I watch an old-ish tv series. I buy used DVDs and rip them to watch on my computer. Now I physically own them, and no clown company can suddenly decide I no longer can watch them.
I don't think there is an easy/legal/cheap alternative to that, in 2000 as well as in 2023.
I'm slowly but surely beginning to buy DVDs of my favorite movies...Because I'm so tired of having streaming services remove them!
Or edit them to "update for modern audiences".
Gah.
You can also rip from streams. Can't you?
It's old tech, for sure, but it's what my parents still use. I occasionally will burn a DVD of some video I've shot for them to watch.