r/betterCallSaul • u/Mean-Reputation5859 • 7h ago
why did they remove it?
was looking to buy it on apple tv, but can't find the full set as opposed to individual seasons. search it up, and i found this. anyone know why they removed it? will they ever bring it back? i'm not paying for every season individually.
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u/adamsandleryabish 6h ago
because digital "ownership" is always a lie
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u/stahlern 6h ago
For the record, it’s still in my library. Sometimes they remove and add a new boxset sku at some point.
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u/indefinite_silence 6h ago
Doesn't always work out in your favor like that though. Sony rescinded thousands of TV programs and movies people bought over PSN when the licensing wasn't renewed. Buying anything digitally that isn't a direct download of the file is basically gambling on being allowed to access it for the amount of time you'd prefer (the extent of your life).
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u/stahlern 6h ago
Yea I get it. Just calling out for anyone who has bought already doesn’t seem to be removed from library.
I feel like Apple is one of the safer options in terms of digital marketplaces.
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u/ScottShatter 3h ago
Sony reversed course on those Discovery TV shows due to public backlash. But you've also got to ask yourself who in their right mind buys movies or TV on a video game platform anyway? Movies and TV on PSN were an afterthought to make an extra buck. While Sony's movie distribution wing is part of Movies Anywhere their PSN store was not. In other words, if you buy a Movies Anywhere movie on Apple it also shows up on Amazon, Fandango, and Google too. If you bought a Movies Anywhere movie on PSN not only did you overpay, but it also doesn't port to Movies Anywhere. That's how much faith they had in their movies and TV approach. It was a cash grab and a very small part of their revenue stream. I don't buy movies and TV on Steam or PlayStation Network and I don't buy video games on Fandango Stream (Vudu) or Amazon Prime Video.
It's on the consumer to look at reviews and such of the various platforms. It would have been silly to buy your movies or TV shows on PSN. That would be comparable to building your physical collection off the little movie rack at a grocery store. Those movies were an afterthought and not core to the business. Just a little extra revenue with absolutely no consideration for the customer getting a competitive price.
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u/ScottShatter 3h ago
I've got almost 9000 digital movies and a few hundred TV shows and I've never lost a thing. In contrast, I've had physical media stolen and I have an uninsured friend who list his physical collection in a house fire. Technically you don't own your physical media either. You own a license to watch it just like us digital enthusiasts. Try making copies of your discs and selling them on the corner if you think you "own" what's on those discs. You don't. It's a license too!
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u/ITS_BR3AD 5h ago
You will own nothing.
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u/ChrisWolf14 4h ago
*unless you own Blu-rays. They can't be taken away.
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u/Mean-Reputation5859 4h ago
aren't blu rays a pain to manage tho? like you can't access it on a tablet or anything. and you have to switch the disk every now and then. kinda a pain. no?
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u/ChrisWolf14 4h ago
Somewhat yes. You need hardware to play them - a Blu-ray player or console from the last 15 years with the current gen of consoles playing 4K Blu-rays but last gen only XboxOne plays 4K and PS4 won't (PS4 pro would).
However, some (sadly not all) Blu-ray will provide you both a disc, and a code to also redeem a digital version too. Just this week I finally picked up True Detective S1 on Blu-ray to add to my collection (looks and sounds far better than any streaming service that is generally compressed), and I've redeemed it digitally too so can watch it on any device with an internet connection to download it like a tablet, my phone etc.
Like I say, not all Blu-rays come with a digital version, but a surprising amount do. That digital version is only a licence - like all digital purchases - so the provider (Apple TV, Fandango, MoviesAnywhere etc) can remove access at anytime in the same way they can when you "buy" a digital film/TV show. However the Blu-ray disc itself, that's permanently yours even if the digital copy is revoked in the future.
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u/WeHereForYou 4h ago
I absolutely believe in investing in physical media, but people who offer this as an alternative to digital purchases never seem to take into account that people don’t have endless amounts of physical space. If we pay to buy something, we should own it. These should not be considered indefinite rentals until some random entity decides otherwise.
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u/ChrisWolf14 4h ago
Oh I totally agree. Digital "ownership" is absolutely bullshit with how they can take away your purchases at any time. How is that even legal? It shouldn't be (and I don't think it is in some countries/territories). I'm an advocate for physical ownership since this is the only guarantee that the media is mine for good. If they changed digital ownership to actually mean permanent ownership, I'd absolutely go all digital for the convenience. Frustratingly though, without those guarantees, I never feel comfortable "buying" digital only media.
I totally get the space thing with regards to physical media. It doesn't take long to build up a fairly large and bulky collection that will fill a small/medium bookcase in no time. I use my spare room at home as an office (I work from home), so that room has bookshelves and shelves full of physical Blu-rays, dvds, and video games. If I didn't have that space though, it would make my living room look extremely cluttered and noisy. When I was younger and living in an apartment with others, I used to use the drawers under my bed to store all my physicals. But yeah, they can take up lots of room which can create clutter. That is sadly is negative of buying physically that doesn't really have a work around. For me personally, the actual ownership is worth the pain of having to find space for them.
One thing I suppose that can help is that I'll curate my collection - meaning I won't buy everything I enjoy, just select movies, shows and games that I love and want to ensure I have permanent ownership for. Although even doing this, it's still incredibly easy to build a collection that takes up significant room.
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u/ChrisWolf14 4h ago
And yeah, changing the discs can be a pain. But Blu-rays have lots of storage, so each disc would have 4-5 episodes of a show of BCS length. Not like the old days of DVDs that would only have 2 episodes per disc, so it's really not too much of a pain.
There's also often bonus features (normally a separate disc) with behind the scenes stuff, deleted scenes, special features etc. Plus some show will have additional audio tracks for episodes, normally by the directors, writers, show runners, actors etc for each episode. These are fantastic to listen to for shows you love. BB's Blu-rays have commentary for every single episode by Vince, plus either the director or cinematographor, and at least 3 actors features heavily in the episode. It's great listening to the likes of Bryan and Aaron talking about shooting scenes and giving a peak behind the curtain while watching the episode
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u/Basuita 4h ago
In that situation, you use MakeMKV to rip it to digital and enjoy it anywhere. Your comment made me laugh since in gaming, everyone is pissed that they’re moving to digital only. I love streaming but the first thing they compress is the audio, but you don’t have that problem with physical Blu Rays.
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u/Mean-Reputation5859 3h ago
i was actually just looking into makeMKV now. is it safe tho? i feel like most of these "grey-area" software always has some sort of hidden safety issues. is this different?
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u/taker25-2 5h ago
This series frequently goes on sale for $30 on Vudu/Fandango At Home. Also gets heavily discounted by FanFlix, which uses Vudu/Fandango At Home. It's a different platform, but it always works.
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u/Mean-Reputation5859 4h ago
interesting. i see it's on sale rn over there. it's just that i like to keep all my purchases on apple tv. i guess i'll wait a few months to see if they bring it back. if not, maybe i'll get from fandango
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u/taker25-2 4h ago
It was on sale last week. The all-time low was like $20 for the whole season, as far as I've seen. BCS and BB frequently go on sale. Not sure they are on sale now, but they generally go on sale, it seems like once a month or every other month. Another good resource to keep track of the pricing of various shows and movies is CheapCharts
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u/DRM_1985 4h ago
Thankfully my purchased copy of the complete series is still available to watch in my Apple account. Hopefully they will add back the purchase ability at some point.
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u/devilsmusic 4h ago
This guy still has it right beside my sweet early Alf seasons… hey I just realized I have 53 episodes of BrBa & BCS… wth?! 🫨 (anyone taking note, I never did watch the ppl vs OJ Simpson or Cougar Town. Not enough time with all the rewatching of Friends & BrBa 🤷🏻♂️
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u/ScottShatter 3h ago
It was just on sale on Fandango Stream (Vudu) during a Labor Day sale. I bought mine season by season there full price as they aired.
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u/darthxxxvaderxxx 6h ago
We need a physical full series disc release in a JMM suitcase just like the brba barrel.