Without looking at all my DVD inventory, first ones to come to mind to save are:
Stay Hungry (I was an extra)
Shag - The Movie
Amateur Night At The Dixie Bar & Grill (burned copy from VHS recorded off TV)
Return To Macon County (burned copy from VHS)

And about 400 more titles. Hopefully not to die for.

After making sure my family was safe, and if I had reasonable access to my collection (which in reality is kept in the basement, so going down there in a fire would be suicide), I'd probably grab any OOP Criterions and Walt Disney Treasure sets that I could.

Having said that however, if I had time, I'd grab my LOTR Extended Versions Box Set, then I'd have to try to get my Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis series', then if I had more time I'd grab my X-Files series, Supernatural, BSG, and if I had time after that I'd grab a big box and throw the rest of them in it, and if I had still more time I'd grab the bookcase they were sitting on...


The TV weighs 250lbs. so I guess it burns... -kd5-

I'd grab my live music collection.

I would think that no one would burn to death for any DVD. I've lost almost everything once and bought most of it back, so it's not the end of the world.

I bet most of us could have 50 DVDs taken from us and not even notice it for a long time.

This is why I liked the premise of the alien abduction thread better; it's a hypothetical that doesn't ask us to elevate DVD ownership to an actual life-or-death level. There's not a damn thing I own that I would consider worth that kind of risk, and very few things that I think would actually bother me to lose.

I would notice, just because our library is on very full shelves. It's all alphabetical and because of some larger size cases there are just a few gaps throughout. That's pretty much the only reason, though.

Assuming everthing else was safe and only the DVDs were in jeopardy - I'd probably grab:

1. The custom DVD-Rs which I transferred from rare VHS and old TV broadcasts.

2. I used to make my own movies, so it would be important to keep forever. Thankfully I've made backups of my own custom discs and distributed them to my family and friends in case I ever lose my own copies.

3. DVDs which aren't in print anymore with attractive packaging, like the original Grinch 2000 DVD with the neon green case and the nice Moulin Rouge! r1 original cardboard digipack slipcase. But many of these were often released with better transfers and features, so I'd only want to hang onto the older releases for their nostalgic packaging. I think most things which are out of print could probably be gotten from ebay. Even the rarest ones appear on ebay from time to time when true collectors run into financial need.

Loss of excessive things is sometimes a chance for a new collecting and purchasing perspective. A lot of impulse purchases of the past I'd probably not replace, since watching some of these things once was sufficient.