Has anyone gone more analogue and loved it?

Only problem with landlines is the amount of calls you get from scammers.

You might as well give up on following the news if you are going to depend on the relly as a source

I’d like to stop faffing about on here!
I’d really like a brick phone with just Spotify for podcasts and WhatsApp for chatting.

Whilst I do find my smartphone useful for certain things, particularly train travel, much of my daily life is analogue. Paper diary, and train tickets, landline, notebook and pencil for shopping lists, textile and practical hobbies, paper road maps, old style weights for kitchen scales, always carry some cash, traditional carpet sweeper, very few household gadgets. A vintage non electric sewing machine in regular use. Real books, lots of them. A daily print newspaper. I also strongly prefer to connect with people and events in person (rather than through screens). For me it makes for a richer, more textured, more engaged life.

My DC mock me for wearing a real watch. They just don't get it. My Dad gave me it for my 21st. It is elegant and graceful and makes me feel good.

I've got mechanical kitchen and bathroom scales so no need to buy batteries

@octoverwhelmed its a CAT S22. Not the best phone in the world to be honest! But it met my needs.

You are wasting your time.

If someone doesn't understand how much higher quality HD and 4K are than DVD then it's probably because they are watching them on a £100 24" TV from about 20 feet away and know nothing of the technical details of the picture quality. Blu Ray is objectively higher quality than DVD. There is no sensible argument otherwise.

I would love there to be some magic that turns DVD into as high a quality viewing experience as blu ray as I have quite a few of them but there just isn't. Maybe in the future there may be some AI upscaling that can do it and make it look better. But I will make a guess that because physical media is generally dying even if someone could come up with a player that did this (it would probably need a lot of processing power and so be pretty expensive) hardly anyone would want to buy or produce it.

Maybe there is a bit of irony that MP3s are actually less quality I think than the older native tracks they are ripped from on audio CDs because of the lossy compression process. But to me an MP3 file is not significantly worse than playing a native CD and I can tolerate either. A DVD I really can't, unless it is on a small screen like a phone or a tablet. I don't think this is just AV snobbery either. DVDs would be pretty intolerable I think by anyone watching on my setup, and my setup isn't particularly demanding either (48"). Watching DVDs on a 75" TV would be truly horrible.

I don't think I would be ditching my smartphone though. I think it's an important and useful thing to have. SO much depends on having a smartphones these days... IMO, it would be like public transport being cancelled/stopped, (out to my little village, 3.5 miles from my little market town,) and then me getting rid of my car!

What phone is this and how do you dumbify it?

Yes I can. And I will. I am sorry that you have not had the same experiences of good quality DVDs that I and some other posters have had, but you're talking nonsense if you're trying to claim that the quality of all DVDs is shit.

I'm not saying they are shit, I'm saying that they are lower quality. You're trying to argue against physics. A dvd has a vertical width of 576 pixels. Your basic normal HD TV now, or blueray has a maximum of 1080. UHD TVs, (all new TVs), your sky q box, Netflix etc, have 2160 pixels! By definition, a dvd has a lower quality picture than modern technology.

My DS21 just ditched his smartphone, and got himself old Nokia. With no apps, but a snake game 😆He says he's got so much more time, and peace. He's got smartphone, but is only using it for driving directions. I am well impressed I must say.

@GasPanic

you can't claim that it's not a lower-quality product.

Yes I can. And I will. I am sorry that you have not had the same experiences of good quality DVDs that I and some other posters have had, but you're talking nonsense if you're trying to claim that the quality of all DVDs is shit. You just want it to be because it suits your argument.

You can think it by all means, it's a free country, but don't tell me I should agree with you. Because I won't. Because my experience is differerent to yours, and the vast majority of my DVDs are very good, or excellent quality.

You crack on shitting all over DVDs and singing the praises of streaming though, and enjoy all the edited, sanitized, and watered down versions of everything, then lose all access to it when it's taken off! 👍As I said, it's a free country. Do not presume to tell others they are 'wrong' though. Newsflash: An opinion can never be wrong, and it's breathtakingly arrogant for anyone to say it it.

@Nourishinghandcream

I have heard that many older films and/or TV series are often edited for streaming to take out "offensive" language or scenes whereas with the original DVD you are certain of the version that you are getting.

This is 100% true. I am so glad I have 1000+ DVDs of films and TV shows that I have had since the mid 1990s. Some from the noughties, some from the 2010s. (As well as the 2020s!) Featuring many many films and TV shows from the past 70-80 years... All present and correct and the original version, not a woke version that has had all the 'offensive' and 'jarring' words and phrases removed, that some of the younger generation find soooooooo terrifying these days.

FRIENDS. when it's on the TV now, is a shadow of its former self, with some of the funniest lines cut out, so as not to offend the fragile. 🙄 Some of the episodes don't make sense. EG, you get a huge roar of laughter from the audience, and you don't know what they're laughing at because it's been cut out! Utterly ridiculous. Ditto many action films and comedy films and TV shows. Sooooo many lines and words cut out. They are virtually unwatchable. As I said, the streaming fans can keep it. I will watch my DVDs ta very much. Way, WAY better than much of the streaming! 😎 Obviously I watch SOME stuff on streaming, (new stuff,) but not older stuff.

Oh, and the vast majority of my DVDs do NOT have adverts on them! As I said, you are clearly thinking of video cassettes!!!

!

But this is simply not true. DVDs are not lower quality, they don't take 'ages to set up' and there are no unskippable ads. They have never been like this. Are you thinking of video cassettes?

I'm not thinking of vhs. DVDs were created using standard definition. They are nowhere near HD, never mind the UHD that all streaming services offer and TV's show nowadays. There were plenty with loads of unskippable logos, trailers and the infamous "you wouldn't steal a car" piece. You can argue about owning versus licensing content, but you can't claim that it's not a lower-quality product.

No DVD player can really upscale to modern TV sizes effectively. The resolution jump is just too high. You can rip them and watch them on phones and tablets and they are OK, but on TV's ? No. Unless they are really tiny TVs like 12-24".

If you go on ebay you'll find thousands of DVDs as cheap as chips. Why ? Because on a decent TV (I think average TV for the UK is 48" nowadays) they look crap no matter how much money you spend on the best upscaling player, and as a result no one really wants them.

I would love it if DVDs actually could be upscaled effectively to large TV sizes as I have a pile of them. But the quality of them is just awful.

For 4K TVs the minimum acceptable is probably 1080p / Blu ray HD. The jump from 1080p to 4K is much less noticable IMO (maybe if you have a 70"+ TV it would be worth it), but generally they have extra features like enhanced HDR and sound so not just the resolution increase that you pay the extra for.

Totally lost the point of this thread haven't you?

Lower quality. Really? Most DVD players are upscaling nowadays and the quality is just fine, especially if they are older programs anyway which were never going to be HD quality
Takes longer to set up. What? Select your DVD, pop it in the slot and it plays (with perhaps a few seconds of branding if starting from the very beginning).
Ads. No ads on any of my DVD's.
Also many DVD's include extras such as delegated scenes, bloopers, cast interviews etc,.

What if you don't have Netflix (like us).
We are often away in the MoHo. No need for internet connectivity, just stick in the DVD (we keep a selection in the MoHo) and away you go.

I have heard that many older films and/or TV series are often edited for streaming to take out "offensive" language or scenes whereas with the original DVD you are certain of the version that you are getting.

The key is to know what is good and what isn't. Some stuff you buy that is vintage is better quality and will last longer than stuff you buy today and some isn't.

I have a fantastic mid century Danish teak coffee table that looks fantastic and cost peanuts second hand. It would take me thousands to get something of similar quality today.

I also have a fantastic oled TV that is huge, light, produces a brilliant quality picture and uses much lower power than an equivalent 1970s CRT TV.

So the 1970s for TVs, no. For teak coffee tables, very much so.

But this is simply not true. DVDs are not lower quality, they don't take 'ages to set up' and there are no unskippable ads. They have never been like this. Are you thinking of video cassettes?

And at least if you have the DVD, you will always own that film or TV series. You never know when it's going to be taken off 'streaming.' I am constantly being asked by people I know who have no DVDs, (as they prefer to stream,) if they can borrow this film and that film, and a certain TV show or series on DVD, because it's disappeared off streaming, and they can't watch it. (Or Amazon have it but want £6.99 off you to watch it!!! Or if it's a series of 5-10 seasons, they want £6.99 per season!)

Yep, I will never stop buying DVDs. Ever!

.

Hi @Consideringparttime That sounds cute! My DC are both doing this. (Me too - a bit.) They are starting to collect films and some TV shows/series on DVD, moreso because so much stuff is not streaming when they want to watch it, or it's cancelled altogether. They have record players and vinyl records too, not CDs though. (I have 400 CDs though, and lots of vinyl and a 'record' player too.)

I also still own (and occasionally play) around 25 cassette tapes. I used to have about 100, but binned them with my 300 odd video tapes when DH and I downsized our home. I regret it a bit, but am glad I kept a couple of dozen cassette tapes! Don't regret binning the VHS as they took up a lot of room, and the quality was average. We got most stuff we had on VHS, on DVD. My DC also have board games, and also some 'retro' furniture. My one DC loves 1960s and 1970s furniture, and actively seeks it out on Facebook marketplace and Ebay.

Also, I have a 1970s theme in my bedroom - candlewick bedspread, an old rotary phone (it works too,) a standard lamp (popular in the 1960s and 1970s,) and various 1970s ornaments, and 'bit and bobs.' Also have some board games, like Monopoly, Stay Alive, Cluedo, Scrabble, and Ludo. I also keep a diary (have done since I was 12, now nearly 60!) I love old fashioned advent calendars too - no chocolate, and no plastic, just a cardboard one with 24 or 25 Christmas pics behind the doors. I print out actual photos too, and put them in photo albums.

I have pickwick lights for the 3ft high Christmas tree I keep in the hall, and some tin foil decorations (popular in the 1980s and 1990s) that I put up in the hallway and kitchen. Awwww. Such fond memories of the past. Thanks for this thread OP! (Ignore the haters!) 😐

I never really moved out of the analogue era.😆

I listen to the radio, watch Freeview TV, play CD's & DVD's (of which we have many hundreds) and read real books.
I have never streamed or downloaded and never looked at a Kindle or iPad.
I only got a smartphone 3yrs ago but only use it for calls, texts, emails and occasional internet access as I much prefer the large screen and real keyboard of my PC.
My choice of (brand new) car was based on one which has a more traditional dashboard with knobs, buttons & dials rather than just a touchscreen unfortunately nothing has a CD player anymore.☹️

My OH is more up to date and does indeed stream films, download music and owns a Kindle (doesn't use it much), he also got me into watching Bangers & Cash from S1 E1 (we are both classic car/bike nuts) on catch-up so maybe I am on the slippery slope!😆

I like this thread. I've kept a written diary for years now.
We still.look at roadmaps.
Don't use Sat Nav.

Do you actually know what analogue means OP ?
CDs and DVDs are digital, not analogue, for goodness' sake.

Oh and DVDs generally look rubbish on todays decent TVs.HD is pretty much a minimum unless you are peering at a 24" Tv from 50 metres away.

I think if you think going back to DVDs and CDs is "going analogue" then you don't really understand what digital actually means.

I am not sure how going back to CD players, VHS machines etc is helpful.

You need more devices so more e-waste. A smartphone you can do lots of different things on. A cd player only one. The devices use more power (it takes more power to spin and read a disk than it does to stream). The media itself generates a lot of waste. The list goes on. Couple that with the fact it is not in any way easier. Disks require storage and you need to fetch them and put them away. They can also get scratched and ruined. Probably the only benefit is that you own the media, so once you have it noone can take it away from you.

I have a SACD/4K blu ray player, but I have that because it offers something over and above what streaming generally offers.