Altimus Prime

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to wonder - are we just getting too damn much than we could ever possibly watch when it comes to TV on DVD?

Sure, it's nice being able to revisit old TV favorites. But how much can you watch?

I bought Earth Final Conflict Seasons 3 and 4, and watched all of them. I bought Quantum Leap Season 1 (all, what, 8 episodes) and watched all of that. I watched most of Star Trek TOS S1, and many of S2.

But then I got my all-time fav show from the 80s, Knight Rider. I have not watched all of it. And I haven't even touched it for a while. Then I got Quantum Leap Season 2 - yes, I wanted it, I absolutely loved the show, but I've only watched a few of the episodes. And now I'v got Hunter. I've only watched the eps on one of the six discs.

And then there are old favs like Dukes of Hazzard, A-Team and Gilligan's Island I haven't even bought. I haven't bought Star Trek TOS S3, despite wanting to complete the series. I haven't bought stuff like Simpsons or Seinfeld because it's still on TV so often. And then there's stuff coming like Greatest American Hero and Miami Vice coming.

It just seems to be overload to me. And I live with just very basic cable, and there's only three shows I follow regularly, so it's not like I'm watching a lot of current shows or stuff on TV.

OldBoy

don't buy them! the problem doesn't seem to be overload or you can say that with every DVD (movie, concert, docu., or otherwise) since they come out every week. the problem seems to be your compulsion to buy them and relive your youth. "only you can prevent forest fires...only you!"

Altimus Prime

From the start, I've tried to keep a tight rein on my DVD buying by setting a high standard for what I buy. I understand it in my head, but it would probably take too many words to explain. That said, a few that may not quite meet that test have gotten by, usually by virtue of a very cheap price (like Total Recall for $5.50 and Lawnmower Man for $4.99).

But here's an example - I am a huge Trek fan. But I don't have any TNG, DS9 or Voyager on DVD. Why? Because at $100 each, and seven seasons each, it's just too much - too many shows, too much money.

But even if, all seven seasons of Hunter is released, the price is much lower, but I'd end up having a bunch of boxes on a shelf collecting dust.

With a movie, you just buy a movie. But with a TV show, there's "seasons," with some seasons better than others, and stand-outs in different seasons. Maybe it's a question of just buying the first season - just to have some of it around in case I get a taste for it - versus being a "completist" and buying every season of a show.

... I feel like I'm beginning to ramble, so I'll stop now...

Dabaomb

Look on the bright side, from your DVDProfiler, you only have 79 DVDs. That means that you can actually get around to watching all of your stuff.

Many ppl on this board, myself included, have more than we could ever watch.

spartanstew

That's why I don't buy any TV DVD's. I have my tivo and living room TV when I want to watch TV shows and my HT when I want to watch movies.



Stew

Al Padrino

I have a lot of TV on DVD and know they can be quite overwhelming (Feb. 8 isn't going to help matters at all), but that's why you gotta stick to your favs. I don't think there's an overload, because virtually every show is someone's favorite TV show. Take for instance, Green Acres. I loved this show growing up, but I didn't buy it, nor do I plan to buy it. It's nice to see old shows I remember from my youth (via Nick at Nite; not like I was actually around back then), but sometimes nostalgia creates a false reality in regards of what you think you should own.

tonyc3742

I'm in the same boat. I've been getting TV series more recently, because they're generally a better buy [of course I look for deals], and I can just rent a movie from netflix, but I'm more likely to spread out a tv series.
I like to start with S1, I may not buy all of them, and I have been renting more through Netflix, I don't want to drop 60 bucks on a blind buy [although I did get three of those 13.xx Fox S1s from BN.com before Christmas.] There are very few current shows I enjoy watching.
A lot of series I liked in the past, I don't have much interest in seeing again. Sometimes after I watch a series, I think if I'll ever watch it again, if not, post it on Ebay or half.com. I don't make money but I recoup some costs. Right now I'm in the middle of 4 series I own [Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Freaks and Geeks, Sledge Hammer], and one from netflix/bbo [R.O.D.], and have about 9 seasons, still wrapped, staring at me from the rack.
There's definitely some overkill with the releases, however. I was reading the Bits and saw their upcoming cover release page; first week in march, i believe, had like 12 S1s coming out, including some to which I said, "Okay, now *that's* a waste of disk space" [but of course, every show is somebody's favorite].
Netflix/BBO, reselling, more conservative with your purchases, and perhaps only watch the 'good' episodes of some series. I've had some titles, I've watched a few episodes then said You know what, this isn't as good as I remember, or I'm not really into this; I'll shelve it, sell it, trade it, or, like this Christmas, gave two away as Christmas presents. Life's too short to watch DVD's you're not really into. If you're really into them all, though, then you just have to manage your time : )

Fok

I'm sure you come across a slow patch where you don't buy many DVDs, thats when you'll appreciate the ones you haven't watched yet.

Static Cling

There's no such thing as too much. Just avoid the urge to be a completist, and buy DVDs you're actually going to watch. If you find that you're not watching them, get rid of them. It sounds like you've already built up three seasons of different shows on DVD that you've haven't watched (Knight Rider, Quantum Leap, and Hunter). And then you're talking about getting the rest of the Hunter series when it comes out, even though you've only watched out of the six discs on S1 and you admit that the rest of the seasons will collect dust.

I bought Buffy S1, S2, S3, Sopranos S1 (not because I liked the show, but because I heard it was good), X-Files S1 and S2... and then I realized that after watching the hell out of Buffy S1-3, I probably wasn't going to watch them again in the near future, and I couldn't get into the Sopranos for whatever reason, and that I don't like the X-Files as much as I remember. So I got rid of them. The shows I have right now... Alias, Band of Brothers, MST3K, and the early seasons of Friends... are shows that I will be able to enjoy multiple times. Although I have sort of fallen into the completist trap with MST3K and bought everything they've put out, but I just know that I could pop just about any one of those into my player and get loads of laughs, so I don't feel too bad about that.

The discs will most likely still be available weeks, months, and years from now. Why buy them now when you're not going to watch them? Just to "have" them? If that's your reasoning behind buying, then yes, you are going to own too much TV on DVD that you will ever watch. And historically, prices drop and deals/rebates become more readily available for DVDs. Take it a little slower, save a few bucks, and you shouldn't have the problem you're worried about.

Daytona24

TV on DVD is great, but if you commit to too much it can be overload. For me my rule is I can buy season 1 and get away without a commitment, but once I buy season 2 I am in for the long run. Right now I am pretty thin and just buy what I REALLY think is worth it and try to stay away from hour long shows. For me its Friends (which is almost done), The Simpsons and South Park. So thats not much. I was getting NYPD Blue (an hour show but my favorite ever) but they seemed to have stopped now after season 2 came out. I do have other shows just the first season, thats enough to satisfy my "relive my youth" thing. One season of Dukes of Hazzard is plenty for me! Although I am looking forward to getting LOST.

Its been said above, you just have to not get everything. My friend collects so much that if FOX went off the air, he could bring it back!

QuiGonJosh

I mostly just buy TV Animation (Simpsons, Family Guy, Furturama, King of the Hill) and just a couple of my favorite drama/sci-fi (X-Files and Star Trek TOS)

A lot of the shows coming out on DVD are 80's crap that you can watch in re-runs quite easily, I see no need to buy them.

LasVegasMichael

Tv on DVD is BY FAR my favorite genre. We are a DVD only household (no regular tv at all), and tv on DVD are what I most commonly have on.

I had it my way, 100% of all television shows would be on DVD, and I could just buyt them all at once and get it over with. Completist is one way to put it, but simple TV on DVD lover is the reality of what I am, as I do watch all them at least twice, and some much more then that (exception being X-files which I blind bought S1-9 and just haven't had a chance or be in the mood for all of it. Only watched half of S1 so far).

I guess I am one of the ones that buys the TV on DVDs that some others would judge as "wastes of disc space" (i.e. I have Who's the Boss, and Full House on order), but I have no regrets. I have TV on DVD playing pretty much all day every day as background, as I work from home, and it provides the best entertainment for what I need.

From a statistical standpoint, 173 of the 580 DVDs I own are TV on DVD (30%). On order, 17 out of 20 are TV on DVD (85%).

tanman

I am somewhat selective in what I buy but even more selective on what TV shows I buy. I don't have that many but the ones I do are really worth it to me. Someone said that Trek was expensive but for me it is worth it as I definately complete each season I get and will probably revisit my favorites several times over. You have to be very selective in which TV shows you start, especially if you are a completist like me.

Red Dog

The more the better. I've always been more of a tv fan than movie fan. I'd say 80-90% of my purchases now are tv on dvd.

Andie

I don't think we can ever get too much TV on DVD, just like I think we can't get too many movies on DVD. What I mean is that practically every movie made (well, at least the mainstream ones) is out on DVD, and pretty much all of the ones that you can see in theatres now will be out in just a couple of months. Does that mean I'm gonna keep up with every single release of every mediocre movie they throw at us? No, I'm just gonna buy the ones I care for. Same thing goes for TV-series.

I'm so happy TV on DVD finally got big so I don't have to tape my favorite shows, and can watch all the old shows that I loved whenever I want to. I don't even buy that many movies nowadays, I save up for TV-series instead because then I really feel I get my moneys worth. A typical serie is about 22 episodes á 45 minutes, while a typical movie is 1½ hour and cost about half what a whole box set cost. Plus I even think TV-series has a higher replay value, I've seen Felicity S1 at least 10 times since I got it. That's probably my most watched DVD in my whole collection. Right now I have 8 different series on DVD, and 2 new ones incoming (One Tree Hill & Everwood).

Now I only hope we get Young Americans on DVD...

Jackskeleton

TV on DVD is a huge seller. People miss full seasons of 24 can be caught up quickly and so forth. The sale numbers show that people want this and that is why we are getting them.

When people stop buying them, then the studios will stop flooding the market with them. You always have the choice to buy or not buy.

Atleast we have enough options and selection out there to make a choice.

mwj

I have to say that I was thrilled to get a series like Keen Eddie on DVD. I saw like five episodes, was hooked after the first one, and pretty pissed when Fox gave it the axe before I could see all thirteen episodes. There is a ton of TV coming out on DVD. I just pick and choose like I do with movies. I can't have everything I want. For me that's just reality.

MisterHowie

I am highly selective about TV purchases - you HAVE to be! Each season is expensive, and then some of them have seasons and seasons...especially in light of the recent influx of series on DVD, it would never end otherwise.

Quack

I find it hard to resist some things especially if I have parts of series, Cheers, M*A*S*H, both which of course are over 10 seasons a piece but other than that, I have Sopranos, Transformers G1, GI Joe, started getting the Seinfelds, and it gets tiring but its all good.

Mike Lowrey

That's pretty much what my feelings are.

I like TV on DVD mostly for the dollar value of it. How many minutes of entertainment can you get for the dollar? When a movie goes for approx. $20 for approx. 100 minutes of entertainment on average. Not a good buy for the money.

TV on DVD comes along and a full season of 22-26 of hour-long episodes goes for $25-100 per season, you get a bigger bang for your buck.

That said, I still don't go and buy every show that comes out. I decide what genres I like, take into account when the show was made and if it still holds up today, take into account how many seasons the show ran or will run, take into account if the price per season justifies the purchase for it and for the entire series. If all those things pass my test, then I'll buy them.

For example, I used to watch a lot of TV shows in the '80s. Because let's face it, that about all there was to do back then. Didn't get my first VCR 'till late '86. Taped a lot of movies. Never even thought of taping TV shows, as it'd take way too many tapes. The only that I ever said that I'd love to have on video was ST:TNG.

So naturally, TNG was the first show I got on DVD. Got all 7 seasons.

In the '90s, I didn't watch much TV. Oh I caught some Seinfeld and a couple other shows from time to time, but I just didn't have the time to keep up with many shows because the early '90s were pretty much my college years. After graduation I concentrated on getting work. Worked a couple years after graduation. Played video games mostly in my free time. Then in '98 had a bad car accident and that pretty much fucked up my life for the next few years.

Got my DVD player in late '01. Loved it when TV on DVD started to get big. But using my criteria, I decided on a few series that I would collect and complete. I've settled on 17 series to complete. Nine are now complete: Babylon 5, '78 Battlestar Galactica, TNG, DS9, VOY, Beast Wars, Shadow Raiders, Roughnecks, & Beastmaster. Four are almost complete with just one season left to go: Xena, Hercules, Highlander, and Tour of Duty. Two are still airing: Stargate SG-1 and Andromeda. Two I'm just starting: Batman: TAS and Superman: TAS.

After I complete these last few series, I may decide to start a couple more. I'm thinking about 24, Alias, Dark Angel, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World.

I'll be getting ENT later this year for sure though. So make that 18 series for sure.

rmick

I have actually been thinking about this a lot as my TV on DVD collection continues to grow. While some shows I can watch over and over again (Freaks and Geeks, The Simpsons, Buffy) I find that I am continually blind buying, and then second guessing my purchase, mostly on HBO shows. While a lot of the time I end up with something I love (Six Feet Under for example), I still wonder if it's worth keeping all these shows for rewatchability.

Primarily, I am continually thinking about Alias and whether I would ever watch this series again after already knowing all the twists and turns of the plot, and being a completist of sorts, my inability to finally just pick up season 3 makes me even more unsure about a show that I didn't even see until DVD. I don't find that while watching new episodes on ABC I have any inclination to watch them again. The most satisfying thing is knowing that a series DVD release is over with no commitment to ever buy another season again. I guess all I'm really saying is what I already know. What a sick obsession this DVD thing has become.

Not to change the thread topic, but what are people's opinions on keeping a series like Alias? Is this rewatchable or should it be on the top of my list for ebay?

Kris81

there's very few shows i'll buy regularly on dvd

Seinfeld, Three's Company, Friends, Cheers, Chappelle Show..


with the exception of chappelle show, the other 4 i've seen almost every episode at least 10 times, and do not get sick of any of them... thus it's a good investment for me!

sracer

IMO, TV shows on DVD have a higher replay-factor than films. And it's also the quickest way to generate a mountain of unwatched video.

There IS a lot of TV coming out on DVD... faster and more costly than many budgets allow. I select shows that have short-runs, and aren't in syndication. So buying "The Prisoner" was an easy choice. So was getting "Twin Peaks" (season 1). The split-season sets for "Lost in Space" make it easy to slip those purchases into the mix. If I didn't get Walmart to price-match the $19.99 HV misprint, I doubt that I would've bought "Seinfeld" seasons 1-3.

"Star Trek: TOS" is a tough one to keep up with because of the timing of the release. I actually appreciate the leisurely release schedule for "The Sopranos"... it gives me a chance to buy other sets. There are some, like "Outer Limits:TOS" that were a bit too expensive IMO. As much as I like "Twilight Zone", I usually reserve New Years Day to watch it, and then I take advantage of the 36 hour marathon that has been a tradtion for 10-15 years.

The next show in the horizon for me is Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and possibly "Night Gallery".

eXcentris

Well I prefer films so I decided a long time ago not to buy TV on DVD. I don't even have time to watch all the films I buy I don't know how the heck I could manage to watch stuff that lasts for 3,4,5 seasons. Like sracer, I only bought selected short series like The Prisoner, Twin Peaks, and The Kingdom. And well Seinfeld but I get those for free for review purposes.

mdc3000

I love TV on DVD...it's my favourite thing...but I do have MANY sets that I haven't watched or haven't finished...mostly shows that I've recently seen or remember well....I still buy them but haven't watched all the eps (ie. Buffy 5-7, angel 3 & 4, simpsons 3-5) Any show that I'm seeing for the first time on dvd I usually devour...but I can't stop buying because I love having access to these great shows whenever I feel like it and being able to sit down for a marathon if I choose... I say let the studios bring it on and we'll just have to try and keep up.

MATT