Anybody else have expensive boxed sets collecting dust? (1 Viewer)

[Gary->dee]

There you go, Mark. There's 2 clear shools of thought on this matter as illustrated in our posts: Me Type, who buys and watches almost immediately and You Type, who buys and watches at their leisure. Of course not suggesting either way is right or wrong, just different viewing habits.

I'm almost like a little kid when it comes to these things so I'm excited enough to want to go home and watch what I just bought immediately, unless something comes up that prevents that. For example if I bought one of the soon-to-be re-released James Bond boxed sets(which I won't because I'll be buying the individual titles but just follow me here) on a Friday I'd tear right into it as soon as I got home. Doesn't mean I'd get through watching all the movies that night but it would definitely be a James Bond weekend.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

You know I've just been thinking about the topic of this thread and I have to admit I do feel kinda bad. I look at my collection of unwatched Movies and it tallies about fifty, then I look at my box sets mostly TV stuff, TNG Season 7, DS9 Season 3&4, B5 Season 3, Homicide, Sanford and Son Season 2, All in the Family 2, Mash Season 4, UFO Vol 2, Dead Zone Season 1. The list is getting big and I'm thinking to myself Just when in the name of @#$#@ am I gonna find the time to watch all this ?

It is affecting my recen Purchasing decisions I Passed on the Rocky and Bullwinkle set and I'm about to do so on Season 2 of NYPD Blue (I'm trying to decide also if anything more than Season 1 is warranted Although I like Smits) Maybe not pass on it but definately put it off awhile and maybe i can get a copy used somewhere. Instead of enjoying these sets it's becoming an obstacle to keep up. And it's not gonna get any better Looney Tunes, The Rest of DS9, B5, The Sheild, Green Acres etc etc I have to make some hard decisions.

 

[george kaplan]

I still read, but this is one of those things that has taken a back seat to my dvd watching. I now read mostly for about an hour a night before I go to bed, and rarely spend an entire afternoon like I might have in the past. So, it's definitely a trade-off.

 

[MarkHarrison]

The list is getting big and I'm thinking to myself Just when in the name of @#$#@ am I gonna find the time to watch all this ?

It's a tough decision, but one I made a long time ago. There's tons of TV sets I'd love to buy (and for the most part can afford to buy). But if I bought everything I'd like, I'd be out of a ton of money and either not have the time to watch them or it would eat into my family time.

So at this point in time we have Babylon 5 Season 1-3. And recently we decided to take our chances with Buffy. So we have season 1-3 of that. That's it for our TV box sets. We'll complete both series as they're released (and probably Angel as well since it ties in).

Babylon 5 is our favorite show and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets watched at least once a year. I'm sure we'll also enjoy Buffy multiple times. The only other must buy for me would be Newsradio. There's a lot more I'd love to own, but you can't have everything in life.

 

[Gary->dee]

It is affecting my recen Purchasing decisions

Instead of enjoying these sets it's becoming an obstacle to keep up.

Dave I hate to use you as an example and don't take this personally(how could you? I don't even know you! ) but in this case I must. Essentially you are how I'd hate to end up as a DVD customer. Possibly a worst-case scenario in terms of over-spending. Buying box sets and DVD's that I don't watch, eventually pile up and in the end work against me as a kind of psychological hurdle that I must clear out of guilt in order to buy the next DVD. In that case it seems like it becomes more of a job to watch what you have and it's less enjoyable. I'm probably magnifying your situation to an extent, but as I mentioned I can imagine a scenario like that. Then again the majority of TV titles that come in box sets on DVD simply don't interest me.

Stay strong, brother. And if all else fails, sell or trade.

 

[Holadem]

A little off topic: This thread is making me realize what a big deal TV on DVD has become. Impressive. I have yet to invest in a show I had never seen myself. The only TV show I own is B5. I am intrigued by Buffy, 24, 6 feet under and the Sopranos.

--
Holadem

 

[Dan Shogren]

I have yet to invest in a show I had never seen myself.

im kind of the exact opposite, all the tv shows on dvd i currently own contain shows that i have never seen (entirely) before. Simpsons season 2, futurama 2 (Still have to get the first season:b ) the prisoner, and mr. bean

 

[TommyT]

The only boxed set I have is the Godfather & I've watched all 3 films & listened to most of Coppola's commentary on each since I got it for Xmas in 2001. I guess I could throw my Criterion Brazil in there too.

I'm w/the crowd that buys movies I'm pretty sure I'll watch more than once. I do have a few impulse purchases that I'd like to weed out tho.

Perhaps there's a new condition sweeping the DVD world: DVD Addiction. I hear about users of this list who have 400-1000 DVDs & I realize that my meager collection of 90 pales by comparison. I'm actually happy that I'm so selective about what I buy.

 

[Ted Todorov]

What's there not to understand? $20 is a LOT of money for a movie I will only watch once. Obviously not for you, but surely, you do realise that not everyone is as financially comfortable?

This has been answered already, but I have yet another perspective.

$20 (the price of two tickets) is the MINIMUM it would cost me and my girlfriend to see a film in the movie theater. Buying advanced tickets, taking a cab home, or god forbid patronizing the concession stand pushes the total up well over $20. And considering that most of my DVDs (bought from DDD) are well under $20, it is much cheaper to buy a DVD that we will watch only once than to go to the movies.

So to me apart from all the other benefits, buying a DVD and watching it only once is a money saving proposition.

Ted

 

[JohnnyHK]

So to me apart from all the other benefits, buying a DVD and watching it only once is a money saving proposition.

Not as much as renting it once!

 

[MarkHastings]

I was going to mention the renting issue, because once you rent it, you have to return it. At least if you buy it, you own it and can sell it.

The blockbuster near me charges like $4 for a rental. Why not spend the extra cash to own it and watch it whenever you want. At least the $15-$20 to own it allows you to watch everything (i.e. commentaries and extras) rather than trying to force all that in during the rental time.

IMHO, renting is more of a waste of money than buying. Sure it may be cheaper, but cheap doesn't always mean "value".

 

[Holadem]

Netflix.

--
H

 

[MarkHastings]

Holadem, if you read my post #20 you will see why I can't stand Netflix. When I am in the mood to watch a movie, I want to watch it right then and there (not have to wait a few days to get it in the mail)

So, yes, Netflix is not 'worth' even 1 cent to me. And still, you have to return them.


i.e. $20 and the ability to watch it whenever I want is much more valuable than $4 and having to watch it right then and there.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I Love Netflix, it gives me a chance to see disks that i don't even see in the store for Purchase. I get about 20 disks a month for my 20 bucks not bad at all.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

With the exception of my recently acquired Babylon 5 sets, all of my TV sets are now viewed. That includes X-Files 1-7, Sopranos 1-3, 6FU, Mr. Bean, Futurama, ST: TNG 1-7, DS9 1-4, and more.

I've made it a point to get through box sets right away to make sure all discs work properly, so generally I won't buy those until I know I'm ready to see 'em.

As far as buying DVD's to shelve and view later, for me I always buy on the release date, since prices are better. I have some unviewed DVD's that I bought on their release dates over a year ago, but they're movies I want to own if the mood strikes me to watch them, so the money is well spent in my opinion.

I generally find that if I don't watch a DVD within the first week of buying it, it will generally sit for a while. Box sets have taken a lot of my viewing time, as I've been trying to view a season a week. Once I plow through B5 1-3, hopefully I'll have more time for movies, although DS9 won't make that any easier.

After B5 and possibly Buffy, I won't be buying any new series for a while-just continuing releases of the series I already own. That will change if Seinfeld and Millennium ever hit.

 

[EdwardKarlinski]

What I don't understand is when people think that it isn't worth watching a DVD only once.

Why don't you understand this? If I want to see a DVD only once, I rent it. So do most people. My money is best spent buying only those DVD's which I will want to watch multiple times.

 

[EdwardKarlinski]

Mine is: "considered to be a fair and suitable equivalent" - I believe that the price of DVD's are exremely fair no matter how many times you watch them. Especially considering the alternatives (the poor quality of VHS and the once expensive price of LD's)

This is not a definition of value. In fact, it makes no sense at all. A value is anything which one attempts to obtain and/or keep. If I don't ever want to watch a film again, I can't possibly value it. Now, I may not watch it again, but the desire to do so must be there, else it cannot be a value to me. Also, nobody has argued that the price of DVD's is not fair. It has only been stated that we do not have infinite money and therefore must limit our DVD purchases.

 

[EdwardKarlinski]

The blockbuster near me charges like $4 for a rental. Why not spend the extra cash to own it and watch it whenever you want. At least the $15-$20 to own it allows you to watch everything (i.e. commentaries and extras) rather than trying to force all that in during the rental time.

Probably because you already stated that you buy films you only intend to watch once. I would never listen to an audio commentary on a film I had no desire to watch again. What would be the point?

 

[Dave H]

Of course, you can go the Columbia House route and pay less than 8.00 a DVD. That way, you won't feel as guilty if you just watch it once.

On any rate, Columbia House or not, I only buy something I re-watch. Period.

As far as box sets, I only have the Godfather, Back to the Future, and a Sanford and Son seasons - all of which I re-watch.

 

[JonZ]

-The X-Files Seasons 1-4 (Only watched a few episodes)
-Monty Python Complete Series Set (Watched the set when I first bought it and not since)
-The Simpsons Seasons 1 & 2 (Watched them once and not again-I still watch The Simpson every night on Fox though)