Adam Tyner

It's been slower for me over the past few months, but generally, I average a movie a day. I do buy everything...well, aside from what I'm sent to review, although I buy more than I review.

I absolutely have a collectors' mentality, and because of that, I buy rather than rent. I can't qualify it anymore than to say I like one and don't find any appeal in the other. It's pretty rare for me to rewatch anything, so renting would clearly make more sense, but I like having lots of movies immediately at my fingertips anyway.

It's not a compulsive thing, though. I'll go a couple of weeks sometimes without buying anything. I never really have much of a backlog, so it's not as if I have shelves and shelves of unwatched stuff.

nando820

With the recent addition of vast amounts of titles for Instant Playing on Netflix. The "need to buy to watch right now" is not a very good excuse no more.

So I buy because I'm a collector. Those limited edition sets with books and everything are just too much to resist

PS: just got me the Limited Edition of 300

Trevor

You're doing it wrong. No reason to ever pay more than ~$5 for a film.
I see your points, but pretty much all of us 'waste' money on something.

I own several thousand titles, but I've spent less money on them the past 12 years than some people have spent on renting fewer titles.

I spend less money on DVDs than a smoker spends on cigarettes.

Less than a social drinker spends on alcohol.

Less than a skydiver spends on their hobby.

Less than countless people spend on their various hobbies/passions/addictions.

I enjoy films and DVDs and collecting them, and spend $5-10 a day on my hobby. I have a job with lots of downtime and easily watch the equivalent of two films per day every day. I buy a lot, but I watch, or will watch, pretty much everything I buy.

I like having an extensive library ready to meet any type of viewing desire my family/friends or myself might want that moment. I like having dozens or hundreds of blind buys ready for that day's entertainment. I enjoy the collecting aspect of it.

Obviously, each of us is different and many people prefer to put their time and money into other things. Saying that you 'feel sad' for us strikes me as intolerant and judgmental. Too each their own, as long as what you do makes you happy and doesn't infringe on others.

JOE29

Of course, it's personal preference. First, I would much rather buy a DVD than go see it at the movie theatre. You pay approx. $20 for two tickets anyway so why pay that for one showing when I can buy the DVD and watch it anytime I want, as much as i want. Second, a lot of my DVD's are from older movies and tv shows that are rarely on tv anymore, if at all. Third, most of the things ( not all ) on TV these days is crap, I would much rather watch a DVD of an older movie or TV show or even a few new releases than watch Gossip Girl or the Kardashians. Fourth, I know I can't watch all of my DVD's that I have ( I have approx. 900 ) but they are readily available for me to choose from. And finally, the number 1 reason why I buy DVD's instead of renting is that I know that I will have them for the next 20-30 years, as a matter of fact, they'll outlive me. I actually think about that when i buy them, I don't just buy them for now but for 20 years down the road. But I understand that other people see things differently and that's fine. You can do what you want, but so can I.

Spottedfeather

I haven't even been in a Blockbuster in about 10 years. Even then, it wasn't to rent. But I mainly buy. It's a lot cheaper than going to the theaters. 10 to 20 dollars for seeing it once, or 10 to 20 for seeing it as much as you want. The last movie I remember renting was Night At The Museum a few years ago. It was from one of those boxes at McDonald's.

dvdjunkie32

I have a similiar large collection. About 800 items. And that is counting an entire tv season as one single item. It will take me many years to get through the collection, but I enjoy the aspect of being able to choose what to watch. In fact, I developed a routine:

Watch 2 - 5 discs of tv seasons

Watch 1 disc of wrestling dvds

Watch a movie dvd

Watch a super hero movie

Watch a blu-ray

Watch a new release


Then I repeat the cycle. I have fun doing it.

As for renting, I started Netflix a year ago, and I'll admit, it's hard to stop. The Netflix streaming attracts me because they have so many documentaries that I would otherwise not see or purchase. Also, I can watch all the new release
blu-rays without spending the ridiculous $24.99 store price.

But after a year of Netflix, I realize that I've spent well over $100 bucks, and I have nothing to show for it. I could have taken that same $100 bucks and bought several dvds. It's all a matter of perception, I suppose.

spawndude

Think of it more as "collecting" or a "hobby". Most hobbies or things people collect don't make any financial sense (cents!). How much money is spent by hunters and fisherman who never consume the meat. (Catch and Release!) Even if they did it would be cheaper to buy the meat at the store.

It gives one "pleasure" to do such things.

mike07

Thats my perception. Back when VHS tapes were being phased out, I would constantly be at the video store renting something... Then I found out I spent an average of $200 each year on video rentals alone with nothing to show for it. Now I spend an average of $1000 (sometimes more, sometimes less - usually less than $2 a disc) each year on DVDs which I will still have for many years to come.

It's a hobby, and I enjoy watching them. Hey, it's better than drugs right?

DJariya

As I mentioned earlier, the problem I see is that many who buy constantly just throw them in the closet and never bother watching them.

My friend who has 2,000+ DVD and BR's has an insane amount of unwatched titles, yet he buys 2-5 new releases a week and goes to Mom and Pop stores to rent and also rents from Netflix and watches shit on TV as well. I mean it's a never ending cycle.

I mean yeah great you collect a shit load of DVD's and BR's...But, what good is it going to do you to have all those 2-3 disc special editions with 15 hours of extras sitting in your closet because you just have to have it, but don't actually have time to watch them.

I mean you spend $18-20 a month on Netflix and you can watch alot more and feel gratified that you have actually seen the movie IMO.

I rent 10-12 titles a month (3 out at a time) on Netflix. Do I need to own all of them just to feel gratified that I have some physical possession in my closet...Absolutely Not.

UltimateX1

I never rent, just buy. That said I only buy when the movie in question is on sale or discounted to $10 or less to save money. If it is something I really want, I will go $15 max for a DVD and $20 max for a Blu-ray.

asianxcore

Definitely buying a lot more than I rent nowadays.

I know Netflix is way easier, but I found myself renting more when my local Mom & Pop shop had 5/$5 Thursday's.

nando820

No No No

darkhawk

Purchase only. I haven't rented a movie in about 18 years.

orangerunner

This is true and it's often how I used to justify many DVD/VHS purchases. At the same time it is nice to get out of the house and go to a first-run movie. By the time it comes out on DVD, it's old news. It is a better experience than simply plugging in a disc at home.

If you happen to see a forgettable or bad movie in the theatre, at least the experience is over and done with unlike blind buying a bad movie on DVD which sits on your shelf as a constant reminder that you just wasted your money a movie you'll never watch again!

calhoun07

In the early days of DVD...certainly more buying. These days, more renting.

When I had just a VCR I rented more than I bought. I did have a fair selection of VHS in my collection, but not a huge amount. I was really picky on the things I bought, and often bought previously viewed or waited until a good sale came along when I did. I see myself swinging back that way now with Blu-Ray. I bought a handful of titles I really wanted when I got my player and have been renting everything else.

My basic rule of thumb is if I haven't watched it more than once on DVD in the past decade, there's really no compelling reason for me to buy it on Blu-Ray over again. I can just rent it if I really want to see something again in high def.

adrenaline78

Weren't VHS movies unreasonably expensive too?

I remember them come drastically down in price just before DVD took over and thats when I started to collect movies. Luckily I only bought 10-15 vhs before I got into the dvd phase.

I make sure I watch a movie now before I buy it, and many of the movies in my unwatched pile I have actually seen, but not since I bought it..


Not many blind buys anymore other than cheap ones or ones I know I'll like such as films with my favorite actors, directors. Red Cliff and Shutter Island are the most recent 2.

orangerunner

VHS tapes were generally intended to be sold as rentals, so most new releases had a price tag of $89.95.

Through much of the 1980s you pretty much had to purchase most tapes used from a rental store. I think the very first brand new pre-recorded video tape I remember seeing for sale was Jaws in a K-Mart back in 1985 for $29.95.

terrible chong

Haven't rented in years, but I'm also not a compulsive buyer.
I rarely blind-buy, and when I do, it's on the cheap - the $5 bin.

My DVD collection is holding steady at about 400 titles, not including TV series (about 50 box sets)
I can honestly say everything I have, I can watch and enjoy repeatedly (although some more than others).

If there's something new I want to see, I see it in theaters. I enjoy the theater-going experience. It's a social thing.

JOE29

You make a lot of good points. I still do go to the theatre on occasion. And I have bought a few DVD's after seeing them at the theatre, it happens, It is nice to get out of the house and go to dinner and a movie or whatever.
As for a blind buy, bad movie purchase I have made several of those over the years but I have had the luxury of trading them back in or selling them off to get rid of the bad ones. I only keep the ones that I like and that I feel that some point in the future, I will re- watch them. If I had kept everything that I ever bought, man, my collection would have been double of what i have now.

Trevor

Why would you keep a movie that you're never going to watch again?

orangerunner

I guess it's a form of denial. You always think you may watch it again or a friend or relative may want to see it someday but it never happens.

Considering you'll probably only get a buck for it anyway, you end up keeping it instead.

sdfan21

Good topic and one that made me come to the realization that i just dont have enough time to watch anymore movies do to other activities and spending time posting on here lol so i signed up with blockbuster online. I have dvds but not movie wise as those are in blu ray. Im more of a cartoon collector so i have dvd sets that range from simpsons, ducktales, to the old school stuff i love like voltron heman thundercats etc. i try to watch an hour worth of different cartoons before i go to sleep hahah. I have never bought anything on release date and picked up good deals on the sets either through sites like gohastings, amazon, and ebay. btw how do you post pics i wanna post so you guys can see what i have

milo bloom

I've recently decided I'd rather have the buck and get it out of my sight than keep it out of some bizarre sense of denial and it also creates more space for titles I truly want to keep.

Steve

Most of the DVDs I buy are not something you could rent. Film noir classics? Hammer Pirate films from the 50s? Haven't seen these locally to rent.. and it is much more efficient for box sets to buy - it will take me literally months to go through a typical boxset (i watch all the special features and listen to the commentaries). Renting this even at Redbox at $1/day would end up being more than the box set!

Box sets aside, my taste and time available to see anything is very varied. Sometime I may only have 45 minutes to watch something (TV episode fits nicely), 90 minutes (an older film, probably), or 2 hours (modern film). Or my mood might be for horror, comedy, etc...never know... Renting for me is nuts. I use to do it and then found days until I got around to watching something, and wasn't in the mood for that genre at that time!

But I don't like to pay more than $5 for any single movie.. $3 or 4 is better.. For those prices, I save money from renting (redbox excluded).

I cancelled cable long ago..Still some far less money per month buying DVDs than I ever would getting cable.

So, no brainer to me..

Trevor

True. I probably have a few like that. But if I absolutely know that I'm never going to watch it I get rid of it.
There is probably a primer on it in the forum FAQ or feedback thread somewhere. But basically, one key point is to not hotlink to images on general sites, but first save the picture to an image sharing site like photobucket and then link it from there. There is a picture button on the editing toolbar of every post you make.
Good point on the more space. I usually just give discs away now. I feel better and waste less time trying to make a few bucks. My rule of thumb is this: any DVD worth $20 or more, sell; less, trade or give away.
Good points. While I often watch multiple movies a day, I also sometimes go months without watching a single film. And my mood could change from day to day. I'd put something in my queue, and by the time it comes I don't feel like watching it. Renting is not very cost effective for me. I have the 1/time plan with Netflix mainly for streaming, but don't feel like I get my money's worth most months.