Physical Media for Beginners: Part One
A helpful starter guide for physical media rookies and grizzled vets looking to expand their palette. Plus: Dave digs through his closet to bring you the best in bootleg movie merch.
This may be hard to believe, but I (Matt) didn’t always consider myself a physical media collector. I definitely owned my fair share of DVDs and Blu-rays, but I was also more than happy to rent discs from Netflix (three at a time, baby) or buy “digital copies” from… *shudder* …iTunes. It was only in the last 5 or 6 years that I began to acquire a thirst for physical media, and I was immediately overwhelmed by how much the landscape had changed. The Criterion Collection was no longer the only boutique label in town and 4K had become the new standard. I had so many questions. Would I have to rebuy my entire catalog? Are “Steelbooks” actual collector’s items or are they the disc equivalent of Funko Pops for film nerds? What’s the difference between Dolby Vision and HDR 10? And why is everything so fucking expensive???
Thankfully, we here at TRACKING NOISE have done your homework for you and created a handy cheatsheet to help navigate the complicated, incredibly niche world of Film-Related Physical Media©. There’s so much information to share, we had to split this into multiple parts, so stay tuned for Part Two next month. But without further ado, here’s Part One of Physical Media for Beginners…
THE PLAYERS
The first thing every physical media enthusiast needs is something to play their physical media on. Sadly, the device manufacturers have not made things easy for us. For instance, a device that can read Blu-ray discs can’t necessarily read 4K Blu-rays. However, almost all 4K Blu-ray players are backwards-compatible with Blu-rays and DVDs, so that’s mainly what we’ll be focusing on.
Another thing to keep in mind: While 4K Blu-rays are almost always Region Free, meaning they can be played on any device with 4K capabilities, regular Blu-rays are often “region-locked,” which means they can only be played in certain parts of the world (North America is Region A, Europe is Region B, etc). You’ll find a more detailed explainer here. There are “Region Free” Blu-ray players that have been modified to play discs from anywhere in the world (more on that later). Just make sure before you purchase a disc that your player can actually handle it.
Some other terms you might want to familiarize yourself with are:
HDR (High Dynamic Range) — You may have noticed a sticker on some 4K Blu-rays that says “HDR” and wondered what that is. Much like the jump in resolution from high-def to 4K, “high dynamic range” offers a significant increase in brightness, color and contrast, which translates to a prettier, more vibrant picture. Colors like red really pop and there is more detail visible in the shadows and highlights. Most modern 4K TVs are HDR-capable, so you can probably take advantage of this already, but only 4K Blu-rays and certain streaming services offer this feature.
Dolby Vision and HDR 10(+) — Because nothing in this world can just be easy, there are, of course, multiple standards of HDR: Dolby Vision and HDR 10 (as well as the more recent HDR 10+). Some discs are mastered in all three flavors, some offer one but not the other two. The same goes for TVs and disc players. It makes my head hurt just thinking about it. So feel free to do what I do and just… not worry about it! This might sound sacrilegious to a true “videophile” but at a certain point, my eyes start to glaze over and I know I’m not alone so you have my permission to not care about this. But if you do care or are curious, here's a helpful video that sums up the differences.
Now that we’ve gotten all the technical stuff out of the way, here are our…
A. Playstation 5 w/ disc drive ($499) — Before you click away in disgust, I’m not advocating for you to go out and buy an expensive video game console. But the best 4K Blu-ray player is the one you already own, and there’s a good chance you have one of these at home. While the PS5 isn’t the best 4K Blu-ray player on the market, it’s actually pretty good! It doesn’t support Dolby Vision, but as I mentioned above, you don’t need to worry about that. The biggest downside of the PS5 is that it’s massive and absolutely hideous looking, but if you already own one, theoretically you’ve made peace with that by now.
B. Sony UBP-X700 ($179) — This is your standard, entry-level pick. Nothing special, but like a stalwart character actor, it’s dependable and gets the job done. Full disclosure: I use this as my secondary player and I like it just fine. The menus are ugly, it doesn’t support HDR 10+ and there aren’t as many bells-and-whistles as the pricier options have, but for most people this is a great option.
C. Panasonic DP-UB820 ($369) — Panasonic has long been the gold standard for physical media players going back to the days of laserdisc and VHS and thankfully, they’re still making ‘em like they used to. It’s not the most expensive option (see below), but it has just about every feature you could want and it can upscale your non-4K discs to make them look even better. If you’ve been using your PS5 and are thinking about upgrading, this is the one to get.
D. Panasonic DP-UB9000 ($900+) — This is the Porsche 911 of 4K Blu-ray players, or what those in the industry have deemed “reference quality,” which in layman’s terms means “the best picture and sound money can buy.” It has all the same features as the Panasonic listed above, plus a few more minor features you probably don’t care about. What makes it so exceptional is the build quality. While most Blu-ray players are feather light and forged from cheap plastic, this one is heavy and built like a tank, with brushed metal and an undeniably premium look. For serious videophiles only.
***BONUS*** “Region Free” 4K Blu-ray Players (prices may vary) — For those of you interested in watching Blu-rays or DVDs from around the globe, you might want to consider buying a “region free” player. At the link above, you can find modified versions of the players already mentioned that are compatible with just about every disc under the sun. They may cost a bit more, but such is the price of freedom.
If you don’t have one already, make sure you also pick up an Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cable to go along with your new 4K Blu-ray player. Don’t spend more than $20 unless you need one that’s longer than 10 feet. An inexpensive cable from Monoprice is totally fine for most setups.
And finally, for those of you looking to go the analog (read: VHS) route, may we recommend an old classic…
Most standalone VCRs don’t have HDMI ports, which means they don’t play well with modern TVs, so a TV/VCR combo is the quickest way to get you back in the VHS game with the least amount of headaches. Not to mention the form factor itself is enough to give 90s kids like me a heavy dose of nostalgia.
Also, because of their compact size, they can fit just about anywhere. You could put one in the kitchen and pop in a tape while you’re making dinner, or keep one in your office for when you’re dealing with writer’s block and need to feel inspired. They may not offer the best picture and sound quality, but that’s not really why you’re buying VHS tapes, is it? Plus, you can usually find them for cheap on Etsy or Offer Up and at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. Just make sure you test it out first or that whoever you buy it from has a generous return policy.
OK, now that you’ve got your shiny new 4K Blu-ray and/or VHS player, where do you get your physical media?
THE DEALERS
As we mentioned in our first post, places like Best Buy or Target no longer stock Blu-rays IRL. You can still find them at soulless megastores like Amazon or Walmart, but their selections are limited. They also tend to ship their physical media in thin, flimsy envelopes to save money, so cases often arrive cracked or damaged in transit.
Which is why we’d like to take this opportunity to shine a light on some privately owned shops that keep the world of physical media spinning on its axis, so you can put your hard-earned cash into the pockets of folks who actually care about delivering a quality shopping experience. Sure, you might have to spend a bit more, but think of it like supporting your local independent bookstore. If we don’t support these places now, they might not be here tomorrow.
DiabolikDVD — Owned and operated by Jesse Nelson, a bonafide film and physical media fanatic, Diabolik not only has a wide selection of discs from around the world, but their communication and customer service is unparalleled. I pre-ordered a copy of Second Sight’s The Hitcher box set from them last year that arrived severely damaged (through no fault of theirs) and Jesse emailed me personally to offer me a return shipping label and a replacement free of charge. That’s the kind of white glove service I didn’t know still existed and now I’m a loyal customer for life.
OrbitDVD — Operating out of Asheville, North Carolina, Orbit was luckily spared from the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Helene. That said, the surrounding community is still struggling and I’m sure sales have been impacted, so why not aid some fellow Discheads in their time of need? Their selection is impressive, though stock does tend to sell-out quickly. But I ordered a copy of Deaf Crocodile’s Felidae limited edition set from them last year and it arrived promptly and in flawless condition, so they have my personal seal of approval.
Grindhouse Video — These guys specialize in horror and genre films, but they do have their fair share of arthouse and international stuff too. I haven’t personally ordered anything from them yet, but they come highly recommended from those in the know and they currently have some things in stock that I’ve seen listed as “sold out” on the sites listed above, so it’s good to have options!
Whammy! Analog — As mentioned by Max Minghella in our interview from last week, Whammy! has quickly built up a reputation as the place to go for VHS tapes in Los Angeles. Their in-store selection has to be seen to be believed, but their online store is equally impressive and updated frequently with alerts from their Instagram page. They also hold screenings and events at their space in Silverlake so if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by.
Of course, you can always buy directly from the boutique labels themselves. In our next edition, we’ll do a deep dive on these labels and what each one has to offer, but in the meantime…
MERCH TABLE
Please enjoy this sampling from my (Dave’s) collection of movie tees. I am currently attempting to channel my disposable income away from merch and towards physical media (I have way too many shirts) so the least I can do now is show off the wares and point you in the direction of the merchants who made them. Because supporting film merch is, in its own way, a show of support for physical media (kind of).
Double Wonderful — While probably best known for his positively mad Steely Dan creations, Double Wonderful likes to mix the occasional movie / TV show shirt into his monthly drops. I think Home Alone and Twin Peaks are the only properties he’s done multiple shirts for, and that Venn-diagram overlap tells you pretty much everything about his sensibility. Bro moves fast and only opens his site until things sell out (sometimes within SECONDS) so don’t sleep. Pro tip: Next drop is on February 28th, 2025.
Humanboy World Wide — Ross McElwee’s supremely weird and weirdly affecting ‘80s odyssey Sherman’s March is an all-time favorite documentary, and it was no surprise to see it turn up in one of HBW’s recent collections — fitting right in with similarly niche movies of the era that they’ve flipped, including Crossing Delancey, Girlfriends, Lost in America… and a whole lot of Robert Altman. This brand is dialed-in and there’s a good chance if you live in LA you’ve seen their Taste of Cherry hat floating past you on some cool guy’s dome.
Online Ceramics — At this point OC is one of the most dominant partners in the movie merch collab ecosystem, releasing multiple capsules for (mostly A24) new releases year after year. Before all that, they did some spicy unlicensed boots for their annual Halloween movie screenings in LA. And while I didn’t bust out the DMT pipe at this 2017 The Dark Crystal showing, I did cop the gear, your honor. Uncut Gems is a personal favorite — once these guys went legit, this beautiful sweatshirt was one of the first pieces to catch fire mainstream and the rest is hypebeast history, folks.
Director Fits — The digital moodboard to celebrity fashion & book deal pipeline is alive and well at Director Fits. What started as an IG account documenting the best on-set styles behind the camera has evolved into a proper merch depot. Their primary patron seems to be MUBI (their recent work on The Substance is especially worth noting) but they love to spotlight the classics too. This Sorcerer tee is honestly what all movie merch should be — an exact recreation of the wrap-gift shirt that was made for the crew back in the 70s (plus a little modern branding on the back). The Thief shirt was cooked up with The Cinegogue and while I love Big Prints — especially ones featuring James Caan — I still have never had the guts to rock this one in public. Maybe this spring I can risk it all and tuck it into a pair of dungarees :///////.
Warner Bros Official — This Inherent Vice I found on eBay is what officially licensed studio merch looked like only a decade ago — paper-thin shirts with the cheapest and smallest screenprint imaginable. After the movie merch heyday of the 80s and 90s, this dogshit became the default output of the 2000s and 2010s. However, thanks to A24 and NEON and the recent merch boom, studios are back to putting effort into the game. And despite this tee being trash, I’m proud to own a piece of film history for one of the most underrated movies ever made.
Fraser Croll — Featuring lowkey designs and infrequent drops, this Magnolia shirt was one of the first he put out there, and I was so bored during the pandemic that I put my own spin on it by coloring in the title with paint pens. Creativity!!!!
Frog Home Video — I know very little about this brand other than they’re based out of Chicago and their Instagram stories are a funhouse mirror of screengrabs from random 80s and 90s movies. Accordingly, they made this absolutely twisted Gremlins 2: The Bad Batch tie-dye last year with a whole lot going on front-to-back. The trend of arbitrarily putting some words in Japanese on merch is something I don’t totally understand, but I like it. Frog Home Video: for all your nostalgia-core tie-dyed maximalist movie shirt needs (see also: their long-sold-out Waterworld shirt)
Boot Boyz Biz — RIP to BBB, although they’ve recently been reincarnated as Now-Time and are back to making the heady reference-forward merch they became ‘famous’ for. What made their stuff especially interesting was that, in addition to tight design work, the Boyz would also do a thoughtful, well-researched blog post for every single item they made to help explain their merch’s semiotic gumbo. This is the one for Scorsese’s After Hours; and here is the entry for The Battle of Algiers. And while you can no longer buy their stuff outside of the secondary market, the ‘archive’ of all these posts is a treasure trove (with lots of physical media-related stuff too).
Brain Dead — These guys are neck ‘n neck with Online Ceramics for the title of “best purveyor of official collab movie merch.” In fact, OC also did an Exorcist run recently, but Brain Dead got it first. This was from an early release, complete with some nice, very simple re-imaginings of the original poster. Also of note: This is the second William Friedkin movie shirt to be featured in this post.
Jess Rotter — I believe this was a Kickstarter reward to raise money for Hal, the documentary about Mr. Ashby that came out in 2018. It’s a gem of a film with an equally strong but understated merch to match. I always loved Jess Rotter’s detailed 1970s-inspired drawings when I caught them in print or on LP covers in the wild, and as a dedicated Ashbyhead it quickly became one of my favorite tees. I’m surprised by how underrepresented his movies are in the bootleg merch world, so if any of you are reading this, please bless us with a Being There tie-dye long sleeve in the near future.
That’s all for this week. See you next time.
— Matt & Dave