While purists will always prefer the uncompressed 4K Blu-ray remux with Dolby Atmos audio, the highly compressed file serves a crucial democratic purpose: it ensures that entertainment remains accessible to everyone, regardless of their internet speed or storage budget.

The next time you watch a movie on a phone in a busy airport, do not curse the occasional blocky artifact. Instead, marvel at the reality that a piece of art, originally requiring a shipping container of film reels, is now streaming through the air into your palm at the speed of light, compressed within an inch of its life—yet still capable of making you laugh, cry, or jump out of your seat. That is the real magic of modern media.