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How do you decide? (1 Viewer)

LanieParker

Supporting Actor
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Apr 15, 2004
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With all the new shows coming out on dvd, how do you all set your priorities on which sets to get? When I first started buying tv on dvd I admit I went a bit crazy and bought alot right away (F&G, MSCL,Jem and ROSWELL). Sadly I have to start setting my limits.

So my next buys are ones I am saving for (Seinfeld and Alias 3). I hope nothing else comes out that I really want because I just can't go spending that much money. I mean as of now the want list far exceeds the amount of money I have (or will have).

Also, I am on the blockbuster pass, so I can rent some tv on dvd there if I want.
 

Casey Trowbridg

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I've got a few guidelines but all of these are not definites and I've made acceptions to everyone of them.

First of all, generally I like to buy the stuff I want within 3 months of its being released. I figure this way, when it comes to season 1 releases or whatever, I'm still within a window where studios are charting sales and trying to decide whether or not to continue the release.

Secondly, I tend to buy shows I've seen and enjoy over those that I haven't seen but think I might like. I want to see Coupling but I'm more likely to buy All in the Family season 3 first.

Thirdly, price might matter to me from time to time. I might pass on buying the 4 disc set for $50 and buy the 2 3-disc sets that add up to $55 or whatever.

Also, I tend to buy seasons of shows I already own before I buy first season releases. Again, I try to buy the season 1 releases within a reasonable time frame, but in June for instance I went with M*A*S*H season 6 over Who's the Boss Season 1.

Basically, it just depends on how much I like the show or am interested in it. Andy Griffith is a show that when season 1 hits it goes right to the top of the list. If I had to make a choice though between Simpsons season 5 and Friends season 8 my head might explode though.
 

MarkHarrison

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I try not to buy more than I can watch. As a result, I only have Babylon 5 (for my wife and I), Buffy (wife & I), Angel (wife & I), Forever Knight (wife), Deep Space Nine (wife & I) and Homicide (all mine :D). We're caught up on Babylon 5, need to watch the latest seasons of Buffy and Angel, need to watch Forever Knight, we'er on season 3 of Deep Space Nine and I'm slowly working on Homicide in my spare time. We're a little behind, but we just had a bunch of extra money and stocked up big time on a few series. Normally we have one set being watched and one or two others waiting.

Clearly my wife has been a big factor in what TV sets I get. We tent to get things we'll both enjoy. Otherwise, it would be too hard to find the time to watch (we also have kids which cuts into the available time for this kind of stuff). If I wasn't married, I'd probably still have mostly the same titles. I don't see the point in buying something that I won't have time to watch for another year or two. I try to follow the same rule with my movies (my wife has no interest in movies). I currently have about 20 unwatched movies which seems a reasonable balance (for me) between having a good selection when wanting to watch something new and having too many unwatched movies.

The other big factor I use to keep things under control is how often I can rewatch something. Why spend $500-$700 on Deep Space Nine, if we're so swamped we never have time to view it again. We're trying to limit ourselves to just our favorite shows. We've already seen Babylon 5 serveral times. We're on our second trip through Buffy. I'm sure we'll revisit Angel (probably when Season 4 is released since we've never seen it). The rest of the stuff is too new, but I know we'll revisit it within a year or two.
 

Joe Karlosi

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It's very easy for me ... I look at the dozens of sets on my store shelf and find the two I like :D
 

MaraKM

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Lanie you might want to rent the first couple of Alias S3 discs before you buy it if you're feeling strapped. I adore seasons 1 & 2, but I thought S3 was enormously disappointing, and it doesn't hold up to repeat-viewing like the first 2 seasons, due to the gaping plot holes. I'm still on the fence about whether or not to get it.

As far as how I decide...I mostly stick with sets loaded with bonus features, since the length of time needed to get through them makes buying cheaper than renting. Or shows that have been off the air for a while (or are so butchered by syndication edits as to be unwatchable). I also have a tendency to buy Season1 sets of shows out of nostalgia, and then find that I'm only interested in renting the subsequent seasons.

Lately, I'm trying to restrict myself to what I find when I'm at Costco, to curb my impulse buys.
 

LanieParker

Supporting Actor
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Apr 15, 2004
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735
There are a lot of older shows that I would really love to get. I have a list of definite musts. The other shows are just ones that I would like to have but don't really need to get.

My must have lists includes:

Seinfeld
Roswell S2
Alias 3 (although due to some of your suggestions I am thinking about rental).
Rosanne (if it ever gets released)
The Adams Family (if it ever gets released)
Jem S3
Little House on the Prairie 4 and 5
Beetlejuice cartoons
The Wonder Years (if it ever gets released)
Smallville

Other shows:

24
Sports Night
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
Northern exposure
Party of Five
South Park series
Punky Brewster S2
Felicity


Right now I am into Alias S1 ( 4 more episodes to go I believe) and then I will start S2. I am also watching Little House S3. It gets harder and harder to find the time to sit and watch the shows. Fortunately I don't have any current shows I am watching on tv or I would never get to the sets.

thanks for the replies!
 

Rob Gardiner

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Lanie,

If there are used CD shops in your area, check them out to find some good bargains. I got all the X-Files seasons for $40-60 each, Cosmos for $50, Twilight Zone boxes for $40 each, etc.
 

MarkHarrison

Supporting Actor
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597
If you don't have the money to buy what you want and you don't have the time to watch what you can afford, then the next step is to learn to say no. Doesn't it seem odd to you that you're willing to spend more than you should on something you can't use?

I've been in your position and in my case I just learned to say no. I just had to figure out what it was that I wanted the most and let the rest go for now. It doesn't mean that I can't get to them later.
 

LanieParker

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Mark ~ Believe me, I have learned to say no. As of now ( based on the info about Alias 3) Seinfeld will be the only future purchase. It's the show I have been waiting for FOREVER! SO after that I can honestly say that I won't be purchasing any more tv sets for a while. Not to mention I really don't have the time to sit and watch them...
 

Jason_V

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^ I work kinda the same way. I know what comes out when and buy what I want. It makes it easier I'm buying for only my tastes and not for a boyfriend too. Since I absolutely can not stand to have partial sets in my collection, I'll be picking up these soon:

Babylon 5 Season 5
Farscape Season 2
Stargate Season 2-7 (I just started watching this one)
Futurama Volume 3 and 4

Now, figuring out what I'm going to watch is a totally different story.
 

Gary Seven

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Well I really don't have a lot of must haves for TV shows. There are some I like obviously but there are more sets out there that I am not interested in than sets I am interested in so it's no problem for me.
 

Jonathan_Clarke

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The real question is, will you watch it again? I love the Sopranos but I don't see myself throwing on an episode now and then so I didn't buy them.


There's always a few on the fence. I didn't think I'd watch the Office too much but I bought it on an impluse and I'm really happy. It might be a year before I put it on again but I'm glad it's there.
 

MarkHarrison

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Given the number of TV sets that have been released, it would be a considerable problem if this wasn't true! :D

I too try to only buy when will get repeated viewings. Thus I only have six different series at this time.
 

LanieParker

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Apr 15, 2004
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735
As it stands now my must buy sets are:

Seinfeld and Roswell S2. I decided based on opinions and advice from this forum to rent Alias S3 before deciding to buy. I have even gone as far as making my wish list (dvds I would like to get eventually) smaller. I decided that there were just some sets, that although I really would love to see again, aren't neccessary, because I probably would not get around to watching them any time soon.

I think I now have my priorities in check! lol.
 

cole_b

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May 2, 2004
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it's pretty easy for me, because I tend to only buy DVD sets of shows I really like. currently that list is just Sliders S1&2 and Futurama vol. 4. I was kind of disappointed with Garfield and Friends (I remembered it as being better than it was, though it's not bad), which reinforces my sticking to shows I know I'll like. granted, my only blind buy, Freaks & Geeks, was great.

there are shows I'd be interested in if they were cheaper, too, like Northern Exposure or Quantum Leap. I guess I could wait until the full seasons start coming out, but I've got the completist bug -- I have to have all or nothing. (except with Sliders -- no way am I getting the successive seasons of that!)
 

Daryl Stovall

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Oct 4, 2002
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I purchased Millenium season 1 as a blind purchase and finished it within a week after work. It was one of the most atmospheric, creepiest, disturbing shows i've ever seen. Can't hardly wait for the second season...So in closing if you got the cash, make a dash to your local dvd retail establishment and buy that badboy. You only live once. Btw Lanie, the reason Alias season 3 kind of sucked is because ABC kept interrupting it, thus wrecking its' flow. I think even the naysayers will learn to appreciate it (more) while viewing the eps back to back on dvd...But even I have to admit that (subjectively) seasons two and three will never top season one, it's right up there with Buffy's seasons two & three as pure TV ART! :D
 

MarkHastings

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The key for me in avoiding some purchases is to wait to buy the set.

Usually when a set comes out, I want to buy it. Mainly I find that the REAL reason I want to buy it is because it's new. I find that if I wait a few months and then re-examine if I still want it, I find that the "novelty" has worn off and I don't really want it as much.

Kind of like dessert, I tend to find that after a meal, I want dessert and end up feeling like crap after I eat it. If I have enough "will power" to say "no", I find that I really didn't want the dessert to begin with. :D
 

LanieParker

Supporting Actor
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Apr 15, 2004
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735
MarkH ~ That's a good way to look at it. Infact, I was so anxious to run out and buy Party of Five, but ended up not getting it. I ended up purchasing ALIAS S1 instead...now I don't really feel I missed out on POF. I think there are a few that I felt that way about. I waited and realized later it wasn't something I really wanted.
 

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