Mr. Cinema

Absolutely. It doesn't get mentioned enough, but lossless audio is unmatched. There is nothing that can be done to improve a standard dolby digital track.

PopcornTreeCt

I pretty much agree with your first 3. I'm more inclined to replace my current SD library than get new movies. Because I pretty much already own every movie I want on DVD and because new movies suck.

orangerunner

What films to upgrade to Blu-Ray and what films to leave on DVD is a decision based on what movies you personally enjoyed and watched over and over again.

I had a collection of about 400 VHS tapes that I had collected over the years. When DVD came along I had to ask myself what movies I would really replace. With DVD I have been much better at making good choices than I was with VHS.

The criteria I used was:

1. Was it a good film that I had re-watched in the last five years? I bought several films out of impulse, then never watched them or watched once. Life is short and there's always new movies coming out!

2. Did the DVD offer a lot of extras? They often offer a bare-bones version first and then follow-up with a collector's edition with more stuff.

3. Some movies I bought were "great" films, but that doesn't necessarily mean I wanted to watch them over and over again. Schindler's List, JFK, Dances With Wolves etc. are personal examples of this.

4. I try not to buy a movie just because it is cheap. It's often tempting but I find you just end up with a lot of crappy movies that take up space.

5. Re-sale of your old format is a non-issue. That DVD you paid $20 for is now worth one or two bucks at a garage sale in most cases.

I would stick to films that I want to watch over and over and ones that really benefit from the better sound and picture. Titles like Blade Runner, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws etc. whatever your taste may be.

Hope this helps!

MEJHarrison

I agree with the first three and follow those rules myself. I don't plan on replacing my current library, but there have been a few here and there that I have intentionally double dipped on. And there's a few more DVDs I have that will be replaced when the Blu-ray is available. But that's probably less than 10% of my collection. The rest I doubt I'll ever upgrade. Even if they ever come down to $5. Generally I'd rather spend my DVD budget on things I don't already own.

Mr. Salty

What a weird and inaccurate generalization.

darkside

HD video and lossless audio are definitely worth the upgrade in most cases, but I'm still buying DVDs for TV sets and more obscure stuff that may not come to BD for a long time if ever.

I'm definitely not passing on the new Abbott and Costello set just because I think there may be a BD release at some point. For one its doubtful considering the poor sales of classic films in HD and none of these films are likely to get any kind of restoration worthy of a new HD release. Sure all films can look better in HD, but it is up to the studio to put the time and effort into a solid HD transfer.

As far as upgrading the 1000+ DVDs I own I am using many of the same rules as the posters above. If I love the film it is usually a must upgrade. Everything else will either stay in DVD or have to wait for the BD to be under $10. I pick up a lot of guilty pleasure stuff cheap and most of it is fine in standard DVD.

PopcornTreeCt

My favorite movie this year In Bruges is not on Blu-ray. I'm just bitter.

fumanstan

Same here. I don't have the money to go and replace everything, so it really depends on all those factors. If it's a movie I love, I'll bite the bullet on the upgrade or extra cost for the new release. If i'm on the fence, I've been holding off for a sale or until I have the extra funds to purchase it.

Artman

Well, you have a substantially larger collection than I did when I went BD... but I took it as an opportunity to not only upgrade certain titles, but to downsize my collection as well. With a collection of about 300 movies, it should be nearly 50/50 by the end of the yr. Count me as one that thinks any movie, regardless of genre has the potential to look a lot better in HD.

pro-bassoonist

But you don't have to be, the war is over:
http://www.scanbox.com/ShowMovie.aspx?Bio=0&ItemID=9552

Denmark: December 16. Order at Axelmusic.

Ciao,
Pro-B

SonOfAStu

I was once a DVD collector. Had several hundred. It was amazing to look at the collection. Sometimes I would just sit and run my finger along their spines, reading the titles, remembering good times watching them.

Today, I own maybe 10-15 Blu Rays. Maybe still have ~50 or so DVDs that I couldn't sell. I couldn't be happier with my decision.

For me, I just can't justify collecting movies anymore. It was too habit forming for me, to the point that I was buying movies just to own them. Maybe someday I'll have more free time (how, I have NO idea), but right now, I can't even keep up with my Blu Netflix queue and the HD DVR, not to mention trying to see movies in the theater and watching or going to sporting events/concerts.

My suggestion is to see off your DVDs, put the money into home theater improvements and start a savings account.

kefrank

Just to offer a counterpoint, there's really nothing inherently wrong with this, unless you personally stop enjoying being a collector. People who collect stamps don't buy them to put them on an envelope and use as postage. Collecting something does not necessarily need to correlate to practical usage.

That being said, it sounds like you've found a great deal of freedom in your personal decision to stop collecting so congrats!

nateman

That's very true. It is a little different from collecting stamps or action figures, but it's collecting nonetheless. Even if you have only watched the movie once and put it on the shelf and it hasn't been watched for a couple of years; it's got more usage than an action figure or stamps.

If you are going to sell off your DVDs; this is a good idea for the money you've gotten from the sale of them.