Anyone feel like they always have to "upgrade" their DVD collection?

Michael Douglas · 10-08-2004, 12:28 AM

Everyone hates it when studios double or triple or quadruple dip their DVD titles, but is there anyone here who keeps buying "upgraded" titles anyway?

I've bought DVDs pretty much since day one, so there are plenty of early titles I've had to upgrade like Lethal Weapon, Interview With The Vampire, Jerry Maguire, The Rock, Armageddon, The Mask of Zorro, Notting Hill, My Best Friend's Wedding, Young Guns, Tombstone, A Few Good Men, The Mummy, True Romance, Seven, The Crow, Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, The Sixth Sense, the Die Hard trilogy and more.

I even ended up triple-dipping on Tomorrow Never Dies when the James Bond box set came out.

Soon I'll be double dipping on Top Gun, Office Space, Deep Impact and the new Star Trek films, the Batman films and more. And you just know George Lucas will repackage all six Star Wars films.

But I did hold off on The Bourne Identity and In The Line of Fire, the latter because of the artwork since it's part of my Wolfgang Peterson box set.

The internet sites that are out there have helped me greatly as of late, so I know not to jump in too early on Black Hawk Down, Spider-Man 2, Underworld, Reservoir Dogs, Terminator 3, the Jack Ryan movies, etc. But I know a lot more of my titles will inevitably be double dipped.

Am I alone in this unhealthy habit or are there more of your out there?

Tarkin The Ewok · 10-08-2004, 01:04 AM

For me, it just comes down to scouting for information on the Internet and deciding what purchases I feel I can postpone. For example, I know that a version of Spider-Man 2 with about five minutes of extra footage will be released well after the two-disc set that is coming this November. I have decided that I will rent that first set and make a final decision when both sets are available. I can live without owning the movie during that time frame.

I will upgrade a DVD if a substantially better version comes to market or if the movies fall into my top tier. For example, I bought the Gold Collection Mary Poppins, but I will get the anniversary edition in December because that DVD will be significantly better. Also, I know I'll end up double-dipping on Star Wars at least one more time.

Lynda-Marie · 10-08-2004, 01:18 AM

Brandon makes an excellent point about using available resources to check for upcoming releases on DVDs. One thing you might want to think about Michael is this: How much do you like the movie, and is it really worth it to you to "double" "triple" or whatever number dip with it?

In the case of Star Wars, I will double dip with it, but they'd better have the [now] well documented glitches fixed.

I held off buying Fellowship of the Rings when it first came out, because an extended version had been announced. My bro was driving me nuts, begging me to get the original version. I told him to go ahead, but I was going to wait for the extended edition. It was worth the wait.

For the most part, though, it is highly annoying to me that the studios wait until they have a big seller on their hands, and then decide, "Let's hit the suckers up again with a Director's Cut." I don't like being treated like that, especially since my hard earned bucks helped the movie at the box office, more than likely bought the VHS edition of the movie, then the first version of the film on DVD. I make it a point, too, that unless the "Director's Cut" or whatever they call the new edition is REALLY an improvement over the original release, I will pass on it. Thank God for rental outlets!

DaleC · 10-08-2004, 04:18 AM

I've learned to start reading ahead online as well. My girlfriend is ready to throttle me every time I buy the disk of a movie that I already have. I'm even trying to upgrade some of my old VHS movies, but it's happened a couple of times with DVD as well.

I actually bought the theatrical cut of Fellowship of the Ring, only to find (much to her annoyance) that an extended cut was coming later. I also bought the barebones version of Black Hawk Down, then found that there was a special edition coming. That was worth the upgrade and grief I got over it... and on top of that, I have the book too

I've upgraded from VHS to DVD for Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan and Das Boot (also well worth it IMO).

Now I'm learning to read ahead. So much so that I will NOT be buying the Star Wars box set because I've heard that there is likely going to be a 30th anniversary edition with all six movies. It's tough to wait, but it'll be (hopefully) worth it in the long run.

Joe Karlosi · 10-08-2004, 05:20 AM

It comes down to the film in question for me. But generally as a rule, I hate this whole double and triple dipping scheme by the studios. I know that they don't "force" us to buy more versions, but as fans we all know sometimes it's impossible to resist. They ought to just do it right and extensively the first time.

**HTF Ads**

MarcoBiscotti · 10-08-2004, 07:24 AM

If there's an upgrade on features, audio or video transfer, cover art/packaging, etc. than it'll warrant a second purchase from me. If it's just a promotional tie-in with no significant extras and a ported transfer with some new packaging to advertise a theatrical release or something to that extent than it's a pass.

Jerome Grate · 10-08-2004, 08:17 AM

Not the whole collection, just a few and that's a small few. Spiderman Superbit, Lord of the Rings, and other Superbit titles for picture and DTS. The rest I'm happy with.

WarrenM · 10-08-2004, 09:04 AM

I never, ever ever buy "upgraded" titles unless the picture quality improvement is significant. Like if the original release was fullscreen and then it comes out in widescreen. Just having a few bonus extras is not enough for me. The only time I remember upgrading was when I bought the "uncut" version of "Heavenly Creatures"... mainly because it was in widescreen, and had 10 extra minutes. My old version was in P&S and looked like it was copied off a VHS tape.

WarrenM · 10-08-2004, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Now I'm learning to read ahead. So much so that I will NOT be buying the Star Wars box set because I've heard that there is likely going to be a 30th anniversary edition with all six movies. It's tough to wait, but it'll be (hopefully) worth it in the long run.

That is silly, in those years you are going to wait you could be enjoying all the Star Wars movies over and over again, and maybe by the time that boxset comes out (if ever) you will have watched them so many times you really got your money's worth. But I don't even know the point to upgrade if the only difference will be more room in the box for 2 more movies. I guess it all depends on what you value more in a DVD release.