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?

[wuchmee]

I rent from NetFlix, and have no intention of EVER purchasing the vast majority of rented films and TV series I watch in the comfort of my living room.

Having said that. . . .we DO own a core collection of movies. I've always used a guideline of a film's potential for repeated viewings before purchasing any DVD. Thus, I don't have any unopened DVDs.

Examples of purchases (YMMV!): LoTR, Pixar films, certain westerns, Batman Begins, Harry Potter, PoTC, etc. All of these have been viewed **many, many** times after the purchase. All represent a very high degree of value (to me). And I only buy movies; TV series are strictly rentals. As much as I love The Sopranos, BSG and Curb Your Enthusiasm (and I DO!!!) I don't need to own them. Ever. NetFlix is perfect in this regard.

Nevertheless, if there's even a hint of a movie being a one-time-only (maybe two viewings at the outside) affair, it's strictly rental.

[dddouchebag]

You answered your own question, partially. You say you are an audiophile, and CDs are different because you play them regularly. Well, why can't there be a videophile who enjoys watching the same movie or the same scene multiple times?

Also, big fans of a particular TV show or movie may want all the special features that most of us don't care about. Director's commentary? I have not listened to even a minute of that yet. Fans also tend to buy into something they like, so that the director or producer or musician or whoever continues to produce the art they so crave. Since you are an audiophile, do you go to concerts? Why? The sound quality is MUCH lower, and usually you can barely even see the performers. What's that? The experience is different? Oh, so I guess the "special features" on a dvd doesn't count as a "different experience", huh?

I think you're just angry because you don't have any choice when it comes to music. There are no music rentals (though you could rent the concert dvds), so you are forced to purchase and own the music.

As a last resort reason... in case my previous arguments came off as too rough... there are cases where the rental shop or online store just doesn't have what you want. This is especially true with older or rarer releases. For example, a few years ago, it was incredibly difficult to find Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas." For some reason, the studio stopped making dvds, and it became rare enough that people would "rent" a copy and just keep it. Thankfully, someone decided to start making it again, but the point is, people want to own something as a safety net. Or we are all just pack rats and collect things.

[emgesp]

Also, collecting things is just part of humanity. We subconsiously want to buy items we don't particularly need at that point in time, because maybe we think to ourselves well I might need this one day and I'd rather have it now just in case I need it.

I mean who the hell needs a 50 piece cookie cutter set? Though, I bet someone will eventually use it.

[avlis_odraude]

Hi Guys,
I feel like I should have wrote that one!!!
Just great.
I thought that I was the only one in that situation. I tend to buy DVDs because I love the movie or because I was tempted by a great sale.
The last few months I have bought over 30 movies, I believe that I have maybe seen 2 of them.
And the funniest thing is that even though I have most of the movies that I have always loved, I watched them rarely but when they are broadcast on TV I feel push to watch them (including the advertising).
But well as you said the look great in my living room!!!

[prberg]

I have to say I really love my dvd collection. I watch them alot. I love movies and like having something physical that I can touch and have in my house. Downloading a movie is not nearly as valuable to me. I also like having the best video and audio quality. currently downloads don't offer the best of either.

I've started to get a few blu-ray titles too. The quality is so great I'm excited about enjoying more movies in my home theater. While I will rent movies too.. there are some movies that I will want to watch again and again (jurassic park, matrix, back to the future, battlestar galactica, star wars, white christmas, planes tranes and automobiles, casino, batman, the dark knight, etc).

For me... buying DVD's and blu-rays is something I will keep doing for awhile.

[Seaspray0]

I've only purchased one box set... Planet of the Apes on DVD. The only reason they are not watched more is because of the wife.

[GraysonBuzz]

I buy the Dallas seasons on DVD and I do watch them. I am behind but I have gotten through five or six seasons now and have a pre-order in for the new season coming out in January. However, admittedly, I have not watched all discs I have bought though I do plan to get to them. I do not watch a lot of movies in the fall because rather than watching a movie on a Saturday, I am usually either at a college football game or watching them on television. I hope to start catching up via Netflix and with my purchases in the offseason!

[ivorycruncher]

I usually don't buy a movie unless I've seen it first, or hear from a person I trust 100% that it's a good one that I'll like. When I do decide to buy a movie, or request one as a gift, it's a movie that I know I'll definitely rewatch at some point. My collection is not large at all, but I've rewatched a couple movies I have at least a dozen times. I especially love rewatching animated films, because every single pixel you see was put there intentionally (unlike live action films where backgrounds and such tend to be either insignificant or accidental) and the creators love to put little things in for you to find. Just about every time I rewatch Cars, I find something new that I missed before, which is really cool. Other DVDs I may brush the dust off of every other year or so, but it's still nice to have it available when I do want to see it again.

As for collections, again, I only buy collections for a series I am very passionate about, which for me would be Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Sure, they still air on TV, but the reruns are only on at certain times, and tend to be VERY repetitive. By owning the DVDs, I can watch them in all their upconverted glory on my HDTV whenever I blame well feel like it. Plus, you can easily pause, rewind, fast forward, stop and come back to it later, etc. On TV, you have no control of when or where you can watch it. And yes, there are DVR options, but honestly, who wants to mess with commercials and other annoying popup stuff for other shows and junk that broadcasters insist on plastering over the show you're watching? The content on DVDs is 100% unadulterated by broadcast crap, and you are in total control of the viewing experience.

So basically, I am very careful with my choice of DVD purchases. I don't believe in spending that much money on stuff that has no repeat/replay value, which is why I'm also hard-pressed to actually go to the theater. I generally prefer my meager 40" screen, entry-level 5.1 audio system, and reclining sofa over the sticky floors, noisy crowds of people, uncomfortable chairs in the theater. Also, I can eat whatever food I feel like, be it a candy bar or a roast beef dinner, without taking out a credit application in order to pay for it. That's basically why I buy the few DVDs that I do.

[hturner1949]

This article and the postings made realize that not only do I buy to many DVD's, but that I am spending entirely too much on media in general. I subscribe to Rhapsody, Blockbuster Online, and have DirecTV's premier HDTV package. I was an early subscriber to NetFlix, but it seemed like new releases were always a "long wait". Blockbuster Online gives me option of returning a DVD to the store and picking up a new release at no charge. (Don't worry BlockBuster, I still have that HD DVD of American Gangster that I rented in May) The only reason I kicked Comcast to the curb is because DirecTV gave me a great deal and has NFL Sunday Ticket. But I'm finding out that I am paying for premium channels that I rarely watch or movies that I record to the DVR, but erase when I need the space without even watching. So the first thing I am going to do is subscribe to DirecTV's basic HD Package. I've likely bought my last standard def DVD and Blu-Ray pruchases will be limited to movies like "The Dark Knight" which I know I will watch immediately and many times there after. Otherwise I will just wait until the movie hits the Bargain Bin if I feel the need to add it to my collection.

[atomicbomb156]

Almost every dvd I have ever bought with my money. Some I have seen more than 5 times. But those are my very favorite films. My collection of dvds is pretty large so I've seen all of them at least twice.

[lrblandon]

Wow! This is exactly what happened to me last night at Best Buy. I couldn't buy the box set my wife wanted of "Sex and the City" even after it had a discount from $199 to $99 (50%) off. I couldn't stop thinking that she would only wathc it once and then let it collect dust like the Sienfeld full season box set I got her 2 years ago.....I just bought her UGG slippers which she will defintely use everyday!

[joshdeboer]

623 DVD's and counting...on to Blu-ray when the Oppo BD-83 comes to the house! I enjoy movies and even though I am a huge tech person, I don't like digital media. I prefer physical media for several reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason that I don't like digital media is storage. I can toss my DVD's in a CaseLogic book, people that are all about HD content in digital format ALWAYS forget about storage. Think about 1080p content in HD Master Audio (HUGE files)...I don't want to be Systems Administrator for a bunch of NAS drives, do you???

Note: All you have to worry about with DVD and Blu-ray is the player. With digital media will need to be stored on external drives and backed up to another drive for redundancy, as HDD's fail all the time. Convenience of the instant download becomes more of an inconvenience over time, in my humble opinion.

[FreakyFraser1]

150 + DVDs and I've watched most at least once since date of purchase. Christmas day last year is my example of why I buy DVDs - My family was in Florida (I joined them later), and I was home alone. Made a turkey dinner for one (stuffed turkey breast - great invention!) and watched the Bourne Trilogy during the day/evening. Awesome Christmas! (I'm not joking - it was agreat day)

The mistake in my collection has been the purchase of some comedies I liked in the theater - never truly enjoy them as much the second time, and I'll admit I haven't gotten around to watching the complete series of Homicide again...loved it the first time, sure I'll love it again whenever I get around to starting it again.

[maverick2779]

I totally agree with you. I gave up on buying DVD's years ago because I never watched them after one time. With movies now being streamed to your home anytime you want, I eventually see DVD's/Blu-Ray becoming obsolete. For now I just have my unlimited Netflix membership and request a movie anytime i want. Or stream it to my xbox 360 if it's available.

[darkpoet25]

I own over 130 dvd's and 45 blu ray's and watch them over and over again. I only get ones that I know I will want to see over and over again, the rest I just rent. This saves me money for the films/concerts I truly want to own.

[sebasroca]

I have the box set of alll 7 seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the box set of all 5 seasons of Angel, the box set of of 10 seasons of X-Files, the box set of all seasons of Friends and some random seasons of The Simpsons, One Tree Hill, South Park and others. I also have a large DVD movies collection and a even larger CD'S (Audio) collection. When i buy a CD or a DVD i listen/watch it a few times in the next 2-3 weeks, some of them, depending on how much the CD/DVD grow on me, i leave it to listen/watch a little more. Then i put it on my beautiful collection and sometime on the near future i find it and listen/watch it again!

[nate2551]

I have over 200 DVDs and a few Blu-rays and watch maybe 10 of them on a regular basis. Some of the movies in my collection, I've never watched since buying them - actually, many.

Hi All,

Personally, like many of you, I mostly buy DVD's of movies and TV series that I know I will watch over and over again. But I am also quite thrifty (I learned this from my wife) and don't have cable, satellite, or a NetFlix membership in order to save money on our monthly expenses. All I get for TV channels is what I can get for free over the air.

But this also means I don't spend a lot of money for video media on a monthly basis, most of which I would not watch anyway. Instead, I spend a small portion of the money I save on DVD movies and TV series boxed sets. For example, when a new season of Stargate - Atlantis or Battlestar Galactica is released, I buy the boxed set and watch the entire season in 2 weeks or so. I usually have not seen I single episode of the season, so it is all new to me. The DVD set cost me $40 or $50, but since I don't spend anything elso on a monthly basis for other media "services", it is pretty easy to justify the cost.

Another thing I do is trade movie DVD's and TV series boxed sets with other video media lovers on SwitchPlanet.com. For example, if I buy a movie and only watch it once and decide I don't want to keep it, I make it avaialble to the other SwitchPlanet members who can then "buy" it from me for Switchbucs, the money of the SwitchPlanet system. When I get enough SwitchBucs in my account I can "buy" DVDs that I want from other SwitchPlanet members. All it really costs me is the postage to ship the DVD on to the other SwitchPlanet member. There are no per-transaction fees, and no ongoing monthly fees for being a member. It is really just a place where you can trade what you don't want for what you do want. I personally only trade DVD's on SwitchPlanet, but you can trade books and video games there as well.

I have also picked up quite a few DVDs at the local pawn shop, especially when they are on sale for $2.99 each like they are right now. Most are of movies that I wanted to see but missed when they were in the theater, or wanted to watch on DVD but either never got around to renting them, or thought they were too expensive to buy. At $2.99 it is certainly cheaper than I could rent them for, and when I am done watching them I can either add them to my collection and keep them, or make them available on SwitchPlanet and trade them for something else that I want.

Overall, this arrangement works perfect for me. I keep enough on the shelf so that I always have something new to watch, but not enough that I feel like I have a lot of money tied up into stuff I will never watch again.

Later,

Jay B.

[mystical pippin]

Well lots of reasons actually! I disagree with the statement about watching movies again and again is what kids ONLY do. So not true. Over the years I have asked that question many many times to friends, colleagues, and even strangers in a video store. Adults do watch their favorite movies multiple times. First of all those old favorite "feel good" or family movies are a wonderful way to bond with your kids and pass on the tradition or to start new ones. It's fun to revisit the memories of when, where or how you were feeling the first time you saw the film. It's the same feeling when you listen to your music over/over. It it's a move with special effects - why wouldn't you want to see them displayed again? Why would once be enough if it's a movie that really moved you in some way? I think the question here should be why do YOU NEVER, want to see a movie twice???

[mystical pippin]

also, would like to add - as far tv show dvd's, I think it's a great idea (although too pricey for me) to have your favorite shows on hand to re-watch anytime you want WITHOUT commercials! Or perhaps they missed some episodes, or if you want to see a blooper reel, etc. Again why wouldn't anyone want to watch their faves over and over?