Q: With the popularity of streaming movies, when do you think buying movie discs will become a thing of the past?

A: I don't know if we will ever get to that point, but if we did, it would not be a good thing for movie lovers and consumers in general. There are several very positive things that physical media offer that streaming services do not.

The first is availability. Not every movie that's on DVD or Blu-ray is available via streaming services, and providers such as Netflix and Amazon rotate the availability often. If you depend solely on a streaming service to provide your content you may find yourself out of luck when looking for an old film. If the studio decides to pull a film from their catalog and not reissue it (for example, Disney's "Song of the South") and not offer it on streaming, you may never have a chance to see the movie at all.

The second is control. If you buy a movie disc you keep it and can watch it whenever you want, indefinitely. You also can take it with you to watch elsewhere. Streaming gives all the control to the studios and the Internet service providers.

The third is quality and features. Blu-ray discs still offer the very best sound and video quality available, short of the incredibly sparse 4K offerings. There also are the many special features found on discs like trailers, commentary and interviews. You miss all that with streaming. It's like comparing rich soup (disc) to water (streaming).

Physical media sales have declined because of competition from streaming, and this has started to work in the consumer's favor. Deals on DVDs and Blu-ray discs are becoming incredible bargains. Many excellent films, both modern and classic, are available for under $10. For example, I recently went to Best Buy, where they had an MGM Anniversary display. I purchased "West Side Story," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "The Great Escape" and "Silence of the Lambs" on Blu-ray for less than $10 each. And there are package deals with three or four movies in a single case, also often selling for under $10. It's a wonderful value. Not that long ago it cost $35 to $40 to buy a Blu-ray movie.

Often I am told "no" when I ask someone if they have a Blu-ray player. I find this surprising and sad, given the huge advantages of high-definition disc compared with standard-definition DVD. Most people are unsatisfied these days when they come across a standard-definition TV channel because most channels have converted to HD. Why should it be any different for the discs you watch? Upconverted DVD looks good, but it is still standard definition. Most Blu-ray players also offer streaming as well, so you can enjoy streaming along with the best HD movie experience from the discs. With players now selling for well under $100, if you don't have a Blu-ray player already, the time to get one is now.

In my home, physical media and streaming coexist peacefully and complement each other. I have Blu-ray for the best quality and films I definitely want to own, DVD for things that are not available on Blu-ray and streaming to watch the film that I am curious about but don't necessarily want to own.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get more recommendations and read past columns at www.soundadviceblog.com.