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Is physical media now absolete?
"With the growing use of digital media such as downloadable music and movies, is physical media a thing of the past? Will CDs and DVDs go the way of the vinyl album and VHS tapes?"
With the growing use of digital media such as downloadable music and movies, is physical media a thing of the past? Will CDs and DVDs go the way of the vinyl album and VHS tapes?

Physical media has truly been redefined in the last few years, but is it destined to be our future collectables? To future generation physical media may not even exist, replaced by limitless amount of storage space and digital files. The result is a clutter-free lifestyle, but we lose some of the experience associated with opening a CD cover, admiring the artwork, and reading lyrics as a result. Although the trend toward the elimination of physical media is growing, there is still a truly human need and even nostalgia associated with owning physical media which means it may be quite some time before it disappears completely.
15 comment(s) so far

idesign thinks: I see physical media going away. At this point, I no longer use CDs to listen to music and I carry other digital files on a USB flash drive. Movies I still watch on DVD, but I have been known to watch via download services such as CinemaNow. The only thing keeping me from ridding myself of DVDs altogether is the inability to watch downloaded files on my TV. As soon as I resolve that, I can't see using physical media again.
(69% of 16 votes AGREE)
Carl thinks: Whereas I have recently stopped listening to CD's and rely exclusively on mp3's, I can't help think that the total extinction of physical media may still be some way off... I still read books and although I have subscribed to mobile news services and, of course, have access to the web, there's still nothing better than the rustle of a good solid newspaper on a Sunday Morning! Having said that, I wonder how strong that feeling is amongst the generations that have come after me... maybe the physical media will vanish when me and my peers have gone!
(86% of 14 votes AGREE)
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