Paul_SD

guess I just don't understand the 'quality' concept. Who is supposed to be defining this- the owner or his friends? If you buy and own content you like, isn't that the only metric that is important?

DeputyDave

I think the whole point that the OP was making was owning DVDs that you, yourself admit lack quality. I fully admit to owning several DVDs that I think suck and would never watch again. I just can't seem to get rid of them.

I do hereby swear to lose at least 20 DVDs this week (before the 9 I have on order get in).

Brian Shannon

Quality.

I only buy what I like to watch repeatedly. I would rather people be impressed by my theater than the number of plastic cases I have on the shelves.

nateman

With 586 DVDs and 13 Blu-ray discs, I have a few 'quantity' discs. Before joining DVD Talk I was a lot less picky about the discs I bought.

I still pick up some DVDs or BDs that would be considered 'quantity' or 'bad', but sometimes bad movies are fun. I've got a lot of horror discs, and being a fan (although not as much now considering most of the horror movies these days suck) of the horror genre is like having bad movies in your collection automatically. Just as a recent example, I bought "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem" on Blu-ray disc, and it wasn't a good movie in any way, but I liked it for mindless, cheesy fun. Being a fan of the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series or the "Friday the 13th" series is like putting the quantity tag on your collection right away.

I blind buy almost all of the movies and some TV shows I purchase because I don't go to the theatre anymore.

People can buy whatever they like.

Star Wars Guy

I never understood that either, but for some, it's their thing, just not mine.

I don't look at my DVDs as a collecting thing. To me, it's 'Do I enjoy this movie enough to watch it repeatedly over the years?' If so, I'll own it. Anymore, my buying habits are pretty much limited to $5 or less. Our library system gets a ton of the new movies in, so I'll check them out from there. By the time I'm ready to buy it, it's down to the $5 range. Of course, Christmas and Birthday is where I'll score big as that's pretty much all I ask for.

Ethan VanSciver

Quality and quantity. Once I discover a new director that I like, I collect all of his/her work. Also, if I get started on a series, I don't like to have any holes there. I collect every release.

But I like to think that my collection shows good taste. I wouldn't buy a movie that wasn't worth seeing at least twice.

Trevor

I have over 3000 titles, so there's no way I can say I'm quality over quantity I imagine.

Briefly, my reasons include being a lifelong collector (hoarder?), and DVDs being what I settled on as my main hobby a few years back. I like the universality of movies, you can watch and discuss them with almost anyone. I like knowing that I have a collection that will last for years (decades hopefully), and that even if I have to stop buying today, i have enough stuff to keep me entertained for years.

Renting doesn't work for me. If I felt like watching a movie, 2-5 days later when Netflix got it to me my mood/free time had changed and I didn't watch it right away. I ended up only watching 2 or so a month thru them, wasn't worth the cost, especially since I use CH and other bargain means to average less than $5 a title. I like knowing that I can go home and be in the mood for any type of movie possible, and having multiple things to choose from right at my fingertips. I like saving my friends and family money, they watch my DVDs more than I do.

I think I have both, as I know I buy more than I need, thus the quantity, but I only buy what I really want, thus the quality.

nateman

I have a lot of different TV shows on DVD, and I'm like you in the way that I must own all of the seasons.

tylergfoster

I currently own about 1200 titles and I am sure in my time I've easily hawked another 2000+. It's like an OCD tic for me to want to trim my collection down. These past few months I've really been doing it though. I don't know if it will lead to some amazing epiphany about my collection or not, but it drives me nuts to think I could have a more refined collection of movies that I'd be happy with.

Rocketdog2000

My thoughts exactly, sir. I was going to use that same example, too.

buckee1

I have several thousand DVDs and have plenty of what are generally considered "Quality films". Then I have my guilty pleasures that I watch maybe once or twice a year. I have scads of TV shows that I watch on a regular basis and movies I generally reserve for the weekend. The question in my mind is not so much quality over quantity as it is, what do you enjoy & how often do you enjoy it? there are times when I can spend a goof 30 minutes trying to figure out what to watch but, I'd rather that than not having what I want at my fingertips when I want it.

wlverinefactor

I use to buy just about anything. Over the past year and a half I've cut it down to just buying what I know I'll like. The hardest is anime because it's very pricey and not easy to view (legally) before buying so I've beat it into my brain that I need to wait for complete season sets unless it's something I just have to have (.Hack// ect.)

In the next breath I have a few things I want to get rid of or double dip to clean my collection up. Having every pokemon dvd is awesome (to me) but it takes up an ungodly amount of space. Thankfully I can now buy the season sets and sell my single discs and break even or gain a little. In the long run I lose money but you live and you learn.

I've also come to the conclusion I don't need to buy anything on release day unless it's a LE item. I did buy Cloverfield the other day and regret it only because I didn't know about the steelbook version Otherwise I wait until the film hits the 4 for $20 at Blockbuster, saves me so much money.

There are some bad films (IMO) that I'll hold onto just for memories, director, actor or because it's one of those winning films or something. Hell, one day I would love to own all Best picture winners but that's way down the road.

FantasticVSDoom

I can say everything Ive ever bought, I have liked as a movie... That said, I have trimmed a lot down and dont buy near as what I used to. Now that I buy mainly BD, Im much more conservative in what I think is worth buying. Before it was, well I did like that so hell its cheap enough so Ill get it. I dont do that anymore.

DK91

With 400+ discs I'd say that whilst Im not a mammoth collection by any means, im still well above your average joe. Still in the quantity and quality debate im half and half..there are of course DVDs in the collection that probably would have served better as rentals than purchases...but ultimately anyone with ownership of 300+ dvds would be lying if they didn't say the right thing. I rent from time to time but overall buying at a reasonable price is just better value overall....and of course my disc collection is made up mostly of stuff I really like or at the time really wanted to see.

Count_Zero

Quality, like taste, is in the eye of the beholder. For instance, I have more than a hundred Italian horror/giallo and action films that most of my family and friends look upon with bewildrement and (sometimes) outright disdain but which I consider absolutely essential. I would sooner part with something like Lawrence of Arabia or The Godfather than I would Cannibal Apocalypse or Short Night of Glass Dolls. This has as much to do with the relative scarcity of these types of films as it does with my love of them (and genre movies in general). I've pared my collection down from an unwieldy 1000+ to around 650 and I think I've pretty much eliminated the chaff. Others would doubtless disagree.

bunkaroo

Sometimes I feel like I have too many films, but when I look at them title by title, 95% of them are ones I want to see again at some point, so it makes sense to keep them in my collection.

My title count got way out of hand a couple years ago (1800+) and I have had to get rid of a lot off stuff. I wound up getting it down under 1000 I believe, which includes TV sets and concerts as well. (I have a lot of TV on DVD stuff.)

My count is creeping back up now, partly because I am blind buying more on Blu-Ray since I like the high-def content. I'm guessing I could pare down the collection by about 100-150 titles if I really wanted to, but for now I'm pretty happy with how things are.