The Audiophiliac

So much to watch, so little time.

What are the chances you'll actually watch a DVD/Blu-ray more than once or twice?

I know a lot of folks who never watch most of the discs they buy. They've already seen the film when it was in theaters, and enjoyed it, so they buy it. Sure, little kiddies can watch a flick over and over again, but if you're over 12 it's a rare film that bears repeated viewing.

Box sets are even worse. OK, it's one thing to buy a three-disc box like Law & Order - The Second Year, but who's gonna watch all 33 DVDs in The Sopranos - The Complete Series, or the 32 discs in Seinfeld - The Complete Series? These shows are still on TV virtually every night for free, but I'd bet HBO is raking in tons of loot with the Sopranos box, it retails for $400 (and around $260 online)! I wonder how much they'll charge for the complete Blu-ray box.

I guess people buy these things to prove their love. They're physical keepsakes of their memories, and maybe the boxes look good on the shelf. Oh, and this time of year they make great gifts.

Gifts are one thing, but the question is, why do we continue to buy these things, why not just rent 'em? I'm the audio guy, so I'd like to point out the money you would save not buying discs would add up, and you could invest that dough in better speakers and/or electronics. Something you would actually use on a daily basis.

CDs on the other hand are repeatable pleasures. When I buy something new that I like, such as the Paul McCartney/Fireman Electric Arguments CD, it stays in heavy rotation, with 10 or more plays within two to three weeks. After that, I'll probably slow down, but I'm still playing Beatles LPs and CDs I bought decades ago on a regular basis.

I watch concert DVDs and Blu-rays over and over again, so it's not like I have something against the formats.

Maybe I'm missing something here, please tell me why you buy movie or TV show DVDs or Blu-rays.