Episode 139 - Digital Edition
Hey. Y'know what really grinds my gears? Inaccurate use of the word "digital".
When a movie or game releases a "digital" version, what does that mean? When a movie is advertised as being available on DVD, blu-ray, and digital, what does the digital mean? When Microsoft and Sony advertise all digital Xboxes and Playstations, what does that mean? I'll tell you what they think it means, and what most people assume it means--download or streaming only. No physical media. I.e. no optical discs. I.e. no DVDs or blu-ray discs. ... uh... huh....
Pop quiz. What does the first "D" in "DVD" stand for? I'll give you a hint:
IT'S NOT ANALOG!!!!
Time for some tech-ed. Optical discs (i.e. CDs, DVDs, and blu-rays) are D I G I T A L!!!! Digital does not mean download/streaming only. It means pertaining to digits, i.e. data expressed numerically, usually in binary, to discretely represent all variables, which is readable and manipulable by a computer. That's how data is stored on optical discs!! The opposite of digital is not physical media, it's analog. Analog means representing data by measurement of a continuous physical variable, such as voltage or pressure. Cassette tapes, VHS tapes, and vinyl records are analog.
So, a DVD or blu-ray movie is digital. A game console with an optical disc drive is digital. Well, actually, if we want to split hairs, none of these game consoles are truly all digital, because the controllers have analog sticks!
Stop calling the non-physical media options "digital only". Just stop. Call it what it actually is: download/streaming only. If you don't, so help me Celestia, I'll... I'LL...
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