:26Z")
Putting aside the fact that your thread title and OP content ask the same question in different wordings which require opposite responses, I do not use discs for data, just pre-recorded CDs and DVDs, though even that is rare. I haven’t purchased a boxed game in years, and only ever have need for my 8 gig USB key for file transfer. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/7 "2013-01-16T19:51:52Z")
CDs are still the easiest and cheapest way to get piles of photos to groups of people, especially if they’re not exactly tech-savvy, or they have a slow connection to the world. As far as media consumption - even with a 50 meg VDSL line, I still run into problems when streaming movies, but DVDs or BD discs don’t care about bandwidth. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/8 "2013-01-16T19:54:08Z")
I have an Xbox that uses optical discs for playing games. My wife listens to CDs while she’s driving to and from work. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/9 "2013-01-16T19:59:21Z")
Lots of things are more available or better on disc than streaming, and thumb drives are too expensive to be used for giveaway/disposable purposes. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/10 "2013-01-16T21:05:24Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Lots of things are more available or better on disc than streaming, and thumb drives are too expensive to be used for giveaway/disposable purposes. Really? All my thumb drives are trade show swag. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/11 "2013-01-16T21:10:21Z")
Just installed Windows 8 via a dvd I burned myself. Also play some old games off of a cd in a vm machine every now and then! But I’d say my cd dvd drive only sees action a few days a year. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/12 "2013-01-16T21:11:38Z")
CDs and DVDs both, and external FireWire hard drives. Shit, I still have a box of 800K floppies (and a computer old enough to be able to read them), and an external SCSI SyQuest drive as well. Not to mention DIN-8 serial cables in case I have an urge to plug in some ancient Mac serial device. I did sell my 5.15" external floppy for Mac (DaynaFile) a few years ago. After 2 decades of not running into a single person who had something they wanted on an old-fashioned DOS floppy disk (and I certainly didn’t), I decided that rather immense thing was something my closet no longer needed. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/13 "2013-01-16T21:30:16Z")
I still use CDs and DVDs regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/14 "2013-01-16T21:31:54Z")
Still use DVDs/Blu-Ray for movies and sometimes CDs for music. Normally I have a 16gb USB stick plugged into my car radio with music on it but I still have a collection of CDs in the center console and sometimes like to just pull one out and listen to an album front to back, old school. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/15 "2013-01-16T21:34:47Z")
CDs, DVDs and BRDs, all the time, to deliver content to clients or provide end-user copies. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/16 "2013-01-17T03:55:21Z")
I’d forgotten that we use CDs and DVDs in the data centers now and then for transferring files. It’s sometimes easier and far faster to sneakernet the files then destroy the dirt cheap CDs than it is to file security plans to temporarily put a server on the network. For security concerns, the transfer media can not leave the room and must be destroyed after use, so this makes jump drives too expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/17 "2013-01-17T03:58:31Z")
Some, and enough that I wouldn’t consider getting a computer without an optical drive. But not very much. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/18 "2013-01-17T04:40:44Z")
I burn tons of DVDs for my concert videos. If I didn’t, what would I sell? There is no good method for me to deliver streaming videos, and a lot of my customers are grandparents, who probably don’t have a fast enough connection to stream the same quality. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/19 "2013-01-17T04:46:32Z")
I use recordables for backup and distribution. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408/20 "2013-01-17T05:11:29Z")
Only as a last resort. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-optical-discs/647408.md?page=2)