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

[MarkHastings]

This is not a definition of value.

Then you better contact the dictionary people because that's where I got it from.

As I stated, there are several definitions of the word 'value'. I'm merely stating that the definition I lean toward is the one that compares the price of the DVD to the alternatives, while others use the definition to compare the price of the DVD to their available funds.

Not that the later is wrong, but I think that that sort of thinking is what gets you into trouble.

Example: If I purchase a blind buy for $20 and I don't like it, I can look at it's value in one of two ways:

1: (Comparing the price of the DVD to my available funds):
"Damn! I just wasted $20 on a DVD that I could have used for another DVD"

or

2: (Comparing the price of the DVD to the alternatives):
"This movie sucks, but hey! I have a high quality DVD that I own and I can add it to my collection. Then, years down the road, I will still have a high quality movie if I ever decide to watch it again - and all for ONLY $20"


I just prefer to use method B over A.

 

[WillardK]

2: (Comparing the price of the DVD to the alternatives): "This movie sucks, but hey! I have a high quality DVD that I own and I can add it to my collection. Then, years down the road, I will still have a high quality movie if I ever decide to watch it again - and all for ONLY $20"

...so that I can spend time watching a movie that "sucks" again?

If that's your idea of value, I've got some high quality swill I'll sell you for a bargain.''

I've watched all of my box sets btw, and rewatched portions (some more than once).

 

[TommyT]

Mine too & they have a monopoly in my area, most of the independent places have gone out of biz or have reduced their inventory to incl only the most popular releases. I would encourage you to give an online mail-rental place a try. I was very skeptical of Netflix at 1st but then I realized they had films that I would NEVER see on the shelves at BB. So far I've been able to watch all of Peter Jackson's bizarre pre-LOTR repertoire & several other NC17 films that BB would never shelve because they have a hypocritical double-standard of not carrying NC films because they conflict w/their 'family-oriented' policy. I've been using NF for about 3 mos now but I may actually leave them in favor of another place called GreenCine which has even more films I've wanted to see for a long time.

This is also a good way to preview discs I may wish to purchase sometime. Like I said before, I'm totally picky about what films I buy vs. what I rent. I want to make sure that my collection has films I'll watch 20 yrs from now.

 

[MarkHastings]

Tommy, I used to use Netflix years ago (when they would give you those deal in the DVD's - like 5 free rentals). I never liked it because I hated waiting for the discs to arrive. I understand that my movie watching methods mean that if it's not on my shelf (at the exact moment I am in the mood to watch it), I won't watch it. This, unfortunately, means I need to buy the movies and put them on my shelf until I am ready to watch them.

I don't know how many times I'd be in the mood to watch a movie, rent it from Netflix, and when it arrived on my doorstep, I had no desire to watch it.

I can't even tell you what movie I feel like watching when I am all set to pop in a DVD, never mind the 1-3 days I'd have to plan for a Netflix rental.

For me, if a movie looks interesting, I buy it, put it on the shelf and then wait until I am in the mood to want to watch it. If I don't particularly like the movie, I am totally fine with the fact that the $15-$20 was well worth the fact that I was just entertained (or at least the effort was there) for a few hours.

Plus, my collectors mind likes the fact that it adds to my collection.

Also, if I really can't stand the movie, I'll usually give it to my brother or parents. They're always SO grateful when I give them free movies. That alone is worth the $20 I paid for it.

But that's just me.

 

[Holadem]

As I stated, there are several definitions of the word 'value'. I'm merely stating that the definition I lean toward is the one that compares the price of the DVD to the alternatives, while others use the definition to compare the price of the DVD to their available funds.

Not that the later is wrong, but I think that that sort of thinking is what gets you into trouble.

Trouble? I don't get it.

As for the options you cited, sorry, but it makes no sense to me. If $20 is more than a drop in the ocean for you, you will think in terms of the first option. That's my whole point. We compare prices to available funds all the time. If DVDs cost $100 each, you might start thinking that way. Obviously you don't have to, which is great. However, to suggest that people shouldn't (or be surprised that they do) strikes me as being a little out of touch with some realities.

Very few people can afford to think in terms of absolute value. For most people, I suspect it's relative.

Last, even "bad" movies do have some value to you. The pleasure you get from giving them away or inflating your collection with a movie you might never watch again is worth $20 to you. Not to me.

--
H

 

[R. Kay]

How about all those LaserDisc Box Sets that sit on shelves unwatched?

Those were major bucks back in the day.

 

[MarkHastings]

Last, even "bad" movies do have some value to you. The pleasure you get from giving them away or inflating your collection with a movie you might never watch again is worth $20 to you. Not to me.

This is true. Sorry to generalize, but I thought this forum was made for people who value a DVD no matter what.

I keep forgetting that there are memebers who aren't as gung-ho as I am and just see it more of a casual hobby.


Sorry

 

[george kaplan]

I thought it was for people who value movies, but not "no matter what". If that were the case then 100 copies of Pluto Nash would be just as valuable as the first 100 dvds in the Criterion Collection. For me a dvd of a film I love is of tremendous value (I'd pay more than I did for most of them, in some cases a a lot more). A dvd of a film I hate is worth nothing to me, except as a coaster.

 

[Jim_K]

and then there's those of us who value the content (i.e. films, etc.) which so happens to be on the very best media at the current moment (DVD).

To answer the original question: No. I have no DVD's gathering dust. It's a foreign concept to me (probably as I don't buy TV series). I may have times when I get a large amount of titles at once, but I make it a point of watching them within at least a week or 2. Frankly if I'm not in the mood to watch a title during that time-frame then I shouldn't have bought it in the first place.

I also recommend Netflix. It's a great way of checking out new/classic/foreign/cult/genre titles that you may not want to take a chance on buying.