why do you buy dvds?
I buy DVDs for a couple reasons:
- Rewatch: I like to rewatch films that I love and it’s nice to have a collection so that anytime I’m in the mood, it’s quickly at hand. Also, if my girlfriend hasn’t seen something, for her my collection is one giant video store, which is cool.
- Let someone borrow it: This is typically the case for smaller films, when most people have never heard of a film. I’ll let a friend borrow it as a way to share my love of the film with others and a lot of times they are grateful. This has become one of the biggest benefits to buying DVDs, that I’m able to get others to see films they wouldn’t usually see.
- Collection: I don’t buy nearly as many DVDs as I used to but I still like to have a collection and see them lined up on my shelf.
- Archive: What if the film goes out of print or becomes unavailable? This seems to be happening more and more, as DVDs become less prominent.
- Sense of Pride: This relates to being a collective but I just like supporting and owning a film that I think is terrific.
- Added Value: I’m not as big of a fanatic about bonus features as I used to but I still really love watching interviews and documentaries and a lot of that isn’t available if you watch something digitally.
Santino sums up most of my reasons.
The only other thing I can think of is a gift.
If people want to give me a gift or I want to give one and they want to hold it to a specific price point, it can be a good way to spend less.
I like to collect things, I have a few thousand books, many CDs (though I have moved to downloading now, and have put most of the CDs on my cpu), and all kinds of DVDs.
I like to have things that I can just grab at any time and throw into the player.
Netflix has been cutting back on DVDs that aren’t mass appeal for well over a year now. I can name at least five titles (well known among film aficianados, and not obscure) released on DVD in the past three months alone that they still don’t have. Especially Olive Films, Raro Video, Blue Underground, and NoShame Films DVDs. and they don’t have all Criterion blu rays, some, like World on a Wire, they only have the dvd of.
When I was younger I probably was into trying to impress people with my collections of DVDs vhs books CDs vinyl and collectibles but now I couldn’t care less about that.
Exactly: relying on streaming or renting is to rely on changing conditions determined by popularity, financial viability, company relationships, cultural censure, political forces, data management, etc.
As for the reasons, they are listed by others above. When I think of the movies I have at my disposal to watch, I feel glad that I can watch so many things that I was interested in enough to purchase. Also—and this is psychological and irrational, I realize—having a physical representation of this piece of work that these people strove to create feels like having a more personal connection to them and the work.
On a related note: Yes; no.
To fill the holes of my empty existence.
Buying a DVD isn’t cost effective unless you intend to watch it at least a dozen times or so
not if it’s ones you bought for 3 dollars at Big Lots.
Also, I guess there is the sentiment in actually owning something.
But all the other reasons as well.
1. Habit
2. Permanent copy that I don’t have to continuously pay for and can’t be taken away from me
3. Currently only have Netflix on computer, not TV
An interesting fact is that people tends to see in a better way if you have a shelf full of hundreds of books than if you have the habit of buying dvds and BDs.
For me, it’s the same principle, knowing that today you can buy a kindle or iPad and read your favorite books without having to purchase their physical form.
I don’t.
1) Netflix.
2) Money better spent on buying film equipment.
3) I already own enough movies that, if I were to watch a feature length film or a two hours of shorts each night, it would take me nearly two years before I repeated a movie. That’s excessive.
—DiB
Ditto what Polaris said.
I own over three hundred movies. Stopped buying new ones about two years ago. I watch about 200-250 movies a year. If I decided to do nothing but watch the movies I already own (no new content) It would take me a year and a half to two years to get through everything.
I begin to think, ’what’s the point?’
Also, I live about six minutes away from an amazing video store that stocks pretty much any movie I’d want to see, and so if I really need to see something that’s not in my collection, I can either rent it for a couple dollars or join their subscription program at about $17 a month.
I buy them because I can’t reliably convince people to give them to me for free.
i buy dvds for a few reasons
1. i don’t have netflix
2. i don’t have cable or a tv antennae
3. the extras
4. tactile
5. (in the case of Criterion) the booklets
6. i don’t really think i need bluray (i don’t need to see every pore in the closeup)
7. i’m a bit old school
8. i like looking at them on my shelf
9. habit
10. nothing better than popping in a dvd after a long day’s work whilst eatin dinner
I like physically owning things in a collection like that. And this is even though I just about NEVER rewatch films. Lending them to friends is great though, like watching them anew, vicariously.
Also, here down under still few people have internet fast enough or with enough monthly download limit to make streaming feasible. Our equivalent of Netflix (Quickflix) is starting, but internet infrastructure here makes it pretty hard for it to catch on.
I like being in control of what I want to see or write about when I wish to (and the clarity of streaming leaves much to be desired). Theatrical screenings, of course, are still preferable and if one is lucky to be in the right area, a constant stream of vintage films is still available for viewing, but after purchasing approximately 4500 titles for my library, I can’t complain that there is nothing to watch on any particular night, though there are always new films to obtain.
Primarily bluray for me now. With quality and supplementals a consideration. Agree with archive too and letting people borrow too. Only interested in films with longevity too on a physical collection.
Physical media still is the only way to get the closest in terms of replicating the directors vision in audio and visual quality I think. There really is no satisfactory service in Australia to even stream content even if you want to like B-RAD says. In the end I still have a subscription on Mubi, get dvds when it’s not available on bluray etc. All too often these discussions are simplistic and extremist, “one or the other” I feel. I think an apolitical landscape is great, best delivery for the situation.
Video stores are dying out here I’ll just add too. Unless you count vending machines whereby your hardly going to find much outside of the latest studio new releases. They just aren’t surviving,
“I don’t buy nearly as many DVDs as I used to”
You and everyone else! ;-)
I used to buy about 100 a year but am now down to about 20 a year. This is mostly because I have most of the older titles I want to own and not many new titles hold enough interest for me to buy. When Anchor Bay started releasing Hammer Films on dvd in the late 90’s, that is what started my dvd obsession. I own most of the ones that have been released along with all of the old Universal Horror films. That branched out to Giallo and Eurohorror and I own almost all of these that I want.
I probably have about 40 movies (out of 850 owned) that I have purchased and still not watched yet.
I had a used copy of The Departed that I upgraded to blu on Warners upgrade program and I had forgot that I bought the bluray used when the local Movie Gallery closed.
I still purchase DVD’s despite going Blu-ray, but it’s important to note that the DVD’s I do purchase are typically major box sets with a lot of films from the early 1900’s which will not be released on Blu-ray (anytime soon or not at all) and if they are on streaming, they are in terrible quality.
And to answer your other question, I try to make sure things like that don’t happen, for example, the Criterion Collection. I have too many that I have to keep a spreadsheet (color-coded).
As for purchasing things that I have not watched. Yes, I am used to being backlogged…not just DVD’s, but books, video games, music, etc.
I like to support artists.
I also like to support companies like The Criterion Collection.
They do a good job.
“All too often these discussions are simplistic and extremist, “one or the other” I feel. I think an apolitical landscape is great, best delivery for the situation.”
Ultimately it sounds from my answer that Netflix was the predominant factor decreasing my DVD consumption, but it was more like the first that came to mind (most common). The fact is that I spend more money now making movies than watching them, and that’s true even for Netflix, which account I’m thinking of closing because I only watch one or two movies a month from it, meaning I’m spending about eight dollars per movie to only watch it once at home instead of theatrically.
—PolarisDiB
//I like to support artists.
I also like to support companies like The Criterion Collection.
They do a good job.//
This^
Interesting about supporting artists. Lately, I find myself only buying dvds by directors who are self releasing their films. Joe Swanberg has a pretty cool subscription service release. Kentucker Audley releases his own films as well. But there is a whole world of NoBudge filmmakers that are releasing their own works and most often they are much better than shit I see in the theatre and elsewhere. Also, this helps the filmmakers continue to make the films they want without restrictions.
>I was wondering how many here still buy DVDs, and if so why?<
I buy them by the armload. Reasons – (a) I like to collect them (lifelong LP, CD collector…ex- VHS collector…will collect whatever replaces DVD/blu-ray) (b) I can rewatch them whenever I want (c ) I can afford to.
>with Netflix and the like costing so little<
Brand new shrink wrapped DVDs can be had nowadays for as little as 2-5 dollars apiece.
I have no interest in watching a movie that I do not own on DVD or can see in a theatre. I have never rented a DVD, nor have I ever seen a movie online.
>have you ever bought a DVD and never watched it?<
Yes. Huge stack that I haven’t gotten around to. I keep buying more.
>Or bought a DVD then forgot you bought it and actaully bought it again at a later date, only to discover you already owned it?<
Yes, this has happened (sheer volume)
I still have like 4 shelves full of dvds back in my home. I stopped collecting when I was about 17-18 to save up money for university. Now, I prefer to either stream films or download them from torrents.
Simple…
There are films I like and there are films I am interested in ones I would like to watch, overall I like to like films on both DVD and VHS.
Mais – why don’t you ever rent? It seems worth it to rent and then buy it if you really like it.
Scampi
I was wondering how many here still buy DVDs, and if so why? Is it because you like collecting things, or are you going to watch and re-watch it many many times? After all, with Netflix and the like costing so little, buying a DVD isn’t cost effective unless you intend to watch it at least a dozen times or so. Have you ever thought about it that way?
On a related note, have you ever bought a DVD and never watched it? Or bought a DVD then forgot you bought it and actaully bought it again at a later date, only to discover you already owned it?
Just curious.