Value of DVD (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Porter]

Do you think DVDs will last very much longer? Are they a good value? I consider myself a bit of a tightwad (or maybe moneywise) and I'm a bit nervous about buying DVDs but I find myself not watching a DVD more than once expect for the extra features but only until there aren't anymore. I own about 18 titles and I've only watched about half of them more than once. So what do y'all think about money and value and waste and all that crap?

~Kevin

 

[Brian E]

I think this quote on RAF's home theater site sums up why I like owning as many movies as I do.
Link Removed
For some people renting is the way to go for others owning. Of my over 750 titles, 557 on DVD, I can honestly say I've seen most of them at least 3 times. Many I've seen even more. It's really for you to decide for yourself.

 

[Neil Joseph]

If you get enjoyment from them then continue collecting them. If not then continue to rent only.

 

[David Lambert]

The question isn't "will DVD's last very much longer?". The question is really "will you continue to use and enjoy a DVD player and collection long after they stop making them?".
I own over 1000 DVD discs and 3 players (well, 2 plus the one in my PC). By comparison, I own about 200-ish store-bought VHS tapes, but now have less then two dozen not replaced on DVD. But I still have the 300+ VHS's I taped off of TV. I'm mostly only upgrading the tapes to discs so I can see the Original Theatrical Presentations of these films, which previously I could only find in pan-and-scan (missing a significant amount of the picture). As the Pontiac commercials say, wider is better...because I get to see in as originally seen in theaters (this is why they call it "Home Theater", right?).
But I'm getting off-the-track, really. The point is, if DVD stopped tomorrow (and it won't; figure it will be around at least 5 years more and 10 might be more realistic before a good enough High-Def replacement technology comes along to make consumers shift gears yet again), I would retain everything I have with few exceptions to upgrade.
Let me explain in a better fashion: I have 30 videogame systems. From the orginal Atari and Intellivision and Colecovision, to consoles and portables like the NES, Genesis, SNES, 3D0, GameBoy, GameGear, Lynx, PlayStation, Dreamcast, and N64. I haven't picked up the 3 latest consoles yet (PS2, GC, X-Box) because I'm waiting for prices to come down and libraries to expand, frankly.
But today I have 175 Atari 2600 cartridges that work just fine today, thank you. They are as fun as they were over 20 years ago, even if the graphics aren't as grand.
DVD's are full of movies that will be as fun to watch in 20 years, even if a higher-def version of that movie comes along.
When the NES came along, I could put aside my Atari version of Pac-Man and finally play the game as originally presented in the coin-op (Now I have it on a PlayStation disc playing to the letter the exact way it did on the coin-op: video, audio, gameplay...everything!).
When DVD came along, I could put aside my VHS version of The Wrath of Khan, and watch the film as originally presented in the theater (perhaps a WS VHS of WoK was available, but *I* could never find it here in Memphis).
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What DOES it mean to own a film in your own home, today and now?
Well, the studios are constantly looking for tighter control over their holdings. They would rather NOT sell you a film on media you control. They would rather have a Video-On-Demand (VOD) service. You "temporarily" download a film through a broadband (cable or DSL or similar) service, paying for each viewing. After you've watched it or let a day go without watching it, it erases itself. This means that A) You never own a film, you can only "rent" it, B) The library of available titles is not in your control at all; once MGM decides that not enough people like Buckaroo Banzai to warrant keeping it on the list of available titles, then noone can see it no matter what. It won't be something you can get on eBay or at the Pawn Shop or have special ordered. It will be gone. Also, in a similar line of thought: C) The library of titles will be completely at the mercy of the studios catering to the least-common-denominator theory. Edited for content. Non-widescreen in many cases. Subject to the politically-correct winds at the time. Finally, D) what happens to supplements with VOD? Trailers, documentaries, interviews, etc. No "room" for them with VOD!
BUT, there are forces in Hollywood right now that are trying to push VOD, so that studios retain control of their "properties", and noone can own them in their own home with the convenience of a simple book library.
Not me, Jack! I want to own every movie, book, album, and videogame I can enjoy in the least. It can be mine to buy if it's in a form I enjoy (un-censored). Then it is MINE to own, and no studio dickhead can take it away from me. It will be HERE in my home to enjoy when I want, without having to be subject to the whims of others whom I do not and cannot control. It will be available to me and my son and my son's sons, for all time.
Ever see or read Fahrenheit 451? I doubt (I hope) that anything like that ever happens here. But look at what people have said about and done to books like Huck Finn over the years. BUT...it still survives in it's original form to this day. However, people have proven to be less protective of films than of books, perhaps because they are newer and seem less "serious" somehow (who can blame them after Hudson Hawk? ).
I'd like to make sure that I have the DVD's available today that show films in their original form. They are available to buy and own like that right NOW. Who knows if such will be available tomorrow...in ANY format?
To me, THAT is the value of DVD!
I see that this has been a long, rambling explanation. I hope it's coherent enough to understand. I intend to show it to my wife; we were just discussing (not arguing; honestly!...just discussing) yesterday the question of "Why so many DVDs". This helped me get my thoughts together.
Of course, last night we bought 6 discs mainly for her! More on that in a separate thread...5 of them were a real find!

 

[Rob Dwyer]

I think this man deserves a round of applause.
EXCELLENT response.
Personally, I don't forsee VOD as much of anything - its just DIVX all over again - pay per play. As much as people rant and rave in here about J6P and the general public, they've already spoken once - and put DIVX where it belongs - in the garbage. We have digital cable in my home, and I have ordered exactly 0 pay-per-view movies. Why pay $7.95 for a single viewing when a lot of times, the movie can be rented for $3.95 or bought for just under $20, and then you'll get infinite viewings. For this reason and this reason alone, DVD (or its successors) are here to stay.

 

[Rob Robinson]

Dave-

awesome post. It seems like everyday you post a decent bit of really worthwhile material- I'm not quite sure how personal politics work around here yet, but if any owners are reading this, I totally would support you being "made" an admin wholeheartedly. You're just constantly making really positive contributions to this community.

On a less positive note, the industry is going to try and shove VOD down our throats, and it's going to be a very tough fight to stop them.

 

[David Lambert]

Dave-
awesome post. It seems like everyday you post a decent bit of really worthwhile material- I'm not quite sure how personal politics work around here yet, but if any owners are reading this, I totally would support you being "made" an admin wholeheartedly. You're just constantly making really positive contributions to this community.

Why, [rant]THANK YOU Both![/rant] Those are certainly the best compliments I've had all week!
I'm not sure how my wife would react to such a "promotion" as you say I merit; she already thinks I spend more time on-line talking about DVD's than I do watching them (and this is a distinct possibility! ). Besides, there are plenty of admins here already, all here much longer than my 4-5 months, and they do a terrific job as it is.
But that some of you find my postings to be such positive contributions, it's really great. Especially since I almost got my tail booted outa here around a month after I joined...I started off in a rather irritating manner, I am sorry to say. I'm glad I've turned around.
Wait until I pause in the disc-buying long enough to save enough dough to get an actual *HOME THEATER*...then watch my speed!
Now I'll jump off-line just long enough to watch part of a DVD...
Edit: I *did* already watch a DVD today, by-the-way. Brazil. CC, of course. Marvelous! Thank you all for recommending this title to me. The wife went out to run some errands, so tomorrow we will watch the "Love Conquers All" version and check the differences. But such recommendations are one of the reasons I come to HTF, and enjoy contributing so much! Thanks again...AND, you're all welcome.

 

[Rob Robinson]

heh. i had no idea we joined around the same time. even though it's right there next to everyone's name, i had always assumed you'd been around longer than that...

 

[CamiloCamacho]

The only thing that worrie me is the famous "laser rot". I buy my dvd's looking forward, expecting that the will remain as long as CD's, but recently i have found two discs on my collection that work only halfway. Bad Boys SE and Blade, Bad Boys was played only three times and Blade i think four. I hope studios put more money on quality control. (There is a thread talking more in depth about this)

 

[Greg Rakaska]

Make that three, Dave. You nailed it!

Not me, Jack! I want to own every movie, book, album, and videogame I can enjoy in the least. It can be mine to buy if it's in a form I enjoy (un-censored). Then it is MINE to own, and no studio dickhead can take it away from me. It will be HERE in my home to enjoy when I want, without having to be subject to the whims of others whom I do not and cannot control. It will be available to me and my son and my son's sons, for all time.