Do you need to have pbooks in your home?

[Barbara1955]

I do have a tiny collection of DVD... & 500+ in my VUDU collection. Have purchased a physical movie or book in Over a decade.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

We may be moving to another country early next year, and if we do, we will not be taking TVs with us. So I'm happy with a format that's nice and portable, something to watch on my tablet on the flights, and on a laptop when we get there. Also, most of the DVDs I have are of Hindi movies from the 50s and 60s, so upscaling is veering into "lipstick on a pig" territory

Upscaling of DVD files is a function of the software you use to archive and/or the playback software. Some are good, some are merely decent.

I tried a few options and ended up archiving the DVDs as straight ISO files.
(It retains captions, special features, and alternate soundtracks.)

I playback with MrMC on FireTV (KODI minus unvetted Addins) via WIFi. The software upscales nicely, mostly because the files are (internally) Mpeg with lots of redundant data. Looks about as good as the source DVD on my old OPPO BD player and better than feeding the TV SD and using the onboard upscaler.

It's the bulkiest way to go but terabyte drives are dirt cheap.

As always, YMMV.

The DVDs I keep as decoration in two bookcases.
Books, I use two custom bookcases; one for mmpb and one for hardcovers.
Separate room that I visit once or twice a year.

[azayn]

I don't have too many, but I'm hanging on to the paperbacks/hardcovers I still own. Some are cherished favorites I read a long time ago and don't want to part with. The rest are ones I couldn't find digitally or don't want to pay for a digital copy.

And yeah, having some book spines on display adds some much needed ambiance to the house.

[Deskisamess]

I even have a paperback copy of Jane Eyre in my car. It's been there as long as I've owned the car, 14 years.

[Catlady]

I have my original paperback copy of Gone with the Wind, which I bought as a sophomore in high school, not knowing anything about it. I love to see it on the bookshelf in all its tattered glory; it's got loose pages, taped-together spine, tearstains, underlinings, dog-eared corners--I read that copy again and again and would never willingly part with it. I have the digital version of course, and a couple of hardcover editions--I even have a copy of the exact paperback edition as my original that is in great condition, but it doesn't evoke the same memories.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Upscaling of DVD files is a function of the software you use to archive and/or the playback software. Some are good, some are merely decent.

I tried a few options and ended up archiving the DVDs as straight ISO files.
(It retains captions, special features, and alternate soundtracks.)
The DVDs I keep as decoration in two bookcases.
Books, I use two custom bookcases; one for mmpb and one for hardcovers.
Separate room that I visit once or twice a year.

Yes, I tend to store my DVDs as ISOs too. As you say large capacity drives are cheap, and ever so slightly easier to pack for international travel than bookcases. I do love living now, when thousands of books and hundreds of movies can all be held in one hand

[Jack Torrance]

While I abandoned pbooks a while back my wife doesn’t like ereaders and has continued to buy what interests her. So as much as I’ve eliminated 95% of all the pbooks in favor or ebooks there are still tons around the house.

[maddz]

We're slowly digitising but a lot of my collection aren't available digitally or only at silly prices. I'm not really interested in re-purchasing a title I already own in paper at full price - I'd sooner save the money and buy several books (new to me or not) in a deal.

Fortunately, we have the space - the bulk of the paper copies live in shelves in what used to be an attached garage - but I can see from where I'm sitting 4 6' bookcases stuffed with books, 3 6' CD towers (mostly full), 3 3.5' DVD units - one used for books, the others 2 for DVDs with the overspill in the TV unit, and a 3' bookcase used for records.

[pdurrant]

My physical book stock has been mightily trimmed, but I still have a couple of sizeable bookshelves in the living room.

But I probably now own more books than I ever have - ca. 4,000 ebooks in calibre, IIRC.

Can I see myself getting rid of all pbooks? Probably not. Although if we moved to somewhere smaller, I can see the stock getting reduced even further.

OTOH, I never read pbooks. Perhaps I should just get rid of them all.

[Thasaidon]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^ As my good buddy Cicero said to me the other day,


“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

And ol' Borges piped in with this (it's so hard to keep him quiet):

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
― Jorge Luis Borges

The above sums up my feelings exactly and my respect for Borges has increased.

I still would not be without my ebooks though.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^ As my good buddy Cicero said to me the other day,


“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

I find this quote both interesting and apt, since paper books, the subject of this topic, did not even exist when Kikero (phonetic) was alive. Clearly, he liked his rooms to be full of reading material in the format he was familiar with. Making his quote capable of being used to defend ebooks as well, since his quote was about the content not the medium. Unless, of course, those using his quote abjure paper books in favour of scrolls and codices

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I find this quote both interesting and apt, since paper books, the subject of this topic, did not even exist when Kikero (phonetic) was alive. Clearly, he liked his rooms to be full of reading material in the format he was familiar with. Making his quote capable of being used to defend ebooks as well, since his quote was about the content not the medium. Unless, of course, those using his quote abjure paper books in favour of scrolls and codices

It's unlikely that he actually said that. The quote is more modern and is possibly a paraphrase of something that he did say in one of his letters which was translated as "Since Tyrannio has arranged my books, the house seems to have acquired a soul". Of course, the word used "libros" is the plural of libro, the root of the word library. You are correct that the word is used in the context of content rather than actual media since books as we know them didn't exist then.

One can argue that the quote really means that a house with an ordered library in whatever media has acquired a soul. I know that many people find being able to see their books and browse through their collection, restful and calming.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

One can argue that the quote really means that a house with an ordered library in whatever media has acquired a soul.

Which is similar in intent to what I said - and thanks to Kovid, my library is VERY well ordered

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Yes, I tend to store my DVDs as ISOs too. As you say large capacity drives are cheap, and ever so slightly easier to pack for international travel than bookcases. I do love living now, when thousands of books and hundreds of movies can all be held in one hand

Funny thing,if I'd known what streaming would bring, I wouldn't have bought all those DVD season sets.
More money for ebooks.

[crane3]

Books are 'needed' in certain situations. I am in a 1 br apt so that the audio system is in the LR. Having some books & shelves in the LR helps disperse the sound waves because of the soft surfaces; the help depends on the kind of furniture in the room.