Media Lounge

Welcome to the Media Lounge, here I wax poetic about the importance, convenience, and nostalgia of curating a physical media collection including DVDs, CDs, those PC games that are impractical to get rid of, and other things which aren't as snappily described. Here I also keep track of what I'm watching and reading.

Media Journal

Writings

As a child of the 2000s, I witnessed the phasing out of VHS, the hype around the conversion from DVD to Blu-ray, and the rise of streaming. Naturally, this means I have a lot of thoughts about the current state of media distribution, home video, and the physical vs. digital vs. piracy debate. Movie and television watching has always been a very tactile and ritualistic experience for myself, so I'm pretty biased towards the physical media boat.

Rants

How Matthew Broderick Turned me Against the Streaming Service Industrial Complex — Published 24/05/2024

A rant, manifesto, and rallying cry from people like me sick of the illusion of choice provided by ever-changing, auto-cannibalizing, and enshittifying streaming services.

Where to Start: Curating a Collection for You — Published 24/04/2024

My advice for getting serious about collecting physical media the perspective of a DVD collector.

Phototutorials

How I Create My Double Features (and Look Good Doing It) — Published 24/05/2024

How I save space by compiling my own double-feature DVDs (with visuals).

Links and Tools

covercity.net — A great online database where you can browse and download scans of DVD and Blu-ray cover art.

duplication.ca — A wonderful service and online storefront which sells blank CDs, Cassettes, DVDs, and accessories like packaging and cases at wholesale prices. They offer a range of other printing and media duplication services, but I am only familiar with the online shop part of the site. I have spoken with Chris from customer service via eMail and he was absolutely wonderful.

Cereal at Midnight YouTube Channel — Heath from Cereal at Midnight is probably my favorite guy in the YouTube “physical media collecting” space. I really appreciate that his video catalogue is more than hauls and new release information, and that he does a lot of interesting interviews with people in different areas of film production.

Media Journal Archives

31-03-2023 — Archived 18/04/2023

02-05-2023 — Archived 07/05/2023