the DVD Collectors' insanity... (1 Viewer)

[Carlo_M]

There is a sure-fire way to help with the insanity.
Upgrade your hardware.
After buying my new HD set, I can't afford to buy software!

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My dealer of choice (especially if you live in So-Cal, I highly recommend them): www.yawaonline.com

 

[Richard Kim]

Since I'm on a tight budget, I'm pretty picky when it comes to buying DVDs. Now I almost never buy a movie sight unseen. I don't know about you, but right now there doesn't seem to anything worth buying. That'll change this fall, with The Godfather Collection, The Phantom Menace, The Princess Bride SE, Citizen Kane, Monty Python Holy Grail SE...

 

[Craig S]

Oh my God, Dick, I could have written your post myself! I'm at some 750 DVDs and counting. I've really been trying to cut down lately, eliminating discs I really don't need from my pre-orders. Even so, next Tuesday (7/31) will be the 1st release day all year on which I will NOT be buying a DVD (and that's only because Criterion slipped Sullivan's Travels to August 21).
But, like the rest of you, I'm a collector & a movie buff, and DVD is absolutely the best thing ever to happen to folks like us. I don't watch all of my DVDs when I get them, but I love knowing they're there whenever I get in the mood to see a particular film. For example, I was reading a review in the Sunday paper of a CD set called "Nuggets", featuring garage rock from the 60s. The review mentioned that some of the songs had been featured in Rushmore, and all of a sudden I knew it was time to watch that gem again. I didn't have to go down to the video store and HOPE they had it - just pulled it off my shelf and enjoyed. Next, watching the behind-the-scenes featurette on the Criterion Rushmore disc led me to The Graduate, which I had never seen and which Wes Anderson cited as an influence. Luckily I had this one on the shelf also as I am trying to collect the complete AFI 100. This kind of thing happens all the time. That is the joy of collecting.
It's only going to get worse, I'm afraid. Look at all the treasures coming this fall - Citizen Kane, the Godfather trilogy, Snow White & The Seven Dwarves, The French Connection, The Terminator, Dr. Zhivago, Remains Of The Day, The Princess Bride SE - the list goes on. How can any film buff resist these titles?? I know I can't!!
It's a great time to be a movie fan & collector. Don't worry about your DVD habit. Embrace your obsession!! As long as you're here on the HTF, you'll never be alone!!

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Too many DVDs, too little time...
AFI 100 Challenge - 36 to go!

 

[Mark_TS]

Im tellin ya, I saw it mentioned somewhere that the American Psychiatric Associations DSM IV Manual lists "Movie Collecting" as a form of mental illness....

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[Jeff Bamberger]

Hi. My name is Jeff. And I am addicted to DVD.
Seriously, the way I do it is limit to freebies obtained via test drives and other deals. Yes, I only have about 100 at this time, but my average cost per still hovers just under $5 per DVD (damn those pesky purchases made before I found this forum and places like funtasia).

 

[DaViD Boulet]

"Dear God,
Give me the Strength to buy the DVDs I will watch,
The Serenity to leave on the shelf those that I won't,
and the wisdom to know the difference..."
I'm Dave and I too am a DVD-holic.
I just recently went sober to prove to myself (and my partner) that I wasn't addicted. I haven't bought a DVD in over a month!!!
Now that I'm back in control of things I think I can start to buy them again...slowly and with discernemnt.
quote: I bouth BEN HUR, CLEOPATRA, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA but never opened them, to save them for the CRT proj.[/quote]
om-i-gosh omigosh omigosh! My big saving grace every time I buy another DVD I don't get around to watching is that "I'm saving that for when I get my projector"!!!!!!!!!
We are such a bunch of like-minded dudes!!!
Should we start a group? I live in the DC area...
p.s. tonight I'm going over to this guy's house to check out his calibrated Sony 10HT LCD projector...just feeding the fire that burns...
dave
[Edited last by DaViD Boulet on July 24, 2001 at 02:29 PM]

 

[Jeff Wilson]

I had this problem until I switched jobs last year; my previous job was working in the music/video department of a certain chain. So I got a nice discount. I also was in charge of doing music/video special orders, which meant that any disc I wanted was only a few days away with a few clicks of a mouse. When I quit that job, the gravy train came to an end, but not before I had piled up nearly 400 DVDs in just a couple years. When I quit, I ended up dumping about 250 discs from my collection, because it was stuff I didn't have time for and had bought because I got it cheap. In the year that has passed at my new job, despite having a better salary, I've only bought maybe 50 discs. And I still have too many, I think.

 

[Peter D]

This is why I love HTF. Regardless of how crazy I may be about DVD, it's comforting to know that I'm still swimming in the shallow end compared to some folks...

 

[Aaron Croft]

Well.. I am somewhat new to this forum, but I am slowly becoming a DVD enthusiast as my salary increases
I have owned a DVD player for about 6 months and currently have 20 DVD's... all of which I love. I consider this about right as far as my interest goes.. I end up spending about $60 a month on DVD's, which is not too bad for a hobby.
Now to add a little bit of seriousness to this thread.
Luckily I am VERY PICKY about the DVD's that I buy, and in general the movies that I like. Why would you want a DVD that you KNOW you don't really want to watch??? I guess you have the "collectors" attitude, which IMHO is an actual mental disorder. Not to be rude or anything, but it is not necesarilly healthy to "collect" things in this way. Besides the obvious money problems this can cause, the obsession with collecting over time can cause neurosis. You should not buy something if your only want is to complete a "collection"...
Of course how "unhealthy" this obsession is is different for everyone. It all depends on how important this obsession is to you compared to other aspects of your life. If getting a DVD on a certain day means missing your child's first baseball game for instance... you have serious issues. If your collector's habbit spawns from the fact that you have no other interests in your life... you have issues. If you collect DVD's seriously because it is simply something you want to do, and the rest of your life is fulfilling then it might be OK.
Basically.. if you are a "collector".. look at your life and ask yourself if you are happy. If you are not happy, then maybe try to change this behavior, and see if that helps.
Sorry to be so glum and all, but I really think this could be a serious problem for some people that could cause un-happiness in the long run.
Aaron

 

[Yohan Pamudji]

This is why I love HTF. Regardless of how crazy I may be about DVD, it's comforting to know that I'm still swimming in the shallow end compared to some folks...

Peter, you derive comfort from other people's anguish and distress?!?! What a bastard!!! Boo hiss, shame on you!
[/tongue-in-cheek]
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This screen has been formatted to fit your movie.

 

[John Fieldstadt]

Oh what a joy it is to know that I'm not alone in my insanity!!!
I can relate to what each and everyone of you are saying.
My purchasing generally goes through cycles as does my income. I must admit though, if I go more than about 10 days without a purchase I start to get really ichy, I've just got to buy something by that point. For that reason I've always got a budget title or two in mind that I purchase to hold me over until my next check!
I just hit the 100 mark about a week ago (took me just over a year to reach it)!!! I find myself scouring the net on a daily basis searching for deals, the more deals I find, the more I can buy!!!!
What can I say boys and girls, we could be involved in something a lot worse! I say let's just sit back and enjoy!
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[Don]

ok People welcome to DVD-Holic's Anonoymous and i currently own 21 DVD's and it is growing good luck to all in our Addictions

 

[george kaplan]

Even so, next Tuesday (7/31) will be the 1st release day all year on which I will NOT be buying a DVD (and that's only because Criterion slipped Sullivan's Travels to August 21).

But Criterion's My Man Godfrey slipped to 7/31. So, that's a definite purchase for me.
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13-time NBA world champion Lakers: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001

 

[Marshall Alsup]

This is a damn cool thread. I am obsessed with DVDs as well. I only own 60, but if my financial situation were better I'd own billions and billions!!
Like JerryW I compile lists to keep myself occupied (and torture myself) when I cant make a purchase. I have two lists, one for DVDs that are currently released that I NEED, and one for future releases that I NEED. Damn, I wish I had more money, theres somewhere like 100 movies to get......
My favorite time of the year is when school starts and Financial Aid comes in. I get to go out and get 2 or 3 DVDs at once!! Man, once I graduate I'm spending all my new found wealth at amazon!

 

[Tom Ryan]

I can't say I really understand this. Buying DVDs that you don't even intend to watch? This is materialism at its worst. I buy DVDs for the movies that I love, and I tend to only buy the best movies (for instance, buying the first Die Hard but not the other two...being short on money helps with this

).
As a result, I have 47 films on DVD after almost 2 years of collecting. I can't see myself owning more than 100 DVDs, even after all the dream movies are released (Star Wars, Indy, BTTF, Strange Brew), with the possible exceptions of Seinfeld box sets . Anyways, I'm not sure how so many people fall into the pattern of buying things that they never even use/watch, but I pity them.
-Tom

 

[William Ward]

After buying my new HD set, I can't afford to buy software!

But when you spend $3000 on a new HD set, all your DVD's go back in the "unviewed Category" since you haven't seen them enhanced on your new set. So if you have a collection of 150 DVD's bought at an average of $20 that's $3000 worth of DVD's you just bought with the TV. So you get a good bargain.

I'll be getting my WS TV on August 11th. I have a coupon from my local retailer(small chain in Texas and Louisiana) that gives me $100 off $1000 and free delivery. That's almost a $200 savings so this is when I plan on buying.

I'll also be getting my HDTV tuner at that time so I'll be having lots of fun.

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William
Go Bucs!!
MyDVDs

 

[Christina_DQ]

While i love hi-tech stuff and want the best & sound i can't afford a HD tv,surround sound system ect-actually could get a surround set for a decent price though it would be hard to find a place to put it,lol.
Still just watching the movies i love(in widescreen) on my 25' tv + with virtual surround is good enough for me 7 besides i have more things to do
Yes theres so many movies coming out within the next few months that i know i won't be able to get even though i want to!!!
I'm debating which edition on Maniac, Suspira,Opera ect to get. I know L.E. should be the way to go but since i'm on a budget and may not care for the soundtracks( haven't seen Opera yet) -though Suspira L.E. is a must-i love the score. The standard edtions cost less,so i may get those & i'm gonna try to get The Godfather set. Though who knows if i'll get them right away or months from now??

 

[DarrylWHarrisJr]

Well I broke one hundred. I actually had aobut 150 DVD's and I dumped a lot of them since they were first runs and were not anamorphic widescreen. I only buy a movie if it was anamorphic widescreen...the only exception is that massive run Disney did with those nine flicks...I hope in the future they make most of these widescreen (i.e. Jungle Book, Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmations in particular). But for my kids sake and my sanity and they have to safice (don't worry they know about AW presentation though they look about me like I lost it). I wish Warner Bros would do their top movies better (Robin Hood, Unforgiven, Driving Miss Daisy, One Flew Over The Coocoo's Nest in particular)
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A man never chooses to live...but chooses to make a life.

 

[SheldonS]

You think you guys are "addicted"? At least you're adults! I'm only sixteen and have almost 200 DVDs!

My dad goes crazy everytime I drag him to Sam Goody or Best Buy to go shopping. I guess you could call me spoiled.

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[Edited last by SheldonS on July 24, 2001 at 06:59 PM]

 

[george kaplan]

I can't say I really understand this. Buying DVDs that you don't even intend to watch? This is materialism at its worst. I buy DVDs for the movies that I love, and I tend to only buy the best movies

Well as I mentioned earlier, I too only buy movies I will watch. BUT, I don't see anything wrong with those who want to collect them even if they don't watch them. People collect stamps they don't plan to use as postage and coins they don't plan on sticking in vending machines, so why not dvds they don't plan on sticking in a dvd player? It's not my cup of tea, but to each their own. At least if you collect that way you never have to worry about removing shrink-wrap or security stickers.
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13-time NBA world champion Lakers: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001