PHYSICALLY PRESENT
Or, once again about the media

⌈ > PHYSICAL OBJECT - only an object that exists both in time and space (according to modern physics in space-time), i.e. one to which not only duration in time but also position in space can be meaningfully (with a certain degree of accuracy) assigned; source: → pl.WIKIPEDIA.org, accessed: 28.01.2025. ⌋

IT WAS A COINCIDENCE, but on the exact day that I was testing the XACT S1 Evo audio file transport, Sony announced the end of production of three media formats it had once developed, including blank Blu-ray discs. In a brief announcement on its website, it ended the 23-year history of the format; more → HERE.

This information seems to have gone unnoticed by the mainstream media, although it has been widely discussed by the thematic media. The “big guys” have obviously taken notice of it, but they have added this information to a mountain of other information related to physical media and, apart from lamenting the company's “withdrawal”, they have not added any value to their messages. The reason is simple – physical media are of little interest to the mainstream, not very “sexy” and not at all “clickable”. Apart from vinyl, which is still an important cultural artifact.

⸜ Blu-ray disc Verbatim 25GB BD-R • photo press release Verbatim

Last July, Sony announced that it would no longer produce certain Blu-ray Disc formats, including recordable 25 GB, 50 GB, 100 GB and 128 GB discs. At the same time, it was announced that the rewritable versions of these data carriers, as well as MiniDiscs and MiniDV cassettes, will no longer be produced. All of these formats are Sony's proprietary developments, and huge amounts of money were spent on researching and implementing them into production; they are also important “witnesses” of the technology of their time.

The Blu-ray Disc was introduced in 2005 and went on sale worldwide on June 20th 2006, almost simultaneously with the PlayStation 3. The Blu-ray format was mainly used for video material and video games, reaching its peak in sales in mid-2010. Its development, UHD Blu-ray, a disc intended to repeat this success, reached its peak sales in the USA in 2017, but did not even come close to the average sales volume of BD discs - it was too late for that.

The decline in sales of both media formats was mainly due to the increasing use of streaming platforms. Recordable versions appeared on the market in 2006. The biggest brands supporting this format were Sony and Panasonic, which even developed an ArchivalDisc version, used for data archiving. Discs of this type initially had a capacity of 500 GB, and eventually 1 TB.

The news that these three media formats are no longer being produced particularly surprised me. And that's because... I didn't realize they were still being produced. The MiniDisc was introduced in 1991, and no new playback devices have been produced since 2013. The MiniDV video cassette standard and the devices, video cameras and studio video recorders that support it, were introduced shortly after in 1995 under the name Digital Video Cassette (DVC) and also seemed to be dead for years. However, it turns out that the Japanese market is different from the others.

I could have actually guessed it, because it is where new types of CDs and SACDs are constantly being developed, such as BSCD2, SHM-CD, UHQCD and SHM-SACD. And this at a time when almost all other labels are trying to kill the most popular audio format in history, on which an incredible amount of money has been spent on promotion. Sony releases both Blu-Spec CD2 and hybrid SACD in Japan, the latter also in a 7” mini LP version. Japan is just different.

⸜ Sony MZ-1, the first MiniDisc (MD) portable player on the market – November 2011 • photo → NIXDORF, Wikipedia CC

But it is more than just “otherness”; it is pragmatism. And this realization goes in two directions: it is the realization that video streaming has never come close to what BDs have to offer, not to mention UHD BDs, and also that streaming is the most ephemeral system of “collecting” film material.

The former of the „charges’ seems surprising. Streaming services have offered Full HD content almost from the beginning, then smoothly moved on to 4K, and now to 8K. One would therefore expect that the image quality would immediately be at least as good as from a Blu-ray disc. As many of my friends with serious home theater systems can confirm, this is not true. On a small 42“ or even 50” TV, the differences are not dramatic, but on larger screens, they are striking.

I don't know if you've noticed it too, but the streaming quality of audio services has improved incredibly since their debut. In the last two years, it has even increased dramatically. I'm not sure why this happened, but one can guess that Tidal and Qobuz, services aimed mainly at audio enthusiasts, i.e. music lovers who value sound quality, were under pressure - it was not only about attracting subscribers, but also about retaining them. And this is difficult in a world where physical media such as LPs or CDs (SACDs) still reign supreme.

To achieve success, there is always room for improvement. This means constantly optimizing the archiving systems and streaming software. It is also important to obtain files with the best possible sound. That is why I regret that MQA encoding is disappearing from Tidal. Although I am an advocate of uncompressed audio and prefer “clean”, uncompressed FLAC files, MQA guaranteed something that is essential in high-quality audio: transparency in the chain from the recording studio to the file player.

The information “sewn in” in the signal allowed us to confirm that no one had tampered with, replaced, or upsampled/down-sampled anything along the way. There was a lot of talk about block-chain techniques that enable equally uncompromising data transfer, but so far, none of these announcements have come to fruition. Only then will we be (almost) 100% sure that what we are renting – on streaming services, we do not own anything, it is only a “loan” – is what we were promised.

It is therefore surprising that things are much worse in the world of video. It has never been particularly pressured by customers when it comes to image quality. This is because the vast majority of them are mass recipients, just like the recipients of Spotify or Apple Music, as well as internet radio stations. And that's great, the more people who listen to music and watch films, the better. And yet the audio industry, with its strong audiophile culture, has developed ways of influencing producers and suppliers. Through its strong identification with this hobby, the industry seems to have an asset in the form of a conscious, large group of consumers. Video industry, it seems to me, is somewhat deficient in this respect.

⸜ Sony CR-TRV33 MiniDV, one of many MiniDV cameras by that brand • photo press release Sony

And there is also a second aspect, the aspect of “physicality”, which is so important in Japan. It's about owning a particular item. I thought it was obvious, but it turns out that only the older generations, say those in their thirties and up, who still remember buying games on discs and not on Steam, understands what it means to “own a product” - a game, movie, program, or piece of music. Younger people are surprised to learn that everything they like on streaming services belongs to their owners, and they only have time-limited access to them, as determined by the subscription they have paid for.

So is it hard to imagine that suddenly this access is blocked? Until recently, we would have allowed such a scenario only for authoritarian countries that control the internet from A to Z, such as Muslim theocratic regimes or China, and in the near future maybe Russia. But us? Europe? America? Australia? The thing is that the founders and advocates of “freedom” and the “truth” that the Internet was supposed to bring to the whole world did not understand the Internet in the same way. All it takes is for someone to buy a service, be it a social network or a streaming service, and impose their rules of the game. And if they don't like you – or the country you live in – they can make it difficult for you to access the service or cut you off completely.

And it is not a new idea. In the introduction to Stuart Tolley's wonderful book Collectors Edition, published by Thames & Hudson in 2014, eleven years ago, we read:

There is no doubt that digital files, both purchased and streamed, are currently the most convenient and affordable way to access music and information. Downloading files is instant, it is also practical and convenient, and with a tablet or e-reader in your pocket, paper books and magazines from newsstands look outdated. […]

We are entering the “streaming era”, in which ownership, format and quality are becoming less and less important - in the case of streaming, the files do not belong to you - but in which we are experiencing a surprising renaissance of traditional, higher-quality formats such as vinyl, hardcover books and beautifully produced magazines. (p. 7)

⸜ Three latest SONY SACD releases from the “Three Blind Mice Premium Reissue Collection”.

As you can see, even this renaissance has its limits, as Sony has just redefined them. That's why I see physical media as a kind of backup. Especially the recording media. Hard disks (and SSDs) are extremely unreliable storage media and their archiving capacity is almost zero in the long term. They require constant rewriting and care of the data. Physical media are different, as they are several orders of magnitude more stable over time. In addition, the music, movie, game or book they contain is ours.

The end of the history of the three media mentioned at the beginning, BDs, MiniDV cassettes and MiniDiscs, is therefore an unfortunate idea. Probably the only sensible one from a business point of view. But when we think about the future in a broader perspective, it becomes clear that they are something of a strategic product. They are not threatened by electromagnetic pulse (EMP), the madness or simply the stupidity of website owners, or even the attempts to control every aspect of our lives, which not only absolute monarchies and dictatorships are fascinated by, but also many nominally democratic countries.

Therefore, let us celebrate, buy, respect and enjoy physical carriers of knowledge and culture while we still can. Before it is be too late. ●

WOJCIECH PACUŁA
Chief editor