Al Padrino

Unless someone's near you, at which point, we're back to smelling things. And I rest assure that this time, it would not be my breakfast that everyone's smelling.

tommyp007

My library is about 550 titles with the combined dvd's of my fiance and my collections. There are lots of hers I haven't seen and the same goes for her with my movies. What we did when we combined was to start watching them Alphabetically so we would each see new movies we might not otherwise choose to watch. it's worked out great! i've seen movies that I liked I NEVER would have bought! We still buy new movies almost every week, and someday plan to see everything on the shelves. BTW, the Alpha system isn't bedrock. If we feel like a comedy and the next movie is The Passion of the Christ for instance, we just look at something we bought recently but will be coming up waaay down the road on the list.

and yeah...it is an addiction! But one I don't mind having.

fliggil

who is anyone to say what is ridiculous? if you can afford to buy what you want, then by all means do so. in my opinion, what is ridiculous is calling people so for having a hobby/passion. not everyone has free time to watch 50 movies a month, but DVD isn't going anywhere and we can watch our unwatched 20 years from now, who cares? movies go OOP, they become hard to find, isn't it nice knowing you have a big collection, whether or not you've seen it all?

gutwrencher

no, you don't know me.....not even close. I get mail every other day, asking about a title or something about a dvd. some of that mail arrives from members here in this forum and others. they don't seem to have a problem with me or my library and how I present it and you are only the third youngster in 3 years to have some kind of problem with it. adults never seem to have a problem....just a few diaper dandies under 25. I don't get it. this is a dvd forum. I'm proud of my library. if you look at it as bragging....I dunno. I'm just sharing and being excited while doing it.


Hi Al. thats fuckin' right. I can't help that I'm over 40....own a #1 ranked local company and I can schedule 3 or 4 days off IN A ROW anytime I feel like it....and sit around and watch film till blisters break out on my ass. all that while the company is still making $. I put myself into that position. if somebody else can't do the same....thats not my fault. I'm older and stable...which makes a huge difference. so yes...I CAN watch AND work at the same time. you are in control of your own lives.

HistoryProf

Brilliant!!

gutwrencher

well, I only drink good ale, not that horse-piss generic crap. grab a case of Red Tail Ale and we can hook up. if you become crazy or start mouthing off about the size of the library....I'll sick both rotties on you and wish ya luck.

and btw, if you know anyone with a strong back and good work ethic....send them my way. I start at $12 an hour....and tips.

Al Padrino

That's fine you have a passion. I wasn't calling you out on that. I just think that if you've got that many unwatched DVDs, then perhaps you should work on those before continuing to build on it. That's understandable you don't have time to watch dozens and dozens of DVDs a month. But to have that many unwatched DVDs just seems like an impossible task to overcome. And then there's the inevitable moment when you pop one of those discs you bought years ago into the player for the first time and it doesn't work. You've basically wasted money right there. I've got about five titles that are still in their original wrapping and am just hoping that they're okay when I do get around to them. With over 300 DVDs unwatched, there's a great chance at least a couple are messed up.

gutwrencher

you're hoping? I just can't understand why someone would not open a dvd within the warrenty period for exchange. sure, some can be replaced after the time expires...but this will happen less as the format becomes even older. soon...nobody will replace it because it may go oop...and nobody is going to refund your money.

having unwatched titles is one thing.....having un-opened discs is something that to some people....seems a little more un-wise. guess we all have our little problems, don't we?

Al Padrino

Exactly my point. I'm well aware that it was dumb to not even have these discs opened, but even if you've opened them up, there's still as good a chance as any that there's a defect somewhere on the disc if you still haven't watched it. Opened or not, an unwatched disc presents the same possible problem.

fliggil

btw, I wasn't referring to anyone in particular, and I certainly don't have 300 unwatched DVDs, I don't even have 300 in my entire collection, it was just a general statement that I believe people can do what they want with their collection, and you can think whatever you may want about it, but to come out and for anyone to call it ridiculous I think is just wrong. I've been fortunate enough to have bought DVDs for the past 3-4 years and not have 1 defective disc, so if it happens that a movie I haven't watched yet happens to be defective, I'll deal with it, because anywhere from a third to a half of the ~175 in my collection I've bought on eBay for at least 50% cheaper than what it would sell for at a Best Buy, etc. Everyone's gonna have something to say about every single person's buying, viewing, selling habits, etc. so who cares? As long as everyone is happy, that's what keeps this a successful industry.

gutwrencher

here is an even more anal side to my madness....and I'm sure I'll be grilled on it. but here is what I do to avoid defective discs. usually.....if I buy say, 2 dvds on Tuesday....but can't watch them until Thursday...I'll do the following. often I am sitting in my home office booking jobs and doing the usual paper and phone work. now this may not always allow me to SIT and WATCH a dvd....but when possible, I'll open the dvd and let it track through on one of my many players. if there is a defect right out of the case...it's usually a freeze-up...or it won't read at all....or something obvious. I DON'T consider a bad transfer or audio glitch a disc problem....thats a studio problem. these issues are usually already laid out in this and other forums so if I got the dvd and it had a problem like that....I'd already know about it. all I have to do is play the disc through....check it once in a while....and observe. if it makes it through to the end....it's usually fine. if not....I'll look up at some moment and see the disc freaking out. if all is good....i pop it back into the case and watch it when ready. if there is a problem....back it goes. this has happend only 9 times in the past 3 years so at least I caught them.

now we won't go into the born-bad-at-the-plant and delamination issues. this is totally different. it may take months and a few plays to uncover the QC fuck-up....but thats a class action lawsuit for later.

btw....you don't even need to keep the monitor on. you can usually tell by just glancing at the counter on the player. this indicates a problem just as much as staring at the screen.

Al Padrino

My fault. Got you mixed up with the guy who said he had around 325 unwatched DVDs. Sorry, bro.

Al Padrino

Agreed that that's a good method for checking for defective discs even when you don't have time to sit through and watch the whole DVD. The poster who said he had over 300 unwatched DVDs didn't make it clear whether he done anything similar to this or not. My impression was that he had not.

gutwrencher

I doubt it too. let's face it....not many are as anal about the library as me.

crazy as I may seem...I've got it down and all under control.

Al Padrino

I don't think it's crazy. It's a smart thing to do and it's something I've begun to do with my recent purchases. I've somehow managed to get my backlog down to virtually nothing, so all new releases that come in here get watched almost right away, but I still like to check them out before I actually sit down and watch it.

GeoffreyL

Actually,I do try play most of the ones I buy the way Gutwrencher does. I will pop one in my computer or the one hooked to the tv and let them play while I'm doing other tasks.I have only encountered a couple that had glitches Se7en and Near Dark being the ones i remember.As for Al saying thats ridiculous thats fine. he certainly is'nt the only one to think so. If you thinks thats bad let me tell you someone I know who spends over 100.00 a week in weed, now thats sad. On a final note, let me promise you I will watch them eventually.

Al Padrino

It's all good. No worries. A lot of my friends think it's riduclous how many DVDs I've got and I'm barely over the 300 mark. Everyone's got their vices and addictions. DVDs and films are a common vice for most of us. Unlike something like booze or drugs, our vices are around the next day and are often on display in our homes, so their more prone to criticism.

ctyankee

"so I've got that going for me .... which is nice."

GeoffreyL

Al, thats true i used to spend about the same amount on sports cards that i now spend on dvds. Nobody said a thing because they hardly ever saw the 500,000 that were on shelves out in the garage.

sracer

hehe... what do you consider a backlog? How long after you purchase a title does it become "backlog"? If you buy a TV season boxset, unless you watch the entire thing that day, then.... YOU HAVE A BACKLOG.

The more I read this thread, the more I'm convinced that the "no backlog" brigade has arbitrarily defined "backlog" so that they don't have one.

Dmacsg1

Yes..DVD's are very addictive! As we all know!
When I started I would buy alot of dvd's because they were cheap (Wal-mart $5.00 bin..I'm looking at you!!) Now I am much more frugal with what I buy. I just went through my video game collection and weeded out a sizable chunk of them. Now I am going to closely examine the dvd library and get rid of some more! (I got rid of a bunch during Blockbuster's $8.00 trade in deal!)

Take care all!!

Al Padrino

I was the same with sports cards, too. Now I look back and think what a waste it was. I loved it at the time, but when I think of all the money that went into the hobby and for what? Yeah, they're cool to have, but they don't really serve much of a purpose.

Backlog = anything I have yet to watch. So yes, let's say I'm at Best Buy and pick up three DVDs. The moment I've paid for them, I've added three more titles to my backlog. I've got mine down to less than 20 titles, which is excellent for me, since I had nearly 80 at this time last month.

GeoffreyL

Al, yeah it was cool at the time but looking back i paid about 940.00 for a case of 99-00 fleer mystique when it was released.Now I about cry when I see them go for about 250.00 on ebay.

Kaiser Soze

If I had to guess, I think there are probably less than 5 movies that I own that I have never watched. I only buy stuff that I have already seen and know that I'll watch again, or stuff that just looks too good to pass up.

A special thanks goes out to BBV on that $8 trade in deal a few months ago. I was able to get my collection down from about 300 to about 200. And then I turned around and picked up some stuff that I really wanted for a long time and just didn't feel like buying. (Hitchcock, Kurosawa, etc...) And I still have about $50 in credit left.

My collection has benefited a lot from the recent deals found on the "bargain" forum here. So thanks.

And to the DVDtalker who has Goodfellas in his collection and has never watched it....FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

GeoffreyL

I, think the cheaper prices nowadays have a lot to do with purchasing so many. The first dvds I bought were 25-30 dollars apiece. Now I see movies for 5.50 at walmart or the 7.50 best buy and circuit city list each week and pick up some I'm interested in,but might not otherwise purchase.It might not be a logical explanation,but I tell myself it is.