To DVD or not to DVD...

Apr 27, 2018 10:43

Let's just say some of my Library Teens have similar interests to mine. On Wednesday, I was prepping the library's copy of Maze Runner: The Death Cure that just came out on DVD. One of the Library Teens was helping behind the desk, saw what I was working on, immediately wanted on the reserve list, and then commented about how pretty Dylan O'Brien is. Same, girl, same. Even though I'm old enough to be his mother, I can still appreciate the pretty.

She watched him in Teen Wolf, and is a Sterek fan, and as she was telling me about other stuff she's watching (mostly for pretty guys, with plot as a bonus). I asked if she was watching Shadowhunters, and she has heard of it, but doesn't get the channel it's on. I said if she likes Dylan O'Brien, she might like Matthew Daddario. She liked the pics Google helpfully provided, so I told her it gets better. His character in the show is gay. So I showed her another image search of him kissing another guy, and her first question was if it's canon or if it's just teased. Is it beyond kisses? Yep. I thought she was going to fall out of her chair.

She asked if we had the DVDs in the library, and we don't, and she was bummed that I was teasing her with canon m/m that she couldn't watch. But then I thought "Why not?" It's based on a YA book series, so that bumps it up on my list a bit. I went to look it up, and there has not been a DVD release, despite it currently being in season three. If you go to Freeform's web site, you can watch the first two episodes for free, but you have to have a paid service that includes Freeform before you can watch more. I've noticed quite a few channels that do this through my Roku system, and it's kind of baffling to me that you have to already pay for a channel before you can watch it on a streaming service that includes advertising you can't skip. A little digging led me to find it's a Hulu exclusive (at least in the US), so if you subscribe to Hulu you can watch it there.

I totally understand original programs from streaming services like Netflix or Hulu not always getting a DVD release, because their primary goal is to get more subscribers. Shows that get a lot of buzz, such as Orange is the New Black, Grace and Frankie, and The Handmaid's Tale come out on DVD, everything else remains streaming only (though I wonder if the Grace and Frankie release is also because it skews a little older). It just seems odd that a cable network isn't releasing what is arguably their highest rated show on DVD (and it's won GLAAD awards), though I guess they figure their primary audience is younger adults who are used to streaming, so why bother with the expense of releasing a physical copy.

Yet I see a lot of people in my area that are lucky if they can get free broadcast channels with an antenna. Most can theoretically get cable or satellite if they can afford it, but Internet is almost impossible for some of them to get. That's why I often get shows on the higher tier cable channels for the library, because people are more likely to hear about them, but less likely to be able to see them. We sometimes get older "premium" shows donated, and they still check out well because they're just not available to most of my users.

I know Netflix has been slowly strangling their DVD service because streaming is theoretically cheaper and easier, but it seems odd that network shows are opting out of physical formats completely. I've read several articles that say streaming is becoming more popular simply because it's more convenient, even though it often doesn't have new titles, and that Netflix et al is shaping our viewing habits to suit their desired business model, not the other way around. People in rural areas have a difficult time getting internet that doesn't have a cap that makes streaming all but impossible, and I have a cynical thought about net neutrality being dead now, so even people who have the speed might not be able to do all they want in the near future without paying for additional access.

Streaming is great, but honestly, "Peak TV" has become "Overload TV". I have satellite with a DVR, and a Roku to watch Amazon Video and a few other things, and I'm having to remove shows from my schedule because I don't have enough interest to keep watching simply due to the lack of time. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to see on Netflix and Hulu, but when? And I still like to have DVD or Blu-ray versions of a few faves, just in case I have to drop the services I do have. Perhaps more shows will opt for a "made on demand" release to at least be available, which minimizes their costs but at least gives the option.

dvd, tv

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