Many of us are doing the "final" HD DVD sweep before calling it quits. This includes domestic and international sources (personal collectors and retail sales).

What are the titles that you would say are "must haves" in an HD DVD collection that are typically currently priced ABOVE the original retail price? Or conversely, considered a steal if you find them even slightly below or at original retail price.

For example I have many imports that may fall into that category including Equilibrium and Renaissance. I think some folks would also include the German import of Peter and the Wolf.

All opinions welcome.

EDITED ON 2/24/09 TO INCLUDE ALL TITLES SUBMITTED TO DATE:


Afro Samarai
Band of Brothers
Bonnie and Clyde
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics
Elephant's Dream
Forbidden Planet
Freedom
In The Shadow of the Moon
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
The Motorcycle Diaries
Mutiny on the Bounty
Out of Time
Peter and the Wolf
Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise (see "Freedom")
Star Trek Original Series: Season One
Sublime
Triplettes of Bellville
The Wild Bunch

Band of Brothers
Bonnie and Clyde

Triplettes of Bellville
Out of Time
Brotherhood of the Wolf

This should give a few:
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1235075649/ref=sr_st?rs=16295741&page=1&rh=n%3A16295741&sort=-price

As a "must have" I would add "Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre". Picked it up used a while back from Newbury Comics for $15 but otherwise I've never seen it under $30. Just checked now and a used copy is $35. Tremendous concert, Chicago is a little weak but mainly because they have to share the stage with E,W&F who'd shame just about any band today. Tell Bono and da Boss "do NOT have these guys as your opening act!" :D

This should give a few:
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1235075649/ref=sr_st?rs=16295741&page=1&rh=n%3A16295741&sort=-price

As a "must have" I would add "Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre". Picked it up used a while back from Newbury Comics for $15 but otherwise I've never seen it under $30. Just checked now and a used copy is $35. Tremendous concert, Chicago is a little weak but mainly because they have to share the stage with E,W&F who'd shame just about any band today. Tell Bono and da Boss "do NOT have these guys as your opening act!" :D

Nice list Quentin but are you saying that all or most of the high priced titles in the Amazon link are "must haves"?

I would suspect that only a few are stellar and that is what I am looking to identify in this thread.

I think these are contenders:

In The Shadow of the Moon

Elephant's Dream

Nice list Quentin but are you saying that all or most of the high priced titles in the Amazon link are "must haves"?

I would suspect that only a few are stellar and that is what I am looking to identify in this thread.

No, of course they're not all must haves. I was just throwing out Amazon's highest cost HD DVDs since that would be a good place to scout around for a few that meet your criteria. The only one I have to add here is the one mentioned before: Chicago/EW&F. And I would agree with the nomination of "Band of Brothers" and "Bonnie and Clyde"

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Star Trek Original Series: Season One remains relatively high-priced;
Freedom (never came down in price and remains split into expensive single-episode retail discs);
Bonnie and Clyde (Warner's first and only Digipak HD-DVD movie);
Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise (see "Freedom");
Band of Brothers (Japanese only HD-DVD release was criminally underproduced and overpriced; the ultimate proof of HD-DVD fandom :)).

I wish I'd bought "Band of Brothers" when I had the chance.

Forbidden Planet remains high in price.

I wish I'd bought "Band of Brothers" when I had the chance.

You can still get it for about the same price it has always been, around $150-$200. ebay lists one set as a BIN used for $160.

Forbidden Planet remains high in price.
$8.99 @ deepdiscount.com (http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=7260858&extid=df_googlebase&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=WBD079210)

The Wild Bunch is up there.

I am definitely reading titles I was not familiar with. I knew starting this thread would cost me some money. But I am looking forward to the enjoyment.

Keep them coming...

The HD DVD version of "Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics" probably costs more than the list price today. It is essential if you don't have the BD version.

Sorry to post an eBay link, but this shows a very interesting price range for discs. From $3 for Swordfish to $45 for In The Valley Of Elah!



http://search.stores.ebay.com/pieceofmindbooks_hd-dvd_W0QQfcdZ2QQfciZQ2d1QQfclZ3QQfromZR10QQfsnZpieceofmindboo ksQQfsooZ1QQfsopZ3QQsaselZ16533407QQsbrsrtZdQQsofpZ0

$8.99 @ deepdiscount.com (http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=7260858&extid=df_googlebase&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=WBD079210)

Sold out.

Forbidden Planet $11.99 @ Frys.com (+ shipping)

This should give a few:
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1235075649/ref=sr_st?rs=16295741&page=1&rh=n%3A16295741&sort=-price

Wow :eek:,

1. Elements 14 - Shine On [HD DVD] (HD DVD - 2008)
Buy new: $969.00
Get it by Monday, Feb 23 if you order in the next 10 hours and choose one-day shipping.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

2. Lifestyles 20 - TV Time [HD DVD] (HD DVD - 2008)
Buy new: $969.00
Get it by Monday, Feb 23 if you order in the next 10 hours and choose one-day shipping.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

3. Zombie Farm HD DVD [HD DVD] (HD DVD - 2008)
1 Used & new from $479.95
This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

I never seen the first 2 titles before? Why, why didn't I buy Zombie Farm back in the days, and why I missed it so totally?

Wow :eek:,



I never seen the first 2 titles before? Why, why didn't I buy Zombie Farm back in the days, and why I missed it so totally?

Zombie Farm was only made available a couple of months ago.

Star Trek is available for waaaaaaaay less than its original $200+ asking price on E-bay. Royal Space Force? Quite a few of us got it from Blockbuster for cheap.

Bonnie and Clyde is definitely pretty pricey. The last Opus Arte titles are pricey, too. The Blu-Ray's are cheaper at Amazon.

Amazon.Ca has several "RARE" catalouge titles IN STOCK, i have purchased several that i missed incl Grand Prix and Sublime but that1 is now discontinued.

They have Bonnie and Clyde for a reasonable prize anyway
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0010YVCIO/ref=s9_qpick_c5_i1?pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=0K5B5NCZVG384MAX8MQY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383591&pf_rd_i=915398

Zombie Farm was only made available a couple of months ago.


It was released on February 4th of last year and sold a few copies (from reading another forum of a couple members that bought it), but a few weeks later they were pulled when Toshiba threw in the towel. Undoubtedly those four copies sold on ebay a few months ago were the unsold ones.

Birthrite (http://www.amazon.com/Birthrite-HD-DVD/dp/B0013HXB28/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1235230571&sr=1-2) is the only other Amazon exclusive Indie title that made it out (AFAIK), released at the same time as Zombie Farm. Both of these titles were encoded on DVD-r media.

A few other rare titles, although they couldn't qualify as 'must haves' because they have no English support (but they are great movies) are

For a Few Dollars More (Italy)
Downfall (Spain)

The motocycle diaries.

I was wishy-washy and didn't commit until the war ended, and then I bought a PS3. But when places started blowing out HD DVD players and discs, I pretty much stopped buying BDs (with the exception of new releases) and only bought HD DVDs on sale. So, with the exception of one disc, I bought every one of my HD DVDs at a steep discount. The only one I paid retail (actually a bit above) for was Brotherhood of the Wolf.

The HD DVD version of "Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics" probably costs more than the list price today. It is essential if you don't have the BD version.

I think this might still be available at Value Electronics for $19.99. Seems like I saw it for sale there . . .

You can still get it for about the same price it has always been, around $150-$200. ebay lists one set as a BIN used for $160.

Good call. I went and looked on ebay and found an auction that was about to end. I probably shouldn't have spent the money, but I decided to pull the trigger for old time's sake. :)

Good call. I went and looked on ebay and found an auction that was about to end. I probably shouldn't have spent the money, but I decided to pull the trigger for old time's sake. :)

You suck. I had pmed the guy a day or two ago to sell it to me for a few bucks less and was hoping he would relist it. Good buy!

You suck. I had pmed the guy a day or two ago to sell it to me for a few bucks less and was hoping he would relist it. Good buy!

Sorry about that . . . well, sort of. :)

Sorry about that . . . well, sort of. :)

lol. This thread may end up costing all us of more more money as we compete for the same scarce titles.

lol. This thread may end up costing all us of more more money as we compete for the same scarce titles.

Agreed.

It's a small world, though, huh?

When I found the auction, it only had about 4 minutes left. I seriously considered letting it expire, to see if the item would then be relisted for less. I also seriously considered just not spending the money. But then I thought that I would probably miss out on it if I didn't buy it, or that I would end up paying more later, so I clicked . . .

Hey guys....why do some of you consider Bonnie and Clyde to be a "must have" on HD DVD at well above retail price since there is a BD version for much less?

I am debating whether I want the HD DVD.

Mutiny on the Bounty

Hey guys....why do some of you consider Bonnie and Clyde to be a "must have" on HD DVD at well above retail price since there is a BD version for much less?

I am debating whether I want the HD DVD.



Bonnie and Clyde (Warner's first and only Digipak HD-DVD movie)If I only knew it was a HD DVD Digipak I might not had bought the BD. But now I think I'm fine with only the BD (and it has my foreign language subs whitch the HD DVD has not). If I had too much money I still would buy the HD DVD just because of the only Digipak and ofcourse because it is a HD DVD. :)

Hey guys....why do some of you consider Bonnie and Clyde to be a "must have" on HD DVD at well above retail price since there is a BD version for much less?

I am debating whether I want the HD DVD.

If you don't have BD yet?

That crap like Zombie Farm...nobody is going to care about that stuff down the road. Same goes for almost all the HD Net stuff and other random "rare" crap. Don't waste you money guys.

That crap like Zombie Farm...nobody is going to care about that stuff down the road. Same goes for almost all the HD Net stuff and other random "rare" crap. Don't waste you money guys.

That's definitely true. Only rare titles that are desirable will be sought after down the road. Anyway, that's what this thread is all about.

Forbidden Planet remains high in price.

+1 on that, just ordered it off Fry's.

With all the 6-7 dollar (watch once) titles I have been getting, this seemed like a fair investment for a classic movie.

On a side note, getting real close to my personal cap of 200 (have a media cabinet just for HDDVD) :)

That's definitely true. Only rare titles that are desirable will be sought after down the road. Anyway, that's what this thread is all about.

Exactly. That is the point of the thread. No crap desired. This is not about posting all the "high" priced HD DVDs.

But if you deem something as a "must have" at or well above retail price then that fits the criteria. Too bad if others may disagree. Just state your case...we may have overlooked the title.

I just picked up a new sealed Peter and the Wolf German import for $70 shipped from Europe. I understand it is an excellent PQ and SQ HD DVD specifically created as demo material and actually was never released for general distribution and quantities are relatively speaking, extremely limited.

There are two on Ebay now from $100-$150.

Faye Dunaway was a "must have" in the '70s! :D

Faye Dunaway was a "must have" in the '70s! :D

So True! ;)

I updated the first post to include the titles submitted thus far. Please let me know if I missed something.

Just removed Grand Prix from the list.

In the last eight closed Ebay auctions Grand Prix sold for $15-$22. Although it may be considered a "must have"...it definitely can be had regularly and consistently for under retail and not considered a steal at retail price.

Afro Samurai is pretty hard to come by. Tony at Xploited is sold out, and HMV.jp doesn't carry it anymore. Amazon.jp still lists it, but by the time you pay 2300 yen shipping for that one title, I think it's safe to say you can't get it for under retail unless you get lucky and find it from a private seller.

Thanks bruceames. Afro Samurai added.

A used copy of In the Shadow of the Moon just sold today for $63 on Ebay with almost 30 bids.

Does anyone here own it? Give us a quick review in light of this thread.

FYI, Motorcycle Diaries is currently available at Amazon.co.uk for about $10 plus shipping. Of the Channel 4 releases, Sexy Beast and Touching the Void are harder to find now. Other discs that are often fetching more than the original retail price are some of the classics by Studio Canal, such as Total Recall, The Graduate, Serpico etc. These are getting difficult to find even over here in Europe.

A used copy of In the Shadow of the Moon just sold today for $63 on Ebay with almost 30 bids.

Does anyone here own it? Give us a quick review in light of this thread.

Yeah I own it. It's amazing. Tons of archival NASA footage remastered in HD in original aspect ratio. It's a mix of 16x9 HD and 4:3 HD and other ratios too. To say it is flat out spectacular is an understatement.

Not sure why Zombie Farm is on that list. 5.3/10 IMDB rating... Seriously it is just crap that never sold well and is now "rare" as a result.

Not sure why Zombie Farm is on that list. 5.3/10 IMDB rating... Seriously it is just crap that never sold well and is now "rare" as a result.

Thanks DrCrawn. I have removed it from the list. Unless someone has a reason why Zombie Farm is a "must have" vs. just a basic high priced hd dvd.

Yeah I own it. It's amazing. Tons of archival NASA footage remastered in HD in original aspect ratio. It's a mix of 16x9 HD and 4:3 HD and other ratios too. To say it is flat out spectacular is an understatement.

Looks like you just cost me another few bucks. But thanks for the info. LOL.

Looks like you just cost me another few bucks. But thanks for the info. LOL.


I would rebuy it for 60 bucks easy. You will love it. Thankfully I paid about 40. I don't buy HD DVDs as investments, but this one is rare, hard to find, and will probably hold value very well.

Thanks bruceames. Afro Samurai added.


Afro Samurai is available from CD Japan for round $60


http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PCHC-50001

Afro Samurai is available from CD Japan for round $60


http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PCHC-50001

Not necesarily. They show 3-7 days on order, and that means they are assuming the manufacturer still has it. Usually that's a pretty good assumption, but in this case another online source, HMV Japan, has it deleted because they can't get it from the manufacturer. It's possible CDJapan can get it anyway, but the only way to find out is to order it. I've ordered from them a few times, and once it was for one one of the OOP Railway Story HD DVDs (Canada part 1) that they had a similar 3-7 day lead time for procuring it. But they were pretty fast on letting me know that it's OOP (I think it was less than a week after ordering it). HMV on the other hand will let your order ride for a few months before they give up and cancel the order.

Had to buy Band of Brothers since I bought the add on for my Xbox 360. I know I dont have a LCD 1080p set yet but maybe by august I will. BOBs cost me nearly 200.00 from Xploited but I had the extra money. Also bought T2 Steelbook from Germany mainly cause its in HD 7.1 Audio which the BD doesnt have here in the US. I wont go through the few HD-DVDs I have cause most had really big realeases here in the US. Still want The Shining cause its The Shining.

Bonnie and Clyde
Forbidden Planet
The Wild Bunch

All these are now on Inet video for under $15, so I'd take those off. If you can wait for a deal, I just bought Motorcycle Diaries for $16 shipped. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is also pretty cheap (got mine for $6 shipped).

Out of interest, what are 2nd hand copies of Band of Brothers going for? I have the set but may be tempted to sell it on so as to fund an anamophic lens I just purchased. I've searched on ebay and it seems that none have been sold there - at least nothing shows up with a search of completed items.

Out of interest, what are 2nd hand copies of Band of Brothers going for? I have the set but may be tempted to sell it on so as to fund an anamophic lens I just purchased. I've searched on ebay and it seems that none have been sold there - at least nothing shows up with a search of completed items.

Don't put your Band of Brothers HD DVD up on eBay - HBO has been filing "copyright violation" notices against anyone who lists the HD DVD on eBay, which results in eBay pulling your auction and sending you a nasty note that further violations can result in suspension of your account.That's why you don't see any completed listings. I had this happen to me in mid-March, fortunately after the auction had ended and the buyer had paid - but eBay sent copies of the violation notice to everyone who had bid on the auction, so I had to re-assure the buyer what that notice meant; it all ended well. I've also read of this happening on eBay UK.

I would say you can expect $150-$175 for a complete set in mint condition, but you'll need to offer them on a forum sell/trade site like here, or Highdefdigest.com.

Wow! You mean HBO have people scouring ebay for copies of BOB that might be on sale? That's nuts? So what's the big problem with selling BOB on ebay? I'm not sure I understand why there would be a copyright violation.

Thanks for the valuation!

Don't put your Band of Brothers HD DVD up on eBay - HBO has been filing "copyright violation" notices against anyone who lists the HD DVD on eBay, which results in eBay pulling your auction and sending you a nasty note that further violations can result in suspension of your account.That's why you don't see any completed listings. I had this happen to me in mid-March, fortunately after the auction had ended and the buyer had paid - but eBay sent copies of the violation notice to everyone who had bid on the auction, so I had to re-assure the buyer what that notice meant; it all ended well. I've also read of this happening on eBay UK.

I would say you can expect $150-$175 for a complete set in mint condition, but you'll need to offer them on a forum sell/trade site like here, or Highdefdigest.com.

Had to buy Band of Brothers since I bought the add on for my Xbox 360. I know I dont have a LCD 1080p set yet but maybe by august I will. BOBs cost me nearly 200.00 from Xploited but I had the extra money. Also bought T2 Steelbook from Germany mainly cause its in HD 7.1 Audio which the BD doesnt have here in the US. I wont go through the few HD-DVDs I have cause most had really big realeases here in the US. Still want The Shining cause its The Shining.


I love Band of Brothers but I just can't see paying $200 for it. I'm a big HD DVD fan but I also have to be a realist. I managed to purchase a Panasonic BD-35 AND Band of Brothers blu ray both new for under $200 combined last fall.

All these are now on Inet video for under $15, so I'd take those off. If you can wait for a deal, I just bought Motorcycle Diaries for $16 shipped. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is also pretty cheap (got mine for $6 shipped).

Given that this thread started with this parameter in the first post:

"What are the titles that you would say are "must haves" in an HD DVD collection that are typically currently priced ABOVE the original retail price? Or conversely, considered a steal if you find them even slightly below or at original retail price."

Would you still leave off Bonnie and Clyde; Forbidden Planet; and
The Wild Bunch?

Seems to me that based on the strong positive reaction to these titles now being available "slightly below or at original price" that they are prime candidates for our list.

Let me know.

Don't put your Band of Brothers HD DVD up on eBay - HBO has been filing "copyright violation" notices against anyone who lists the HD DVD on eBay, which results in eBay pulling your auction and sending you a nasty note that further violations can result in suspension of your account.That's why you don't see any completed listings. I had this happen to me in mid-March, fortunately after the auction had ended and the buyer had paid - but eBay sent copies of the violation notice to everyone who had bid on the auction, so I had to re-assure the buyer what that notice meant; it all ended well. I've also read of this happening on eBay UK.

I would say you can expect $150-$175 for a complete set in mint condition, but you'll need to offer them on a forum sell/trade site like here, or Highdefdigest.com.

Whoa, that's news to me. I can't believe they can do this. :confused: I was wondering why I haven't seen any go up for sale lately.

So how come they didn't sue Showcase for releasing them in the first place? I can't understand why selling it 2nd hand would make a difference.

Wow! You mean HBO have people scouring ebay for copies of BOB that might be on sale? That's nuts? So what's the big problem with selling BOB on ebay? I'm not sure I understand why there would be a copyright violation.

Thanks for the valuation!

So how come they didn't sue Showcase for releasing them in the first place? I can't understand why selling it 2nd hand would make a difference.

Well, it's pretty easily for them to set up a search for "Band of Brothers HD DVD" and run it once a day, or there's probably even software that can automate the search. Showcase was licensed and authorized to distribute Band of Brothers - but only in Japan - and that's probably the rationale HBO/Warner uses in filing copyright violations - the discs were only authorized for sale in Japan, and they're protecting the sales of their Blu-ray release in the U.S. HBO only started doing this after the blu-ray release of BoB in the US & UK. But I do think it's a stretch for them to use this to go after private sellers offering their 2nd hand copies to private collectors. If one took it to court I'm not sure HBO would win, but who wants to go to all that effort? And likewise, eBay is not going to side with a few eBay members against a large, multi-national corporation, so they just comply with HBO's "copyright violation" notices and don't ask any questions. :(

Well, it's pretty easily for them to set up a search for "Band of Brothers HD DVD" and run it once a day, or there's probably even software that can automate the search. Showcase was licensed and authorized to distribute Band of Brothers - but only in Japan - and that's probably the rationale HBO/Warner uses in filing copyright violations - the discs were only authorized for sale in Japan, and they're protecting the sales of their Blu-ray release in the U.S. HBO only started doing this after the blu-ray release of BoB in the US & UK. But I do think it's a stretch for them to use this to go after private sellers offering their 2nd hand copies to private collectors. If one took it to court I'm not sure HBO would win, but who wants to go to all that effort? And likewise, eBay is not going to side with a few eBay members against a large, multi-national corporation, so they just comply with HBO's "copyright violation" notices and don't ask any questions. :(

Just the same, it's pretty silly that they would even pay attention to a rare version from a dead format, that only goes up for sale once or twice a month anyway. Apart from that, it sells for 3-4 times the BD release, further reinforcing that it has absolutely zero effect on BD sales. Perhaps they realize the HD DVD version has superior PQ because of the BD DNR and they don't want too many copies of the 'definitive version' floating around stateside? ;) It sounds like something personal from someone inside the department.

Just the same, it's pretty silly that they would even pay attention to a rare version from a dead format, that only goes up for sale once or twice a month anyway. Apart from that, it sells for 3-4 times the BD release, further reinforcing that it has absolutely zero effect on BD sales. Perhaps they realize the HD DVD version has superior PQ because of the BD DNR and they don't want too many copies of the 'definitive version' floating around stateside? ;) It sounds like something personal from someone inside the department.

Well, you make a good point - even piracy paranoid Fox hasn't tried to block sales of Fantastic Four and others, nor has region coding fanatic Disney tried to block Bridge to Terabitha, Goal! or others. Well, I'll just remember my "good friends" at HBO the next time I'm on the fence as whether to buy a Warner release. :mad: