Are you caught up? (1 Viewer)

[smithb]

Just curious where others are in their TV show collecting on DVD.


The first TV show I bought on DVD was back in 1999 when the Emma Peel years of The Avengers were released. A favorite from my youth and given that it is not broadcast all that often I thought it would be a good one to own. After that I continued to focus on my movie collecting. In 2004 I finished a little theater room in the basement, and between watching movies and NetFlixing a few of the more current shows, I gave up regular TV viewing all together.


In 2008 I found this site (and forum in particular), which opened the door to a lot of memories of my youth (late 60's and early 70's)when I used to watch whatever was on from the 50's and 60's. Having a decent movie collection already spanning the 20's to current day, classic TV opened a new revelation of material to collect and watch. That's when I bought my 2nd TV show on DVD (a nine year haitus). Probably Rawhide Season 1 (a show I never saw in syndication).


Now three years later I have 200 different TV shows on DVD, of which probably only a third I had ever seen before. As I look back now it seems like a whirlwind of purchasing with some fantastic sales and discount and an ever fear of titles going OOP or that the vintage TV market might just be a short lived on DVD. Now not all my titles are from the 50's and 60's (but the majority are). I also delved into some titles I watched in the 70's and 80's growing up, as well as a few current titles.


As I sit back now I find myself in a new position. While I am way behind in my watching, I feel pretty caught up on the purchasing. I'm at a point where I am just waiting for new series and new seasons of existing series to be announced. Looking at Pre-Orders and releases with minimal discounting. That made me curious as to where others are in their collecting and how they went about building their collections. This is all based on what is available and not "wish lists" of shows stalled or unreleased.


Are you pretty much caught up with your purchasing, or do you have a long way to go?

Are you pretty much caught up with your viewing, or do you have a long way to go?

Did you build your collection over a long period of time or did you get hit with the "bug" and just buy, buy, and buy more?

How many different shows are in your collection?


There are some strong opinions that show up in these threads (e.g., MOD programs, pricing strategies, best approaches to supporting this market). Knowing where someone is in the process of their collecting might shed some light on why they promote certain views.


Anyways, having hit a new plateau in my collecting made me think it might be intersting to hear from others.

 

[derosa]

Originally Posted by smithb

Are you pretty much caught up with your purchasing, or do you have a long way to go?

Are you pretty much caught up with your viewing, or do you have a long way to go?

Did you build your collection over a long period of time or did you get hit with the "bug" and just buy, buy, and buy more?

How many different shows are in your collection?

I'm way behind in my viewing! so i've pretty much stopped buying sets. I used to buy each season set when they were released, now i'm waiting until the complete sets are available, for the most part. The next few sets i have to watch are The Incredible Hulk, The Rockford Files, and Magnum P.I. Those are going to take me a while to get through. I will buy the Six Million Dollar Man set sometime, after the Bionic Woman seasons are out. I like to watch two series together sometimes, when there is some crossover. I may get the Simon and Simon sets to watch with Magnum. If Love Boat every comes out as a set, i'll be all over that one. I have more saturday morning cartoon shows than i'll ever have time to watch!


Currently I'm watching Early Edition season one, and i have season two ready to go, unfortunately I don't think the 3rd season

will ever see a release.

 

[Ockeghem]

Brad,


I'm still waiting on a couple of shows to be completed, as well as two or three more to eventually come out on DVD. The Mod Squad is one that I will continue to purchase, as well as Adam-12.


As far as viewing is concerned, we (meaning my family and I) go through two or three shows concurrently. I don't have a set schedule; rather, I just watch episodes from the shows we're working through as time allows. Currently we're working our way through season seven of All In the Family, season two of The X-Files, season two of Psych, and season two of Babylon 5. My oldest daughter and I are also (slowly) working our way through Dark Shadows (original series). We're currently around episode #382.


A few years ago, I finally finished all of my Trek collections (meaning the six series and all of the films). It took me over ten years to complete all of the series. But a couple of the series (DS9 and VOY) were quite expensive, as I chose to purchase the British versions rather than the North American counterparts.


As for the number of shows I own, it's around 150-200. Most of these are legitimate releases; however, I also own a significant number of other releases because I am unwilling to wait for some series, or because a few (e.g., The Fugitive) have been butchered in some way.


BTW, nice questions you ask in this thread.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I have about 500 films and 100 TV shows and am pretty much caught up with what I want that's already out. I don't go for complete episodes of TV series unless it's something I know I'll be watching over and over again. With nostalgia shows, a sampling or single season are usually enough for me. I'm no completist, and I don't have the time to be, but I like to have the option to pop in an episode of a show such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and get that vibe or reminisce.


Since I already have all the past films I want to ever see again, I'm gradually replacing them with Blu-rays as those come out. I get great joy out of seeing a favorite film in a form better than I've probably ever seen it previously, unless I saw it in the theatre. They've also got their hooks in me for replacing certain complete TV sets that I DO want to own, and are now coming out in Blu-ray - Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, The Prisoner, Deadwood.


The sad thing is, I'm now at an age where I really ask, "Am I ever really going to watch this again?" And if the answer is 'no,' it goes back for trade. I enjoyed watching The Fugitive again, but I get it, that's about it for me seeing it again. But Route 66? I'll always dip into that. I'm currently watching the second season of The Outer Limits for the participating in the Wearecontrollingtransmission.com blog discussion, but I can honestly say, I doubt I'll ever watch these again. The first season I'd snap up on Blu-ray tomorrow, though.


One thing is true that is probably true of many on this post - I have more than I'll ever really catch up with totally (unless I completely veg out and never leave the couch). But I still get satisfaction out of collecting. It's true that the hunt is often more satisfying than the catch. When something comes out you've been waiting for a long time, it's a secret thrill. But ironically, it may sit on your shelf for a while before you get to it. Just having it was the score. Still, I won't be happy when streaming replaces physical copies any more than I will giving up a newspaper I can take to a cafe and stretch out with. The ability to stream something at will in HD will probably diminish my will to watch it. We collectors are funny that way.

 

[Dave B Ferris]

Originally Posted by Hollywoodaholic

One thing is true that is probably true of many on this post - I have more than I'll ever really catch up with totally (unless I completely veg out and never leave the couch). But I still get satisfaction out of collecting. It's true that the hunt is often more satisfying than the catch. When something comes out you've been waiting for a long time, it's a secret thrill. But ironically, it may sit on your shelf for a while before you get to it. Just having it was the score. Still, I won't be happy when streaming replaces physical copies any more than I will giving up a newspaper I can take to a cafe and stretch out with. The ability to stream something at will in HD will probably diminish my will to watch it. We collectors are funny that way.

On a related note, I have come to find I have just as much fun filing and organizing my collection. The same holds true for my CD's.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Brad, great idea for a thread


I have about 233 TV/DVD sets (where a complete series counts or me as 1ea). I'm currently watching 82 TV/DVD sets in progress with 94 sets not yet started.

From my collection, it looks like I have 21 blind-buys as most of what I bought was for re-watching from years ago.

I have 306 DVD movies with probably 2/3 previously 1st-time viewed.


I started collecting TV/DVD's in '03 and bought the vast majority of TV/DVD during '04 thru '08. Since I started tracking DVD info on a spreadsheet around the middle of '07, my # of buys starting in Jan '08 look like this:


'08: 36 TV/DVD sets

'09: 34

'10: 32


I was a little surprised since I had thought that I had more or a dropoff between those years but I have bought a lot of sets after they had been released for 6-12 months.


I'd say that my purchasing is nearly complete except we never know what's coming on the runway for surprise releases.

 

[Ethan Riley]

When I haven't actually seen the show before, I will watch the dvd as fast as I can. But if it's something I watched on-air, there's less urgency; I can just store it away until the time comes, and I feel like watching it. In the fall when all the current dvd sets start coming out, I tend to buy them and marathon the whole season in 3 or 4 days.


I think my collection is about 75% viewed. There's stuff I collect just to collect, and don't have any immediate plans to sit down and watch. There's other stuff I'm waiting on until I have all the episodes and I can marathon. One of them is MELROSE PLACE, which is why I'm always haranguing on these boards for them to get off their duffs and finish it--so that I can finally sit down and marathon the whole series. I'm also waiting to watch 90210, because I haven't got seasons 8-10 yet, and so I'll go through them all once I have them. But that one sounds like a year-long project: there's nearly 300 episodes of that show, not to mention the sequel series! I'm also waiting on EVERWOOD; will watch when season 4 (finally) comes out this summer. That one's taken something like 7 years to complete on dvd...! I also haven't watched ROSWELL and ALLY McBEAL on dvd as yet--just waiting for the right time. I saw them both as they originally aired, so I just collected the dvds 'cause I know I want to see them again someday. Ditto that for FAMILY TIES, although I've started watching through Season Two, I am starting to pine away for the release of seasons 6 & 7. And other stuff like DARK ANGEL just sits...waiting for the right time.

 

[BobO'Link]

Originally Posted by smithb

Just curious where others are in their TV show collecting on DVD...


Are you pretty much caught up with your purchasing, or do you have a long way to go? Are you pretty much caught up with your viewing, or do you have a long way to go?

Did you build your collection over a long period of time or did you get hit with the "bug" and just buy, buy, and buy more?

How many different shows are in your collection?

Wow! What great questions!


No - I'm not caught up with my purchasing. This is simply because when I began many, many series were on the expensive end of the spectrum as far as my finances would allow. As to whether I have a "long way to go" it's kind of relative. There are a few series I'm waiting for a price drop on to begin simply because the current price is double the lowest price I've seen. The bargain hunter is making me wait on those - but that's only 2-3 currently. Still, it seems that as soon as I finish one series I'll find a great deal on another that will cause me to add yet another to the stack. Many times it'll be a series I've watched but really had no firm intent to purchase until the "deal" came along. A very recent example of this is "Gilmore Girls". I've watched some episodes with my wife on occasion and enjoyed them but it's not one I would watch regularly. Kind of hit or miss. But when Target had a 2 pack of S1/S2 for $15 I picked it up as I enjoyed what I've seen enough to pay that for a couple of seasons. Should other seasons be offered at that same price point I'll probably add to it, otherwise... it just depends on how caught up I am with series I truly want and how that "completest" gene hits me on any particular day. I currently have 30 or so incomplete series of which all seasons are available and I intend to complete with a couple more on the horizon ("Car 54 Where Are You?" and "Dennis the Mennace" - 2 very rare pre-orders). Of that number roughly half are within a season or two being completed. There are another 18 incomplete series of which I'll add seasons *if* the price is right and/or the mood hits. I have another 8 or so of which I have all I really want but would add to/complete *if* the price is low enough. There are another dozen "stalled" shows I'd complete *if* the studio(s) would just release them.


Caught up with viewing? No way! I have *at least* 150 seasons in the unwatched pile. With the great sales the past couple of years it seems that I'm adding 3-4 seasons for every one that is watched. I keep 2-3 each of hour and half-hour programs in constant rotation and try to watch 3-4 hours per day. Frankly, I could stop purchasing now and be quite happy to watch what I currently own repeatedly.


I started my DVD collection about 8-9 years ago. I started slow due to early costs on series and limited budget. Purchases have accelerated greately over the years primarily due to a reduction in the cost of seasons/series. But during that time I've pretty much purchased all the music that I want and have pared down the comics greatly. As a result I re-routed that money to DVD purchases. Being a TV addict from early childhood I somewhat got "bit by the bug" during the tape years but just couldn't bring myself to spend the kind of money wanted for commercial *tape* product, although I *did* purchase "Star Trek: TOS" on tape. Instead I built my library by taping "off-air". As soon as DVD came to market I *knew* I'd be building as large a collection as I could afford.


Currently I have 203 different shows in my collection. Other than the quick count of unwatched seasons listed above I have no idea how many seasons of TV are on the shelves.


My family sort of understands my addiction. In the past I've purchased series for my wife but they just sat collecting dust as she'd rather "find" them on TV than put in a DVD to watch. I just do not understand that but I no longer make a purchase because she might like it. I'd cut the cable subscription and spend that on DVDs if she'd let me. We keep cable for her and I buy DVDs. My son just shakes his head even though he has a *bit* of that collecting gene in him. I tell them that it's like my CD/album collections. It's so that I can watch *what* I want *when* I want *without* commercial interuption/annoyances.

 

[ChrisALM]

My collection is pretty well organized, but I have never made any count as to the number of sets I have. I am going to get around to doing that.


As far as my viewing, I am pretty close to caught up, with just a couple of sets I am currently viewing.


As far as further purchases, it hinges on a number of things. I have a number of stalled series that I would gladly continue purchasing if they are ever released. There are also many shows that I did not see during their original run, that I have purchased in the past, and there are several of those still out there as possible future purchases. There are also shows that I have never heard about, State Trooper and Coronado 9 being two of the latest examples, that are from an era of television that I prefer, so I will blind buy series like that. I could potentially have a large number of future purchases, depending on what gets released.


I started collecting with a few movies, then branched out to televsion. I don't remember when I first started collecting, but it must have been around 1998. I tend to buy at a slow but steady rate and have built up my collection over the past several years. After a while I started needing shelf space and I knew I was on my way to building a DVD collection.

 

[Professor Echo]

This is what I always tell my girlfriend: It's not about watching everything, it's about watching what you want, when you want.

 

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by Point-Blank /forum/thread/309146/are-you-caught-up#post_3785330

 

[Joe Tor1]

When you consider that one box set of TV on DVD represents ONE YEAR'S worth of shows, it's not likely that anyone could be "caught-up" -- unless they purchase a very select number of series box sets.

I've been at this collecting less than seven years. The TV shows I collect have occured over my LIFETIME -- considerably more than seven years.

Fortunately, there's almost nothing I collect from the '70s and '80s, because I watched very little TV during those years. The '60s and prior, and '90s and beyond is another story.

Simply put, you cannot compress decades into a few years. But, it's a nice dilemma to have, becauase there's ALWAYS something to watch!

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by Regulus /forum/thread/309146/are-you-caught-up#post_3785335