# It's time for brick-and-mortar video rental stores to come back **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127 "2019-01-20T22:43:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/81 "2019-01-25T16:32:44Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > I \*could \*do that. But to what benefit? > > Option A: Stream from a restricted catalog through my system. > Option B: Play DVDs from a much (MUCH) wider selection on my system. > > It seems to me that one of the benefits I see touted for streaming is “portability.” Which I don’t care for one whit. > > All told, there is no benefit to Option A, for me. At least none that I see. One _minor_ consideration in favor of streaming is that some recent movies and TV shows are only available via one of the streaming services. Primarily, of course, these are movies and TV shows produced or owned by those services. (The movie Bird Box, for instance, is only available on Netflix. The drama series Bodyguard aired on the BBC in the UK, but outside there is only available on Netflix.) Obviously, there’s a hundred years worth of movies and decades of television available on physical media, so you’ll always have _something_ to watch but a lot of new content isn’t going to ever be released on DVD or Blu-ray. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/82 "2019-01-25T18:16:11Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Obviously, there’s a hundred years worth of movies and decades of television available on physical media, so you’ll always have _something_ to watch but a lot of new content isn’t going to ever be released on DVD or Blu-ray. I have thought about that, and it does concern me. Right now, it’s not a problem. The amount of “new content” I watch is…minuscule. I tend to wait until something gets good word of mouth and then pick it up at my leisure. 99% of TV shows I have no interest in watching. However, some do rise above. I’ve DVD’d through **Breaking Bad** , **Mad Men** , **The Sopranos** , **The Wire** , **Deadwood** , **The Americans** , and a few others that way. Am currently waiting for the last season of **Game of Thrones** to be released. I’m fine to wait. Even Netflix original content, like **Stranger Things** , I’ve been able to get the DVDs. If somehow that changes (i.e., Netflix shutters its DVD rental business) and I run out of “foreign, cult, classic, and esoteric fare” to watch, and my shelves of DVDs are all stale from re-watches, THEN I might stream something. But at what cost? Can I really stream **Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess** , or **Tokyo Drifter** , or **Samurai Trilogy 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple** or **The Testament of Dr. Mabuse** , or **Sukiyaki Western Django** or **Broken Blossoms** on a whim? Right now, I can have these DVDs delivered to my door in 2 days. Or, to pick a more mass-market example–how about **Cars**? I’m a huge fan of Pixar movies and I probably own most of them on DVD. But I have not seen **Cars**. It’s in my Netflix queue and if I so choose I can have it Monday. But from what I understand (_and I could be wrong about this_), if I wanted to stream it, I’d have to sign up for some other service. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/83 "2019-01-25T19:16:21Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Or, to pick a more mass-market example–how about **Cars**? I’m a huge fan of Pixar movies and I probably own most of them on DVD. But I have not seen **Cars**. It’s in my Netflix queue and if I so choose I can have it Monday. But from what I understand (_and I could be wrong about this_), if I wanted to stream it, I’d have to sign up for some other service. [Stream it for $3.99 here.](https://smile.amazon.com/Cars-Owen-Wilson/dp/B005ZMUQCK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1548443464&sr=8-4&keywords=cars) Yes, you would have to establish an [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) account (no charge), but you don’t have to sign up for Prime and you don’t have to pay any kind of monthly, annual, or other recurring fee. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/84 "2019-01-25T19:32:30Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > If somehow that changes (i.e., Netflix shutters its DVD rental business) and I run out of “foreign, cult, classic, and esoteric fare” to watch, and my shelves of DVDs are all stale from re-watches, THEN I might stream something. But at what cost? Can I really stream **Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess** , or **Tokyo Drifter** , or **Samurai Trilogy 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple** or **The Testament of Dr. Mabuse** , or **Sukiyaki Western Django** or **Broken Blossoms** on a whim? Right now, I can have these DVDs delivered to my door in 2 days. Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess – Can’t find that one Tokyo Drifter – [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B009B6OOXS/ref=atv_dl_rdr), [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/tokyo-drifter/id473028654) Samurai Trilogy 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple – [amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00A5IY2ZG/ref=atv_dl_rdr), [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/samurai-ii-duel-at-ichijoji-temple/id534645444) Sukiyaki Western Django – [youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyPu9yYyH_w), [amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0026B4PKM/ref=atv_dl_rdr), [google play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=fyPu9yYyH_w) Broken Blossoms – [amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B004D4SALK/ref=atv_dl_rdr) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/85 "2019-01-25T19:39:07Z")
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse – [amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0038KG30K/ref=atv_dl_rdr) (Sorry – missed that one.) ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/86 "2019-01-25T20:09:59Z")
That _is_ very heartening to know in case Netflix DVDs go away. I’ve been quite worried that my viewing interests will take a hit if (when) that comes to pass. Right now, there’s no point in signing up for these other sources, or paying $3.99 for something I can already get via my current Netflix subscription. Oh, and I just checked the Amazon version for **The Testament of Dr. Mabuse**. It’s a cut/edited 75 minute version, with (I imagine) dodgy quality. (Sinister Cinema?) The version I watched was the full 2 hour uncut version from Criterion, with restored audio/video. But your point is well-taken. I’m sure if Amazon has the dodgy version, I could click around and find the Criterion version for streaming somewhere. But until I HAVE to do that, I’ll just keep on trucking with the DVDs. But I need to come back to… > [@](#): > > one of the main reasons I enjoy DVDs are all the bonus features. Behind the scenes, commentaries, deleted takes, etc. A great many of the DVDs I own (and quite a few of the ones I rent) are chock full of these features. Many have separate discs dedicated to these features. Does streaming allow access to these? I’m guessing not, but I honestly don’t know for sure, never having done it. For example, **The Testament of Dr. Mabuse** has a whole separate DVD dedicated to bonus features. Are those available on streaming? Honest question. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/87 "2019-02-04T01:22:41Z")
This story was in my regional newspaper today, and I thought of this thread. While this place does not do rentals (not any more), they have branched out into board games, and have obtained permission from Lego to purchase and re-sell used Legos. > **[After 25 years, the Quad-Cities' Video Games Etc! is still expanding](https://qctimes.com/business/after-years-the-quad-cities-video-games-etc-is-still/article_295ec72b-767a-5e0b-865d-b23eafc18f35.html)** > > In the six years Kyle Burke has worked at Video Games Etc!, he's seen three new formats of movies on store shelves. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/88 "2019-02-04T13:58:54Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > … and have obtained permission from Lego to purchase and re-sell used Legos. You don’t need Lego’s permission to trade in used Legos. The article itself just says they “entered into a partnership with Lego” for selling new and “pre-used” sets. Presumably the “new” component is the partnership aspect. You can get wholesale deals and such if you go with their marketing campaigns. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/89 "2019-02-04T15:44:47Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > That doesn’t tell the whole story. > First total sales of CDs last year was around 37 million compared to cassettes at 118,000. The 19% jump translates into relatively low numbers. > > And over 50% of cassette sales are old music; Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, etc. > > Additionally, most of the major hip-hop artists (by far the largest segment of popular music) refuse to release in CD format (or are at least having major delays in releasing, prompting download sales). 21 Pilots is championing cassettes further boosting sales. > > Finally major outlets like Best Buy are now refusing to stock CDs. > > There are many reasons CD sales are down (and cassettes sales are up) but customer preference isn’t one of them. > > . Yeah, everytime you see some article touting vinyl’s comeback you should ask to see the actual numbers and not the percent. That’s an easy way to make a trend look more authoritative that it is. A quick search turns up that vinyl record sales did grow in 2013-14. By about 20%. Good for them. But it was from about $9MM to about $12MM. Meanwhile, streaming music sales gain 54% that same year-over-year to 1.26B streams. I don’t know what the represents in $$$ but it’s a lot. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127/90 "2019-02-05T01:51:51Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > You don’t need Lego’s permission to trade in used Legos. The article itself just says they “entered into a partnership with Lego” for selling new and “pre-used” sets. Presumably the “new” component is the partnership aspect. You can get wholesale deals and such if you go with their marketing campaigns. I got the impression that they did. Anyway, it would be a great way for people of all ages to get them at cut rates, because they can be very expensive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-time-for-brick-and-mortar-video-rental-stores-to-come-back/828127.md?page=4)