Is having everything on DVD bad?
 

I just ask the question cause I have a 6year old daughter and I have noticed something.

Is it bad to have everything you like on DVD and at your ready to watch when ever??

When I was little, every year CBS would show "Wizard of OZ' and once the commerical started to air for that year I couldn't wait to watch it! Also every christmas I would wait for Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer to air. Even when I was little Star Wars came on HBO before I had it on video. It was a BIG BIG deal then and I acted sick so I could stay home to watch it.

However now my daughter can watch her fav. movies at anytime. She doesn't care if "Wizard of Oz" is coming on TV. She does love it but that magic of waiting for it is gone. She can watch it whenever.

There some old sitcomes and tv shows I loved as a kid and would love to see them again. However if I got them all on DVD back when I was little, now I wouldn't care about even watching them anymore.

Everything is now so easy to keep and watch over and over.

And this is bad how? I love having 1000+ films available to me at any moment, and not having to wait a week for the next episode of a TV show is a godsend.

Your poor daughter. This smells of sour grapes to me.

I give the point above.
As a child I couldn't wait to watch shows such as Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, etc., etc, and all day I would be on edge watching for it. Now that is gone. My daughter loves Wizard of Oz but cause she owns it and can watch it anytime, she never does.
I have movies in my collect that if I didn't own I would TiVo. Like "Talk Radio" I love it and if wasn't on DVD I would TiVo it and wait to watch it. Now that I have it, I haven't watched sents it was released.

It's like anything, there's good and bad about it. It's great she can watch this stuff anytime without someone trying to sell her stuff, but too bad some of the magic gets lost because of that.

So right, but it just seems that cause she (or myself at times) can watch things at "anytime" we don't watch it. That movie you would wait for once a year now is collecting dust on my DVD rack cause I am don't think or wait of it anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying have it all at your finger tips is good or bad.

It just seems at times some of childhood magic is gone

I understand what you mean. I used to look forward to watching The Sound of Music during the holidays. Now I have the DVD--and I haven't watched it since I bought it years ago.

On a comparable note, I used to watch the Die Hard films quite often. Now that I have so many DVDs, I have no time to watch favorites repeatedly...

No, I understand what Orac means. Having something to look forward to is a good thing. I remember when I was a kid, I used to look forward to some of those Christmas shows too. And it put me in a good mood thinking about them with anticipation. Without the anticipation, it becomes less special in a way. May take it for granted. Despite this, I think your kid will still find joy in the movie.

Overall I don't think it's a big deal. I'm just saying that I understand what you're talking about, Orac.

Well, I can see it being 'bad' in a way.
For some things, you no longer get the sense or urgency or delayed gratification to wait a year to watch Oz or Year Without Santa or whatever. And with small kids, who need to learn delayed gratification, that can be bad. We've got a DVR full of stuff for my boy [3 yo] to watch, and we want him to watch it, so if he wants to watch Dora or Diego, it's there. Going to visit his grandparents, they don't have that, so if he wants to watch something, he has to watch what's on, which is bad in two ways--what if he doesn't want to watch what's on, and what if I don't want him watching what's on.
Of course, the delayed gratification could be forced, as in, "You can watch it at X:00", but that's not quite the same thing.

I have thought similar things about TV-on DVD. I recently watched Farscape season 1, which took a year to show on tv and who knows how many thousands of dollars to film. I bought the dvd set for 28 bucks, and watched it in about 2 weeks. It sort of minimizes all the work and money and time the producers/directors/actors spent on the program, and of course the sense of suspense or anxious waiting.
All that said, I won't give up DVD or DVR, the convenience and pricing vastly outweighs any disadvantages, imho.

Being able to skip commercials, especially for kids programming, is great as well. But yeah, that 'sense of magic' is missing. It's like buying your own Christmas presents for someone else to give you, versus having it be a surprise [assuming you get stuff you want/like, of course--I'd rather pick out a game/dvd for someone to give me, than for them to give me a 12-pack of socks I didn't ask for.]

I agree :thumbsup:

Things like Wizard of Oz, Rudolph or Charlie Brown Christmas don't have the same one-time "see it or miss it" sense of importance or urgency, though once VCRs came into prominence that impact could already be felt, imo.

I understand what you're saying, Orac. I remember the days before DVD, before VHS, before HBO, when a movie being shown on network TV was a big event. There was an almost "magical" feeling to it. And that's to say nothing of the annual specials, like the Rudolph and Charlie Brown holiday shows, or the big network miniseries - do they even do those anymore?

Almost a different time by today's standards.

our society has shifted towards immediate gratification so waiting or being patient in any way is a thing of the past. why wait for something when you can have it immediately?

Which is the direction it is all going. As they want to make more and more media available at an on-demand service, you will begin to have a greater degree of the effect.

And I also have noticed that the more access I have to things like movies and "old favs," I actually watch them less.

I'm more likely to watch a movie I like if I channel surf by it than to spin up the DVD. Weird, isn't it?

Or, what I also do is if I see a movie I own on TV, I won't watch it on TV because it will be fullscreen/edited/commercials, but then I won't watch the DVD, either.

Why do I have these DVDs again???? ;)

I can see it both ways. Since you guys have mentioned the holiday stuff, I'll use that as a good example. I now have enough holiday DVDs in my collection that I actually have to make a 'viewing calendar' for December just to watch it all around the holidays. The good thing about this is I get that anticipation because I know that I've scheduled Charlie Brown or Home Alone on a future date that I can look forward to. I don't watch them except this time of year anyway. I used to hate it when for whatever reason, I wouldn't be home to watch a holiday movie or special as a kid. Now I make sure I never miss it.

If it's a non-holiday movie, I like the freedom to be able to watch it whenever I'm in the mood for that movie, not having to wait for some TV station to show it, dealing with commercials, interruptions, etc.

Your name brings up something to me, Star Wars guy.
As I child it was great waiting 3 years after Empire to see what happened to Han Solo or to find out who "the other" Yoda spoke of was. Lucas would re-release Empire a few times before Jedi came out and it was great! Also you would replay the movie in your head trying to get clues. Now days you would own it and watch it 1,000 times, ever frame and the 3 year wait wouldn't seem as hard or fun.
One problem with the prequels is that everone owned each other one before the next one. It would have been great to have to wait for the next one or maybe have Lucas re-relase TPM a few weeks before AOTC, etc. With the DVD in hands of fans, he couldn't really do the re-release like he did before.

This anticipatory wait is something that is going to be nearly lost on today's youth. The prequels didn't really have such a big excitement about them. There was huge anticipation for TPM, people were really excited about it. For AOTC, people were talking about it for maybe a few months before it came out. For ROTS, I didn't hear anyone talking about it until like the week or two before it came out. But I really hope that we don't shift this thread into talking about how Lucas did things differently over the last several years.
With the people I knew the waits between LOTR movies was bigger, but that was only a year for each.

It seems older movies in a series still get shown on TV before newer ones come out. For instance, I did notice AOTC being shown around the time ROTS came out. So, that's still done, it's just not as big a deal as it used to be.

I had a VHS bootleg of Empire right after it came out in the theaters. I probably watched it 200 times between 1980-3. Believe me, it didn't make the wait any less hard or fun. :) To this day, I know every line, noise, music cue, etc. in that film by heart.


I hear what you're saying, definitely. The Wizard of Oz is an excellent example. I can remember making an audio cassette (!) of this when it played on CBS so I could replay it throughout the year waiting for the next airing. It was a huge deal when this came on TV.

Still, while some of the magic/wonder/anticipation is gone, I wouldn't trade our current situation for the world. The ability to pluck any film (from blockbuster to obscure to foreign to silent to serial) off my shelf and watch it is a godsend for a film buff. There are probably thousands of great films that I would simply never get to see without the current home media environment.

Not a bad thing....but I see the opposite. I find myself watching movies on TV that I normally would not pull out my DVD for. I guess it's the fact if I put a DVD in I'm obligated to watch it start to finish, however, movies on TV I can change if I get bored.

"To the most beautiful moment in life, Better than a deed, better
than a memory, the moment... of anticipation!"
-Jacques, Marge's bowling instructor

I agree that there is great joy to be found in looking forward to something you love. And the reward is usually sweeter if you have waited for it.

When you're a kid, waiting is a big part of the "magic" of the Christmas season. Christmas parties, shows, and events are all the more fun knowing that the big day is still to come. I vividly remember the excitement that built up before those Rankin/Bass Christmas specials came on.. and the exhilaration I felt when those rainbow colored words "CBS SPECIAL" danced across the screen. Even the Christmas-themed commercials were a treat to see. It all added up to an experience that you don't get from popping in a DVD whenever you feel like it.

However, all is not lost.. now I take great pleasure in anticipating DVD release dates!

That's true to a point - but I did see my wife's grandma and her family sitting around the TV to watch Attack of the Clones to prepare for the newest movie. They have a DVD player, but not EVERY family goes and buys EVERY new film on DVD when it comes out... like me, and it sounds like most of you...

I agree, most people do not have collections in the hundreds, let alone in the thousands. I remember when I started to collect. Having 25 was a big number. Now that many of those first DVDs are going for under $5 at Walmart I'm sure this past year many will be building up their collection but I still don't think many will pass 100 mark. Back to the origional question...I used to watch movies like 'The Quiet Man' once a year on TV. Today I don't watch TV at all (except for 'Surface') but still watch my movies. I got everyone of my favorites on DVD and the 3 that are not on DVD have been ripped off the VHS to DVD. I HATE commericals.

yes! that drumbeat and snazzy little theme. I remember when some specials would come on, everyone's mom would call them in, the whole neighbourhood would run instead to watch the Heat Miser or whatever, then come back out to finish playing kickball in the dark.
Of course, we [and kids] don't do that much anymore either...

Depends on how the licensing and contracts are written up, as to when something goes to cable or broadcast TV. And of course an optimum time to show one movie, is when its sequel is coming out.

DVDs are turning into much more of an 'impulse purchase', but there's still lots of families who don't buy, especially with the prevalence of Netflix and BBO.

i dont think ill ever have everything i want on dvd, there are just too many.

My tastes also vary so there will always be a film I wish I had even though i'd only probably watch it once.

You can always tell your daughter "NO" when she wants to watch a certain movie and say " Only at Christmas time will we watch that again", that will get her anticipation up or maybe not, I dont know kids too well. ;)

Oh, this can be done. The problem is that most parents are apparently incapable of doing it. This society is really lacking in self-control, it's horrible.

I completely get what he is saying... I have actually thought a little about it myself with TV shows. I grew up on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Dawson's Creek," and "Roswell"... and there was somthign about the excitement of having to wait a week (or in the summer cases 4 months) for the next episode... And that fact that it took me 3, 6, 7 years to finally finish the storyline that I had been sucked into. But when my kids get old enough to watch theses show (although I extremly doubt that they will have any interest in "Dawson's creek" as it will probably be 25 years old by then), they magic will be lost on them. They could have marathons theoretically watching an entire years worth of episodes in the course of the day...

But then I think about it and I realize that if it wasn't for the DVD's the probably wouldn't be able to see the show at all... I guess its a trade off.

I remember taking a portable cassette recorder into a movie theatre to record the audio of Ralph Bakshi's LORD OF THE RINGS. I replayed that dozens of times. :lol:

The problem is that we have so many distractions competing for our time. The "tyranny of the urgent" is what drives most of us. When shows were only on TV, the TV schedule became the "urgent"... something beyond our control, so we could justify to ourselves changing our routine/schedules to accomodate the TV schedule.

It is nearly impossible to set aside time to watch a film that you can watch at any time... something always seems to bubble up to the top of the list.

But I agree about the availability and access to greater amount and variety of material.

If I see a movie on TV that I own on DVD, I'm more apt to stop watching the TV version and pop the DVD in and watch the whole thing. Case in point, I was flipping channels the other night and came across Fletch (about 1/2 into it.) Since I had picked it up a few weeks before at Walmart during that big sale, I hadn't gotten around to watching it yet. Seeing it on TV made me decide to watch it then and there.

I think technology in general, and dvd is sort of spoiling us all, we have almost everything at our fingertips if we desire it that strongly. Your wallet is your limit as to how far you can take it. It's kind of scary sometimes, to think that the magic of once having to wait long to watch something on TV is gone. I don't think it is so bad, but it just depends on how far you are willing to go with it. Sometimes it's better to just own it, and move on, but than where did all that magic go. Ever see the film "The Final Cut" where Robin Williams could watch every moment of a persons life all because of an implant at the touch of a button. Is this where all these movie/tv/music collections is headed? Something similar, but a vast library of media where at the touch of a button you can watch anything you want to?

I get what you're saying. Charlie Brown holiday specials were always a favorite of mine (on CBS). I even remember the Dolly Madison & McDonald's ads being part of the experience. It's all lost on DVD now.

They air them on ABC now but it even seems they have re-voiced the series. It just doesn't sound the same to me. I'm not certain if that's the case though.

I understand your point completely. What I would do for the holiday films is keep them put away in a box with the rest of the Christmas decorations. When it comes time to decorate for Christmas, all of a sudden the films will be available for viewing. That will give them something to look forward to all year instead of them seeing them on the shelf year round.

Ah, those good ol' Dolly Madison commercials. Those bring back some memories!

The sounds are the same as far as I can tell, however, the look of them on ABC just looks a little different. Each network has it's own look so to speak, and CBS was probably the most distinctive of the big 3. I'll admit that seeing the Charlie Brown specials on ABC just isn't the same to me. However, my original VHS copies (haven't gotten around to getting that DVD box set yet), have the look of CBS when they mastered them, so I still can enjoy it that way. And yes, I guess I'm weird in that aspect (at least my wife thinks so.)

While I understand the point of the question, it is akin to wondering if there is too much food in the grocery store.

"I remember fondly being on the edge of starvation and how great a piece of stale bread would taste. Now I just eat any old thing." :)

Sounds like that classic Onion column, "I Wish I Were Hungry". Curse this full belly!

DJ

I remember ABC used to show a big movie on Sunday nights. It was something like ABC's Sunday Night Special or something kinda like that. I remember being around 10 years old and watching movies from Superman to The Spy Who Loved Me on Sunday nights. Those nights were big events to me...

There is.

There was a study/book a while back called something like "The Paradox of Choice." They took some people, gave them some money, went into two different pretend grocery stores. The people who went into the store with limited choice, something like 5-6 types of everything, went in, made a decision, bought stuff, and went 'home'. The people who went to the 'megastore' with lots of choices, took longer to shop, had more trouble deciding, in many cases decided to buy *nothing*, and were less satisfied with the things they *did* decide to buy.
Choice is good, but too much choice tends to paralyze or weaken our ability to make choices and stand by them.
I know more than once I've stood by the entertainment center, deciding what dvd to watch or game to play, then all of a sudden, it's bedtime.

I don't mean this as a knock, but there are probably a lot of people that would find it funny to see someone call 5-6 types of each item a "limited choice." :)

DJ

True : )
I forget the actual numbers, but one set of participants was presented with 'lots' of choices, the other, a much smaller number. But 5-6 types of the same thing definitely does provide enough room for choice.