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[JD]

I am curious, do you guys prefer to get your stuff(music, video games, movies) through the internet(purchasing it or not) or would you rather have real copy that you could hold?

I can see the advantages to both. Digital copies can be gotten quicker, therefore you waste no time getting what you want. Physical copies are nice if your computer ever explodes. It does seem that digital copies are on the rise however, given programs like Steam.

[Avec]

As much as I'd like to say that I cut down on plastic waste via digital downloads, I do like the thought of physically owning your favorite CD(s).

[Ozymandias]

I am curious, do you guys prefer to get your stuff(music, video games, movies) through the internet(purchasing it or not) or would you rather have real copy that you could hold?

I can see the advantages to both. Digital copies can be gotten quicker, therefore you waste no time getting what you want. Physical copies are nice if your computer ever explodes. It does seem that digital copies are on the rise however, given programs like Steam.

But with things like Steam, you can download them again if your computer ever explodes.

[KvP]

With a dependable service like Steam I prefer Digital. An optimal setup would be download w/ the option of creating a hard copy. I can't remember if Steam allowed that.

[bicostp]

Depends on the situation and what I'm buying.

For music, it's about 50/50. If there's a new CD out that I want, I'll go buy the actual CD. But if there's just one or two songs I want on an impulse, I'll fire up iTunes.

For games, I try to buy physical media if I can. But there are a lot of titles you can't get in the stores, like Garry's Mod and Audiosurf. And of course there are Steam's infamous Weekend Deals. (Left 4 Dead was $24 this past weekend, it's still $45 at the store.)

Movies? Always get the DVD.

[scarred]

With movies or games, I always stick with getting the hard copy, no exceptions. But music is way different. Granted, if I really like the album/artist, I'll buy it. But otherwise, I'm a slut.

[est]

For games I don't really care.  I am getting into Steam now that it is more solid and my ISP has unmetered downloads from a local Steam server.  It is cheaper and more convenient for me to buy it, set it to download for an hour or so, then come back to a game that is pretty much ready to play than it is for me to drive/train into the city, buy a game and come back.  Store prices here are pretty expensive, and on Steam I am trying to go by a rule that I never buy anything for over $40 USD unless it is a compilation, so it's been a pretty positive experience so far.

For music it is more complicated.  I download a lot of music, but when there is an album I like I will usually buy it in a store as well.  I should probably get into an online music store to save myself some money, but sometimes there is something about a physical cd that I like.

For books and movies I always buy the physical item.  I dislike reading books on a screen.  I an read forums and websites and articles and such just fine on the screen, but I guess I am conditioned to expect serious novel-like books to be physical.  If the Kindle 2 was out here I would like to pick one up, but not at the price they are asking.  In the future I will probably like some kind of reader device perhaps, but for now books are good.

With movies I never seriously watch them on my pc or laptop anyway so even though I have a fair few rips stored away I far prefer to have the dvd at the moment.  I'll see how I go once I get a decent media player like the WDTV HD or the new Ion-based Acer AspireRevo pc.

[Melodic]

I can't stand downloading music, so my entire collection is from CDs I've purchased in-store.

With games, I am pretty much 50/50. I like owning the physical copy, but I've had a lot of positive experiences with Steam and am coming to rely on it more and more for 3rd-party gaming.

Movies, I'm all over the place on. Movies I don't particularly care about get slapped on torrent, and movies I do care about, I rent and rip from the disk. Any physical copies I have lying around are usually gifts or bargain-bin oldies.

[ackblom12]

I've honestly moved to nothing but digital in all cases that it's possible. I haven't bought a physical copy of a PC game in god knows how long and I haven't bought a physical CD in years.

I mean, the catch of course is that you have to find a reliable source, but between Steam and Impulse, PC side i'll likely never have to touch a disc again. Especially if MS ever fucking releases Rise of goddamn Nations on one of those platforms.

[SirJuggles]

I'll admit lately I've been torrenting some movies that I was interested in but never got a chance to see, but that is petering out with my free time.

While I am all for the idea of Steam, I've been turned off pretty much totally with the EA Download Manager interface that screwed me out of $40. If I ever find myself having a great deal of time and/or money on my hands I would be willing to give the Steam Complete Package (or whatever it's called) a chance, but otherwise I honestly think I'll stick to flash games for now. they fit my schedule better.

Music has been iTunes as of late, with the exception of when I go to shows. I find it funny that I always go to see bands I like and end up buying the opener's music.

[snalin]

Steam is a really great thing, and when I turn 18 (soon), I'll get my own account and start buying stuff there. I buy everything physical now, but that's just because I haven't bothered to get a account I can shop online with. And hell, I'd prefer if I could just donate money directly to the artists I like, instead of having to go through anything. I doubt that of the 160ish NOK I pay for a fresh CD, more than 50 goes to the artist. And I really don't see any reason to support the music industry, with them being dicks towards us as consumers.

[Catfish_Man]

Due to my inability to keep track of stuff, I have now purchased StarCraft 4 times. The last (and hopefully final) time was digital, so I can't lose it anymore unless I lose my account information, which would be difficult since it's well backed up.

[philharmonic]

Oh man, did the same thing once, I now own 3 copys of The Tragically Hip's Up To Here. I download a lot of music. Every once and a while I get to feeling guilty and then make the trip to a music store and buy a couple CDs. As for movies I find that even though I've got cable ISP it still takes forever to dl a movie so not worth the hassle.

[glyphic]

At this point, I only buy physical albums and most of the time I only buy albums at shows. Of course, I have recently become enamored with vinyl.

With games, I need to keep a hard copy just in case I ruin my PC. Which happens. Constantly.

Books have to be hard copy. I have to be able to stain them with food and drink as I messily try to eat and read at the same time and lose my place whenever I look away. It's a comfort thing.