jkberden

I stopped watching The Office, My Name is Earl, and Everybody Hates Chris. It wasn't because I didn't enjoy them. Quite the contrary...I enjoyed them greatly. I decided I would just wait for their inevitable DVD release. I figure that way, I get more bang for my dollar by having most of the episodes being new to me. After blind buying season 1 of Arrested Development, I pretty much did the same thing. I never watched any of Season 2 or 3 when they aired on TV because I knew I was gonna buy them when they came out on DVD. Same with the Shield. Does anyone else do this sort of thing?

Count Dooku

Your thread title needs some fixing.

Forum Troll

No. And there's no guarantee that any given show will even be released on DVD, so you're taking a chance on missing a show you like. I think it better to enjoy it first time round, then it gets even better when/if the DVD comes out.

jkberden

Fixed, Thanks.

antennaball

I do this, to some extent. For example, I didn't get in to 24 or The Shield until a few seasons in, so I don't really watch new episodes. I figure I'll get to them eventually and I don't miss any parts of the storyline if I watch in order on the DVD's.

EdTheRipper

I don't watch any tv at all...I just pick up the dvds of the shows that interest me.

Officer Don

Living in Scandinavia as I do, I have to do this with many - mostly American - shows. Often seasons get cut in the middle (Arrested Development), episodes are shown in the wrong aspect ratio (Deadwood) or they are out of order (Firefly) and I opt for the DVD. Then there are those shows I've seen "over the Internet" and then bought the DVD before the show has aired here (Lost). And of course, many shows get cancelled here that have unaired seasons (Stargate SG-1, Family Guy).

But I don't think I've ever bought a TV show on DVD without at least checking it out first.

mzupeman2

I've purchased plenty of blind buy shows... The Sopranos, Sex And The City, Deadwood, Carnivale, Six Feet Under, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Dilbert, Freaks And Geeks, Band Of Brothers (I know it's a mini-series), the list goes on. And I've been happy with a good majority of the blind buys of TV shows. There were some shows on TV that I wasn't caught up on that I had DVD seasons for, so I would wait to watch those later episodes once they came out on DVD. But as far as a show I liked? Yeesh, no thanks. I couldn't imagine for example, NOT watching season 2 of LOST as it airs...

reubs82

I wait for the DVD because I don't have time during the week to set aside 9-10 on Tuesday Night for Boston Legal or 2 hrs on Thursday night to watch NBC, and we didn't get in to 24 until right before the 4th season (we're hammering through that on DVD right now).

However, if we had a Nielsen box this would be different...our not watching the shows would actually matter.

DJ_Longfellow

Well, I pick up DVD's for most of the HBO shows (at least rent them). I have HBO now (got a FREE year), but I still don't wantch the shows I like. However, with LOST and Office and network shows, I usually just DVR them. I may do that with the Sopranos this year (when does it start?????? I gotta make sure my year doesn't end before they do)

paulringodaman

I never watch Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, MacGyver, etc. reruns because I figure I own them and could expand my mind watching some other show instead of one I own.

Muad'Dib

I do this as well. I hate having to wait for he next episode to come on, plus it's really nice to watch a show that you like without commercials.

cisman

I don't really do this but probably would if it was cheap enough. I have shows I"m really into though and don't want to wait for the DVD releases. Then I'm not is such a rush to pick up the DVD and I can get them DVD pretty cheap on sale. For instance I've been holding out for Smallville since I've seen most of the episodes on the WB and scored Season 1 & 2 for 13.74 each

I have a Dish Network DVR unitl so I just schedule all the shows we like to record at those times and we never worry about it. We usually come back and watch them later anyways so we can skip commercials.

I couldn't live without Surface and Invasion.....those are two awesome shows this season.

ignition

Yes... all the time. Although only applicable to Lost, Desperate Housewives, Simpsons and Family Guy... the only four shows I even care about on TV. The reason being is that I always have class for law school Wednesday evening, so there goes any possibility of watching Lost. Then on Sunday, I'm usually trying to catch up on reading for law school or watching a DVD, so I always miss the latter of the three.

xBigDanx

While I think this makes sense from a "more bang for your buck" perspective, if everyone did this and noone actually watched the shows on TV, they would all be canceled.

So when you look at the big picture, I don't think it's a good idea.

JM1

Absolutely - I realised some time back that I was paying for a cable subscription, watching certain shows like 24 and Battlestar Galactica, getting hacked off with the constant adverts that were totally ruining the tension and atmosphere, and then going out and buying the box set on DVD few months later.

Until I realised how much money it was costing me - it's false economy basically, so I just got rid of my cable (which by that stage I hardly ever watched anyway), and I am happy to wait for the DVD release, and I have more money to spend on DVD's as well.

The quality aspect is also important, TV showings on cable can often be in the wrong ratio, or even censored - nothing beats a brand new, crisp DVD in 2.0 or 5.1, and hopefully with a few decent extras to go with it. And if you are perpared to wait a little longer, the TV box sets hiT the sales shelves pretty quickly usually.

There's no contest for me, I wised up a long time ago.

mdc3000

Personally, I love watching shows when they first air...and again once the DVD hits... I find the DVD has just as much "bang for my buck" on shows that I've seen as it does on ones that I haven't... how come? Because while shows like Lost, The Sopranos, 24, The Shield, Arrested Development etc. are brilliant week to week, they are EVEN BETTER on repeat marathon viewings on DVD...watching the episodes in such close proximity brings the view of the series as a whole to the forefront, and the rewatching on disc lets me find little nuances I may have missed on air... but I'll never stop watching my favourite shows week to week...not a chance.

Oh, also, JM1 " nothing beats a brand new, crisp DVD in 2.0 or 5.1"... me and my 1080i 5.1 HDTV feed beg to differ.

MATT

JM1

Forgot to mention I am in the UK, and also forgot to mention another great advantage for us...When Lost started on UK TV, I started to watch it, but then saw that the R1 release was coming out in a few weeks, so I promptly ordered it and was then able to watch the show at my leisure, watch 2 - 3 episodes at once if I happen to really get hooked.

And...when Lost finally came out on DVD in the UK in October last year, they only released half the season, with the second set having only just being released.

Not only would that have been a bummer for me, but when I ordered the R1 season online, I paid the same for the whole season as it would have cost me for the half season UK release.

darkshadowdog

Believe it or not I don't have tv... So i'm a dvd only man these days...

The Cow

So you stare at the discs?

Nebiroth

I've done this with shows that have had the DVD release announced. This often happens for US TV shows, as I'm in the UK the shows get released onto DVD before they even make it over here on TV! I just import the US DVD's.

This also gets around the problem of shows that our broadcasters spoil with misplaced advert breaks, cuts, messed up closing/opening credits, broadcast in the wrong aspect ratio or shown in the wrong episode order. Or on some obscure satellite channel at 3am.

I also did this with most of New Captain Scarlet which here got relegated to being a part filler in a dire Saturday morning kids show, they wrecked it with silly onscreen animations of competitions etc, cut stuff, showed half an episode at a time....just totally ruined it.

AsmodeusVice

I agree with this. I HATE commercial breaks now more than ever since there's almost as many commercials as there is show. Plus alot of commercials are so obnoxiously in your face that its like having a telemarketer on your TV.

Plus if I really get into the episode and it ends on a cliffhanger, it would drive me nuts waiting till the next episode. I went through the Shield Season 1 almost in one sitting because of this.

pinata242

If you spin them around your finger really fast you can make out what's going on if you enable subtitles.

Matty-O

24. The wife and I just don't want to wait a week before watching a new one. The thing that sucks is going a year without hearing any spoilers. Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I've waited for the DVD in the past on The Sopranos, but I'll have to break down and get HBO for season six.

Rocketdog2000

Yes, but I suppose it depends on the circumstances.

Mainly I only do it for shows that I know will be coming out on DVD... i.e. - Smallville. Last year, I stopped watching it about a 3rd of the way through it's TV airings, because with prior releases, I knew it would be coming out on DVD. Pretty much the same thing this year, as it occupies a pretty competetive time slot, and there's only so many shows I can DVR at the same time. That way, I do have more of something to look forward to when then DVD comes out.

As for worrying about a show NOT comming out on DVD - well, while there is no garuntee, these days you can pretty much safely bet it still will. TV on DVD is the biggest selling/most profitable genre of the format these days. Why do you think tons of shows that got canceled still find thier way onto DVD? They know that there's still someone out there who want's them, and is willing to pay for them. The odds are far more in favor of an eventual release, than not.