The Bus

Only for my very, very favorite movies. I'll upgrade other DVDs once BDs are $10 or so.

IJMSPORT

Just read through this thread and I am finding myself in the same pickle, of sorts..

I do not yet own a BD player, but that is solely due to holding off the urge to buy one until my house is purchased (between May and August 2009), at which time I can do the home theatre system "right." However, I think I have reached the point where I need to start upgrading discs now in preparation.

I own close to 700 DVDs and want to start flipping them into BDs (well, at least the ones currently on BD). I just want the option to watch pretty much anything I upgrade on SD player (which obviously means I would need to buy BD/SD combos).

I very recently purchased 6 new BDs from the Disney Movie Club at a damn good deal, most of which are upgrades to existing movies. Pinocchio BD will be purchased this week as well (since Disney movies are BD/SD combos now).

Columbia House is currently running a BOGO sale that includes BDs and I am highly interested in making a move there, although I find myself in the holding pattern becuz I'd prefer to purchase movies that also are combos (which I am finding are not all that common much to my dismay), so I can still watch them pre-new house.

With all of that being said, the one positive in this equation is many (not all, but many) of my SD movies are unopened, which would make it easier to return to a store and put toward the purchase of the BD version. Of course, I doubt I have receipts for any of them, so we'll see how that goes. Of course, there is always Ebay, which is a real option with paypal.

I guess the only line drawn for me is if the movie is actually on BD, since I bought it for a reason back when it was just on SD. Unofrtunately, I just feel like it's a long ass line to walk, rather than a thin one to cross.

JimRochester

There are very few BD/SD combos. The marketing gurus don't see much need for it. Before you just start mass upgrading keep track of the reports of the quality. It's rare but I hate upgrading only to find out the upgrade is marginal at best. The other thing to consider, is like me you have tons of unopened DVD's on the shelf. Do you really need to own the Blu-ray for a movie you haven't been interested in enough to watch once yet?

I've decided Blockbuster is my new best friend. I no longer blind buy anything. Movies I haven't seen in the theater I rent first. Then once I've seen a movie, whether a rental or the theater I make a mental note; some are a day 1 or a quick purchase ie. Dark Knight, Iron Man, Band Of Brothers. Some are worth a purchase down the road. Others if I happen to run across a cheap used copy some day. The rest are saw it, done with it, rent again if need be.

I'm dumping movies by the ton as trade-ins and half.com. Most are for a fraction of what I paid. I just don't want to get myself in that predicament again.

No offense but you seem to want to wait for a $300 player and don't want to jump in to joining CH. But are ready to upgrade most of your unopened movies. Since you can't watch them yet, I would keep my eyes open for great bargains on movies you know you would want to own, start picking them up used or as part of great sales. You can't watch them but you don't watch much of what you have anyway. Save the bulk of the upgrades for when you have a player. You have stuff to watch in the meantime. I hate to say it but your original plan probably will not be possible before summer '09.

ctyankee

I doubt you will be returning much, with or without receipts. Borders used to offer store credits but no longer do. Now, even if the item is clearly stickered with Border stickers they will not even give you a store credit without a receipt. If anyone knows of a national chain that does give store credits for someone saying 'it was a gift, I don't have a receipt' please chime in. Perhaps there are more than I know (which is none). Even with a receipt, if the item is not within X number of days, it's often a no go.

If you already are an established Ebay seller, that may be the way to go. I sell my DVDs at Amazon Marketplace. There is no listing cost and it seems more straightforward to me and the consumer. He/she will not have to read through the fine print to realize whether the seller is trying to rip them off on shipping and handling. It's a set amount. Some don't prefer the auction approach on smaller ticket items OR are concerned that the 'buy it now' price just labels them as a sucker.

If anyone is interested in unloading some DVDs on Amazon, here are my suggestions:

1. As a new seller, people will be concerned about ordering from you. Offer new (unopened) items initially and they will be less concerned and have your item be the low price item (in the new category). This will get you established.

2. Be brutally honest about the condition of the used items you are selling. It's simple, people paying you expect to get their money's worth. When in doubt, rate it lower (e.g. fair versus good). Also, be specific in the description of your item. That will separate your item from the guy selling 100,000 plus orders per year. Detailing things like cover wear or disc wear will show your attention to detail and get the buyer to understand that you are not selling 200 copies of the same DVD. In fact, if it is from your personal collection, tell them it is.

3. Ship things fast. On a single DVD, I will ship it out that day or the next without fail. I also treat people like I would like to be treated. Even though Amazon allows items to be shipped out Media Mail, I always upgrade DVD orders to First Class Mail. Happy people right nice things about you, which helps more happy people decide to order from you.

I have a 100 percent rating on Amazon Marketplace. I never have had a return or a complaint. And many of the things I sell are not the low cost item listed. I've sold well over 100 DVDs that way. My DVD collection is still 1000+ but I feel better about it as I've eliminated many of the double dips and items that only seemed like good purchases at the time.

Cheers

lizard

^That's all good advice for selling on the net. I will point out that Amazon charges a higher commission than Half.com (a division of eBay). For low priced items, say below $5 list, the fixed part of the Amazon commission makes it hard to make much money on the DVD. So I tend to list at Half.com unless the Amazon seller prices are a dollar or more than the equivalent seller prices at Half. But my experience is that Amazon listings sell much more quickly; Amazon Marketplace seems to get more traffic than Half.com, especially for obscure titles.

I also do whatever it takes to keep buyers happy so I can keep my 100% feedback at both sites. If the buyer wants to return the DVD, for whatever reason, I will refund the money and send them $5 to pay for the return shipping and hassle. I've been cheated a few times — "buyer's remorse" and the like — but I'd guess such cases have been fewer than a ½% of my listings. I consider it a cost of doing business.

Selling DVDs I no longer want helps keep my collection under control. I often will do a "watch and sell". Even if I just break even, it is cheaper than a rental. In the case of upgrading to the BD, if I have had the DVD for a long time I probably won't make much selling it. But even a couple of dollars is better than nothing and it reduces the clutter. If it really is more trouble to sell than the DVD is worth, I will just donate it to my local library; DVDs not put in the collection are sold on the used book shelf to benefit the library.

ctyankee

Good points. You're right, a 4.98 selling price gets the buyer $5.42 on Amazon Marketplace before shipping and handling. Say mailing it media mail is 1.58 and packaging is 99 cents and you don't even factor in your time and effort. That nets the seller only 2.85 on Amazon Marketplace.

There is no doubt that Half.com provides the Seller with a better cut on lower cost items. I think Amazon marketplace has more active buyers because it has Amazon behind it. They have a great search engine. I just sold Naked (Criterion) on Amazon. Go to movies on Half.com and the first listing is Showgirls and Naked is no where to be easily found. Not exactly helpful. Put in Naked as the title and Naked only appears way down the list on the first page. Meanwhile, Naked is the first match at Amazon.

I don't even bother selling DVDs less than 5 bucks. It's not worth my time and effort. Thanks for bringing up the donation to your library. Quite frankly, there are many DVDs now selling for a buck a piece on Amazon Marketplace. You can do better donating to a good cause like your library and taking a tax deduction on the donation. Say there is a DVD you can't make any money on because pro merchants are selling it on Amazon Marketplace for a buck. Say the MSRP is 19.99. Give it to the library and claim its value at 20 percent of MSRP (a conservative amount, YMMV). If you are in the 35 percent tax bracket, you just unloaded it for $1.40 and don't have to go through all the hassle of shipping things out AND you gave it to a good cause.

I've been lucky and haven't had any returns. There were some OOP items selling for ridiculous amounts that I thought I would get some buyer remorse on, but it didn't happen.

Artman

Imo if you've waited till now to start unloading your dvd's you've waited too long, I started over two yrs ago selling mostly to DVD planet, wherhouse, etc... since then trade in value has gone down dramatically. Plus buying Blu-Rays during the format war there were actually better sales to be had than now it seems... I'm down to about 60 dvd's or so left, I expect to get that down to half by the end of the yr... depending on rumors and announcements for the respective BD's.

Qui Gon Jim

You can return to Walmart with no receipt, for store credit.

JimRochester

Only if they sell it in the store and many Walmarts have a somewhat limited selection. The Walmarts around me have a simliar selection as Target, they'll carry the new releases but don't have but a few racks of decent titles.

beebs

You can also just take BRs and put them in your coat and walk out.

Qui Gon Jim

I don't want to get into this. What I mentioned is miles away from stealing. I am not even saying I condone it, I was just answering a question.

PhantomStranger

If you can not watch the Blu-rays I would hold off purchasing any unless there happens to be an incredible deal. History has shown movies on consumer media generally do not hold their pricing very well. I would sell whatever dvds you feel you can part with now. Many of the BD's you buy now will be significantly cheaper in six months. Most retailers have heavy media sales in the fourth quarter of the year.

mick0016

I refuse to upgrade any of my DVD's to Blu-Ray unless it:

1) Has glowing reviews on how much of an upgrade it is in PQ & AQ over DVD
2) Can get it for less than $15 (should be easier to meet this criteria as time goes on)
3) Keeps all the extras from the DVD that I care about
4) One of my all time favorite movies (i.e. something that I'll watch more than once a year)

The bigger struggle I have is deciding whether to buy new releases on Blu-Ray or DVD. Action movies are easier to justify the premium price for Blu-Ray. But for newly released comedies such as Forgeting Sarah Marshall or Pineapple Express, I'm not sure its worth the extra $10 or $15 for the Blu-Ray. At this point, I'm just waiting for Blu-Ray's to get down to the magic $14.99 release date price. Until then, I'm probably just going to rent and wait it out before I buy Blu-Ray unless its something really special (like Wall-E).

peacekeeper

This remark seems to crop up in a lot of threads where people are deciding whether blu-ray is worth "it".

Let's state this for the record: all movies benefit greatly from a high def transfer on blu-ray, regardless of genre, age or the artistic quality of the movie itself. Every movie becomes more film-like and involving when viewed at its maximum potential of 1080p resolution on a 1080p capable display.

People who are having trouble justifying buying the blu-ray instead of the (somewhat cheaper) dvd version of a new movie are still in a stage of denial: you'll be kicking yourself in a year's time. And if you're on the fence at the moment because of your budget, why not rent the blu-ray for now, enjoy it and wait till the retail prices for blu-ray drop?

Qui Gon Jim

You make a good point, but you are trying to educate the educated. Everyone who posts here surely realizes that almost all content can benefit from being in HD.

You are missing the point, however. For some people the better quality is not worth the premium price for some films.

ctyankee

Welcome to the forum peacekeeper. But please drop the 'Let's state for the record stuff.' There is no 'us'. only you, me and everyone else stating their own opinion.

To me, the point is not whether the film benefits from a high-def transfer to blu-ray but whether the viewer does. Does someone benefit from watching a comedy in hi-def? To they laugh more? Does the film resonate more deeply with them? Is it a more meaningful experience?

Certainly a home video environment that helps the viewer get absorbed in the film has merit. And certainly watching a hi-def eye-candy film is a sweet experience but I don't know if I would call it meaningful. Has the advent of hi-def led to a deeper richer discussion about the underlying films? Can't say that I've noticed any difference in the film discussion forums.

Sort of the cardboard box syndrome. Any parent will tell you about the sweet present they got their kid and found he/she had more fun with the box than the present itself. Put a VHS tape on for a young child and they get caught up in the film just as they would in a blu-ray. Yet, as we get older and wiser, we decide that more is better; better car and better booze makes us better people ... right?

This is just ... stuff. No doubt that having a great home theatre helps one get caught up in a film and that does provide benefit. And no one wants a fuzzy image on a 108 inch home screen (for those lucky enough to have that kind of setup). But for the the guy watching on his 42 inch screen, does he benefit much from a blu-ray over an upconverted sd-dvd? Does the story and the acting improve?

Certainly renting blu-ray has been discussed and something that I'm personally doing. No doubt that amassing a film library interested me greatly at one point. I guess that a library always meant accessibility to me, something that has value but I think we are moving to a future where accessibility is a digital concept.

Yavin

Too much of my BD collection is comprised of films I already own on DVD. As long as I like/love the film, it's pretty much a no-brainer to upgrade to BD, as long as the price is right.

How about upgrading from HD DVD to BD? I have begun this as well, though it feels like an admission that my HD DVD collection is no good (even though, I know, I know). It's harder to justify this upgrade since really you're not gaining anything other than a disc format that is still viable and (perhaps) BD-exclusive features. Coincidentally, I have only upgraded titles which I received for free (or as a bonus) on HD DVD (Serenity and The Ultimate Matrix Collection). For HD DVD to BD upgrades, it's the low price of the BD that sways me (in addition to enjoying the film(s)).

peacekeeper

Point taken, and thanks. Although the orginal intention of the thread is to state the personal view on upgrading, I tried to respond to the idea that comedies are somehow less deserving of an upgrade to high def than an action movie. I'm curious where this train of thought comes from.

Maybe a before/ after "upgrade to blu-ray" reply from those on the fence would be interesting?

JimRochester

That is one thing I absolutely refuse to do. I have 72 HD's and 3 players (2 in use plus a spare). The days of spending $50 - $100 week to own everything are long gone for me. Not only am I being very discriminating over what to buy, I'm also being careful over what to upgrade. I have so little into the HD's it makes no sense to upgrade to Blu-ray when I already have a 1080p presentation. The BD might have a better soundtrack and more or better extras through BDLive, however I am not hooked up to BD Live, I have no interest in the extras, and I can live with the DD+ on the HD disc.

With the limited funds I'm working with these days, I'm saving my money to make sure I have a 1080p presentation of my favorite films or films I love and never got a decent release.

Raffurar

I'm definitely at a crossroads here, as my entire movie buying tactics have changed in general. Four years ago, I bought nearly every dvd that I was remotely interested in that was at a fair price. I have a handful that I've never watched, and there are some I wish I had just waited until BD was around because I like the movie but don't love it. Nowadays I rent almost everything because of finances, so I have a short list of movies that i want to get when I can, and they will all be Blu-ray.

However, after spending half a year with a player, there are far more of my movies that I feel I should upgrade than before. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and the Pixar movies were all I was originally planning on. But now I KNOW that I need to upgrade all of the Disney Classics, as well as most of Spielberg's oeuvre. Hopefully that will be it, ignoring the odd exception. At the very least, I've made a rule to not upgrade any comedies barring 40 year old virgin. Even though I enjoy them on Blu-ray, they're mostly talking heads and close-ups so my old dvds are fine on many! I honestly wish there were more options for upgrade rebates, I think it's still early enough in the format and with the economy as it is, a big marketing push like that could go a long way, I think.

That'sAllFolks

I thought both charged 15% of the cost of the item (

jarofclay73

I just bought an HDTV and a Blu-Ray player and I'm going to be very picky about buying Blu-Ray. I'm going to Blockbuster most of them (I do the mail-in deal and exchange them for free in-store rentals).

So this is my criteria:

1. Do I have it on DVD?
2. Would it be worth selling the DVD and replacing it with the Blu-Ray?
3. Is it a reasonable price?
4. How many times am I going to watch it?

I have hundreds of DVDs and recently filled up a metal cabinet with my collection. Most of the movies I would upgrade without flinching isn't even on Blu-Ray yet.

RM811

[/QUOTE]
How about upgrading from HD DVD to BD? I have begun this as well, though it feels like an admission that my HD DVD collection is no good (even though, I know, I know). It's harder to justify this upgrade since really you're not gaining anything other than a disc format that is still viable and (perhaps) BD-exclusive features. Coincidentally, I have only upgraded titles which I received for free (or as a bonus) on HD DVD (Serenity and The Ultimate Matrix Collection). For HD DVD to BD upgrades, it's the low price of the BD that sways me (in addition to enjoying the film(s)).[/QUOTE]

Many of my HD DVDs are upgrades from SD but that is only because the price is so cheap on many of them now. I hav enot upgraded anything to blu ray yet that I already own due to cost. I would rather own more movies than the same movies twice.

Gizmo

It will be a cold day in hell before I upgrade a HD DVD to Blu-ray "just because". It would have to improve the PQ miles ahead of the HD DVD. I do not care much for the whole lossless vs lossy (DD+) nor do extras really matter that much. I have numerous HD DVD players and they won't explode over night. Even myself, a reviewer, gets Blu-ray discs that were previous HD DVD titles and you know what I do with them after I review them? Sell 'em. Why sell the HD DVD version for $1-$5 when I can get $15-$20 for the Blu-ray?

As it stands the only title I have "upgraded" has been Heroes S1...and that's only so S2 and on will "match".

asianxcore

I've only upgraded my discs to Blu-Ray/HD-DVD if:

It's a movie I completely love and the film benefits from a Visual/Audio upgrade.

Other than that, I'm fine with my DVD's.