GADGET GURU
T3’s immortal tech guy offers up more advice that won’t fade away
TOM SPANIA, LEEDS
My computer doesn’t have a disc drive. Is the optical disc dead?
A
Oh, so the world revolves around you, does it? Just because you’re not playing spinny silver platters they belong in the bin? Not so, despite the fact that evidence beyond your narrow worldview might suggest you’re actually right.
Guru simply doesn’t have the gravitas to present the information properly, but let’s look at a few prescient facts. CD sales have, ludicrously, been outpaced by those of vinyl records in 2023. Profits from video disc sales have halved since 2019. Worldwide broadband speeds now average out at over 100Mb/sec. With that much capacity for streaming there’s no point in discs, is there?
Well, what about when your favourite streaming service culls a bunch of content for licensing reasons and it turns out you were just borrowing it after all? Worse, what if puritanical meddlers decide to ban your favourite content? They’ll take Guru’s DVD of Driller Killer out of his cold, dead hands. While your eyes and ears might not be able to detect it, UHD Blu-ray is still the only way to get the best quality movie experience at home, too. And if you want to offer the same experience to someone else’s home – or sell your media on after enjoying it – digital alternatives don’t work.
ABOVE Lo, the holy finger hath descended to pass judgement on your Blu-ray collection