Never supported bootleg Blus, and honestly glad to see it's a market that will crash now. Happy that these are doing so well, and great to see people who've supported the bootlegs are also supporting the real product!

I've never bought a bootleg and don't plan on doing so, but I must admit Disney's stance on physical media in particular has meant that it has crossed my mind in recent months... Like most of us here, I'm a huge fan of the Marvel & Star Wars shows so when I saw that Disney were releasing the Mandalorian etc. on Blu-Ray I knew I'd be picking them up! My issue with streaming is that the quality compared to a Blu-Ray or 4K Blu-Ray is often far far inferior and the experience isn't necessarily the best and/or in some cases even what the creators intend it to be. A 4K Netflix/Disney+ stream for example doesn't look anywhere near as good as it does on even a standard 1080p Blu-Ray (at least, that's how I feel anyway) so until streaming becomes comparable or better to physical media, I'll be sticking to my disc-based collection. 😄 Then there's the whole "you don't own it" argument which is a very true problem. If you stop paying for these services, you lose all the content. When I pay for my Blu-Ray, Disney aren't going to come round my house and take it away from me in a month's time! Physical media means I can go on to show my kids, grandkids etc. in many years time what I was watching whilst I was growing up without having to pay for a service which by that point may not even be a thing. Not to mention, paying for all these different services is getting expensive! About £60 a month contributes to all the streaming services I'd use! It's getting a bit unsustainable now! As well, like some platforms have already been doing, they can pull the plug whenever they want and stop you viewing certain content or they may even change it to be more politically correct etc. if the content is deemed too "controversial" in the future. 🤔 Physical media is not only the highest quality form of the content that is available to consumers, but it's a great way to preserve content (no matter what it is) for future generations. A good example is the 1966 World Cup Final. The original colour film was lost in the 60s, meaning the B&W footage was the only readily available format people could use! It's only in the last 5 years or so that technology has allowed us to restore the B&W footage and experience a huge piece of British History just how some of our ancestors did all those years ago. (That Blu-Ray is now in my collection!) That colour version of the game will always be available to people for generations to come now. 😄 Finally, I understand why bootlegs exist because one of the most annoying things about physical media is when companies don't release all of a series/film series. I have many Blu-Rays where the company behind it stopped physical media releases of a series and it drives me insane! (Some examples: Lost In Space (Netflix Version), Mars (Nat Geo) and currently the Mandalorian (S1 & S2)). There's no guarantee that Disney will release all their shows & films on physical media so you may be left with a partial collection, or in some cases, no release at all. Therefore, I respect your decision in the past to buy bootlegs because in my eyes, "piracy" over the last 15 years or so has changed slightly from being all about getting free content to actually being more about content preservation for the future. If companies make it easy for you to purchase their content for yourselves then I'd always choose that option to support them! After all, the content wouldn't exist without them & their creative minds! But, if a company makes it unnecessarily expensive or difficult to access their content, or don't release their content in a physical format for consumers in an acceptable time frame after release, then I think that's on them for missing a trick when it comes to physical media. (Rant over! 😂) Great video Paul! Been loving the content recently! Looking forward to seeing what you've got in store for the year to come! 😀

I don't own any bootlegs and don't plan on getting any but I can completely see your reasoning. I think the biggest fear is Disney+ could at anytime delist a series/film on a whim, I will 100% put money on them dropping Prey at some point even if its just for a limited time. So physical media may be dying but it'll never fully die for that reason.

How about its because they are illegal?? 😂😂

I bought a bootleg of the Tom Hanks film Greyhound because it still hasn't had an official release, the picture quality is stunning and the sound is too, it was £12 and ive watched it four times already, if it had an official release i would have purchased it that way. I don't regret buying it.

never purchased a bootleg never will

Never been seduced by these bootlegs can’t see the point as you rightly said they aren’t of the quality that the streaming service offers. You could say I saved my £100 and bought the studio releases.

Good, about time Paul. I don't own any bootlegs, never have and never will. Genuine products only.

Well done Paul. You're right, there's no point. The shows are in 4K DV on Disney plus, so why just have a HD version? I don't think Disney are gonna release everything on physical media. I doubt She Hulk will get a release, maybe some of the Star Wars shows won't either. But if they're selling, you never know.

Typically I don't buy many bootlegs myself but if I know a film won't get a true release then perhaps. To date however the only one I own that's technically a bootleg is Song of the South.

Hi BP happy new year . I never buy blu ray boot legs I have a bit of a collection about 3000 now I don't stream still catching up with movies that don't get much advertisment . All the very best

Good point well made Paul, I have around a dozen bootlegs but won’t be getting any more, apart from Togo which I have watched a couple of times, I’ve not watched any of them since I bought them. Like you said, they are a back up option. 👍😃👍

Only “bootleg” I’ve purchased is the Harmy despecialised Star Wars trilogy. Cause they are significantly better than the Disney versions. Other than that. Nope buy from the studio. Helps out the industry

😀haha at 140 years old🤣

Great video and I totally get where you are coming from with regards to bootleg physical media. I bought the complete first season of Wednesday on blu ray bootleg only to hear that in March this year we are getting an official release of Wednesday season 1 on blu ray on 25th March 2024. Never thought that Netflix would ever release this but now I think like you what is the point, especially when it now gets released, 😁👍

Gd video paul😅😅😅

great video i would get a Bootleg of a item i wanted that is not got a release date of any type and when it does come out i get bin it then

I'm still waiting for offical release of Stranger Things and not seen it yet as I don't get Netflix and not interested in bootlegs either.great video matey

Never been into bootlegs, even back in the VHS days. I'm sure the quality is better now but ultimately it's theft and it's diverting money from the studios and the creatives and you just don't get the bells and whistles you get with legitimate releases. Basically, if it isn't out officially I don't own it.

Great Video Paul i don't like bootlegs but i prefer official releases because you get different artwork design on each format DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K but with official releases you get slipcovers and steelbooks editions and collectors edition box sets anyway i ordered loki season 1 steelbook and i will get WandaVision steelbook next month

I Only Own 1 Disney+ Bootleg And It's Obi-Wan Kenobi And Was Going To Get Others But Like U Said BigPauly I'm Just Going To Buy The Official Physical Media Releases Of Disney+ Stuff When Disney Decides To Release More Of Them

I’ll admit I do own maybe 4 bootlegs. I have Spice World because the US doesn’t have a legit Blu Ray and I can’t find a DVD copy anywhere without paying up the wazoo. I own 3 of the Taylor Swift concerts because they aren’t available in stores on Physical media. Now when the Eras tour does hit actual Physical Media I will gladly bin the bootleg

Bootlegs have never been something I've jumped into. However, I've been tempted to hunt down a Willow one, seeing as I'm the only one who seemed to actually enjoy that show and Disney have removed it from existence! Really glad the MCU and Star Wars stuff is getting released though. Just hope they keep them up!

It’s one thing if you knowingly buy a Bootleg but when Covid hit there has been allot of bootleg’s coming from China especially on DVD especially tv series where they sell it as if it were a official release and they over compress to get everything on a single disc, You can tell by the GB size. An official release on dvd is 7gb and the pirated ones are 4 GB and the problem is the artwork and disk look very professional and hard to tell the difference. The other giveaway is when eBay is listing stuff that has not been released by the studio yet.

I pre-ordered Mandalorian S1 & S2, Loki and Wanda Vision on 4K Steelbook because I have not seen any of the series (I don't do streaming). However, I have not opened them up as yet and in the event of a standard 4K release I would buy those and sell the steelbooks, despite the nice artwork. I terms of bootlegs, I have never been tempted. As you say in your video, the right people don't get the money and I want physical media to be produced for as long as possible and every sale helps. 🙂

The only boots I'm interested in getting and sticking with is the rest of the Marvel Netflix series, I can guarantee Disney won't complete that run.

while I've gotten quite irritated to find out that 4 of the TV series sets on DVD I bought on eBay were cheap knock-offs, some argue that pirating from certain companies (e.g. Nintendo) is a moral obligation, it could be argued that bootlegging D+ shows would also be morally correct.

pauly ref LP/ Vinal play back, what about a ELP LT-1LRC

I will happy take these from 😊

I have a few bootlegs of movies and TV shows. I get them if I am sure there more then likely never get a proper release! Movies like Hush, Midnight Mass or Army of the Dead! And if there is a proper release of them, I would pretty much get it and throw the bootleg out. But I do watch my bootlegs and find that sometime they look better!

I bought one of Andor from eBay because I don't have Disney+ and have no intention of getting it.

It's a shame Disney and Netflix don't release lots of shows on blu ray.

I’ve got Cobra Kai Season 4 & 5 bootlegs because they haven’t released them on Blu-ray only DVD even though Season 1-3 are on Blu-ray. If they release them on Blu-ray then i will buy them.

Bootlegs are a no go, if you support physical media you buy legit. If it's not available on disc bit easily accessible via streaming then that should be good enough. Bootlegs are a problem, I own one, Michael Mann's The Keep as that has never been available outside of VHS. Buying Bootlegs damages cinema, it takes money from the people who worked long days and hours and puts it into the hands of criminals and that is something I cannot get behind.

Run away the old bill are after them bootlegs

Why didn't you think of this before? That your money wasn't going to these companies. And when Disney plus stops selling physical media. Will you then go back

I understand the ethics behind piracy and bootlegs but honestly sometimes its the only way to get something how you prefer to view it and sometimes people just dont want to pay. Im not gonna pay a corporation a monthly fee for 1 show cause they refuse to release it physically, i did however pay the person that made the bootleg (all be it they didnt make the content just the blu ray). I know people have made digital rips of my book and as a creator you just have to swallow that hard truth that some people are just gonna steal your hard work or profit off of it but by in large most wont. Ive got a handfull of bootlegs only issue ive ever run across was my Mando Season 3 blu ray had some audio sync problems on occasion but since most of the characters have helmets on you wouldnt be any the wiser unless you look directly at the lips of the person talking.

Yes

Well i dont do streaning at all! I only buy physical discs! So if a novie doesnt have a proper release on disc what other option do you have🤔? Plus alot of 3D titles are now only on bootleg! If you choose streaming over physical media , then are you a true physical media collector🤔? I choose the discs always & always will🙂!

I would only buy a bootleg of something if it was a movie I wanted that didn't come any other way. I have a few titles I wanted where i didn't have a choice but to buy them in bootleg. Keep in mind when it comes to streaming, you dont own any of the programming. They can just pull it from there at any given time for any reason like if an actor in that said movie gets into some sort of legal trouble like jonathan majors did.

Never understood why anyone would buy bootlegs of TV series that they can watch on a streaming service they are paying for, they are just pirate copies and illegal. Not everything will come out on physical media but eventually some of these shows will be (and have been) released. Never brought a bootleg Blu Ray or DVD and not interested in the majority of Disney’s output anyway. What’s the point of buying something that your not going to watch? (“I’ve got Wandervision on the shelf”? Nobody would care 😂).

Would you buy Netflix bootlegs like stranger things?

Well us down under Australia Well Disney has stopped releasing physical in Australia so it's either Disney Plus are bootlegging are spending a lot of money getting it from other countries

Hope your gonna stop people showing off they’re bootlegs in your Facebook group I mentioned this a couple of years ago. We should be supporting official releases only

I own the bootleg marvel shows i don't own them all first bootleg i have on Blu-ray is loki season 2 i will get the rest they do come with a nice slipcover and they are sealed 🤩👍💯💯

i am still waiting for Hocus Pocus 2 from Disney

The only 2 bootlegs iv got is the walking dead dead city the waking dead daryl dixon if they bring them out official bluray uk ill buy them and bin the bootlegs

True Lies my only bootleg. Hope they release obi wan officially

I want The Dark Crystal:age of resistance to get a physical release.

I do the same sort of thing with K-dramas 🇰🇷 There are some incredible K-dramas on Netflix but they don’t release them on physical media in the UK however they do give official releases in Asia which you can import. I understand that I’m more likely to rewatch them on Netflix over a physical copy but I like the idea of having them there so that if they ever come off Netflix then I can still watch them

While the cgi wasn’t great, she hulk wasn’t even bad

Bootleg - basically watching pirated tv/film. I’ll never watch things thst way, despite being easily accessible. Same applies to the dodgy sticks

I love a good bootleg

And also bootlegs dont have any special features or proper sound 5.1/7.1 atmos etc....

I don’t buy bootlegs

Tbf you spend loads of money on films you’re never going to get around to watching

Won't buy bootleg as can affect studios putting out a official release also bootleg are known for bad picture bad sound overall ain't worth it putting money in people that do fake releases always can and buy official studio psyical media........ I don't support bootleg and never will

I still feel they have a place in putting pressure on streaming companies to release on physical, where they've said they won't. Without people showing them the market is there, bu buying bootlegs, I honestly don't think a lot of the attitudes of the streaming companies would have changed, even if they were/are losing money. I do, as others have, throw away bootleg copies when I buy a legitimate release. I won't pass it on to anyone in case they just watch that instead of buying the official release... and, as I've said, I want the streaming companies to produce proper physical releases so want *other* people to buy them when they do (and passing on an unofficial copy could have the reverse effect). Obviously, that said and as stated, I would love to return to a time of refusing to have a single bootleg in my collection because I know I could get an official copy, whether I had to wait a long time or import or whatever... I'd much prefer that to be the case, but right now it sadly isn't.

Yes you were very silly spending all that money on bootlegs of very mediocre shows, and the point you're making now is that you're over bootlegs .....because Disney lost a lot of cash and their hoping (correctly) that people like you will buy an official release because Obi Wan will have a nice shiny picture on the front of a steelbox. Andor and the first series of Mando were ok but really don't see the appeal of Wandavision or Loki and I doubt any of them will have the rewatchability of proper decent television shows.

The marvel & Star Wars shows haven’t had an amaray release in America. Steelbooks only

I'd be embarressed to have Wandavision, She Hulk and Prey on my blu ray shelf

Fast x was the best film of 2023