Over the last few months, I've had several faculty ask me to purchase something
they watched on Netflix (either DVD or streaming) for the collection and I
haven't been able to locate a new or used copy for sale anywhere. I've also
run into a few instances where a film has never been released on DVD, but you
can watch instantly (usually for a limited time frame) on Netflix. Looking for
Mr. Goodbar ('77) is the only example I can think of offhand.
Is Netflix streaming being used by studios to gauge interest in older film
before releasing on DVD? Or are they already starting to bypass the physical
copy for streaming? And I've noticed a few newish releases that are available
streaming (Netflix or Amazon Instant) but not DVD - I thought this was a "watch
exclusively here for the first month" thing, but now I'm wondering if these
films will ever come out on DVD.
Is this another sign of an impending physical media apocalypse?
Kim Stanton
Head, Media Library
University of North Texas
[email protected]
P: (940) 565-4832
F: (940) 369-7396
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