Got a case of streaming fatigue?
Maybe you’re overpaying for subscriptions you never use. Or you’re tired of an algorithm’s recommendations that don’t reflect your tastes. Perhaps you’re tired of movies disappearing from your digital queue before you have the chance to watch them.
If that’s the case, maybe it’s time to dust off your old physical media players. If you’ve gone this far into the streaming era without getting rid of your video and music players, you probably had an inkling that – like vinyl records – other types of hard copies would one day make a comeback.
Guess what? Now is the time. There are plenty of good reasons to pull out your CD, DVD and even VHS players. Not everything is streaming. From forgotten TV shows to music that never was released in the U.S., there’s a lot out there that hasn’t even been uploaded to YouTube.
“The question is always, ‘Why go back to a VCR?’ – and never questioning why we want to go … forward,” says Jessica Gonzales. “That question, we feel like it speaks a lot to the environmental impact of all the invisible decisions that were made that went into how we watch media now.”
Gonzales and Erik Varho are the proprietors of WHAMMY! Analog Media, the VHS cassette shop and microcinema in Echo Park. What started as a pandemic project for Varho, who sold items from his own VHS collection on Instagram, has since become a popular real-world destination for casual fans and collectors searching for videos, some of which are only available to own on this format.
Hard copies are hard to beat
Crucially, hard copies allow you to control your personal entertainment collection.
What you’ve marked as a favorite on streaming platforms isn’t actually yours. They’re only available so long as the rights holders allow them to exist on a specific platform. Physical copies, though, are available for your personal use so long as they’re playable.
“A VHS tape is going to potentially degrade over time, but it’s going to be the same movie you bought and you can stop halfway through it and then pick it up six years later and it will be in exactly the same place where you were,” Varho says.
As an example of why some are devoted to physical media, Varho refers to the recent brouhaha over “The French Connection,” in which it was noticed that an altered version of the Academy Award-winning 1971 film was showing on many streamers – not the original cut. Those who had purchased digital copies of the movie also noted that theirs had been edited as well.
“Even though you purchased a certain version of this movie, maybe six years ago at this point, it now is updated and now is not the same movie that you purchased,” Varho says.
Gonzales says “the spontaneity with which all of these companies make available and unavailable their titles” remains a topic of discussion amongst physical format fans.
Eliminating e-waste
The increasing pressure to upgrade entertainment gear and trash our old devices has led to an increase in electronic waste, so Homeboy Electronic Recycling in Commerce aims to find what can be reused before it’s recycled.
One reason the organization does this is because electronics can contain many raw materials that must be mined, says Chris Zwicke, the company’s CEO.
“If we’re able to reuse electronics, extend their useful life, that reduces the need to go mine new materials,” he says.
Moreover, some of the materials used in electronic hardware can be hazardous if they seep into soil and water or are burned due to improper disposal. While proper recycling can help mitigate some of those potential effects, keeping a functional device in use is an even better option.
“We really love to save everything that we can from being recycled by reusing it first, if that’s possible,” says Zwicke.
At Homeboy, most of the repair work they do is on items that will be resold online. So, if you have audio or video cassettes and discs, but no players, you can check their website to see what’s available. A storefront is planned for the near future. And if you have vintage audio equipment in need of servicing, you can contact Homeboy through their website to inquire about repairs.
For those who enjoy repairing and refurbishing electronics, consider this an opportunity to start a few new projects. For more than a decade, West Covina-based Jovan Curry has been restoring vintage electronics. His hobby began with a thrifted Toshiba Walkman.
“I was just trying to troubleshoot what was causing it to not play correctly,” he recalls.
An internet search and a few new parts helped him get the piece in working condition.
“That got me excited, to try to refurbish other old media players, not just for myself but for my friends as well,” he says.
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Curry, who is a DJ, has since refurbished or restored boomboxes, VCRs, camcorders and turntables. When we spoke, he had just picked up the laserdisc player that would be his next project. He says that, in addition to YouTube tutorials, searching for old posts in online forums can be helpful.
“There’s always one person that seems to have the same question as I did, but years ago,” he says.
Finding parts is where the projects can get tricky. “To be honest, I have better luck buying the same product a few times rather than trying to search for an individual part,” he says.
Curry says preservation isn’t just about saving old devices, but also films, songs and stories that may have never been transferred to a more current format.
“It can be lost media if no one is archiving it,” he says.