View Poll Results: How do you watch TV on DVD?
Random eps, favorites
7
6.09%
Random eps, episode content
7
6.09%
Season at a time
87
75.65%
More than one season, but not enough to get burned out
6
5.22%
The whole series in one swell foop, or darn close to it
22
19.13%
other (feel free to elaborate)
5
4.35%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 115. You may not vote on this poll
How do you watch TV on DVD?
07-15-07, 10:55 PM
#1
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How do you watch TV on DVD?
Reviewing my "unwatched list" and noticing that much of the collection appears to be TV on DVD, I was forced to consider my TV on DVD watching habits.
Very rarely a show will just grab me and I'll watch the whole thing straight through (Futurama, Arrested Development, Justice League Unlimited). It helps if there is at least a semblance of an overarching story arc in those, such as AD or JLU, or some common threads/themes/references, like Futurama, in addition to being episodic. Then again, some of the ones that are extremely dependent on the story arc sometimes get overwhelming (I'm stuck on Fushigi Yugi episode 20something.) And of course there are some that are virtually totally stand-alone, such as the Simpsons or Bob Newhart show. Seeing as how I'm trying to both enjoy shows, which can sometimes mean trying to make it last, and other times trying to watch as much of I can as quickly as I can because they're that good, without getting burned out; and trying to "check things off" on my unwatched list, which is made more challenging by the fact there are quite a few "complete series" entries, it's a bit of a dilemma. Currently I'm in the middle of Futurama S3, Dead Like Me S2, Stellvia disk 8, FY disk 4 or so, and JLU S2D2; watching at the computer, I'm on Xena S1D5 or Get Smart S1 D3.
Anyway:
how do you (generally/mostly) watch TV on DVD?
Random episodes based on which sounds good, or favorites?
One or a couple eps at a time, in order?
A season at a time?
Or do you try to blitz through the whole series, or at least multiple seasons in a relatively short amount of time (not necessarily weekend binges)?
other?
And do you prefer "blind buys", shows you hadn't seen before, or hadn't seen much of, or shows you're more familiar with?
(Oh yeah, and I'm ready for the sarcastic "With my eyes!" or "On my tv!" answers.)
Very rarely a show will just grab me and I'll watch the whole thing straight through (Futurama, Arrested Development, Justice League Unlimited). It helps if there is at least a semblance of an overarching story arc in those, such as AD or JLU, or some common threads/themes/references, like Futurama, in addition to being episodic. Then again, some of the ones that are extremely dependent on the story arc sometimes get overwhelming (I'm stuck on Fushigi Yugi episode 20something.) And of course there are some that are virtually totally stand-alone, such as the Simpsons or Bob Newhart show. Seeing as how I'm trying to both enjoy shows, which can sometimes mean trying to make it last, and other times trying to watch as much of I can as quickly as I can because they're that good, without getting burned out; and trying to "check things off" on my unwatched list, which is made more challenging by the fact there are quite a few "complete series" entries, it's a bit of a dilemma. Currently I'm in the middle of Futurama S3, Dead Like Me S2, Stellvia disk 8, FY disk 4 or so, and JLU S2D2; watching at the computer, I'm on Xena S1D5 or Get Smart S1 D3.
Anyway:
how do you (generally/mostly) watch TV on DVD?
Random episodes based on which sounds good, or favorites?
One or a couple eps at a time, in order?
A season at a time?
Or do you try to blitz through the whole series, or at least multiple seasons in a relatively short amount of time (not necessarily weekend binges)?
other?
And do you prefer "blind buys", shows you hadn't seen before, or hadn't seen much of, or shows you're more familiar with?
(Oh yeah, and I'm ready for the sarcastic "With my eyes!" or "On my tv!" answers.)
Last edited by tonyc3742; 07-15-07 at 10:58 PM.
07-15-07, 11:23 PM
#2
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same here. there have been some great bargains on season sets in the past couple of months.
generally, when i buy tv on dvd, i'll watch the season complete, end-to-end over a several day period. so far, i've pretty much bought tv on dvd on release day, so there haven't been several seasons at once for me to watch a series straight through. that is changing somewhat though, as i'm learning to hold off on new purchases as the prices almost always go down a few months later.
the one exception as of late has been with the x-files. i watched the show every week when it was on television, but i never got the dvds because the collector's editions used to be ridiculously high in price. but i got all seasons 1-9 in the past few months, and i've made a commitment to watch the series from start to finish, no skipping, to soak in the entire mythology and relive the development of the characters and storylines.
generally, for sitcoms, i can knock out a full season in one day. episodes are short and the material is light, so it works out pretty well. especially if i really like the show, like i how i met your mother, the hours fly by pretty quickly. for dramas, i tend to try and limit myself to a disc a day, so as to not get too bogged down. especially with a show like house, m.d. which i love, but too much in too short of a period gets to be a bit much since the show is pretty formulaic.
after i've watched the season once-through, then occassionally i'll pick up a random disc and watch an episode or two or look for my favorite episodes when i'm bored. this generally works best with sitcoms, like friends or the simpsons where every episode can stand alone. this doesn't really work with dramas for me, because i'd prefer to watch a story arc than just jump in and watch a random episode.
i've come to the realization though that there are some shows i've watched on television, purchased the dvd set because i liked it, watched the dvd set once, and then never gone back to it again. off the top of my head, i can think of the o.c. it's nice to know it's always there if ever the mood strikes me to watch it... i flipped by a re-run that was on soapnet a few days ago, and i actually thought of rewatching the show, but i have yet to do so.
as for blind buys, well, that rarely occurs for me, particularly with tv shows. every tv on dvd show i own is a show that i've watched on television prior to owning. there have been times when i've been tempted to blind buy, like when the shield was part of the best buy $9.99AC fox sale, but i held off on it. i'm not totally a completist (i don't plan on buying simpsons s10 and on, even though i already own s1-9) but it would bug me to have just the first season of a television show. and there's other shows that i would like to purchase, such as what i like about you, where i really didn't like the show until they revamped it for the second season. but i think it would be weird to own only season 2/3 when they come out and not have season 1. but that's just my random crazy when it comes to my collection.
generally, when i buy tv on dvd, i'll watch the season complete, end-to-end over a several day period. so far, i've pretty much bought tv on dvd on release day, so there haven't been several seasons at once for me to watch a series straight through. that is changing somewhat though, as i'm learning to hold off on new purchases as the prices almost always go down a few months later.
the one exception as of late has been with the x-files. i watched the show every week when it was on television, but i never got the dvds because the collector's editions used to be ridiculously high in price. but i got all seasons 1-9 in the past few months, and i've made a commitment to watch the series from start to finish, no skipping, to soak in the entire mythology and relive the development of the characters and storylines.
generally, for sitcoms, i can knock out a full season in one day. episodes are short and the material is light, so it works out pretty well. especially if i really like the show, like i how i met your mother, the hours fly by pretty quickly. for dramas, i tend to try and limit myself to a disc a day, so as to not get too bogged down. especially with a show like house, m.d. which i love, but too much in too short of a period gets to be a bit much since the show is pretty formulaic.
after i've watched the season once-through, then occassionally i'll pick up a random disc and watch an episode or two or look for my favorite episodes when i'm bored. this generally works best with sitcoms, like friends or the simpsons where every episode can stand alone. this doesn't really work with dramas for me, because i'd prefer to watch a story arc than just jump in and watch a random episode.
i've come to the realization though that there are some shows i've watched on television, purchased the dvd set because i liked it, watched the dvd set once, and then never gone back to it again. off the top of my head, i can think of the o.c. it's nice to know it's always there if ever the mood strikes me to watch it... i flipped by a re-run that was on soapnet a few days ago, and i actually thought of rewatching the show, but i have yet to do so.
as for blind buys, well, that rarely occurs for me, particularly with tv shows. every tv on dvd show i own is a show that i've watched on television prior to owning. there have been times when i've been tempted to blind buy, like when the shield was part of the best buy $9.99AC fox sale, but i held off on it. i'm not totally a completist (i don't plan on buying simpsons s10 and on, even though i already own s1-9) but it would bug me to have just the first season of a television show. and there's other shows that i would like to purchase, such as what i like about you, where i really didn't like the show until they revamped it for the second season. but i think it would be weird to own only season 2/3 when they come out and not have season 1. but that's just my random crazy when it comes to my collection.
07-15-07, 11:27 PM
#3
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I usually go a season at a time.
I do occasionally blind buy with TV shows, but only if it's at a very cheap price and it looks like something I'd like (for example, Veronica Mars: Season 1 for $20, Weeds: Season 1 for $13, etc.).
I do occasionally blind buy with TV shows, but only if it's at a very cheap price and it looks like something I'd like (for example, Veronica Mars: Season 1 for $20, Weeds: Season 1 for $13, etc.).
07-15-07, 11:27 PM
#4
DVD Talk Gold Edition
I go by season or series watching each episode in order, with only one set going at a time. I usually try to do a complete series before I move on, but with longer shows I take breaks between seasons and watch something else.
Once I've been through a series I'll watch random episodes as I feel like it, but the first time through I like to go in order.
Once I've been through a series I'll watch random episodes as I feel like it, but the first time through I like to go in order.
07-15-07, 11:49 PM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
It depends on the type of tv show. When it comes to sitcoms or cartoons, I usually watch my favorite episodes whenever I want to watch them. If its a serialized show I watch the season set in order the whole way through. The beauty of having the 24 dvds is watching a whole season in days instead of several months.
07-16-07, 12:10 AM
#7
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Usually it's one season at a time, because I'll get them as they come out and so I won't have more than one season to watch at a time.
Recently, though, I've held off and waited for a deal for several seasons of a show I might be interested in, then I'll watch them all in a row, with maybe a quick break of something else in between.
For example, The Wire, I got all 3 seasons at once during a sale and watched them all with no breaks. Same for The L-Word's first 3 seasons. NCIS, I watched all 3 seasons at once as well.
Moonlighting I got all 5 seasons at once and almost watched them all in a row, but took a break with How I Met Your Mother Season 1 in the middle of season 3.
One notable exception was Bob Newhart. I got 4 seasons at once in a sale last year and watched the first two, and had to take a long break. I'm just getting around to season 3 now.
Recently, though, I've held off and waited for a deal for several seasons of a show I might be interested in, then I'll watch them all in a row, with maybe a quick break of something else in between.
For example, The Wire, I got all 3 seasons at once during a sale and watched them all with no breaks. Same for The L-Word's first 3 seasons. NCIS, I watched all 3 seasons at once as well.
Moonlighting I got all 5 seasons at once and almost watched them all in a row, but took a break with How I Met Your Mother Season 1 in the middle of season 3.
One notable exception was Bob Newhart. I got 4 seasons at once in a sale last year and watched the first two, and had to take a long break. I'm just getting around to season 3 now.
07-16-07, 12:45 AM
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i usually buy most shows i keep up with on release day, and when i watch them i tend to watch them in episode order over a few day period.
i do blind buy tv on dvd quite a bit, especially if it's kinda cheap. some recent blind buy's that i really liked were weeds (on bd) and how i met your mother. now i can't wait for season 2 to come out for both of these.
previous tv on dvd blind buys include, entourage (my personal favorite show on tv), curb your enthusiasm, arested development and many others.
i do blind buy tv on dvd quite a bit, especially if it's kinda cheap. some recent blind buy's that i really liked were weeds (on bd) and how i met your mother. now i can't wait for season 2 to come out for both of these.
previous tv on dvd blind buys include, entourage (my personal favorite show on tv), curb your enthusiasm, arested development and many others.
07-16-07, 02:01 AM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
I've always thought about going through a season at a time (Friends, Buffy, Angel) but usually end up watching based on the episode.
07-16-07, 02:30 AM
#10
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I normally watch entire series at once (or at least as many seasons as I own). I get sucked into the season finale cliffhangers and i have to start the next season. I don't just sit down and watch all 7 seasons of Buffy in one sitting (obviously), but i watch a few episodes every day until i am done.
07-16-07, 07:31 AM
#14
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Huge TV ON DVD Collector here so this is how I do it ya' see...
One season at a time, because I usually get them on their release date so I don't have more than one season to watch at a time.
Some titles I have either missed buying or held off but bought recently like for instance I bought all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H on DVD & all the current releases of Cheers on DVD. I have watched all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H in one full swing & now I am watching all the sets that I bought on tuesday but held off watch because I wanted to watch M*A*S*H in one go. I've also been watching Law & Order & Midsomer Murders at the same time in one full shindig but I watch the sitcoms when I get up & drink my coffee & watch the dramas after my shower when I'm in the ole' bedaroo.
I've done this with quite a few other shows as well. Most of the shows I buy on there release date as I like to stay up to date with the releases.
I like any kind of show & I do "Blind Buy" some TV shows too try them out. I have been lucky so far as most of them have been good. Scrubs is bar none my best "Blind Buy" ever & it is still the my favorite show.
One season at a time, because I usually get them on their release date so I don't have more than one season to watch at a time.
Some titles I have either missed buying or held off but bought recently like for instance I bought all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H on DVD & all the current releases of Cheers on DVD. I have watched all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H in one full swing & now I am watching all the sets that I bought on tuesday but held off watch because I wanted to watch M*A*S*H in one go. I've also been watching Law & Order & Midsomer Murders at the same time in one full shindig but I watch the sitcoms when I get up & drink my coffee & watch the dramas after my shower when I'm in the ole' bedaroo.
I've done this with quite a few other shows as well. Most of the shows I buy on there release date as I like to stay up to date with the releases.
I like any kind of show & I do "Blind Buy" some TV shows too try them out. I have been lucky so far as most of them have been good. Scrubs is bar none my best "Blind Buy" ever & it is still the my favorite show.
07-16-07, 07:40 AM
#15
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Depends upon the show. Most I watch a season at a time. Some, like Stargate (at least season 1-8 since 9 and 10 have been different), I've gone back and re-watched the entire show once all the disks are out. Occasionally I'll re-watch individual shows of some series (Firefly is probably the best example of this) but others, like X-Files, I've been watching for over a year now and I'm barely 1/2 way through the series.
07-16-07, 08:02 AM
#16
I usually watch a season at a time. I have a carousel player just for TV on DVD, where I load up a sitcom set and a drama set and try to watch an episode each per sitting.
07-16-07, 10:36 AM
#17
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My most embarrassing extreme TV-on-DVD behavior: The first time I ever watched Buffy and Angel, it was on DVD during a vacation while my wife was away visiting her sister. I watched all 12 seasons in less than 2 weeks. (She and I are currently watching them (again, for me; she for the first time).
I did the same thing with the first season of 24 -- I think I watched it in about three days -- and continued to do so with the second and third as they appeared. The fourth I watched as aired and didn't enjoy as much, and I bailed on the fifth.
Other series I watch more sedately. I have the first seven DVD seasons of X-Files (which I only watched sporadically when it was on), but may only get through a disk a week, in between other things. I'm renting Homicide: Life on the Street from Netflix, and watch them as they come (so that's maybe 2 disks a week, currently in S5).
I watch comedy series as the mood strikes. Etc. So it varies, probably depending on how compelling and connected the episodes are. Shows with season-long arcs tend to get watched more quickly.
I do always watch series in order from the first episode onward, and rarely watch any episode of a series unless I'm watching the whole series.
r
I did the same thing with the first season of 24 -- I think I watched it in about three days -- and continued to do so with the second and third as they appeared. The fourth I watched as aired and didn't enjoy as much, and I bailed on the fifth.
Other series I watch more sedately. I have the first seven DVD seasons of X-Files (which I only watched sporadically when it was on), but may only get through a disk a week, in between other things. I'm renting Homicide: Life on the Street from Netflix, and watch them as they come (so that's maybe 2 disks a week, currently in S5).
I watch comedy series as the mood strikes. Etc. So it varies, probably depending on how compelling and connected the episodes are. Shows with season-long arcs tend to get watched more quickly.
I do always watch series in order from the first episode onward, and rarely watch any episode of a series unless I'm watching the whole series.
r
07-16-07, 01:26 PM
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Season at a time, in order, but lately I've been watching a few episodes of one and switching to watch a few episodes of another series, because I've been buying too much and got serious "catching up" to do viewing wise. Currently trying to find the time to get through seasons 7 & 8 of "Seinfeld", season 2 of both "Happy Days" and "Mork & Mindy", season one of "Gomer Pyle, USMC", and seasons 3 & 4 of "Bewitched"....
07-16-07, 02:34 PM
#21
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I typically do one season at a time, mainly due to my overwhelming unwatched pile of films, but sometimes I'll get on a major kick (like X-Files) and do the entire series in one fell swoop. Well, one loooonngg swoop.
07-16-07, 03:08 PM
#22
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One season at a time.
07-16-07, 03:27 PM
#23
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Sitcoms, i'll watch my favorite episodes. For a story arc drama, it's the entire series of nothing. I consider a series to be a complete viewing experience, not to be broken up or watched out of order.
I recently went through Deadwood 1-3 and it was so much better the 2nd time around!
I recently went through Deadwood 1-3 and it was so much better the 2nd time around!
07-16-07, 03:28 PM
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i don't have that big of a tv-on-dvd collection, but i'll usually watch them a series at a time. Even with ones i buy on release day.
for example: Deadwood. I got season 1 on dvd watched it. i got season 2 on dvd, watched all of season 1 and then season 2 and i just finished watching season 3 after watching season 1 and 2 again. it doesnt really seem right to just watch one season. Same with Buffy & Angel, and the upcoming Rome.
The exception would be with firefly. i can watch any episode of that at any time
for example: Deadwood. I got season 1 on dvd watched it. i got season 2 on dvd, watched all of season 1 and then season 2 and i just finished watching season 3 after watching season 1 and 2 again. it doesnt really seem right to just watch one season. Same with Buffy & Angel, and the upcoming Rome.
The exception would be with firefly. i can watch any episode of that at any time
07-16-07, 05:37 PM
#25
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As my TV on DVD buying habits have increased, I've found myself swamped with too many shows and not enough time to watch them all. I usually tend to watch a season at a time, sometimes switching in and out with other series, normally a disc at a time. I've had some really great blind-buys (ie. Firefly, Veronica Mars, The OC, Rescue Me, etc.) so I'm not at all opposed to that anymore.
I just wish that TV on DVD wasn't so addictive.
I just wish that TV on DVD wasn't so addictive.