Comments on: Do you watch the DVDs and Blu-rays you buy?

You buy favorite films and TV shows when they come out on DVD/Blu-ray, but do you ever watch them?

[bennel6262]

My season 1 boxed set of Perry Mason is still shrink-wrapped. It was a Christmas gift from my son. (In 2006!)

During the year leading up to my August 2008 retirement, the ubiquitous question posed to was "What are you going to do when you're retired?"

Occasionally, I would answer, "I'll finally be able to watch the DVDs I have that are sitting around collecting dust."

In addition to Perry Mason, they include The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Present, Naked City, The Honeymooners. (Yeah, I know, another case of arrested development.)

And how many episodes of any of these series have I watched?

Zero.

Perhaps that's a good sign.

[epross]

Wow! I can't believe all the people that have bought DVD/Blu Rays that haven't gotten around to watching any of them yet. I can't fathom that. Sure I buy some that I don't watch right away, but I watch them eventually. Also, I don't get the comment that they're only good to watch once. I've watched the movie "Cars" (ok, I have a 3 year old) probably upwards of 50 times and you know what? I am still discovering hidden gems that you may miss on the first 49 viewings - sometimes a movie grows on you. Yes, I have some that I have only watched once, but the majority of my movies I'll watch many times - especially on a dreary, rainy, cold afternoon when you just want to "veg" in front of the TV. I can't tell you how many times I've watch the entire Star Wars saga, the extended Lord of the Rings, the X-men movies, etc. If I don't think a movie is good enough to bear repeated watching, I usually rent instead. However, I've been known to rent a movie, like it, and then go out and purchase it later so I can watch it again. Ok, so maybe I am not normal, but I believe I get my money's worth out of my investments. Purchasing previously viewed movies is also a good way to save some money. I'd buy more if disc prices came down (hint hint studios)

[zenwaves]

I'm glad someone is writing about the 'ownership trap' our society pushes us into. We end up in the business of storing vast amounts of media in our homes from LP records, videocassettes, CDs, DVDs, etc.

As Netflix member, the way I look at it is, I'm paying someone else to store all "my" media for me. I can access all of it within a few days time, and increasingly, more of "my" media is instantly available for viewing.

[minimalist]

Just wait till a favorite movie goes out of print and Netflix yanks the copies. Then all that "storage" will be for nought.

The ever changing world of licensing agreements is the dirty little secret that the cloud computing apologists don't like to talk about either. "On demand" should be rewritten as "on-demand-as-long-we-say-its-on-demand".

[waldolc]

I actually only buy movies that I would watch more than once. That said, I own roughly 40 videotapes and about 40 DVDs. The videotapes are mostly Disney movies and other things my kids liked to watch over and over again. The DVDs are all things that spoke to me on some level and required repeated viewing: almost like listening to a favorite song.

Everything else out there I rent.

[Malli22]

I also buy too many movies. I get carried away by the bargain bins - especially after Black Friday! I have at least 30 or 40 movies still unopened. I also have four DVD boxsets and probably five TV seasons that I haven't watched yet. Oh yeah, and I have that enormous United Artist set (with 90 movies...). Of that set, I've probably only watched 5 or 6 of them.

I have every intention to watch them... eventually. I am also a Netflix member. Usually, I try to watch those DVDs and the about-to-expire instant movies first.

I am a bit more disciplined about my Blu-Ray purchases (as of now). Twenty and thirty dollars makes me hesitate a little more. Probably more than that though is I am still unconvinced that a lot of older movies can be reformatted properly and are worth buying again. Of course, I did by the Godfather collection and I plan to buy Casablanca.

I'm the same way about video games. I have at least 10 games that are unopened (between my various consoles). The ones that I have played, I've never completely finished.

[plasticities]

I fully support the sentiment of this post.

Records/CDs are a much better investment than DVDs/Blu-Rays.

[nukepicnic]

I actually watch DVD's and Blu Rays MORE than I listen to CD's or digital copies of music. I work at home a lot and I enjoy having a film I've seen a few times in the background while I'm doing repetitive work... it's like having a friend over without HAVING to pay attention to them, and since I work in film/tv it often inspires me to keep going on what I'm doing and often gives me some insight into my current project. music doesn't engage me the the same way... but then again maybe I'm just a little OCD... or I grew up in the era where the TV was the best babysitter...

[clhug]

I'm definitely in that boat. I have a few hundred DVD's (and just started buying Blu-ray) and 98% of them I've watched once after I bought it and never again.

I think for me the main reason is that I hope some day someone ELSE will want to watch the movie with me. That never happens though. Or that sometime down the road I'll want to watch it and won't be able to find it for rental or online.

I suppose some day when every movie ever made (or at least ever released on VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray) is available on-line for instant retrieval, and they STAY available that way forever, I won't feel the need to buy the physical media anymore.

There are a few classic movies I get a hankerin' to watch every now then and have watched several times. I'm a huge James Bond fan so I have all of those and every now and then have a desire to watch one. Or I'll see a movie on a non-premium (i.e., edited and with commercials) television and I'll go, "Oh, I like that movie and am going to watch it but let me go get my DVD to watch the original unedited version without commercials."

[CliffK2]

I have a Sony DVD/CD carousel with about 80 DVDs. I rarely watch them. Hence why I stopped buying DVDs about two years ago. Also, in the next two to three years, EVERYTHING will be available via immediate HD download. It is already happening - see Netflix and TIVO hooking up. I look forward to that. So if I have a hankering for Hanks, I could immediately download and watch Apollo 13 or Philadelphia, or Big, or...You get the picture.

The only caveat to this is the rental price has to be reasonable. Either a monthly charge like Netflix or something like a dollar a movie.

[Shaun822]

I have watched every DVD and Blu-Ray in my house several times. For me it is a rare movie that I don't watch 3 or 4 times. When the truly exceptional movies come along, like The Dark Knight, I will probably watch that 5 or 6 times in the first couple weeks then watch it several more times over the life of Blu-Ray. Movies are better than TV and why not enjoy the items I buy.

[MrCHUP0N]

It's all about how much you value that entertainment. You mention that CD's are repeatable pleasures for you. Frankly, television and film are repeatable pleasures for me, too. If I don't think I'd enjoy watching something more than twice, or if I won't get something out of watching it more than twice, then I won't buy it. Perhaps that was the point of your article: IF you're one of those people that don't repeat-watch, why buy? I share the same confusion as you do. But if your intent was to ask why people buy movies and television box sets *period*, then, again -- it's all about how much you value that entertainment. Some people watch 24 solely for the twists, and so repeat viewings don't matter. I bought it because there are so many moments in that show that I'd like to relive again and again. I bought certain movies because of the subtleties that arise upon multiple viewings. And I bought some silly action flicks I enjoy because, hey, not only are they quick guilty pleasures -- they're also good to have on in the background at parties.

[jaemsdotorg]

Well said and I tend to agree. For me, I don't think I'll ever let go of my 3 Stooges, Cheers, Dexter, or Twilight Zone collections.

[PrettyStuzz]

I don't get any movie channels (unedited) except Turner Classic Movies (standard cable is included in my rent). I record some and burn to DVD. I have never rented a movie in any format.

1. A movie not worth seeing twice isn't worth seeing at all. 2. Just because a movie doesn't outright suck is no reason to praise it.

[jaemsdotorg]

Growing up close to poverty as a child I can count the number of times I went to the movies on one hand. As time passed and with the advent of DVD I felt quite a bit of satisfaction of being able to watch movies in my home at any time. Grab a bowl of popcorn, a diet coke, and it's movie time. Without the hassle of crowds, screaming infants, and noisy neighbors, I felt as if I owned my own theater.

The reason I had purchased so many DVDs (to date: 600+) is that I wanted them on hand whenever I felt the itch to watch them. Mind you, this absurd collection started long before broadband Internet was prevalent in our homes for pennies on the dollar. It was more convenient to walk to my library pick a movie and watch it in my boxer briefs at 1 am. Driving to Blockbuster or waiting for Netflix really was not a viable option. As many of the readers said, it's a case for "Instant Gratification".

Fast forward a few years we now have Netflix/Blockbuster Streaming, Broadband Internet that is fast as all get out, and home media servers to store digitized copies of all of our discs. So one must ask why do we keep the discs? I think for most it's a mix of convenience and pride. People walk into your home and see a gigantic plethora of media and in a way are impressed. I know when I've had friends over they jaw dropped at the 500+ horror movies that I have, but lately I too have been asking myself, "Why?".

So I've gone through the exercise of separating all of my discs into 2 categories, "Keep on hand" and "sell/giveaway rent as needed". What I found out is that out of the 600+ movies I have maybe 30-40 have made the "Keep on hand". Why? Well it's simple, these are the movies that I watch habitually, bring me joy, and remind me of my childhood or hold some other significance. Everything else was temporary eyecandy. So my goal for Q1-2009 is to eliminate my digital clutter and keep only the gems in my immediate keep. Everything else can be on demand.

Now he mentions CDs. I don't bother with CDs any more, but I would really feel the same about them as DVD. There's really no difference. I've also found Ipod to be invaluable to keeping what music I do enjoy together, in one place. Who knows, maybe I'll go this route with the remaining DVDs I have, but for how I have sorting to do.... (tic)

[adkman1956]

I have watched "Master and Commander" 8 times,
some of my classics several times, and my TV shows a few. I watch Lost alot, but the other 100 or so sit on the shelf. I am on the verge of getting Vudu. I have also rented movies on my Mac. I upped the ram to 2 gigs and plan to add 2 more. The movies skip a little.

[haphilli]

I have cut back on DVD purchases, I got to the point where I was 19 years old with almost 400 DVDs to my name and I would buy them the day of release, watch them once, and put them on the shelf to never watch again.
After I got into HD-DVD(later Blu-Ray) I sold all my DVDs and started to invest in the HD movies. I am very hesitant to buy Blu-Rays now and only buy things that I watch over and over. Recently, start the flaming, I bought Tropic Thunder and I watch it over and over. I was also a late bloomer and watched Blade Runner for the first time (I would watch it as a kid completely disinterested). I was blown away by the picture, for a movie made in the early eighties it looks as though it was made last year.

My next big purchase will be Band of Brothers on Blu-Ray which I watch about 2-3 times a year.

[Microgates]

Ever since I joined NetFlix, I haven't been buying as many (More like none!) dvd's. I got caught up in the whole Blu-Ray/ HD-DVD war and picked the losing side, so after blowing all of that money, I thought I'd slow down (Although I still use my HD-DVD player and don't regret buying it at all). For only $9 a month, I get 1 movie on my choice in the mail and I can stream unlimited movies through my Xbox 360, so theres no more reason to spend $20 everytime a movie comes out. The 300 dvd's I own just colect dust for the most part (Except the comedies, I watch them often)

[markdoiron]

Alright, you got me pegged. But, then, why do people (including me) buy postage stamps that they'll never use? I'm a sci-fi nut and it it's halfway good and truly sci-fi (not horror masquerading as sci-fi), I probably own it. And there's enough good stuff being release on DVD that it's become impossible for me to go back and re-watch some of the things I really want to--I just barely keep up with the new releases. So, here I am with a closet full (literally) of DVDs (and a bookcase full of postage stamps). I guess that's what collecting is all about. Some of us collect, some don't. I readily admit my collecting addiction. I have a very large tool collection, too, but at least I reuse many of those when I work on my Jeep. :-) --mark d.

[bknowledge]

I'm a movie & music buff because that is how I was raised. A well made movie or tv show is something that you will always enjoy no matter how many times that you see it. That why half of the DVD's that I own are black & white movies although I'm under thirty. I buy dvd's with the intent of watching them more that twice and because they are a great escape.
And here are a few that I enjoy.
The new legend of Shaolin, Midway, Lord of War, 12 angry men (Henry Fonda) and of course The Godfather.

[swrobel]

You definitely got my attention with this article. I was on a DVD collecting binge after the format came out, but have scaled back because I realize I haven't watched most of what I bought and now it's coming out on Blu-ray. At the time, however, the prospect of owning a digital copy of something that wouldn't deteriorate was extremely enticing. I also like knowing that if I ever want to watch one of these movies I don't have to go to Blockbuster (god forbid) or wait a few days for Netflix.

I know everyone is saying that online movie delivery will make discs obsolete, but until we get over the DRM hump as online music finally seems to have, I'm sticking with my discs that I can watch on whatever (region-free) player I want.

[FCBarca]

I agree, I think the purchase of these media should be reserved for those must haves that you are sure to watch over again many times...Which should make any collection small, at the very least.

[Al Meckler]

I buy very, very few DVDs or BDs (about 20), only because I am not able to make a "play list" (eg with Fantasia 2000 or Evita) to hear just music in 5.1 channels, and skip the video. Also I would like to just delete movie scenes that I don't like, or that I don't want kids to watch. This seems a simple thing to do, but I have not found a simple way to do it. I can only hope. Any ideas would be appreciated!

I buy special or box sets for the bonus material, like the making of Star Wars or Cats.