The (in)sanity of collecting DVDs (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

I love ripping open the shrink wrap on a new DVD, peeling off the security tags, and another, and another.

Takes almost as much time to get the case unwrapped as it does to watch the movie!

 

[Kami]

When I first started I was a madman and bought 2-3 titles a week, which at the time was quite a bit of $$$$ for an 18 year old student like me. Now in the past 6 months I've only bought about 20-25 titles, so I am slowing down a lot and only buying stuff I really like. Too many bills and college expenses (tuition, living expenses, books, beer) to pay!
My collection is around 105 titles now I think. One of my most expensive purchases (nearly $500 Canadian) was the four X-Files sets but I feel that these are also my best purchases. Every episode is almost like a movie....I so wish the show today had the same quality. I've watched through seasons 1-3 twice and season 4 once so far. I usually average 1 or 2 episodes a night

 

[Ted Todorov]

...and one of those new flat panel iMacs with a DVD burner. Then, I can make my OWN dvds (and spend $5 a pop on BLANK dvds.)

Actually the DVD-R blanks are down to $2.39 a pop. Tony Soprano is getting an unlisted number because of all the Hollywood studio execs calling trying to put out a contract on Steve Jobs...
My DVD collection is North of the 500 mark now. I feel fine about it -- it is a collection, not an investment or a practical thing that must be used to be worthwhile. (Though having it is certainly a useful thing -- there are multiple DVDs for every mood and occasion. Probably 50% have not been watched.) My one worry is lack of space in my small apartment. I just bought ANOTHER DVD rack yesterday...
Ted

 

[Jon Mercer]

Geez, I feel almost insignificant here.

I've had my DVD player (up graded once) since '99 and as of now I only have 60 odd disc's. I maybe buy one a month or so.

I VERY rarely buy one sight unseen and can't afford to go to the theaters (two kids and a house) so I rent when-ever a movie comes out that I figure the wife and I would enjoy and if I like it I will buy it when I can. With some kids movies ie. Toy Story 2 bought unseen, but knew my son would watch it enough to make buying it worthwhile, and heck, the wife and I enjoy it too.

I've got seasons 1-4 of x-files most likely enough of that, but also looking forward to seeing Buffy season 2 (much more reasonable price! I'd buy more X-files seasons if they were priced like this)

By the way, I have also collected comics for the past 20 years and still enjoy them. I only buy what entertains me and if I don't like it I drop the title.

Yes, I am addicted to DVD's but unless I take up a life of crime I'm more than happy to continue with my little trickle of movies.

 

[ErichH]

My first year or so was a FRENZY of collecting films - My Rule - gotta want to see it over & over .

At about 130 or so , the excitment was over , and an occasional DVD purchase every month or so (still the same rule) At 170 it's pretty much over , and I really long for the days when my want list was packed .

Now I'm down to improving quality (like a new SE or remaster) and waiting for newer titles .

Along the way there were guilty pleasure titles that proved that I was just into the thrill of buying another DVD , but most of those are history(thanks ebay) . It's almost as if I don't want to caught dead with any lame movies . I can't imagine having 500+ movies , but time might prove me wrong .

Eric

 

[josh4040]

Jenna you tivo. But do you directivo I can tivo two shows at one time! regular tivo's are nothing compared to directivo

 

[Kelley_B]

Josh speaks the truth about DirecTiVo.

Kelley(Proud owner of 2 Philips DSR6000 DirecTiVo units and 123 DVDs)

BTW - the ability to record 4 shows at the same time is just too good.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Well I have had a dvd player ever since the 1st Toshiba's came out and I have around 250 dvd titles. I think I have come to a point that if I REALLY, REALLY like the movie then I will buy it. I used to buy movies on dvd that I have not even seen but I think I am done with that. It's to a point now where about 50 of my dvd's have never been opened. I like the X-Files but I have has season 1 & 2 for over a year and have never even opened them.

 

[Jeff Hansman]

Interesting, the sheer number of responses to this post. Over on DVD Talk I posted the question of 'what % of your collection have you watched?' and got a similar response rate. It seems many of us are as much about buying as watching, if no more so. I just like to collect, so my viewing rate is down around 30 %, but climbing. I'm trying to watch more than I buy, but I love to score a good bargain. My wife too is critical of my buying habits, so I try to hold it down. Right now I'm debating running over to CC or Target to pick up Sexy Beast. Definitely an addiction...

 

[EricHaas]

I bought a DVD player three years back. My wife is not as in to movies as me, but she is much more the spendthrift in general than I. She has bought somewhat indiscriminately, getting DVD's that neither of us have seen and which no one in their right mind would take a chance on. I only buy movies that I strongly like or love. In total, we have 147 in 3 years. 15 still have the wrappers on them. 9 are movies no one in my household has ever seen. 20 are movies for our 12 year old daughter (teenybopper), like "Center Stage" and the like. The remainder are either movies I like, movies the wife likes, or movies we both like. My practical side says do not buy movies that I will not watch at least 5 times before I die (so that I roughly recoup the value of 5 rentals which equals about the price of the DVD). However, the impractical side has to admit that I just enjoy having a movie collection. I do watch 2-3 movies per week, so I feel that I get more than enough use to justify $2300 in 3 years. I love the hobby, and do not feel as if I have any difficulty in controlling my purchasing habits. If anything, I feel that now that I have started to appreciate good equipment in the last few months, I may have more of a problem controlling myself on the hardware side in the long run.

 

[DarrylWHarrisJr]

Suddenly you needed the new receiver and speakers and TV. You will, some day, start making wise choices on your DVD purchases and only get what you really like.
haha darren that happened to me!
thought i'd get a player, then suddenly my 27 inch sharp wasn't good enough to "handle the resolution of dvd" (the excuse i gave my wife). luckily i was able to pick up a 32" wega at tweeter off the floor for $550. Then I discovered this logo that said dts and realized my reciever couldn't process it...another $400. Upgraded to Monster Cable (another $200). Then I realized my Wega had three multi-colored inputs for "optimal" resolution and my dvd's highest output to tv as s-video. Time for a new dvd player..another $250. Then realized my 2-channel die hard stereo system need 5.1 sourround. Another $400 resulting in my 2-channel music only speakers moved to "b" and 5.1 getting moved to the "a" slot for the speaker option on my reciever. And guest what my latest purchase was? A combo DVD-Video/Audio player (after I am die hard 2-channel) Another $250.

 

[Dan V]

Before I bought my dvd player, I upgraded to a 5.1 receiver and bought new front speakers . Since buying a dvd player, I have upgraded my television, bought a sub and upgraded my surrounds. I have been into home theater for a long time know, starting out with a hi-fi vcr and a pro-logic set up and then getting into laserdisc.For someone that has been into it for a while, I see the dvd phenomenon as a wonderful thing. They have made great breakthroughs in picture quality , sound, and the ability to feature supplements and different aspect ratios. As far as the amount of money I am spending on dvd's, yes it is a lot, but ask anyone who's ever owned a laserdisc, dvd's are a fantastic value compared to what was available before. A bargain laserdisc was at least 29.99, and we won't even mention what a Criterion went for. Hell, until dvd's came out, the average new release vhs tape was 19.95. To me, the pricing and availablity of titles on dvd's are what is fueling my addiction. I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Tom Gassner]

My addiction has been a non-stop ride . In 1997 when I bought my first DD receiver and DVD player I bought non

stop for about a year and a half until I accumulated almost 350 DVDs. I asked myself what I was doing with all my money and decided I was going to sell them. Sold all my movies and started renting. That lasted 2 months before I started buying movies again. Over the next four years I repeated that cycle two more times. After selling all my movies last September I lasted two months before I started buying

those damm little disks. I now have almost 200. Now I'm in the process of building a house with dedicated home theater with a 106" screen and the new Sharp 9000 DLP projector just so I could watch my DVD's. Tell me I'm not crazy. I know I'm addicted.

 

[John Torrez]

I only purchase movies on dvd that I can watch more than once. Currently, I spend about $300 on dvd's a month.

 

[todd stone]

I just tell my girl " well i dont smoke, drink or do drugs, so this is what i DO, do"

 

[JoeDeM]

Here's one of the problems that contribute to this madness for me.

I get my DVDs wholesale, so I usally get from 10 to 20 at a time (picked up 23 last week). It's such a good deal, I keep telling myself.

 

[Derrick_Ellis]

Having been an avid DVD fan for the past five years, I have to explain to people sometimes why I have so many movies. When DVDs first appeared on the scene, there was no place to rent them, so I had to buy them. Even when places like Blockbuster started to rent them, I realized that I had a better collection than they did! It's also great when people come over that they have a wide selection of movies to watch, and we don't have to make the 'Blockbuster' run. I have relaxed my 'No Lending' rules quite a bit. But I still do no lend the special edition DVDs. But I digress, that is a totally different topic. I'm proud to be a DVD collector!!!
P.S. About twice a year I do review the collection and trade in movies that I know I will never watch again and try to pick up movies that will get more replay value.

 

[Aaron_Meyers]

I am a reformed DVD shopper. I own a good 40 plus movies and I still buy them when I really love a title. I find it impractical to spend money on a flick like Vertical Limit or some such nonsense that I wouldn't have paid eight bucks for, much less twenty. I even read that people haven't even watched some of their purchases. Why? Two things I've found that help with this "addiction". 1) buy used from rental stores if you must and save a couple of bucks. 2) Rent from Netfix. In the last four months I've seen close to 40 movies that I would never have seen any other way. Some of which I never want to see again. Some I stopped halfway through. Some I actually went out and bought because I liked them enough to watch repeatedly. Did I spend $800? No, $80.

Donate the money to charity or better yet donate it to me. We'll call it the Aaron Wants To Buy All Seven Star Trek Seasons Fund. AWTBASSTSF needs your help. Email me for mailing instructions.

 

[Aaron_Meyers]

Oh yea. What about when they switch to blue lasers and the quality goes up? I still have some of the greatest movies sitting on VHS that I can't even stomach on my HD set. Godfather Set, Citizen Kane, Unforgiven, hell Raising Arizona......

 

[Jeremiah W]

aaron brings up a good point, will you replace your WHOLE collection? I won't , most likely just the current discs that suck and maybe the top titles.