TV on DVD. Why do you buy it? (1 Viewer)

[Bill Williams]

For me, it has to be a show I want to watch over the years because it's a favorite show. Cases in point:

Star Trek: The Original Series (I have four of the 40 single-disc DVDs, and while I would love to have all 40 of them , I'm kinda waiting for the season box sets)
Star Trek: TNG (the only series to this date I have entirely on DVD)
Star Trek: DS9 (currently building - my wife has promised to get me Seasons 4, 5, and 7 in time! )
Smallville (I have the Canadian DVD in DD 5.1 and the first season set, and looking to get the second season set in May)
MASH (currently have the first three seasons, looking to get the others in time)
Seinfeld - a must!
The Adventures of Superman - a must!

Not to mention who knows how many other series I would love to see. Of course, other threads on this board have previously covered such a topic, so I'll just say that for me it would have to be a series I would want to watch again and again and enjoy.

Other factors in my decision to choose a TV series on DVD:

- completeness of seasons
- completeness of episodes with no footage cut
- as many extra features as can be packed into it
- widescreen where necessary
- best picture and sound
- no annoying colorful or clear network logos at the bottom of the screen (they suck big time! )

 

[Rodrick]

No commercials. Laser Disc don't have any and would be too expensive and heavy. Quality, don't miss anything can watch when you want.

And I can't sit thru reg tv without falling asleep,or I click thru when commercials come .

Easier to watch than concentrating for 2hrs about for a movie.

 

[cole_b]

- I hate watching stuff on TV. commercials, station logos, crawls, syndication edits... plus I have to watch it at a set time. and there's always the possibility of someone else watching something when I want to.

- I get more replay value from a season of a TV show than from a movie. I'm not a big movie person -- I prefer to get them from the library than buy them.

- and of course, the obvious: I like the show.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

I control my viewing times and the superior audio/video quality.

 

[LarryDavenport]

I find I can rewatch a TV show over and over again without getting too tired of it, where as I can get burned out watching the same 2-hour movie again and again (no matter how good it is.)

 

[LanieParker]

I started buying because there were some shows I missed seeing (MSCL, F&G, LHOTP). The only new shows I have purchased on dvd are ROSWELL and ALIAS. There aren't many new shows that I really have an interest in so I haven't bothered purchasing any new ones.

I think my main motivation is revisiting old shows that I loved. Now I know they have Seinfeld and Rosanne on tv, but I rarely catch them, plus I hate commercials and I would like to watch when I want not at some scheduled time.

Biggest reasons for tv on dvd:

No commercials and I can watch as I please.

 

[Tony J Case]

The main reason is - the stuff I like just isnt run anymore. I mean when was the last time Land of the Lost was broadcast? Perhaps late night on Nick at Night - but certanly not at a time I could catch.

That and the improved picture. Knight Rider looks great, and the restoration job on the Doctor Who discs is fantastic. You dont get this quality with off the air recording.

 

[MarkHastings]

Just last weekend, I put on Simpsons Season 4 (as background noise) while I did housework and surfed the net. I found I went through every episode in the season. I knew the episodes really well, so I didn't have to watch the tv, I was just able to listen to the jokes and laugh.

 

[Scott_F_S]

What movie?

 

[Eugene Esterly]

These are the reasons why I purchase TV shows on DVD:

1.) No Commericals
2.) You get the complete show. Syndicated reruns are edited by TV stations to fit more commericals in it. For example, The Dukes Of Hazzard: Season 1 has the previews which aired before the show but, IIRC, these were taken out of the reruns.
3.) By buying TV shows on DVD, you can watch the episodes whenever you want to & you don't have to wait for a TV station to air the episode(s).

But the biggest plus of TV on DVD is being able to buy & watch TV shows which haven't been shown on TV in years. For example ALF: Season 1 is on my wishlist to purchase in the near future & I haven't seen ALF in over 10+ yrs. Another example, Sledge Hammer: Season 1 is on my wishlist & I haven't seen a episode of this show in close to 20 yrs.

 

[Adam*M]

Sounds like a bunch of people here need TiVo.

 

[Kai Zas]

So TiVo gives you entire seasons with extras, then? Commentaries? Perfect picture, perfect sound? Can you put TiVo programming on your shelf and look at it even when you're not watching the programming? Will TiVo help me out here in Belgium, where most shows don't even get aired? Can TiVo create a Joss Whedon collection?

(I know, you were probably kidding, but TiVo is not even an option.)

 

[Citizen87645]

The smiley face is usually a good indicator.

 

[Lynda-Marie]

For me, the reason I buy something on DVD is because I like it... that is primary.

But, with the new idea of putting TV shows on DVD it opens up a whole new experience.

Many have mentioned above that they like getting shows they like without the commercials, the cuts, the crappy prints, watching a favorite show by episode in order, and the freedom of watching it whenever they feel like it.

However, another plus worth mentioning is that if one feels the call of nature during a show, or gets hungry, then the freedom of pausing it, taking care of business in a leisurely fashion, and coming right back to it without missing anything is a REAL big plus for me. Especially considering how undignified it is to run back from the bathroom while trying to yank up your pants because the commercial break wasn't as long as you thought.

I have noted in posts in other threads is that at least on the MASH disks, I have the option of turning off the laugh track. That adds another huge plus to my enjoyment of my TV DVDs.

Then, we have the case of shows that have been canceled abruptly, such as my brother's favorite, Dark Angel. I scored a lot of brownie points by getting him the season 1 set for his birthday.

Things I would dearly love to have in my hot little hands:

1. Hogan's Heroes
2. Night Court
3. Home Improvement

Guess I'll just have to wait until they're released. :frowning:

Now, if I could just hit it big in a lottery or some new patent idea, and then just go to my local store and load my cart up with ALL of the shows I want on DVD that have already been released...

 

[Frank@N]

Well...I would need more than just TiVo:

I'd have to upgrade my signal path to satellite or digital cable in order to get best A/V = more $ per month.

I'd have to pay for premium channels to get some shows = more $ per month.

I'd have to get Tivo account = more $ per month.

I'd have to get a TiVo unit with built in DVD burner = more $.

I'd have to learn how to use the damn thing and figure out if the shows I like are even on the air currently.

I'd have to start recording/organizing/burning the shows out...but odds are I'd be the one getting burned out.

Just got MASH S1 and Malcome S1 used for $14.99 each.

Got all the Star Trek sets used for an average of $60 per set.

Get the best deal I can (day one or used) for the wife on the HBO stuff (Sex & Sopranos).

This is much easier...

 

[Bill Eberhardt]

Since this has gotten around to TiVo's I'll chip in with what I know about them. I'll discuss the DirecTivo since that is what I have and am familiar with.

Cost of installation: $0 I've seen three room packages with one TiVo and installation advertised for free. Additional TiVo's are $99.

Cost of service: If you don't want any of the premium movie channels the monthly rate is around $35-40 for the basic service depending on whether or not you include local stations. The rate for TiVo is $4.99. The cost for each additional receiver (TiVo or not) is $4.99. So if you have three TiVo's the monthly rate is $50-55.

Picking shows to watch couldn't be easier. In fact, it might be too easy. You can create wishlists with the names of your favorite shows. You can then see all of the times your shows can be seen during the following two weeks and on which networks. Then you click on create a season pass for the shows you want to record.

I agree with most of the reasons mentioned for having the DVDs and will concede that the TiVo alternative is not for everybody. If you need to have the complete package with extras sitting on your shelf and want to watch every episode consecutively at your own pace then TiVo is not for you (at least for those shows).

Just off the top of my head, I have the following season passes (not counting new shows):

Stargate SG-1
The Outer Limits
Farscape
The X-Files
Andromeda
Absolutely Fabulous
The Saint
The Avengers
The Prisoner
Northern Exposure
Odyssey 5
Monty Python
Black Adder
The Rifleman

My wife was watching Hill Street Blues but it went off. It's still in her wish list so if it ever comes back on her TiVo will pick it up and start recording it again.

All that for about the price per month of a single DVD TV season. When you add all of the new shows, sports, concerts, movies, etc. that I can watch at my own pace and skipping through the commercials then it's a bargain to me. My DVD purchase rate has dropped drastically. I figure I'm saving a couple of hundred dollars a month.

 

[MarkHastings]

Bill, I own a ReplayTV in which I set it to record every Simpsons, South Park, and Futurama Epsiode and I still buy and own the DVD's.

I obviously buy them because they are much better than what I record off of TV (along with all the other reasons mentioned).

The other reason (which is a big one) is, they are portable. I can watch them on my laptop, at a friends house, at work, etc.

Another reason is for the future. I don't have enough Hard Drive space to record every episode of every tv show I want, and nor do I wish to back them up to tape or DVD-R (because that defeats the purpose of not buying the DVD's in the first place)

I mean, TiVo's and ReplayTV's are great, but they just don't compare to DVD's.

 

[LarryDavenport]

Another great thing about TV on DVD that Tivo can't fix: no annoying station bugs and squeezed credits that talk over the final lines of an episode (see Friends).

 

[Sean Aaron]

For many of the reasons posted here, but mainly because many shows I like either aren't in syndication anymore or I haven't see all the episodes (Law and Order comes to mind). I missed the last five seasons of DS9, so it was pretty cool to be able to see them all close together for the first time and without commercials.

Having said that there's not a lot of TV that I actually like. I think the only thing still airing that I buy is Still Game, Law and Order (all series) and The Simpsons. Most of the shows I do buy weren't big hits (still waiting for Dr. Katz and The Tick!), so repeat viewing is definitely there as well.

Also, as someone else posted, a half-hour comedy can be a nice time-filler before bed or when you don't have time for a feature.

 

[Bill Eberhardt]

I don't want to give anyone the impression that I'm anti-DVD. I'm just getting more selective in my purchases. My DVD Profiler listing shows 1051 titles including all of the Star Trek season sets, Six Feet Under, Sex in the City, Band of Brothers, Red Dwarf, Babylon 5, CSI, and Sports Night.

So no argument here over whether or not DVDs are better than tivo. Of course they are. If I had the money I'd buy DVDs of all the shows. But I don't have the money so I have to make the choice for each show of watching the occasional episode on TiVo vs having the box set on my shelf.