This recent YouTube video from LTT on the topic of ripping DVDs and Blu-rays has got me wondering:
I'm not a big fan of stores, hoarding physical stuff and DVDs and Blu-rays, but I do love owning my stuff digitally and supporting the artists. Is there a service that let's you buy the movie, TV series or anime that you want to watch and then simply download it to your drive? No app, no subscription bs, no delivery, just straight money for an .mkv file and that's it?
TL:DR: Is there an equivalent to Qobuz but for visual enjoyment?
Edit: So in summary, the often repeated mantra of "piracy exists because it is more convenient than traditional services" doesn't just apply to subscription streaming services, it applies to direct digital movie purchases too. I suppose the best approach remains to split the "supporting artists" part from the "digital file getting" part, at least until a service with a modern catalogue pops up that unifies the two parts.
Why don’t you just buy and rip the (dvd, blueray, etc.) and then donate or give away the physical copy to someone?
I am like you in that I don’t care to have the box a movie comes in and everything I buy gets ripped and then given away to my neighbors or friends.
Honestly, after seeing that there's truly no GOG equivalent for movies, neither now nor probably ever, this is the solution I like the most.
If I want something fast, I get the file through "other means". If I like it and want to support the production behind it, I add it to a list and at the end of the year I do what you've said.
This way I neither accumulate DVDs nor throw them in the trash, I support the production, I make my neighbors happy and get a high quality file on top. Sometimes it's the simplest things, thanks for the reminder and the idea :) Hopefully in the future this will all be possible digitally.
No doubt! I wanted to just quickly add that sometimes you can find more obscure movies through YouTube, Roku, plex or the many other free movie and tv options available. My wife and I just came upon this situation today where we couldn’t find the movie from her youth to rent or buy anywhere but lucky YouTube had it (with ads of course).