Yeah, I'm kinda bummed about what happened with the movies. I watched its sad decline over the years with a steady stream of stealth delistings. It was particularly sad when the Devolver stuff got delisted, because it was generally interesting stuff - movies and docs - all of it meeting a certain quality threshold. Once those were gone, it really felt hollowed out. The hiding of the movies section was just the final nail in the coffin.

I'd be in favour of the movies section returning. Maybe they could have done more to promote it; there was nary a mention of it during the big sales, you always had to click through to it in order to see if there was anything. It never really got the chance it deserved.

I just added The Care Bears Movie to the movie wishlist. It's one oif my childhood movies that I recently found.

Question is, are you happy to buy DRM'd movies on GOG?. Movie studios arent going to sell movies anywhere unless its DRM'd....

I think we should separate Games and Music.
Music CDs have been easy to rip for ages, and they rarely had any viable DRM.
Games on the other hand are still mostly DRM ... effective unless you go to significant measures to bypass.

For me, it is not a matter of being optimistic, just being a realist. DRM is the preferred modern model by providers, and DRM-Free is the much rarer exception. DRM-Free is more a hangers on thing than a growing movement. As the years roll by, less and less folk care about DRM-Free and ownership, and care more about access to the next new thing. As an older person I care a lot about DRM-Free and ownership, possibly too much, but that's how I am wired. I do however perfectly understand why many (majority) don't really care about those aspects or don't care enough.

GOG still have the Movies section available, so they haven't killed it off as some kind of arbitrary choice. It has been dying a slow natural death. Prices have never really been that great, and I'm not sure GOG could pursue things any differently to how they have. How could GOG attract more DRM-Free movies? Is the issue with GOG or does it lie elsewhere? Some albums and tracks are already unavailable except via streaming or DRM downloads.
The long game would be to make music only available via streaming or DRM downloads, so access can be controlled.
Of course, anyone can record their own music and provide it as they like, but when it comes to mainstream provided via a publisher it is a different story, because there is a middle party involved, and they want their cut guaranteed.

It is also quite easy to record music as you listen to it. With movies it is somewhat harder ... harder to get good enough quality ... though that will be subjective for some, who maybe don't care about things like surround sound or menus etc.

Many folk no longer buy CDs, just use Spotify and in many cases tolerate the adverts with the free version.

For the last few years I have given up on physical CDs and just buy the high quality files that are identical to what you get with a CD, even higher quality sometimes. Hopefully that will continue for many years yet, but alas not everything is available to download after paying, with access being via subscription only. I've given up on physical CDs because I no longer have the physical storage to dedicate to them, and I am sick of physical issues like manufacturing defaults or scratches, cracked cases, etc, plus I play everything via media players these days, especially in the car, which is where I do most of my listening via USB sticks or at home with my Hifi & TV system via harddrives, or in bed with my phone and headphones or out walking with my phone and earbuds. My CD player is reserved for CDs I haven't yet ripped to FLAC and MP3.

EDIT
I'm not blind to some of the benefits of streaming, though I rarely indulge. Apart from amount of content and access to stuff I've not heard of before, the biggest plus for me, is avoiding those copyright messages and or videos at the start of a video on disc. They have long irked and annoyed me big time, such that I even removed those aspects on my many ripped ISO discs. Thank Dog we never had such play at the start of a music CD. Just so foolish to alienate your customers with such, and turn them against you. Would have been tolerable if they could have been skipped, but they mostly couldn't be.

I agree 110%. I think we need a DRM-free movie option. Currently, we have Vudu which is like Steam but for movies/shows. It's high time for a DRM-free option to arise and it may as well be GOG. Plus, I hate that I can't own a DRM-free copy of the Witcher and Cyberpunk shows... as someone who has all of the games (excluding Rogue Mage for now), that bugs my OCD quite a bit lol

I'm not, that's not what I meant. In fact, I'm keenly and sadly aware of their slow demise. All I meant was that they are not dead yet and it's probably still going to take some time, and untill they are really and truly dead I'm gonna stick with them.

REALLY not interested in digital, even DRM free ones, unless the video and audio are equal to disc. As it stands now digital versions are absolute garbage that don't have Lossless audio and high enough bitrate video.
When discs phase out I am buying nothing because of the DRM issue and like I said digital versions are garbage.

Then each movie would have to be 30-50GB. I have no problem with that, but they'd have to offer some lower quality options for those that have low storage space.

Looks like it's US-only.

Witcher series are not related to CDPR, so it would be harder to negotiate on that, but there really is no excuse for Edgerunners.

This is an interesting thread. Some general thoughts of mine:

I think one thing to bear in mind is that there is a fundamental difference between games and movies/music, in that games are software and the latter are data. Games consist of an executable application that has to be run, whereas movies/music are purely data. So, I think DRM in games is more insidious, because it can be woven into the structure of the game executable itself - different parts of the game can be locked off or controlled in different ways.

Games are also interactive media, which movies/music aren't (being pure data). Therefore, being purely data, movies and music can be recorded. There is no way to record a video game, since it consists of a complex, interactive application. However, movies/music have always been recordable (and still are).

So, I suspect that if a large proportion of movies/music were to move to streaming, we will probably see a resurgence in 'home recording' of that media. Ultimately, movies/music are just data signals. Any audio that is being output to your sound card can be re-routed and recorded. Ditto for movie video - if a video signal is being sent from some application to a video card/screen, there is nothing anyone can do to prevent a skilled user from intercepting that signal and recording it.

That is precisely what was being done decades ago with audio recordings that were being made off of the radio, and VCR recordings from analogue TV signals. So, I suspect a large-scale shift to video/audio streaming would prompt a resurgence of 'home recordings' and a bootleg black market.

So, I guess my overall point is that I see DRM as being somewhat less of an issue with movies than with games, because the DRM isn't 'woven into' the media in the same way and can't be enforced to the same extent as with games.

I wouldn't be opposed to a "relaunch" of GOG's DRM-free movies.
However: as always - the ultimate decision lies with the rights holders.
And I don't see much change in the industry, lately, towards more DRM-freedom.

I also hate the new direction of "streaming first - DVD/BR release later"...IF the management floor decides so.

I loved the four seasons of "Halt and catch Fire".
So much, that I bought the first two seasons on BR.
Why only the first two seasons, I hear you ask?
Because - unfortunately - the third and the fourth season never made it onto DVD/BR.

Another example:
"The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Haunting of Bly Manor".
Loved both series, and I can buy both in the English original on DVD/BR.
That would give ME the chance to re-watch these series over and over again...but most of my family members, with whom I love to watch TV series and movies together, can't speak English.
So...where's the German DVD/BR version, that would enable us all to enjoy these shows?

Mind you - both series ARE available in German...as stream on Netflix Germany (so a German DVD/BR release shouldn't really be a problem).

Our chances, to actually buy and own this stuff, get more and more narrowed down by streaming services that don't care for retail distribution (much less DRM-free distribution).

Games are art first and foremost, not just data. Same for movies and music. People need to realsie that, otherwise there is no hope in preserving any of this.

DRM absolutely interferes in video and music, especially in streaming. Do you pay for 4K premium on Netflix? You better use a special app or a special TV, because your unsanctioned browser will be capped at 720p. Press Ctrl + Shift + Alt + D when watching if you have not noticed or do not believe me.

What's this, you're paying for YouTube premium so you could "legally" download videos? Well you better watch them within 48 hours, because the offline content will expire after 48 hours or 29 days, depending on your region. Then you'll be forced to re-authenticate online.

Let's also not forget that anything can and do get delisted all the time.

These, among many others, are the reasons why I HATE streaming. I buy my music on CDs, I buy my movies on Blu-Rays and I buy my games on GOG, Zoom, Itch and Humble. If they want to stop burning and / or selling me Blu-Rays, then I need a DRM-Free store for video. If we can buy some games and some music DRM-Free, we should be able to do the same with video.

I think you've missed my point somewhat. I completely agree that games, movies and music are forms of art and need to be preserved. But, movies/music are both: they are art but they can also be considered a form of data. Those descriptions are not exclusive.

My point in describing movies as 'data' was not to detract from them being forms of art, but to highlight a fundamental difference between games and movies - that games are software, whereas movies are not. Movies are passive media (vs games being interactive) and so they can always be recorded from any stream (which games can't). Therefore, they are easier to record and preserve than games.

Oh yes, absolutely. I'm not trying to excuse or justify DRM in A/V media. Its very important that they are preserved and that DRM-free versions are available.

I guess my point is that I am personally less concerned about preservation of movies/music than games (though please don't read that as 'not concerned'), because A/V media can always be recorded from a stream, and no amount of DRM will ever prevent that. So, I am not sure I would like to see GOG (or Zoom) diverting resources from their game preservation efforts for movies.

Imo, it would be better for DRM-free movies/music to have their own storefront, with their own separate site, branding etc. That would probably be better from the POV of marketing as well, since then the movies can be more prominent and not 'hidden' in the corner of a store that is primarily for DRM-free games. The target audiences for games/movies are potentially quite different as well.

Just my opinion on the matter.

I agree with most of what you wrote.

That said, the powers-that-be don't give up on DRM, despite the ability to more easily duplicate or duplicate enough for some folk. Blu-ray DRM for instance is still hard to crack without paying money for a program that can do so, and they seem to be subscription based as well.

So at the end of the day, it will depend on whether you will accept a recording and any lack of quality, especially with movies.
Yep, totally agree.

I really enjoyed the SILO series and it appears it is not going to be released on disc at this point ... and there are others.

I enjoyed the first The Wheel Of Time series so much I bought the Blu-rays, and likewise enjoyed the second series and so hope to purchase that on Blu-ray as well. But will I be able to, and what about future seasons.

I seriously hate how they entrap you. It is like buying Amazon Kindle ebooks, which you can only read on a Kindle device or with the Kindle app on your PC or tablet. Similar for Kobo and Apple ebooks etc. They lock you into a regime.

With movies and TV shows it is worse, as you get locked into a subscription.

With many TV series and the odd movie I don't care about how great the soundtrack is, but with shows where it matters I do care.

I am aware of course, that you can buy some shows (Movies etc) from various streamers, but I've never done it, so don't know what you get. I'm not even sure if you get a permanent file on your drive or whether it always has to be streamed. I guess it would not contain better bitrates if you still need to stream. Hell, I don't even know if you have to maintain a paid subscription with the streamer you bought from, just to watch what you paid for. I guess it is possible they have a free mode with their app to just play purchased items ... or maybe you can use iTunes. In any case I am not a fan of going that route, especially if there is no flexibility and audio is only lossy.