SteveA

1998. Went to work for an electronics company, one of the sales guys sold me a DVD player, and I bought every movie I wanted that was out on DVD (which was Singin' in the Rain, Bull Durham, and Vertigo, as I recall).

MR Round

I started collecting when I was 10 so 2000 I received X-men as a Christmas present and its been downhill for my wallet ever sense

laserdogg

Laserdisc: May 1985 -Bought a used VP1000 and 20 LDs from Barracks Trading Post in Pennsauken NJ when I lived out there. I also have fond memories of my trips to Rock Dreams in Hamilton Township...the store as I recall was a converted house and the finished basement was a haven of laserdisc, early home theater and high end audio. I still pick up discs now and then and still have every single one (1500+)

DVD: May 1998 - First DVD was Starship Troopers before I had a player (which was eventually the infamous Panny A110...which still works)

HD DVD: Fall 2006 - My HD format of choice at the time. First player was an RCA HDV5000 now up to 350 or so titles and an HD-XA2

Blu-ray: Nov 2006 - PS3 launch. It was a long while before I actually bought a BD title...possibly early 2008. Pushing 400 titles.

tofu

In 1999 when all of the coupons for DVD buying online came out.

Xiroteus

DVD - February 2005 (prices were finally starting to get better)

Blu-Ray - Within the last year.

MTRodaba2468

I got my first DVD player on X-Mas 2001, and really started collecting them in '02.

Trout

VHS: in '87 or '88
DVDs:

terrible chong

DVDs, probably about 9 years ago

Nth Power

It was '99 or 2000. I think my first DVD was The Sixth Sense.

Trevor

VHS - Hated how fragile they seemed, so refused to collect. Used tapes to record stuff off TV, but rarely bought films. Own maybe 20 films (mainly Disney) and the Kolchak Night Stalker series.

DVD - I think it was late 1998 when I started buying discs, bought my first player in April or so of 1999. I was hooked from day one. Loved the special features and seeming permanence of the format, and have collected like crazy the whole time since.

HD DVD - Bought my first player and 12 or so discs just a couple months before the bottom fell out. Luckily, I got in on good deals so didn't really spend much. Actually had the chance to return my player to Amazon for a near full refund, but decided to just stick with it. My HD DVDs are still just as good as my blu-rays, and I expect to always own them. See no reason to 'upgrade' to blu-rays. Still buy HD DVDs as I find them cheap.

Blu-ray - Started buying them once they were easily found under $10 early last year. Now own close to 300 at about a $6 average. Bought my first player maybe 6 months after I started buying discs. I still buy more DVDs than anything, but if price is fairly equal I'll buy the HD DVD or Blu-ray over the DVD.

drmar35mm

Started with Betas in the early '80s, then VHS a few years later (as Beta was dying). Got my first DVD (Jeeves & Wooster Season 1) in 2001, then my first DVD player a few months later. When I was I kid I collected books and comic books, then LPs, then Cassettes, then CDs. I also collect cameras and guitars. Been a collecting fool most of my life.

MrVette99

1999, and now have about 300 films. I could easily get rid of 1/2 of them. I now just toss the junk when something comes along and there is no longer any shelf space.

-TRANCE-

Started collecting DVDs in 2000. My first DVD was The Crush.

lmwong1977

2002 after I got a new TV with a built-in dvd player. Burton's Planet of the Apes was the first DVD - though my dad did pay for it. 2005 was the 1st huge buying spree - got a full-time job.

TheNightFlier

Towards the end of '99. My first DVD was Midnight Run.

Cronenbergfan71

Got my first VCR around '86 but never bought anything until probably the mid-90s. I started buying foreign titles from Facets and that's where it all began. I always looked forward to receiving those catalogs in the mail, almost as much as I did the movies themselves.

Fast forward to 1999 and I got my first DVD player, a Panasonic, for Christmas. I gave it to a co-worker a few years back and it still works perfectly to this day. I believe The Matrix, Saving Private Ryan and The Sixth Sense were the first movies I got, although perhaps not in that order. I only had maybe twenty movies for the first three years or so and then I really began collecting in earnest. I now have about a thousand titles on DVD and BD.

TheMovieman

1999. I still remember my first title was Disturbing Behavior. Oh how true my obsession would become...

TNAJason

2001,my 1st DVD Player was a PS2. 1st DVD Titles bought were The Mummy Ultimate Edition,Terminator Ultimate Edition and Hannibal Special Edition. Still have T2 & Mummy but got rid of Hannibal a long time ago after much debating,but do to my dislike for the movie I finally decided to trade it.

Steve

hmm. For DVDs - I am pretty sure it was when they were first released. When I was shopping around for a DVD player I eventually pre-ordered the Panny A310. I remember trying to get a better deal and one vendor told me that I was one of the first ones in my state to get one. Don't know if that is true, but I do remember that no stores around me even heard of DVD at that time, and I ordered on the web - paying $22 for a disc - and was glad I got any discount!

Anybody remember 800.com? reel.com? Ah, those were the good days.

So - 1997 for DVDs?

Collecting in general. 1966 with 8mm 10 minute Castle Films and a home projector.