Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

I agree somewhat.. I own under 20 titles in each format. I've got enough 1-time-viewed DVDs sitting on my shelf to remind me that I would have been better off renting most of them. but I still like buying a new movie now and then.

I don't feel a need to "punish" anybody, I just don't want to keep punishing my bank account. :)

Er, no.

I enjoy collecting movies, seeing them on the shelf, etc.

You spend your money, I'll spend mine.

I like having movies I want to watch on tap.

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

I don't need to own movies, but I like to. I have over 1000 DVDs, 86 HD DVDs, and 25 BDs. I also have surprisingly few duplicates. As for unwatched titles, its <10 DVDs, 1 HD DVD, and 4 of the 5 freebie BDs.
J

Eh, to each his own. I only buy movies that I really, really want anyway.

90% of movies I see I only want to watch once anyway, so why buy? The other 10% I'm very happy owning in multiple formats because I enjoy them greatly.

By the way, I'm considering moving to Alexandria in June, have any apartment recommendations for me? :)

Good luck with that.

I generally only buy movies that will stand up to repeated viewings, kids movies easily fit the bill and are the vast majority of the titles I own on both DVD and BD.

Just say NO to Hollywood

Ya, I'll ahhhh..... get right on that. Maybe tomorrow. I have to check my schedule.

Well its starting to get easier and easier. I dont know what has happend, but really good movies are getting rare.

I saw the light a few years ago. I'm curious to know if the percentage of people who buy vs rent has gone up or down.

Hopefully there are enough collectors out there to make HDM viable. Otherwise the studios might lose interest if the rental market is not that profitable.

one reason i collect movies and tv shows is so when i get a hair across my butt with comcast i can just turn them off. then i fall back to my own privately owned tv station playing exactly what i want and when commercial free. :) and yes i do this every couple of years.

I dont buy every single movie that comes out. just the ones that i will watch multiple times. I think of it this way... going to the theater with the wife will set me back around 35.00 bucks. thats the cost of seeing the flick one time. So spending half on that is actually saving me some money and allows me to view it at my discretion with a better picture and better sound quality than i would receive through cable. I always rent first then purchase it later. When i first rented transformers i watched it 3 times. then i bought it. I have watched it twice more so far. So far i have around 26 bucks invested in this movie. So i have spent only 4 dollars per each viewing and that goes down with each additional viewing. The other plus is 10 years from now i dont have to play the rental game with overly viewed scratched up damaged discs or pray it comes back on cable.

...Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

I say quite eating and punish the food industry.:rolleyes: This would have the side benefit of also punishing the toilet paper industry.;)

I say quite eating and punish the food industry.:rolleyes:

I just started working on that, also trying to do as much local as possible.

Started a pool at work, hoping that the gambling aspect will inspire me to stick with it.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie?

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

(1) Please don't take this the wrong way but, thats my business and mine alone.

(2) Pass.

WB’s defection from HD DVD has turned me from a $30 movie buyer to a $5 movie renter. I’ll still buy the movies that come out on HD DVD and I’ll use Apple TV to rent those that don’t.

$150 HD DVD Player + $229 Apple TV is still less than the lowest MSRP on a Blu-ray player.

The OP sounds a lot like me. I've had the same argument with myself and I continue to lose.:D

I think the justification I have is the same as some others have expressed, that I rarely go to the movies anymore. I prefer the experience at home for all but a few movies. I pay about the same price as a trip to the multiplex for two with overpriced snacks and I keep a copy for my library. When I will actually re-watch some of them I can't say. I keep thinking someday I will turn off all my access to movies and rely on my library, but I don't see it happening soon.

The OP sounds a lot like me. I've had the same argument with myself and I continue to lose.:D

I think the justification I have is the same as some others have expressed, that I rarely go to the movies anymore. I prefer the experience at home for all but a few movies. I pay about the same price as a trip to the multiplex for two with overpriced snacks and I keep a copy for my library. When I will actually re-watch some of them I can't say. I keep thinking someday I will turn off all my access to movies and rely on my library, but I don't see it happening soon.

I prefer the experience at home as well, and considering that I have a wife and two kids, buying it is always cheaper than a trip to the multiplex.

Is 400+ DVDs really a habit?

I mean, when you have those like myself that are in the 5000+ range... Now that's a habit.

I watch most of the movies in my collection at least once a year. Sometimes I'll rewatch just a scene or two beyond that. Kind-of like getting a song stuck in your head so you have to go play it, you know? I'm that way with cinematography.

I also tend to be picky about what I buy. We have a fairly small collection.

We also Netflix. Average one movie a week, though we can (and sometimes do) sneak two in.

C

There are some who buy DVDs and HDMs because they make economic sense. It's cheaper than a night out and if you view the title repeatedly, it's cheaper than renting. Then there are those of us who buy DVDs and HDMs because its our hobby. We are collectors of movies on discs. How many collectors of anything can economically justify their collections?

Is 400+ DVDs really a habit?

I mean, when you have those like myself that are in the 5000+ range... Now that's a habit.

wow... i wouldnt classify that as a habit. I would classify that as an addiction. hehehehe. how do you keep them stored if you dont mind me asking?

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

There is certainly some 'waste' in owning for some purchases.
I prefer owning to renting in cases where I "may" want to rewatch the movie.
Renting is better if the "rewatchibility" index is low. In some cases though with sales and previously viewed market buying can be almost the same price or general range as a rental making it a no brainer to own. :eek:

Another alternative though is learning to record for yourself to disk such as hd dvd or BD and timeshift some broadcast HD, esp. for those 'tweener' HD movies that don't seem to justify $20-$30+ bucks not to mention all the content not available on HDM.

I have around 1500 DVDs, but I don't feel particularly bad about it. The type of content I support probably wouldn't be offered were it not for collectors buying the disk. More than two-thirds of what I buy couldn't even be fairly characterized as "Hollywood" in that they are small releases from independent companies.

I prefer the experience at home as well, and considering that I have a wife and two kids, buying it is always cheaper than a trip to the multiplex.

id give 5 bucks just not to have sticky shoes. ;)

I think the justification I have is the same as some others have expressed, that I rarely go to the movies anymore. I prefer the experience at home for all but a few movies. I pay about the same price as a trip to the multiplex for two with overpriced snacks and I keep a copy for my library.

+1

Especially since I have two kids (8 & 9). They EXPECT the snack combo. (They're wonderful kids, so I don't mind. It DOES get expensive, though.)

Having a Home Theater makes it convienent; I can hit pause if somebody needs a potty break.

I have ~ 150 Laserdiscs, ~400 DVDs, ~15 BDs & exactly two HD DVDs (the ones that came in the box).

I rewatch my favorites often.

Just yesterday I started watching the bonus features of POTC DMC.

I'll keep buying. I'm a happy customer. Matters not which format to me.

There is certainly some 'waste' in owning for some purchases.
I prefer owning to renting in cases where I "may" want to rewatch the movie.
Renting is better if the "rewatchibility" index is low. In some cases though with sales and previously viewed market buying can be almost the same price or general range as a rental making it a no brainer to own. :eek:

Another alternative though is learning to record for yourself to disk such as hd dvd or BD and timeshift some broadcast HD, esp. for those 'tweener' HD movies that don't seem to justify $20-$30+ bucks not to mention all the content not available on HDM.

My general rule of thumb is that if I am watching it for the 2nd time (first time either rented, on satellite or in theaters first), I'll go ahead and buy. I have really slowed down in trips to the theater, though, the experience is usually not worth the price to me, especially for the whole family. I think I saw less than 6 movies at a theater last year. I've rented a ton from Netflix. There's just not a lot that I've wanted to rewatch. I'd rather spend that time watching something new.

When I see a movie it's $11.95 admission (usually times two) and (often) transit fare of $2.25 each way for two. So a minimum of $11.95 and a maximum of $32.90.

I never pay more than $20 for a movie and it's usually more like $15, so I don't see buying a disc as much more of a gamble than just going out.

That said, I do rent more than I buy.

The problem has more to do with the habit of being an early adopter.

So either you choose to wait a little bit and only invest in proven formats.
Or you want to benefit immediatly of the latest innovations, but risk to make a bad investment.

When you bought your HD DVD you knew there was somewhat like a 50:50 chance this format would be abandonned, you choose to make a risky investment. I think it makes no sense to complain to Hollywood because you made a bet you lost.

I never bought a laserdisc, and i still have no HD source, diffuser of media, and i know i'll still be able to play my dvds for decades.

I want to thank all the early adopters who choose to invest in the new technologies when they're the most expensive and the less viable, paving the way for the masses.

Well its starting to get easier and easier. I dont know what has happend, but really good movies are getting rare.

Agreed.

i'm a collector i have watched all mine some several times and its a good thing blade
runner is not on tape at my house would of done wore it out but i am getting more
selective .

I'm with you OP, to an extent.

I have around 500 discs including HD DVD and Blu-ray. I am tired of "chasing the dragon" to upgrade my collection to the latest and greatest version at considerable expense, with little resale value remaining on the old version.

The WB decision really pissed me off, so I decided to slow down, big time, and wait and see what happens going forward. Who knows if either of these new formats will be successful, or if the market will skip over mass adoption until HD downloads are available.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

you can kick your own habit, but why punishing Hollywood for YOUR addiction? :confused:

I used to have a bad habit of eating salty and MSG-laden food. It's MY bad habit, it's MY problem, why blame anybody else? :confused::confused:

How many sour grapes threads are there going to be?

Seems to me like its mostly people who bought into the wrong format feeling this way.

I buy less than 5% of the movies I actually see. And if those BOGO sales don't come back again, my buying will be even less.

Why would I punish someone for giving me the option to own something I love? Hello?

I don't think most people believe they have to stick to one of the three models: theater vs. buy vs. rent. Everyone I've talked to has their reasons for choosing different approaches for different movies. For me? The theatrical experience has gotten so bad I hardly ever go anymore. Movies I'm just curious about go in the rental queue. Movies I'm fascinated by wind up getting purchased.

On rainy days it's nice to be able to sit back and watch a movie without having to plan it in advance, and I especially like being able to share great movies with guests. When someone comes over and a favorite movie comes up in conversation I love being able to sit down and watch it! What's my alternative? Convince them to drive with me to the nearest Blockbuster and hope they have it? No thanks. I also enjoy going through special features on special films at leisure rather than feeling like I have to watch them all before returning a rental.

... and I like to reward Hollywood for making the kinds of films I enjoy watching over and over.

wow... i wouldnt classify that as a habit. I would classify that as an addiction. hehehehe. how do you keep them stored if you dont mind me asking?

I have a pretty good filing system in my basement and utilize DVD Profiler alongside it. It works out pretty well and it keeps the rest of the house clean from DVDs floating about. My wife signed off on it which helped and she uses the system without any problems which works well.

Seems to me like its mostly people who bought into the wrong format feeling this way.

I bought into both, but that doesnt take away that most modern movies sucks.

Evrything most go fast, dialouges must be cool, charaters must be cool etc.

Remember to old good days when movies like Aliens were made. Were they let the scenes and characters get the time they needed to build up the suspense.

There are some who buy DVDs and HDMs because they make economic sense. It's cheaper than a night out and if you view the title repeatedly, it's cheaper than renting. Then there are those of us who buy DVDs and HDMs because its our hobby. We are collectors of movies on discs. How many collectors of anything can economically justify their collections?

I see your points but the collecting part doesnt make sense to me. Are you collecting the cases? Artwork? Just the silver discs? If the content itself is NOT the driving force behind a collection, I cant see what the point is. To compare it with another collecting hobby, lets take sports cards. With those, you can look at the cards, read the stats on the back, assemble team collections from certain years, trade them, etc, etc.

Other than watch a movie.... what intrinsic collectability value does it have? Loking at the case art cant possibly be the reason...can it?

I wil agree though that if the movie can be bought for a good price, like a BOGO, then it can pay for itself once you factor in gas prices, theater ticket costs, and the hassle of going to the theater.

Seems to me like its mostly people who bought into the wrong format feeling this way.


This is true for some of the cases. I agree.

However, there is no such thing as the "wrong format" in this hobby. It's just "the right format at the time of purchase" :) . Buying into the "the-right-but-now-is-wrong" format is just part of the hobby. If one can't stand the heat, don't play with fire. :)

It's all part of the hobby.

now lemme try to locate my Elcaset, 15 ips reel-to-reel, DAT, MD and DCC players.

I see your points but the collecting part doesnt make sense to me.

Well, it's part of the hobby and it's psychological.

my mum collects those penny-matches from hotels all over the world, she doesn't even smoke, she doesn't even look at the collection, she just put them in a jar. What's the logic? there is none.

I feel that I HAVE to go to WDW every year. I have cravings for WDW parks. What's the logic? there is none.

I have friends who collects cigars from all over the world, owns a walk-in humidor, yet he doesn't even smoke. What's the logic? there is none.

I know a guy who collects pointless audio tweaks such as cable lifters etc although he never use them nor he believe in any of them. Also there is no logic to it.

It's just part of the hobby.

I bought into both, but that doesnt take away that most modern movies suck.

I pretty much agree with this.
J

Fwah??? :confused:

By all means, spend your money (or better yet, save it) wherever you want, and if you feel you have an uncontrollable urge get some help, but why try to spoil a hobby that most of us enjoy?

When WB flipped I re-examined my position and decided to buy only those movies I would really want to own in HD-DVD, otherwise rent (I quit buying SD-DVDs when HD-DVDs came out). I then decided to cull the herd a bit and gave away all my extra DVDs and crappy impluse buys that I never watched or only watched once and found my collection shrank by 200+ dvds (I also needed the shelf space). I still have 500+ dvds or so and over a 100 HD-DVDs. I decided not to buy into BD and rent until I figure out if downloads and archiving TV shows is my future. Hell, I am sitting on the fence whether to upgrade the D* HD-Tivos to the newer mpeg4 models :rolleyes:
I am starting to think the Writers strike and this crappy format war has changed my whole life style. I've actually been reading books lately and enjoying them :)

Well, it's part of the hobby and it's psychological.

my mum collects those penny-matches from hotels all over the world, she doesn't even smoke, she doesn't even look at the collection, she just put them in a jar. What's the logic? there is none.

I feel that I HAVE to go to WDW every year. I have cravings for WDW parks. What's the logic? there is none.

I have friends who collects cigars from all over the world, owns a walk-in humidor, yet he doesn't even smoke. What's the logic? there is none.

I know a guy who collects pointless audio tweaks such as cable lifters etc although he never use them nor he believe in any of them. Also there is no logic to it.

It's just part of the hobby.

you forgot the guy who was on american idol that collects fingernails. No logic there at all.

I have around 30+ HD DVD and about a dozen BD movies. I own both the A1 and PS3 but I much prefer HD DVD.

With the recent development, I decided to stay on the side line. No more HD DVD or BD purchases. BlockBuster for me is all I'm doing.

I may be tempted to buy a must have HD DVD, I'd already own all the ones I have to have, if it comes out but no more BD discs for the foreseeable future, no matter how cheap (BOGO).

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?I agree. I have viewed more than 90% of what's available on HD DVD and Blu-ray yet I own less than 10 discs.

The only issue for me is the new releases are still fairly hard to rent locally (or online). Both local Blockbusters and Hollywood Video stores carry HD titles so I consider them my library. If I really want to watch an old catalog title I just have to give myself a day's notice. :)

For me, the price of one disc is equal to or less than the cost of a trip to the theater for 2 (2 tickets plus refreshments usually comes out to a minimum of $25). When I have a disc I can show or loan to anyone in my family (everyone in my immediate family now owns a PlayStation 3), it becomes a worthwhile investment.

I still make an effort to go to the theater, but it's getting harder and harder to justify.

Er, no.

I enjoy collecting movies, seeing them on the shelf, etc.

You spend your money, I'll spend mine.

+1.

Enjoy your crusade.

Threw your ld's away !! Ouch .
I sold some but have about 100 still . African queen is a rewatchable one and not on dvd
even ...I watched Lost World Jarrasic Park and it looked pretty good On the 40" Sony CRT I just picked up a few weeks ago ....Not soi good on the Barco FP 10 foot wide screen......

Have 800 or close too dvd's , er . Some unwatched ....
I rewatch alot of them ...Along with close to 50 hd-dvd's

Yeah , its like "thank you sir, may I have another" < but with hd , only the coveted
rewatchable or titles I never had before go in the collection...

Can rewatch as much as I want , review a scene . Plus a lot of times have to watch again to pick up on what was missed the first time....

Those ld's had some great covers too ..
I want the movies in my hands , not downloads etc...

Hollywood , Release More !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS; Why did they not have 7.1 Dolby 20 years ago ??LOL , need new speakers , reciever.
Hdmi , Yeah yeah . I'll stick with some classic equipment and be slow on up grades there ...But get us more titles to collect..

Bob

Also, why one earth would one want to punish companies that are providing products that people want? And the formats have gotten better and better by every possible measure, from video and qudio quality, to bonus features, to compactness, etc. The notion that anyone should boycott an industry that has consistently put out better products is bizarre to me.

By all means, if any particular individual has decided that owning movies is not for them, the that individual surely shouldn't buy them. But the rest of us will do what we want to do, and I'm quite pleased that movies that I buy on Blu-Ray have never looked or sounded this good in a home theater.

Its an increasingly valid question. I am a little surprised at so many people that view their "collecting" as a personal issue. He isn't asking how much you make, just what drives the compulsion. Obviously, anyone can choose to spend their money any way they would like. Still, the response is interesting. Almost like an addict recognizing he is at an intervention...

I have found myself completely backing away from what I now acknowledge was a pretty sick compulsion to buy the newest DVDs. I didn't get into LD but there are a number of titles I bought on VHS, DVD and had to shake off the idea of buying it once again on HDM. These are movies I never even watch.

The truth is mathematically it makes no sense. Comparing it to theater going experience is factually incorrect. By the time the movie comes out you cannot see it at the theater anyways. The only relevant option at this point in time is to buy or rent. If you were to buy 500 DVDs/HDM at an average of $20 you would have $10k "invested" in your library. I put the quotes around invested because clearly all movie media depreciates at an alarming rate. If you took that 10k and put it in a CD you would earn enough each month to pay for a 3 out Netflix/Blockbuster subscription. You would never have to "invest" another penny and would have access to all the world's movies. And you would have an extra $10,000.

And 500 DVDs around here is NOTHING.

I intend to keep most of my DVDs.

The only reason I wiped out my collection of audio cassette/VHS tapes is that I hate the tape format in general. It's built to wear out and degrade.

However, even though I have been using MP3s for a long, long time now. I still maintain a healthy CD collection.

Plus some stuff just does not require HD. Like old TV shows that are 4:3 anyways. So I would not pay an HD tax just to have those on HD even though they won't be all that much better.

The format changes/improvments do change , what?Every decade or so ...
Not just vids , but hardeware ...
The factory seems to make receivers etc obsolete .
dolby pro logic , dolby digital , dobly 5.1 ect .
We are bombarded with new tech , yo replace music from records to cd's to i pod ..
I think this ball of wax is what the OP means in a kidding way , I hope..
Another improvment cost more.......each time.


Bob

I bought into both, but that doesnt take away that most modern movies sucks.

Evrything most go fast, dialouges must be cool, charaters must be cool etc.

Remember to old good days when movies like Aliens were made. Were they let the scenes and characters get the time they needed to build up the suspense.

Let's see - Aliens was made in 1986. Are you talking about these 1986 classics?

Howard The Duck
Big Trouble In Little China
Crocodile Dundee
Shanghai Surprise
Youngblood
Crossroads
Wildcats
Star Trek IV
Iron Eagle
Raw Deal
Karate Kid II
The Golden Child
Back To School
Pretty In Pink
Cobra
Short Circuit
The Money Pit
Police Academy 3
Jumping Jack Flash
The Delta Force
The Wraith
and ... Soul Man.

Sure, it's easy with selective memory to forget about the crappy ones. I've seen every one of those films, and I wouldn't put any of them in the "classics" category. But I can name some great 2007 titles too: Ratatouille, No Country For Old Men; Juno; 3:10 to Yuma; Bourne Ultimatum; etc. Every year is going to have a few hits and a ton of bombs - don't go old-fogey on us now!!

Well I did notice something when I started to collect HD was that how few of my DVDs I watched more then once.

Also how stupid it is to actually pay premium for something you can get for a third of the price 6 months later.

So have i learnt my lesson.

Its an increasingly valid question. I am a little surprised at so many people that view their "collecting" as a personal issue. He isn't asking how much you make, just what drives the compulsion. Obviously, anyone can choose to spend their money any way they would like. Still, the response is interesting. Almost like an addict recognizing he is at an intervention...

I have found myself completely backing away from what I now acknowledge was a pretty sick compulsion to buy the newest DVDs. I didn't get into LD but there are a number of titles I bought on VHS, DVD and had to shake off the idea of buying it once again on HDM. These are movies I never even watch.

The truth is mathematically it makes no sense. Comparing it to theater going experience is factually incorrect. By the time the movie comes out you cannot see it at the theater anyways. The only relevant option at this point in time is to buy or rent. If you were to buy 500 DVDs/HDM at an average of $20 you would have $10k "invested" in your library. I put the quotes around invested because clearly all movie media depreciates at an alarming rate. If you took that 10k and put it in a CD you would earn enough each month to pay for a 3 out Netflix/Blockbuster subscription. You would never have to "invest" another penny and would have access to all the world's movies. And you would have an extra $10,000.

And 500 DVDs around here is NOTHING.


One guy's "compulsion" is another guy's hobby. And the seemingly plausible arithmetic exercise is plainly incomplete, as is fails to account for the pleasure of watching in one's own home, the pleasure of avoiding crowded theaters, the absence of a need to travel to the theater, the owning of the movie, and the fact that it is a hobby.

You spend your money and I will spend mine. I certainly don't decry those who eat expensive meals, drink expensive wine, buy nice cars, wear nice watches, go to the opera, etc.

Let's see - Aliens was made in 1986. Are you talking about these 1986 classics?

Howard The Duck
Big Trouble In Little China
Crocodile Dundee
Shanghai Surprise
Youngblood
Crossroads
Wildcats
Star Trek IV
Iron Eagle
Raw Deal
Karate Kid II
The Golden Child
Back To School
Pretty In Pink
Cobra
Short Circuit
The Money Pit
Police Academy 3
Jumping Jack Flash
The Delta Force
The Wraith
and ... Soul Man.

Sure, it's easy with selective memory to forget about the crappy ones. I've seen every one of those films, and I wouldn't put any of them in the "classics" category. But I can name some great 2007 titles too: Ratatouille, No Country For Old Men; Juno; 3:10 to Yuma; Bourne Ultimatum; etc. Every year is going to have a few hits and a ton of bombs - don't go old-fogey on us now!!

FWIW I would rent just about every one of those on BD if they were released, might even purchase a few, so I can bother my kids with them when they are older. :)

edit: Looking over the list, I saw almost everyone of those movies in the theater, damn I used to go to the movies a lot.

I intend to keep most of my DVDs.

The only reason I wiped out my collection of audio cassette/VHS tapes is that I hate the tape format in general. It's built to wear out and degrade.

However, even though I have been using MP3s for a long, long time now. I still maintain a healthy CD collection.

Plus some stuff just does not require HD. Like old TV shows that are 4:3 anyways. So I would not pay an HD tax just to have those on HD even though they won't be all that much better.

I dont like tape either , Skipped D-vhs or whatever it was ...

While I came to the same conclusion as the OP quite some time ago, it was for different reasons. I do not blame the studios for adopting new formats, and reissuing their films on the new formats. As display devices have improved, there is a need for improved source material. Studios are a business, so if they can resell their back catalog several times, good for them. (Now I do get annoyed with the series of good, special and specialler :rolleyes: editions they sell on the same format.)

I own over 600 DVDs, mostly accumulated in the first 8 years of that format -- averaged about 1.5 per week for years. During most of that time (since 1999) we have also had Netflix.

I found that for my wife and I, the number of DVDs we have re-watched is less than 10%. We nearly always opt for something we haven't seen - the exception is when we have friends over and choose based on their interests, independent of whether we have seen it. Our daughters would rewatch movies, but they are both off to college now -- so the collection mostly sits there.

When the format war started, too many of the releases were movies we already owned on DVD (at least those that we wanted to see). The rate of new movies on HD formats that we wanted to see didn't not feed our watching habit, so we mine the obscure back-catalogs of Netflix for interesting material. I bought an HDDVD player in April 2006, but made a conscious decision to limit buying to material I might use to demo the system. In 1.75 years (about 90 weeks) I have bought 30 HD DVD disks -- 0.3 per week - 5X less than I did for the many years of DVD's reign. My DVD buying is nearly zero. I ran stats on Netflix, and we have probably tripled the rate we have used them over the past 2 years compared to the 6 years before that.

Bought a PS3 last week. We own 1 movie (Spiderman 3 came with it) and have rented 3 through Netflix. I look at the latest discount buys at Amazon, and other places and can't find myself interested in ordering a single one. But it does cause me to add things to my Netflix queue!!

Not with any intent to "punish Hollywood" - we prefer to rent. We watch 10-12 movies a month for less than $20 -- around $2 a movie. I will continue to selectively buy at times, and if HD movies become $15 the week they come out, and drop to $10 a couple of month later, I may loosen up. But to spend more on 1 movie than an entire month of Netflix?? Doesn't make sense for us.

As always, YMMV!

Ken

I gave up "collecting" movies several years ago...if it's a total must have, them I may get it when it goes on sale.

The days of having to have every movie sitting on a shelf just to show off to people are over for me. "Hey look at me, I have 534 movies..!"

Obviously, to each his own. I have around 2500 DVD's, 20 HD-DVD, and 2 Blu-ray (have returned blu-ray player though). Most are Hollywood schlock, but quite a number of foreign and smaller studio versions. I had a large VHS collection (1200+) that I replaced with DVD, and while I am frustrated with the "format war", do not see a problem for myself with buying the media. I generally do not buy them new, but get them off ebay, pawn shops, previewed sales at video stores, etc. It is rare that I pay full price for one. We watch a movie every night, and ALL of my movies have been watched more than once, and several of my favorites many, many times. Not 1 that is unwatched. I have not been to a commercial theater in 15+ years. We do not have TV, satellite, and I have never rented a movie, so my collection is my only expense, and will ALWAYS be there. No matter what new formats come along, if your cable CO raises their rates or just run lame shows, or the VOD fees get to high, or the whole world disappears! I will always have them, and can watch exactly what I want, when I want. It's hard to replace that freedom. As a person who loves movies, and everything about them, the extras on DVD and other formats are enjoyed by myself (My GF hates them). Not everyone is in my boat, but over time, I will only buy physical media, as it is the only way to ensure you got what you paid for IMO.

Let's see - Aliens was made in 1986. Are you talking about these 1986 classics?

Howard The Duck
Big Trouble In Little China
Crocodile Dundee
Shanghai Surprise
Youngblood
Crossroads
Wildcats
Star Trek IV
Iron Eagle
Raw Deal
Karate Kid II
The Golden Child
Back To School
Pretty In Pink
Cobra
Short Circuit
The Money Pit
Police Academy 3
Jumping Jack Flash
The Delta Force
The Wraith
and ... Soul Man.

Sure, it's easy with selective memory to forget about the crappy ones. I've seen every one of those films, and I wouldn't put any of them in the "classics" category. But I can name some great 2007 titles too: Ratatouille, No Country For Old Men; Juno; 3:10 to Yuma; Bourne Ultimatum; etc. Every year is going to have a few hits and a ton of bombs - don't go old-fogey on us now!!

Well of course there were some **** movies made in the 80ies, but the artwork was better in many ways. (I actually think 2000 was peak year before it started to get worse)

Sure there comes modern movies that are good aswell, but it seems to me that more and more filmmakers have forgotten(or isnt in controll) that it isnt special effect, or the use of F-words in every sentence that make movies great.

The Alien movies are actually a great study how Hollywood have changed.

I dont buy every single movie that comes out. just the ones that i will watch multiple times. I think of it this way... going to the theater with the wife will set me back around 35.00 bucks. thats the cost of seeing the flick one time. .

This is part of my rational as well. Why spend $35 on a night out going to the movies ($20 for tickets, $3 for gas, $10 or more for drinks/snacks) when I can buy a new release HDM movie from Amazon for ~$25 and have it delivered to my home where I can watch it on a great looking screen with no annoyances?

I like owning something I can hold in my hand. I can loan my DVDs to friends, or throw in one of hundreds of titles when entertaining. I can watch them in any room in the house any time I want.

If I get sick of a movie or never re-watch it I can eBay it and recoup 20-40% of the original purchase price.

The alternative is renting online and having a strict timeline to watch the movie. The alternative is sub-par PQ and AQ. The alternative is having hollywood tell me when and where and how I can watch their movies.

It's well worth spending $300-$500 a year on movies to keep the physical media alive to avoid this alternative fate.

Plus some stuff just does not require HD.

So when are the Southpark boxed sets coming to HDM?? A must have :rolleyes:

The secret is to liquidate your old collection while it's still worth something.

I'm in the process of selling all the DVDs I own which I play to rebuy in high-def as we speak.

I have only bought movies I'll re-watch (what a concept!) - otherwise I stick to renting. Even at the height of my SD DVD collection, it never reached over 200. Today, I think I own about 35 BDs and maybe 60-70 SD DVDs.

The secret is to liquidate your old collection while it's still worth something.

I'm in the process of selling all the DVDs I own which I play to rebuy in high-def as we speak.


Well, last time I checked only about 1% of my movie collection was available in HD.

If I saw a release date for LOTR in BD for example I would promptly sell of my box sets, same as I would do for Band of Brothers and certain other "must haves" but I won't be selling those collections until they can actually be replaced with HDM.

I love collecting movies. New format or not, I love the feel of owning my favourite source of entertainment. Home theatre is an expensive hobby, if you can't take the heat...

I've definitely cut back a lot. With services like Netflix, Apple TV, and Vudu, owning movies that I only have a passing interest in is expensive and unnecessary. I've probably traded about 70 DVDs to DVD Planet in exchange for ~20 must-have movies in high-def. When going through my DVD collection to trade up, I pulled out any movie that I had for a year or more and only watched once.

Money is tight, BOGO's went away, and new releases are slim pickins. The next release I'm really looking forward to is Ronin on Blu-Ray which was pushed back to Father's Day.

I buy what I like to watch repeatedly. I enjoy having my dvd's.

When there is something better to replace them with, I will do so.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie?


If you buy a multi-tool on a flea market somewhere, it does matter that you own it because its sole purpose lies in having it in your hand.

A movie on the other only needs a display with connection to a source, whether it be VHS, LD, DVD, HD DVD, blu-ray or hard disk in a computer either directly connected to the display or indirectly via a network such as the Internet.

So no, you don't have to own a movie, you need a display and a source that fits your needs.

How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?


The human brain has superb pattern-recognition, meaning that people can watch a movie one time only in very low PQ and still be so satisfied by it that they don't need to watch it again.
Ask yourself how many times have you got the question if you've seen a certain itty bitty detail in a movie which is only visible in HD, contra the question what the movie was about which obviously does not need an HD source to be answered.

However, if a movie is especially good, you want to watch it again and again. If the movie is simply extraordinary, then you want more of it; not just watching it several times but also watch it in better PQ and more extra features and gimmicky things with it - thus, you become a fan of the movie. ;)

For me, this is one of the results of the format war. I own hundreds of DVDs, but since the HD formats were released, I've switched to renting only (SD and HD). I just looked at all the films on my shelves and asked myself how many times I've watched them. Only a handful have been watched enough to justify owning them rather than renting them. Even when the war is over, I'll continue to rent and if I do occasionally buy a few films it will be at a much lower rate than before the format wars.

One guy's "compulsion" is another guy's hobby. And the seemingly plausible arithmetic exercise is plainly incomplete, as is fails to account for the pleasure of watching in one's own home, the pleasure of avoiding crowded theaters, the absence of a need to travel to the theater, the owning of the movie, and the fact that it is a hobby.


NO. This is comparing only renting to buying. They are both enjoyed exclusively in one's own home. Theater going is a completely separate matter entirely and is exclusive to the idea. If anything having a larger library available would enable you to watch more movies. I would suggest that we are conditioned to be consumers and this is an easy $20 purchase.

That is not to say that people can't spend their money on whatever they want. Merely that IMHO it defies reason.

Let's see - Aliens was made in 1986. Are you talking about these 1986 classics?

The Golden Child

Sure, it's easy with selective memory to forget about the crappy ones. I've seen every one of those films, and I wouldn't put any of them in the "classics" category. But I can name some great 2007 titles too: Ratatouille, No Country For Old Men; Juno; 3:10 to Yuma; Bourne Ultimatum; etc. Every year is going to have a few hits and a ton of bombs - don't go old-fogey on us now!!

The Golden Child was my favorite movie when I was a lad. There was great joy in my heart when I watched it on HDMovies a few months back. I would go so far as to say THAT MOVIE IS A CLASSIC.

NO. This is comparing only renting to buying. They are both enjoyed exclusively in one's own home. Theater going is a completely separate matter entirely and is exclusive to the idea. If anything having a larger library available would enable you to watch more movies. I would suggest that we are conditioned to be consumers and this is an easy $20 purchase.

That is not to say that people can't spend their money on whatever they want. Merely that IMHO it defies reason.

It no more "defies reason" than any one of a zillion things, including several of the ones I listed. One cannot say that something that lots of people do "defies reason" when those people have provided many explanations for why they do it and the satisfaction they derive from doing so. At most, one can say that he or she has different preferences and chooses not to do the same thing. Saying that something "defies reason" does not make it so.

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

I can certainly understand your position. I don't really like Blu Ray and am very disgusted at Corporations trying to force me to buy one format I find not as user friendly over the one I much prefer (a la Warner Home Video and their delay HD DVD tactic which is purely spiteful and as a result I will NOT spend a penny on Warner from now on and will do all within my power to convince all my friends and associates likewise). I agree it is time to punish Hollywood, it's just that I'd like to begin by punishing Time Warner and the Blu Ray studios first, then, I may move on to following your suggestion later.
D

I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.


Actually HD VOD is here already. Directv has it. There are also several HDPPV channels as well.

It no more "defies reason" than any one of a zillion things, including several of the ones I listed. One cannot say that something that lots of people do "defies reason" when those people have provided many explanations for why they do it and the satisfaction they derive from doing so. At most, one can say that he or she has different preferences and chooses not to do the same thing. Saying that something "defies reason" does not make it so.

Bravo. Exactly. there is a "reason" for each method of thinking. In reality it just comes down to your priorities. If you just wanna see the movie and not care about seeing it again or don't watch movies on whims then by all means renting is for you and no one should tell you differently. However if you enjoy collecting and watching movies at 2a.m. on a friday night with your friends on a whim, or just get the itch to watch a certain movie and the itch will leave you in a few hours, then collecting is the way to go. Or hell, be crazy and do BOTH!!!! (shocking I know ;) ).

My personal opinion is that renting is wasteful (Just my opinion guys). I don't have anything afterwards. It's why I hate going out to a restaurant. I can feed myself and my wife with frugal home cooking (that tastes absolutely fantastic) for 2-3 days all 3 meals a day for the same price as a nice dinner for 2. I don't get anything for that money. I poop it out the same as the food I make at home. It's the same with renting. I would rather buy the disc and be able to enjoy it for years to come with that initial purchase than be required to pay $6 per VOD rental or even the $2 for netflix that I can never enjoy again until I shell out more money. *shrug, just the way I'm wired. I'm not conditioned to be a consumer as much as I like to control what I watch, when I watch without being nickle and dimed.

I can certainly understand your position. I don't really like Blu Ray and am very disgusted at Corporations trying to force me to buy one format I find not as user friendly over the one I much prefer (a la Warner Home Video and their delay HD DVD tactic which is purely spiteful and as a result I will NOT spend a penny on Warner from now on and will do all within my power to convince all my friends and associates likewise). I agree it is time to punish Hollywood, it's just that I'd like to begin by punishing Time Warner and the Blu Ray studios first, then, I may move on to following your suggestion later.
D

Great attempt at dragging the format war into a discussion that should have nothing to do with it. :rolleyes:

Great attempt at dragging the format war into a discussion that should have nothing to do with it. :rolleyes:

But it does have something to do with it, if you read the responses in this thread it seems that a strong contingent of people who have decided to move to rental only are frustrated HD DVD supporters.

Eh, to each his own. I only buy movies that I really, really want anyway.

90% of movies I see I only want to watch once anyway, so why buy? The other 10% I'm very happy owning in multiple formats because I enjoy them greatly.

By the way, I'm considering moving to Alexandria in June, have any apartment recommendations for me? :)

Make sure they have FIOS.

But it does have something to do with it, if you read the responses in this thread it seems that a strong contingent of people who have decided to move to rental only are frustrated HD DVD supporters.

Ya know what. Cry me a river. I bought HD DVD too and I lost. If you can't afford to gamble a few $$ then you shouldn't be an early adopter.

Ya know what. Cry me a river. I bought HD DVD too and I lost. If you can't afford to gamble a few $$ then you shouldn't be an early adopter.

Agreed

But have you tried VUDU? I've fallen in love with this service.
The main reason I bought so many HD DVD/BD titles was because I never knew what i would be in the mood to watch. I rent something from Netflix and it lays around for months since I'm not in the mood to watch. VUDU has around 5000 SD titles and will have 70HD titles to watch later this week. As long as they add new HD titles on a regular basis, VUDU will be my primary rental choice. I will still buy 60 or 70 HD DVD/BD titles this year but will do much more renting from VUDU. I had planned on purchasing 300+ HD DVD/BD titles but realistically I don't need to. As long as I can watch it in 1080P24 and watch it right away, the VUDU box will meet my needs for the majority of my HD rentals.

rental is the way to go... i started renting 99% of my movies long ago.

This really doesn't have anything to do with the "war". Hollywood is petrified about losing the incredible revenue streams they have been receiving through DVD revenues (24B gross last year alone). This is largely why we have HDM at all. Its certainly not because the public has been clamoring for it. We are just discussing the rationale behind that pie shrinking. In my estimation it has something to do with the fact that we have been asked to buy the same movie 6-7 times now in different formats, then "Special Editions", etc. All we really wanted was to have a complete collection of movies and we could easily talk ourselves into all the joy we would get out of watching that movie 5 times in the next 10 years. Well by the time we watch it again we have to get a different version. There isn't perceived value anymore. I bet I have watched only 10% of my collection more than once. There is always going to be a bigger better thing and I for one am done chasing after it. I think they just squeezed too many times.

I can certainly understand your position. I don't really like Blu Ray and am very disgusted at Corporations trying to force me to buy one format I find not as user friendly over the one I much prefer (a la Warner Home Video and their delay HD DVD tactic which is purely spiteful and as a result I will NOT spend a penny on Warner from now on and will do all within my power to convince all my friends and associates likewise).

Huh, can I assume out of concern for consumers you don't buy any Paramount or Dreamworks products? Their treatment of Blu-ray customers was far more heinous (and without any warning at all!) than Warner is treating HD DVD customers...sheesh, you can still get their movies for almost half a year!

Or do you not really care one whit about "fairness" to consumers, and in fact are just bitter because your format lost?

Seems to me like its mostly people who bought into the wrong format feeling this way.

I know: I wish those BR people would grow up! BRD will "catch up" in many ways a few miles down the road.

rental is the way to go... i started renting 99% of my movies long ago.


+infinity.

I have a better library than anyone could have 4 blocks from my house. No more clutter and it is "green". The only downside is I can't get to it between 12 midnight and 9 am.

Here's what's worked for me as for the past 2 years:

1) Find a Redbox where rentals only cost you $1 per night.
2) Get the movie you want
3) Watch it and decide whether it's worth buying.
4) If it is worth buying, you've already seen it, so you can wait until it goes on sale.

This method satisfies the impulse of having releases on the first day AND saves the pain of paying new release price for terrible movies. At $1 a rental, how can you go wrong.

If you can't find a Redbox close to you, ask your local grocer to add a vending machone. It gets people in the store. They've been popping all over the place in my area and are well used.

+infinity.

I have a better library than anyone could have 4 blocks from my house. No more clutter and it is "green". The only downside is I can't get to it between 12 midnight and 9 am.

not being snotty here at all, but that type of library only carries the hollywood stuff, what about all those indie films and hard to find older films. My library (my next room) has hundreds of those at less than 4 yards from me :D

This really doesn't have anything to do with the "war". Hollywood is petrified about losing the incredible revenue streams they have been receiving through DVD revenues (24B gross last year alone). This is largely why we have HDM at all. Its certainly not because the public has been clamoring for it. We are just discussing the rationale behind that pie shrinking. In my estimation it has something to do with the fact that we have been asked to buy the same movie 6-7 times now in different formats, then "Special Editions", etc. All we really wanted was to have a complete collection of movies and we could easily talk ourselves into all the joy we would get out of watching that movie 5 times in the next 10 years. Well by the time we watch it again we have to get a different version. There isn't perceived value anymore. I bet I have watched only 10% of my collection more than once. There is always going to be a bigger better thing and I for one am done chasing after it. I think they just squeezed too many times.

DVD has succeeded because it's expense reductions over time have made it an impulse products that affords great replay value depending on the movie. People have different tastes and DVD has an EXTREMELY diverse and deep amount of content available.

As for the reason people aren't buying as many titles as they used to, it's largely due to the fact that Hollywood has been turning out too many formulaic movies. When the pool of available content is slim, you can get away with doing that, but when almost every DVD owner has or can afford a small library of DVDs to get by on in slow or bad movie cycles, they don't feel as inclined to buy a new release they're really not into.

It's hard to corral people to a new format when there remains plenty for them to pick from with DVD. Not to mention all the other content options available today or coming soon.

Hollywood needs to evolve their business model.

I can name some great 2007 titles too: Ratatouille, No Country For Old Men; Juno; 3:10 to Yuma; Bourne Ultimatum; etc. Every year is going to have a few hits and a ton of bombs - don't go old-fogey on us now!!
YMMV. I saw all those except Juno, which wouldn't get me in the door. Only Bourne lived up to expectations. I thought the script to 3:10 was written during lunch breaks :p

But it does have something to do with it, if you read the responses in this thread it seems that a strong contingent of people who have decided to move to rental only are frustrated HD DVD supporters.

Not in my case - -I made the shift to mostly rental at the same time I bought HD DVD back in April 2006. It was the change in formats and the existence of the war that did it - not the recent shift by Warner to BD. (That made me finally by a PS3.)

... Kind-of like getting a song stuck in your head so you have to go play it, you know? I'm that way with cinematography.


Oh, I know! I'm the exact same way. I get an itch to watch a certain movie at least 3 times a week. When that happens, no other movie will satisfy.

But, that itch doesn't including getting off the couch, getting dressed, putting make-up on, finding my keys, driving 2 miles to the video store, walking up and down the aisle thinking "now would that be classified as action, drama, romance, comedy, romantic comedy?", only to find they don't carry it or it's out of stock. :(

Then on the off chance they happen to have the flick my whim desires, the itch certainly doesn't including standing in line while fighting the temptation of all the delicious treats staring at me begging to be eaten (a fight I generally lose and feel guilty over), engaging in mindless chit chat with the clerk ("no, I'm not a reward zone member.... yes, I'm sure it's a great deal... no thank you") just to find I have 6 months of late fees.

I'd much rather just stroll happily over to my video collection, pick the movie in question, and enjoy the next two hours of bliss on tap.

Instant gratification has no price tag. :p

Mia

Oh, I know! I'm the exact same way. I get an itch to watch a certain movie at least 3 times a week. When that happens, no other movie will satisfy.

But, that itch doesn't including getting off the couch, getting dressed, putting make-up on, finding my keys, driving 2 miles to the video store, walking up and down the aisle thinking "now would that be classified as action, drama, romance, comedy, romantic comedy?", only to find they don't carry it or it's out of stock. :(

Then on the off chance they happen to have the flick my whim desires, the itch certainly doesn't including standing in line while fighting the temptation of all the delicious treats staring at me begging to be eaten (a fight I generally lose and feel guilty over), engaging in mindless chit chat with the clerk ("no, I'm not a reward zone member.... yes, I'm sure it's a great deal... no thank you") just to find I have 6 months of late fees.

I'd much rather just stroll happily over to my video collection, pick the movie in question, and enjoy the next two hours of bliss on tap.

Instant gratification has no price tag. :p

Mia

I could not have said it better.

WB’s defection from HD DVD has turned me from a $30 movie buyer to a $5 movie renter. I’ll still buy the movies that come out on HD DVD and I’ll use Apple TV to rent those that don’t.

$150 HD DVD Player + $229 Apple TV is still less than the lowest MSRP on a Blu-ray player.


the only studio I will not support is WB...I even cancel Time Warner cable ans got DTV :)

To the person who started this thread and wrote:

This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included.

I'm not gonna argue the merits of Blu-ray VS HD-DVD, but I'm just wondering how this 'war' is any different than any other format war that's happened in the past? We've always been subject to them and nothing has changed with this one. So far, that I can recall off the top of my head:

CBS LP VS RCA 45 RPM record
JVC VHS VS Sony Beta VS Quasar Great Time Machine VS Sanyo V-Cord II
Philips/MCA Optical Videodisc VS RCA CED VideoDisc (it was Philips/MCA Optical Videodisc VS JVC VHD Video Disc in Japan until 1989)
CBS/Sony SQ VS Sansui QS VS JVC/RCA CD-4 Quadradisc
dbx II VS Dolby-B/C Noise Reduction
Philips DCC VS Sony's MiniDisc
Philips CD-I VS Commodore CDTV VS Radio Shack-Memorex/Microsoft VIS
Apple Macintosh VS IBM PC
Mac OS VS Windows
It just always happens and always will - I see nothing to get more irritated about nowdays with Blu VS HDVD. And I don't know why it should be any different.

Er, no.

I enjoy collecting movies, seeing them on the shelf, etc.

You spend your money, I'll spend mine.

+1 With no disrespect intended.
I collect movies for many reasons.
Some bring back memories of better times of watching them originally with loved ones now long passed.
Some just bring back memories that I find enjoyable to relive.
Some I just watch and rewatch because I like the movie itself.
I didnt really start collecting untill DVD came along.
I had a few VHS,and still remember buying my first VCR,but DVD became almost an addiction.
Now that addiction has transferred to HDM.
As an enthusiast,I like many want my movies in the highest/best quality possible.
I also watch the movies I collect many times over.
Some more than others,some awhole lot more than others.
I also find it comforting to know they are allways there anytime I should feel the urge to watch them.
They are kinda like friends that remind me of better/happier times.
They are comforting to me.:D

... However if you enjoy collecting and watching movies at 2a.m. on a friday night with your friends on a whim, or just get the itch to watch a certain movie and the itch will leave you in a few hours, then collecting is the way to go.

I could not have said it better. :p

Mia

the only studio I will not support is WB...I even cancel Time Warner cable ans got DTV :)


So all Blu-Ray supporters should likewise boycott Paramount for their similar move?

You guys are seriously too much.

+1 With no disrespect intended.
I collect movies for many reasons.
Some bring back memories of better times of watching them originally with loved ones now long passed.
Some just bring back memories that I find enjoyable to relive.
Some I just watch and rewatch because I like the movie itself.
I didnt really start collecting untill DVD came along.
I had a few VHS,and still remember buying my first VCR,but DVD became almost an addiction.
Now that addiction has transferred to HDM.
As an enthusiast,I like many want my movies in the highest/best quality possible.
I also watch the movies I collect many times over.
Some more than others,some awhole lot more than others.
I also find it comforting to know they are allways there anytime I should feel the urge to watch them.
They are kinda like friends that remind me of better/happier times.
They are comforting to me.:D

Well put.

Pioneer's Project Kuro: The 9mm thick, infinite contrast 70-inch plasma HDTV-$11,000.
7.1 Surround Sound System-$5,000.
Hi End Blu-ray player-$1,500.
Being able to watch my favorite movies when I want-Priceless:)

Whats not to LOVE :D

i guess we are all built differently. i can't stand to watch a movie more than once. the suspense is gone, you know the plot twist, the punch lines.

maybe years later, after your memory has faded, but even then, if your time is at a premium, then better to watch something you haven't seen before. i rarely have time to go the movies anymore and if i do go, it has to be a pg movie cause of the kids. so i've missed tons of blockbusters. so there is always something new for me to watch.

i am currently doing netflix 5 at a time, but they are so backed up with new releases, that i am also dropping by the local blockbuster now that they have gotten rid of late fees.

i guess we are all built differently. i can't stand to watch a movie more than once.

"I guess I'm just a simple fellow,
Nothing wrong with that,
I saw Star Wars 17 times,
Those are just the facts.":D

I believe people will be doing just that. I walk into people's houses everyday that have a ton of unopened DVDs that they bought just because they remembered liking the movie and it was cheap. They won't be doing that with expensive HDM.

not being snotty here at all, but that type of library only carries the hollywood stuff, what about all those indie films and hard to find older films. My library (my next room) has hundreds of those at less than 4 yards from me :D


Not true. My local Hollywood Video which is a small one in a small town which means it has less stock than a standard one, has a ton of indie and oldie films. I watcha lot of ones from Asia, Sundance and Cannes award winners, etc.

Yes they will......... I own 65 HD discs (HD DVD & BLU RAY). 26 still unwatched / shrink wrapped....

...I'll get to them one of these days.... I Netflix too much!

For those of you dedicated to collecting, what would you say your ratio of re-viewing is? Are all your purchases blind buys?

Maybe I'm just getting old and codgerly, but I find myself liking fewer and fewer movies each year. I'd say, conservatively, I might consider 10% of what I see ever worth watching again or putting on my shelf. Of the other 90%, roughly a third of those I wish I had never wasted the time watching in the first place.

The way I figure it, by renting almost everything first (at about $2), the money I save can be used to buy those 10% worthy of re-watching, and the balance of the savings can be used to improve my gear.

I still buy movies, but I'm extremely selective, and frugal. I look at those purchases two ways - to have a copy I own, but also to reward the studios for a well-made movie.

I look forward to a day when thousands of high-quality movies will be readily available for instant viewing, at a nominal cost. Consider it an enormous virtual collectors shelf, filled with more than any private collector could ever hope to have.

Until then, I'll settle for Netflix.

Scott

Huh, can I assume out of concern for consumers you don't buy any Paramount or Dreamworks products? Their treatment of Blu-ray customers was far more heinous (and without any warning at all!) than Warner is treating HD DVD customers...sheesh, you can still get their movies for almost half a year!

Or do you not really care one whit about "fairness" to consumers, and in fact are just bitter because your format lost?

The main difference between myself and the majority is that I am a person with principles I won't abandon at the drop of a format by one studio. Warner is the BIGGEST Hypocritical company now as they initially declared sole support for HD DVD format and conceded in late 2005 that they would also support Blu Ray because they felt that Sony's argument that they would dominate due to millions of PS3 units flooding the market was probably a Sound reason to also release in Blu Ray as did Paramount just prior to Warner's decision. Whereas Paramount has just reverted back to their original position of solely supporting HD DVD, Warner has betrayed every principle they frequently preached ... NEUTRALITY is what all studios should be doing they told Execs and the public in their ads and speeches etc. They had worked hand in hand with Toshiba in the mid-1990s to make DVD a successful format and now they've stabbed Toshiba, their buying public and every HD DVD owner in the back. Not content with stabbing them, they've also decided to stagger their HD DVD releases by at least 3 weeks from now until the end of May. THIS is in flagrant disregard of their loyal HD DVD customer who have hitherto purchased their HD DVD discs within a day or two of release and now cannot do so until 3 weeks later.

Why should I or any other principled individual who stands up for their principles have any respect for Warner now? Why should we just give up on High Def DVD or cave in to buying solely blu ray discs? Why can't we send our message loud and clear by voting with our wallets and spreading the word everywhere we can about hitting these bastard studio heads where it hurts most: Their Bonuses (wallet).

D

Not true. My local Hollywood Video which is a small one in a small town which means it has less stock than a standard one, has a ton of indie and oldie films. I watcha lot of ones from Asia, Sundance and Cannes award winners, etc.

Here in Plattsburg, Missouri (pop 2500), the only place to rent movies on DVD is from Hy-Klass Foods supermarket - they have the trailier-trashiest made-for-video junk you have ever seen on DVD! In other words, not real movies. And all of its Full-Frame with stickers that say "No Annoying Black Bars!" So, we get discs from Netflix and the local library down in Smithville. Through Inter-Library Loan (ILL) and requesting titles via internet we get all kinds of esoteric stuff - and an email when its ready to pick up. We get so much that the library has created a special bin just for our discs. One of the librarians didn't even own a DVD player yet and was so surprised at the cool titles we've been getting via ILL that she finally bought a player. And lots of great out-of-print VHS stuff is available too. Stuff that might never see the light of day on DVD.

In the past month, Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles have started showing up in the ILL computer. Way too-cool!

Some libraries charge a buck or so for their DVD's, which is a shame considering the public already pays for the titles via taxes. But, most libraries don't charge a thing, even for Inter-Library Loan - so, check yours out and ask about ILL - it's better than Netflix in title selection - you can find some really, really obscure DVD's.

The main difference between myself and the majority is that I am a person with principles I won't abandon at the drop of a format by one studio. Warner is the BIGGEST Hypocritical company now as they initially declared sole support for HD DVD format and conceded in late 2005 that they would also support Blu Ray because they felt that Sony's argument that they would dominate due to millions of PS3 units flooding the market was probably a Sound reason to also release in Blu Ray as did Paramount just prior to Warner's decision. Whereas Paramount has just reverted back to their original position of solely supporting HD DVD, Warner has betrayed every principle they frequently preached ... NEUTRALITY is what all studios should be doing they told Execs and the public in their ads and speeches etc. They had worked hand in hand with Toshiba in the mid-1990s to make DVD a successful format and now they've stabbed Toshiba, their buying public and every HD DVD owner in the back. Not content with stabbing them, they've also decided to stagger their HD DVD releases by at least 3 weeks from now until the end of May. THIS is in flagrant disregard of their loyal HD DVD customer who have hitherto purchased their HD DVD discs within a day or two of release and now cannot do so until 3 weeks later.

Why should I or any other principled individual who stands up for their principles have any respect for Warner now? Why should we just give up on High Def DVD or cave in to buying solely blu ray discs? Why can't we send our message loud and clear by voting with our wallets and spreading the word everywhere we can about hitting these bastard studio heads where it hurts most: Their Bonuses (wallet).

D


[Laughing]

What a load of hypocrasy.... Did you say it was OK for Paramount to drop Blu ray but not OK for Warner to drop HD DVD? And this is 'principled'?

(Oh...you did say that.. I quoted it).

Your principles are a bit slanted, eh?


I found this little post you may have forgotten about....

I am not buying both formats until both formats are on equal footing and neither seems to be going away anytime soon. That means avoiding Blu Ray like a plague until they settle all their Revision 1.1 or Profile 2.0 or whatever other names they apply to all the catching up they are trying to achieve to attain a level of technological parity with HD DVD.
SO my answer at this point is YES it is wrong to support both (especially if you want a 1 format HD Disk world.

Principles. So, it is good to avoid BLu Ray like the Plague because of the revision issues/ profiles or is it the Warner deal?? Principles..........:o

I saw the light a few years ago. I'm curious to know if the percentage of people who buy vs rent has gone up or down.




According to last years sales...rentals were flat and sales were down for all media.

Why I buy movies:

-I like having movies on my shelf that I can watch whenever

-I spent the cash on the equipment so it is nice to have a collection to go with it

-I like owning stuff

-I do not have any vices, have no desire to eat out, and have no kids or a spouse so I have a lot of disposable income

-I have no desire to go to a rental store and waste my time looking for something that or may not be in stock. My time is worth the diff between buying a movie for 20 bucks and renting it for 5.

That's basically it.

When I first really started getting into this hobby I was buying a lot of dvds but once we got a decent online rental jig here in Canada I started to rent more dvds than buy. I'd say in the year leading up to when I got into hd dvd in the summer of 06 that I bought maybe 10 dvds which is not many as I have a little over 1000 of them. Once I got into hd dvd and then into blu ray I started to buy a lot of those discs but I am more selective than I was in the early 2000s with dvd. I do put more of the iffy hd titles into my rental queue but since these formats are still new and stuff the hd versions of the movies take a while to be sent to me and there are times where I will break down and buy the "iffy" disc instead of wait for the rental to be sent to me.

I think if my online rental place got more hd media that I'd rent even more but I would still be buying a fair amount of these discs simply because I like owning stuff. I doubt I will ever get to the place where I only have like 5 discs in a format and rent everything else.

The main difference between myself and the majority is that I am a person with principles I won't abandon at the drop of a format by one studio. Warner is the BIGGEST Hypocritical company now as they initially declared sole support for HD DVD format and conceded in late 2005 that they would also support Blu Ray because they felt that Sony's argument that they would dominate due to millions of PS3 units flooding the market was probably a Sound reason to also release in Blu Ray as did Paramount just prior to Warner's decision. Whereas Paramount has just reverted back to their original position of solely supporting HD DVD, Warner has betrayed every principle they frequently preached ... NEUTRALITY is what all studios should be doing they told Execs and the public in their ads and speeches etc. They had worked hand in hand with Toshiba in the mid-1990s to make DVD a successful format and now they've stabbed Toshiba, their buying public and every HD DVD owner in the back. Not content with stabbing them, they've also decided to stagger their HD DVD releases by at least 3 weeks from now until the end of May. THIS is in flagrant disregard of their loyal HD DVD customer who have hitherto purchased their HD DVD discs within a day or two of release and now cannot do so until 3 weeks later.

Why should I or any other principled individual who stands up for their principles have any respect for Warner now? Why should we just give up on High Def DVD or cave in to buying solely blu ray discs? Why can't we send our message loud and clear by voting with our wallets and spreading the word everywhere we can about hitting these bastard studio heads where it hurts most: Their Bonuses (wallet).

D

Good luck with this. Putting aside the fact that I don't agree with the narrative of the "facts," depriving yourself of content you want is not going to punish a studio in the least.

For those of you dedicated to collecting, what would you say your ratio of re-viewing is? Are all your purchases blind buys?

I won't figure it out because it's pointless. Some flicks I rewatched regularly enough or as background noise. There are movies I buy that I never watch. My wife watches them. I also have my retired parents in the household and they love having a large library of movies to choose from. I have a couple of kids that are growing into movies and are coming to discover my collection.

Back when I was a teenager, I watched a ton of movies multiple times. I don't have the time now. But I still rewatch stuff when I can and when the mood strikes. And moods can be weird when you get on a kick for something. My wife pulled out a TV series she saw nine years ago and marathoned it over a weekend. With the kids. They got their introduction to it. Money well spent nine years ago in my mind.

Everyone's situation is different.

Among other motives I buy movie because i like to share my love of movies with friends or relative who also appreciate this kind of thing. A DVD i own is a DVD i can lend.

I rarely buy movies. I prefer renting them via online download, but I don't do much of that either.

I'm just lazy, really. Plus videogames keep my free time occupied.

The main difference between myself and the majority is that I am a person with principles I won't abandon at the drop of a format by one studio. Warner is the BIGGEST Hypocritical company now as they initially declared sole support for HD DVD format and conceded in late 2005 that they would also support Blu Ray because they felt that Sony's argument that they would dominate due to millions of PS3 units flooding the market was probably a Sound reason to also release in Blu Ray as did Paramount just prior to Warner's decision. Whereas Paramount has just reverted back to their original position of solely supporting HD DVD, Warner has betrayed every principle they frequently preached ... NEUTRALITY is what all studios should be doing they told Execs and the public in their ads and speeches etc. They had worked hand in hand with Toshiba in the mid-1990s to make DVD a successful format and now they've stabbed Toshiba, their buying public and every HD DVD owner in the back. Not content with stabbing them, they've also decided to stagger their HD DVD releases by at least 3 weeks from now until the end of May. THIS is in flagrant disregard of their loyal HD DVD customer who have hitherto purchased their HD DVD discs within a day or two of release and now cannot do so until 3 weeks later.

Why should I or any other principled individual who stands up for their principles have any respect for Warner now? Why should we just give up on High Def DVD or cave in to buying solely blu ray discs? Why can't we send our message loud and clear by voting with our wallets and spreading the word everywhere we can about hitting these bastard studio heads where it hurts most: Their Bonuses (wallet).

D

Well soon there will be no Warner HD-DVD produced by Warner. Thus their will be no Warner product to boycott for HD-DVD fanatics. So how is Warner going to 'get the message'? (i.e. Warner is now expecting for HD-DVD to crash and burn anyways)

Beating a dead horse? Times change. Life goes on. Sour grapes, eh?

I like having movies I want to watch on tap.

Even with 1800+ DVDs and close to a hundred HD-DVD discs.. I never seem to have what I want to watch on tap.

I've come to the realization buying movies is simply a waste of money for 99% of the titles.

I'm anxiouslly awaiting a good HD video on demand system. Give me an IMDB type library where every movie is available with a click for around 5$ and i'm down!

Bourne Identity cost me almost 40$ on high def. I've watched it once. Will likely only ever watch it once more. (MAYBE)...

What a waste. I could have rented it from a Netflix or something twice (10$) and used the other 30$ to put towards a larger more worthwhile purchase.

We will all be scrapping our DVD's within a few years as we replace them with HDM (just as we all did with VHS) and we will then scrap the HDM in another 10 years as we replace them for Format X or VOD.

It's an endless cycle of spending money to look at cases on a shelf.

I didn't take the time to read the whole thread, so I'm responding to the first post.

I just did a quick survey of my two DVD shelves and found probably 7 movies which I have watched maybe once. All the rest are definitely multiple views which I see myself viewing again.

Heck, I've gone through the entire 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1, and 2 seasons of Atlantis twice. I've seen season 3 of Atlantis once, but just before season 4 is released, I'll re-watch season 3.

As far as the whol repurchasing thing, here's the deal for me. Getting rid of VHS tapes was pretty much a given for one major reason - tapes degrade over time. However, DVDs do not. So in all likelihood I will keep many of the movies I just 'like' on DVD, and will only update the ones that are really special. Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars immediately come to mind. As for future purchases of new releases, they will all be Blu-Ray. The only DVDs I will purchase are ones of older movies which I don't see coming to Blu-Ray anytime soon.

The bottom line for me is it's different this time because DVDs won't have tracking problems, squirrely audio, or degraded video no matter how many times I watch it (so long as the disk is properly handled)

But then again, I try to only get the movies I really like, which is why my ratio of multiple viewed movies to one time views is so high.

And getting a RiffTrax for a movie also greatly enhances the replay value. (look it up if you haven't heard of it)

I just love being able to go 500 or so movie collection and pick out a movie to match my mood. Why do people buy music? I should probably sell off a few of the movies I purchased on a whim and were not worth watching again. But, there are plenty of movies that have been watched 5 or more times. And don't get me started on kid's movies. I think that my kids have watched some movies 30 or more times.

+1 With no disrespect intended.
I collect movies for many reasons.
Some bring back memories of better times of watching them originally with loved ones now long passed.
Some just bring back memories that I find enjoyable to relive.
Some I just watch and rewatch because I like the movie itself.
I didnt really start collecting untill DVD came along.
I had a few VHS,and still remember buying my first VCR,but DVD became almost an addiction.
Now that addiction has transferred to HDM.
As an enthusiast,I like many want my movies in the highest/best quality possible.
I also watch the movies I collect many times over.
Some more than others,some awhole lot more than others.
I also find it comforting to know they are allways there anytime I should feel the urge to watch them.
They are kinda like friends that remind me of better/happier times.
They are comforting to me.:D

Well put.

Large numbers of consumers started collecting DVDs when price points fell to a level so attractive that it barely seemed worthwhile to rent any more. (Let's see; pay $4 or $5 to rent and have the inconvenient return trip, under deadline - or pay $12 to $15 to own it forever, for future viewings or just for the pleasure of owning.)

Others started collecting when the music industry bizarrely priced the audio CD soundtrack for $18 to $22 - when by comparison, consumers could own the film for $15. (I still shake my head in disbelief over that one.)

My collection is modest: under 300 titles. Most were bought used, to save a few bucks. It's a pleasure to keep these "friends" around, and I routinely pull titles from "the collection" just to view a favorite scene. The other night I caught 30 minutes of Milos Forman's 1979 "Hair" (a long-time favorite) and felt swept up, discovering things anew that I now view in a different light in 2008 - plus it was wonderful to see these amazing performances and hear the music again.

Just say "YES" to your passion or hobby - even if it means it's Hollywood.

I rarely buy movies. I prefer renting them via online download, but I don't do much of that either.

I'm just lazy, really. Plus videogames keep my free time occupied.

Hehehe... the big wigs can complain all they want about piracy and it's effects on CD and Movie sales declining a little. But the real reason is that video games are up 43%!!! (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6523709.html?desc=topstory)

Many a movie night has been replaced with Wii party nights, and when Starcraft II is finally unleashed... I imagine we'll be having many a SC2 LAN party night... which means upgrading laptops which means less money to spend on movies and music (replaced with ingame cutscenes and background music eheheh).

I only buy movies that I have already seen and feel like I love them so much I might watch them at least a couple of times in the future. Also, I really, really, enjoy extras, commentaries and such. If a DVD has 3 commentaries, I'm sure to sit through and watch all three at one time or another.

I also find that TV shows on DVD make great repeat viewing. It's quite fun to 're-watch' a show, in order, from Season 1 onward.

It's cool to lend them out to friends and family--assuming they're trustworthy of course!

I do see the OPs point though, I can't imagine re-buying all my DVDs onto HDM, even though I feel pretty good about 95% of all my DVD purchases. I think just a few things will make the DVD to HDM transistion, and the rest will just be new movies.

Hehehe... the big wigs can complain all they want about piracy and it's effects on CD and Movie sales declining a little. But the real reason is that video games are up 43%!!! (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6523709.html?desc=topstory)

Many a movie night has been replaced with Wii party nights, and when Starcraft II is finally unleashed... I imagine we'll be having many a SC2 LAN party night... which means upgrading laptops which means less money to spend on movies and music (replaced with ingame cutscenes and background music eheheh).

this is to totally true. there just isnt enough time in the day. hehehe. it really doesnt have anything to do with not being able to buy the movies due to expensive games but gaming really keeps you from going to the store and checking stuff out.

For those of you dedicated to collecting, what would you say your ratio of re-viewing is? Are all your purchases blind buys?

Maybe I'm just getting old and codgerly, but I find myself liking fewer and fewer movies each year. I'd say, conservatively, I might consider 10% of what I see ever worth watching again or putting on my shelf. Of the other 90%, roughly a third of those I wish I had never wasted the time watching in the first place.

The way I figure it, by renting almost everything first (at about $2), the money I save can be used to buy those 10% worthy of re-watching, and the balance of the savings can be used to improve my gear.

I still buy movies, but I'm extremely selective, and frugal. I look at those purchases two ways - to have a copy I own, but also to reward the studios for a well-made movie.

I look forward to a day when thousands of high-quality movies will be readily available for instant viewing, at a nominal cost. Consider it an enormous virtual collectors shelf, filled with more than any private collector could ever hope to have.

Until then, I'll settle for Netflix.

Scott

well... as i stated before i dont do blind buys very often. I did it once on a recomendation and i got burned. I believe i own like 4 dvds that i will never watch again. I rent first and decide if its worth it to me to buy. so the percentage of blind buys is somewhere around .005%.

looking forward to the day where thousands of high-quality movies will be readily available? well here is the rub with that. most places will only stock what sells. if you like the old B&W movies you will be out of luck as they wont sell. the new generation of consumers is coming in and are starting to dominate the market with their likes. As you have mentioned you only like 10% of whats out there. Thats a sign of getting old my friend. I have listened to my parents complain about the crap thats on tv. Back in the days they had entertainers. They danced sang acted and did comedy. You didnt just have actors and comics. This made for great entertainment. I would bet 10 grand that nobody today has the talent available to them to write a movie with the staying power of Its a wonderful life, or Miracle (sp?) on 34th street. The talent pool just isnt there. Not to mention i dont think there are very many actors that could actually hold you with a script like that. Its all about blowing stuff up and CGI effects.

sorry about the rant people. :)

I just love being able to go 500 or so movie collection and pick out a movie to match my mood. Why do people buy music? I should probably sell off a few of the movies I purchased on a whim and were not worth watching again. But, there are plenty of movies that have been watched 5 or more times. And don't get me started on kid's movies. I think that my kids have watched some movies 30 or more times.

I can literally quote every word of dialog from Mary Poppins and most of the princess movies.

Love them, but yeah, excessive amounts of viewing on certain movies. :)

well... as i stated before i dont do blind buys very often. I did it once on a recomendation and i got burned. I believe i own like 4 dvds that i will never watch again. I rent first and decide if its worth it to me to buy. so the percentage of blind buys is somewhere around .005%.

looking forward to the day where thousands of high-quality movies will be readily available? well here is the rub with that. most places will only stock what sells. if you like the old B&W movies you will be out of luck as they wont sell. the new generation of consumers is coming in and are starting to dominate the market with their likes. As you have mentioned you only like 10% of whats out there. Thats a sign of getting old my friend. I have listened to my parents complain about the crap thats on tv. Back in the days they had entertainers. They danced sang acted and did comedy. You didnt just have actors and comics. This made for great entertainment. I would bet 10 grand that nobody today has the talent available to them to write a movie with the staying power of Its a wonderful life, or Miracle (sp?) on 34th street. The talent pool just isnt there. Not to mention i dont think there are very many actors that could actually hold you with a script like that. Its all about blowing stuff up and CGI effects.

sorry about the rant people. :)

Ha! glad to see someone else on this forum thinks "old school"!
esp. with all these young "whipersnappers" :eek:

I believe I remember reading that neither "Its a wonderful life" or "Miracle on 34th St" were critically aclaimed when they were released.

I think one of the biggest changes is what they call "reality" TV which is no reality at all. Bet they don't sell too many box sets of that crap.

I love being my own Blockbuster when it comes to movies. :D

No Late Fees
No crappy customer service
No Scratches.

You get the point. :)

I collect movies on DVD and I watch them often. I don't buy much newer films as I believe the films need to be out a while before I can decide if they're good enough to join my collection. I either go to the cinema, rent or watch newer films at least two times before I buy. If I still feel the film is worth watching I'll add it to my collection and watch it a whole buinch more times. Now, I don't get rid of my DVDs all of a sudden just because HD-DVDs have arrived. I don't think most of the films I like will ever get released in HD; especially if BD becomes the format of the future. I have movies from around the world in my collection in all regions and BD's region coding won't allow for me to buy the movies I want from wherever I want. I can't live with that so I'll stick with my DVDs. Hollywood is not my main revenue of getting movie either, I prefer European films; so I screw Hollywood over already, this because I don't think they release very many good film and haven't had a reasonable good/bad margin since the late 70's early 80's.

I don't think most of the films I like will ever get released in HD; especially if BD becomes the format of the future..

This is a very naive statement to make. In all likelihood we will see the catalog grow over the next few years and it will include increasing numbers of "classic" movies from the 60's, 70's and 80's.

You have to have a bigger standalone base to justify releasing more catalog. Numbers of releases were not much better for SD-DVD in its early years.

Additionally I don't think that BD will survive region coding forever. We will see hacked players that can play all regions eventually, it just takes time.

I used to the be the same way but I've gotten better with the HD format. In the last few months, I've started to sell DVD movies I simply will not watch again. And I will only buy a Blu-ray movie that I know I will watch countless times. I am no longer buying Blu-ray movies simply because it is available or because it is cheap. I'll admit, when I first purchased my PS3, I did buy some titles that I shouldn't have but only because I was blown away by the eye candy. But now that I have quite a few movies, I am pickier about which ones I purchase.

This is a very naive statement to make. In all likelihood we will see the catalog grow over the next few years and it will include increasing numbers of "classic" movies from the 60's, 70's and 80's.

You have to have a bigger standalone base to justify releasing more catalog. Numbers of releases were not much better for SD-DVD in its early years.

Additionally I don't think that BD will survive region coding forever. We will see hacked players that can play all regions eventually, it just takes time.
I totally agree with that. It all depends on demand. It does take some time. Also BD will be ripped to shreds once it becomes cheaper and more main stream.

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.


You purchased 45 HD-DVD titles? Don't blame Hollywood..blame yourself. HD-DVD was clearly the inferior format with less space and bandwidth, less studio support and only had players produced by 1 company...Toshiba. HD-DVD was dead from the beginning...only a matter of time. Have fun purchasing some more Blu-Ray titles.

I believe I remember reading that neither "Its a wonderful life" or "Miracle on 34th St" were critically aclaimed when they were released.

I think one of the biggest changes is what they call "reality" TV which is no reality at all. Bet they don't sell too many box sets of that crap.

I think you're correct about those titles not being critically acclaimed. I couldnt find anything to really verify it but i believe its on the extra features on the dvd of its a wonderful life or i saw a documentary about it or about James Stewart.

I have no problem with the discipline necessary to avoid double dips and only buying what I want. I learned this long ago with DVD. The "basic version" followed by the "super duper edition" later on down the road. If I want the movie enough, I get the first release otherwise I wait for the second. Finding myself watching the additionals of the super special edition became fewer are farther in between and is now largely trite and uninteresting. One of the few things that do catch my eye is different cuts (which I hoped would be solved by seamless branching even in the DVD days ala T2 ultimate edition). I have no regrets about getting Troy DC on Blu-ray when I already owned the theatrical Troy on HDDVD, for example.

I have never really understood the almost compulsive need of completists... Of the few high def double dips I already have on DVD are only those that I really really wanted (previous DVD demo material, etc).

A pity the OP threw his LD's away, though. I'd have taken them off his hands. :)

You purchased 45 HD-DVD titles? Don't blame Hollywood..blame yourself. HD-DVD was clearly the inferior format with less space and bandwidth, less studio support and only had players produced by 1 company...Toshiba. HD-DVD was dead from the beginning...only a matter of time. Have fun purchasing some more Blu-Ray titles.

My five HD-DVD players show no sign of being dead ;) I think you are missing the point, he is talking about rebuying the *SAME* content over and over again. I can feel his pain and since the WB decision it has made me take the five-step road to recovery.

BTW, BD is also a dead format, we just don't know the date.

You purchased 45 HD-DVD titles? Don't blame Hollywood..blame yourself. HD-DVD was clearly the inferior format with less space and bandwidth, less studio support and only had players produced by 1 company...Toshiba. HD-DVD was dead from the beginning...only a matter of time. Have fun purchasing some more Blu-Ray titles.


trolls and fanbois need to be banned. As simple as that. Apparently reading what the OP originally writes is beyond you since he NEVER mentioned specifically about rebuying HD DVD titles in BD format but rebuying titles PERIOD.

A pity the OP threw his LD's away, though. I'd have taken them off his hands. :)

i dont have a LD player anymore but im not going to give up my Star Wars LDs. They are nice and safe in some picture frames. :) who knows someday i may find a player at a garage sale or something. wouldnt mind spinning those again.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

In my case it would be self punishment.. i wish you good luck on cure... :-)

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

I've probably got about 100 titles that I re-watch often.
I've probably got another 200 titles that I have watched more than once and might actually watch again one day (usually when company comes over)

The other 1600 titles I own I have watched once and will likely never watch again.

Figure 15$ as an average price (even though some may be much more)

I've WASTED $24,000 on movies I'll only wanted to watch once. Now they sit on my shelf collecting dust.

The ones that I do watch often, I have never watched more than 5 times.
Thats 5000$ in rental fees.

The onces I've watched two or three times amount to about 2000$ in rental fees.

In the end:

Total: 1900 movies x 15$ = $28,500

100 movies x 5 rentals (5$) = $5,000
200 movies x 2 rentals (5$) = $2,000
1600 movies x 1 rental (5$) = $8,000

Total: $15,000 in rentals

In effect, I've thrown away $13,500 of my money. All so I can look at a shelf and say "wow look at all my movies"

I've probably got about 100 titles that I re-watch often.
I've probably got another 200 titles that I have watched more than once and might actually watch again one day (usually when company comes over)

The other 1600 titles I own I have watched once and will likely never watch again.

Figure 15$ as an average price (even though some may be much more)

I've WASTED $24,000 on movies I'll only wanted to watch once. Now they sit on my shelf collecting dust.

The ones that I do watch often, I have never watched more than 5 times.
Thats 5000$ in rental fees.

The onces I've watched two or three times amount to about 2000$ in rental fees.

In the end:

Total: 1900 movies x 15$ = $28,500

100 movies x 5 rentals (5$) = $5,000
200 movies x 2 rentals (5$) = $2,000
1600 movies x 1 rental (5$) = $8,000

Total: $15,000 in rentals

In effect, I've thrown away $13,500 of my money. All so I can look at a shelf and say "wow look at all my movies"

damn, you paid an average of $15 per movie???? I have about the same size collection and average about $6 a movie.

damn, you paid an average of $15 per movie???? I have about the same size collection and average about $6 a movie.

Well thats figuring in box sets, early purchases etc.

Up to about 3-4 years ago the average price of new releases was still $24 or so. (I'm in Canada).

Now most new releases are around 18$-20$ with older movies selling as low as 8$-10$ on average. (or those 2 for 15 deals).

I figured $15 was a good average estimate. I think in actuality its probably much higher since most of my collection was build back in the day. I got a DVD player within the first year or two of them being on the market and made most of my movie purchases right after that.

Well thats figuring in box sets, early purchases etc.

Up to about 3-4 years ago the average price of new releases was still $24 or so. (I'm in Canada).

Now most new releases are around 18$-20$ with older movies selling as low as 8$-10$ on average. (or those 2 for 15 deals).

I figured $15 was a good average estimate. I think in actuality its probably much higher since most of my collection was build back in the day. I got a DVD player within the first year or two of them being on the market and made most of my movie purchases right after that.

ahhh I see. I'm just a skinflint then :D, I bought most of my discs used when I worked at a used entertainment store so I would get less than $10 apiece per movie back in 99-2004. Then I only bought movies from Blockbuster at 4 for $20 type deals.

I've probably got about 100 titles that I re-watch often.
I've probably got another 200 titles that I have watched more than once and might actually watch again one day (usually when company comes over)

The other 1600 titles I own I have watched once and will likely never watch again.

Figure 15$ as an average price (even though some may be much more)

I've WASTED $24,000 on movies I'll only wanted to watch once. Now they sit on my shelf collecting dust.

The ones that I do watch often, I have never watched more than 5 times.
Thats 5000$ in rental fees.

The onces I've watched two or three times amount to about 2000$ in rental fees.

In the end:

Total: 1900 movies x 15$ = $28,500

100 movies x 5 rentals (5$) = $5,000
200 movies x 2 rentals (5$) = $2,000
1600 movies x 1 rental (5$) = $8,000

Total: $15,000 in rentals

In effect, I've thrown away $13,500 of my money. All so I can look at a shelf and say "wow look at all my movies"

Not trying to stir the pot (really), but of course, you could just keep the 300 movies you really like, and sell the other 1600. Even today, it's still possible without too much effort to get $5 for a used DVD. $5 x 1600 would get you $8000 back, so in essence, you would have only "lost" $5500. During the time that you owned them, you had the option to watch whatever you liked, and did not have to go out, stare at walls, wait for the cashier, no late fees, etc.

Not trying to stir the pot (really), but of course, you could just keep the 300 movies you really like, and sell the other 1600. Even today, it's still possible without too much effort to get $5 for a used DVD. $5 x 1600 would get you $8000 back, so in essence, you would have only "lost" $5500. During the time that you owned them, you had the option to watch whatever you liked, and did not have to go out, stare at walls, wait for the cashier, no late fees, etc.

This is my thought exactly. Who the heck buys 1600 movies anyway? The entire point of building a movie collection is so that when you are in the mood to watch a movie you can walk over and pick something you'd like to watch without driving to the video store, waiting for a by mail rental, or waiting for a download.

Certainly if there was a video download service that offered all of the advantages in AQ/PQ of Blu-Ray or HD DVD, and offered almost immediate start up of the movie, and had a huge catalog of titles, and charged a reasonable fee for viewing, many of us would go that route.

However, such a service doesn't currently exist.

Even with 1800+ DVDs and close to a hundred HD-DVD discs.. I never seem to have what I want to watch on tap.

I've come to the realization buying movies is simply a waste of money for 99% of the titles.

I'm anxiouslly awaiting a good HD video on demand system. Give me an IMDB type library where every movie is available with a click for around 5$ and i'm down!

Bourne Identity cost me almost 40$ on high def. I've watched it once. Will likely only ever watch it once more. (MAYBE)...

What a waste. I could have rented it from a Netflix or something twice (10$) and used the other 30$ to put towards a larger more worthwhile purchase.

We will all be scrapping our DVD's within a few years as we replace them with HDM (just as we all did with VHS) and we will then scrap the HDM in another 10 years as we replace them for Format X or VOD.

It's an endless cycle of spending money to look at cases on a shelf.

Unfortunately, I'm beginning to agree.:o

I've probably got about 100 titles that I re-watch often.
I've probably got another 200 titles that I have watched more than once and might actually watch again one day (usually when company comes over)

The other 1600 titles I own I have watched once and will likely never watch again.

Figure 15$ as an average price (even though some may be much more)

I've WASTED $24,000 on movies I'll only wanted to watch once. Now they sit on my shelf collecting dust.

The ones that I do watch often, I have never watched more than 5 times.
Thats 5000$ in rental fees.

The onces I've watched two or three times amount to about 2000$ in rental fees.

In the end:

Total: 1900 movies x 15$ = $28,500

100 movies x 5 rentals (5$) = $5,000
200 movies x 2 rentals (5$) = $2,000
1600 movies x 1 rental (5$) = $8,000

Total: $15,000 in rentals

In effect, I've thrown away $13,500 of my money. All so I can look at a shelf and say "wow look at all my movies"


You are calculating cost of five dollars per rental if I am understanding correctly. In actuality you could have saved considerably more renting and not buying. Hollywood Video near me has MVP plans which are 25.00 a month for two movies at a time. There is no late fee and you can keep them up to a month.

So taking it to the extreme.

Buy two movies a day @ 15.00 per movie = 30.00 a day, or 600.00 a month.

Renting 2 movies per day @ 25 per month unlimited = 25.00 a month.

Savings per month renting vs buying = 575.00.

Cut those figures in half and you still have 300.00 vs 25.00.

To get to break even on renting vs buying, one would have to rent only two movies a month and anything above that renting would be more advantageous.

There are a lot of variables from person to person. My Hollywood is four blocks away. The closest place I could buy movies cheaper is 12 miles away. With gas add another 5.00 each time I go to buy.

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

Hi Mike,

I can relate to a few of your observations.

With the advent of high definition DVDs I pretty much ceased buying standard definition discs. Now in retrospect, like you, I realize that the format war has probably propelled me to purchase a few more HD DVDs than I would have under "normal" circumstances if there wasn't a competing format.

For some reason I have never felt comfortable renting discs. My friend teases me that that's undoubtedly due to my aversion to placing one of those dirty old used discs in my pristine HD DVD player. God knows where those discs have been and what diseases might be transmitted!! ;) Maybe he's right in that I have an illogical aversion to rentals, but like others I view a movie several times and in most cases it eventually pays for itself.

I have a dedicated home theater and I think my main reason I buy rather than rent is that I rarely if ever view a movie by myself, its always with a group of friends. I feel it makes sense to have a wide selection of titles on hand inorder to be able to immediately select a movie that my friends might enjoy. Yes, I have a large number of unviewed discs, but for my situation I believe its totally appropriate, and its not like they are going to spoil if I don't view them promptly. ;)

Recently I subscribed to Verizon FiOS. I bought two TiVo HD DVRs and I expanded the capacity of one of them with a plug and play 500 GB external hard drive. So I'm able to record and collect a modest amount of HD content for "free", especially titles from Blu-ray exclusive studios. While this won't permit me to "kick the habit", it should help slow down my addiction to buying discs. The only problem with this method is that it doesn't provide the extras that I enjoy on my HD DVDs and the quality, while good, can't compare with reference level HD DVDs.

Larry

Hi Mike,

I can relate to a few of your observations.

With the advent of high definition DVDs I pretty much ceased buying standard definition discs. Now in retrospect, like you, I realize that the format war has probably propelled me to purchase a few more HD DVDs than I would have under "normal" circumstances if there wasn't a competing format.

For some reason I have never felt comfortable renting discs. My friend teases me that that's undoubtedly due to my aversion to placing one of those dirty old used discs in my pristine HD DVD player. God knows where those discs have been and what diseases might be transmitted!! ;) Maybe he's right in that I have an illogical aversion to rentals, but like others I view a movie several times and in most cases it eventually pays for itself.

I have a dedicated home theater and I think my main reason I buy rather than rent is that I rarely if ever view a movie by myself, its always with a group of friends. I feel it makes sense to have a wide selection of titles on hand inorder to be able to immediately select a movie that my friends might enjoy. Yes, I have a large number of unviewed discs, but for my situation I believe its totally appropriate, and its not like they are going to spoil if I don't view them promptly. ;)

Recently I subscribed to Verizon FiOS. I bought two TiVo HD DVRs and I expanded the capacity of one of them with a plug and play 500 GB external hard drive. So I'm able to record and collect a modest amount of HD content for "free", especially titles from Blu-ray exclusive studios. While this won't permit me to "kick the habit", it should help slow down my addiction to buying discs. The only problem with this method is that it doesn't provide the extras that I enjoy on my HD DVDs and the quality, while good, can't compare with reference level HD DVDs.

Larry


I have done the same with the backup 500g drive. Even at 200.00 per drive, if I calculated correctly it cuts HDM costs in half compared to buying on disc.

I own SD and HD DVD's but I am renting more now than I'm buying,I can rent a DVD from Netflix for about $1.
I will buy a DVD if it's a classic and on sale.

I have done the same with the backup 500g drive. Even at 200.00 per drive, if I calculated correctly it cuts HDM costs in half compared to buying on disc.

Hi Hugh,

I really didn't buy the TiVo add-on drive strictly for economic reasons, but here's the way I figure the per title costs:

The 500 GB drive provides an additional 66 hours of HD programing or capacity for 33 2-hour movies. Dividing 33 into $200 we get about $6 per title which is a lot less than half the cost of an average disc.

Larry

Another comment/point to make is that right now, in the HDM space, rentals are difficult to come by. I have numerous titles in my Blockbuster queue that I'm still waiting on and none of the stores near me are renting Blu-Ray discs. If I want a movie on Blu-Ray I might be inclined to buy it and resell it later even if it would normally be a rental, simply because I don't want to wait weeks or months for it to become available.

For most collectors, these calculations are completely beside the point. Sort of like asking a wine afficianado why he or she isn't happy with the $5 bottle from the corner store. It isn't just a dollars and cents calculation.

For most collectors, these calculations are completely beside the point. Sort of like asking a wine afficianado why he or she isn't happy with the $5 bottle from the corner store. It isn't just a dollars and cents calculation.

exactly!!

For most collectors, these calculations are completely beside the point. Sort of like asking a wine afficianado why he or she isn't happy with the $5 bottle from the corner store. It isn't just a dollars and cents calculation.

I agree. Of course one could argue that many wine collectors see appreciation in the value over time vs. movies which become worth about 5$ once you leave the store.

I'm not saying my "thinking" is for everyone. Just me as a response to the OP.

I used to justify a purchase of a movie as "I would have spent this to go to the theater and see the movie once".

I think a centrally stored library of a 100,000 titles at the click of a button (completely searchable by several factors) is much better suited to someone like me (ensuring they provide the quality of HD-DVD) who loves to watch movies than owning a bunch of plastic discs and plastic cases where 80% or more do nothing but sit on a shelf.

Looking back I could have bought a boat or a motorcycle with the money saved and I would have still watched each movie the exact same times. Instead i'm stuck with almost 2000 plastic discs that I will eventually toss in the garbage to replace them with the next technology... the same way I did with all my CD's when I realized it was easier to have a MP3 player in my pocket than carrying around 500 CDs. Or.. all those chunky VHS movies I tossed once I re-bought them all on DVD.

Hi Hugh,

I really didn't buy the TiVo add-on drive strictly for economic reasons, but here's the way I figure the per title costs:

The 500 GB drive provides an additional 66 hours of HD programing or capacity for 33 2-hour movies. Dividing 33 into $200 we get about $6 per title which is a lot less than half the cost of an average disc.

Larry


Can you tell I didn't really think about cost either?...lol :D

I did a quick in my head guestimate, but I am glad to see I am off by a lot in our favor. The only thing we lack then are the lossless tracks. The PQ is about 80-100% compared to HDM on disc at least for me anyway as my FIOS cable delivers and excellent picture. It seems some are getting better at OAR as well like HBO and Showtime and HDnet is excellent.

Why pay $20-$30 for two hours of entertainment when you can pay $60 for 10-20 hours of entertainment?

I still want to own movies, but strictly the ones that I really like. I used to buy at least a DVD each week. No more of that insanity.

For most collectors, these calculations are completely beside the point. Sort of like asking a wine afficianado why he or she isn't happy with the $5 bottle from the corner store. It isn't just a dollars and cents calculation.But in the wine example, there's an appreciable difference in quality between an aficionado's collection and that of $5 rot-gut. And, over time, his wine will appreciate in value and quality.

Movies are not similar. Assuming a disc hasn't been mistreated, there's no appreciable difference in the viewing experience of a rental verses an owned copy. Over time, most owned copies will lose their value as newer transfers or deluxe editions are released, or the material is put out on HDM. A collector that appreciates quality will not be satisfied with an SD copy once the newly released HD version comes out.

Scott

If I don't buy movies, I'd have to find something else to collect.

I looked into stamps and they weren't shiny.

I looked into coins and they were shiny, but they don't have a story to tell.

I looked into books and their stories can be really good, but they just sit there unmoving.

I looked into golf balls and they can really move, but the group in front played too slow, and the group behing me played too fast.

Then I realized that movies were shiny, tell a story, with lots of movement, and I get to decide to play them slow or fast. Yup. I think collecting movies on shiny disk kinda works for me.

You are both making valid points and I don't know what JAC6 was actually trying to say, but my guess is he meant collectors don't care about price when buying.

There are some movies that they could name their price for me, and most of them are directed by David Lean...or a Blu-ray release of a barely known story about lightsabers. I will buy movies. When they come out with something with a better sound and picture of HD media, I'll get that too.

looking forward to the day where thousands of high-quality movies will be readily available? well here is the rub with that. most places will only stock what sells. if you like the old B&W movies you will be out of luck as they wont sell. the new generation of consumers is coming in and are starting to dominate the market with their likes. That's the beauty of moving to a digital distribution system. There's no real inventory to stock, just data. The main costs would be the encoding and system maintenance. The economies of scale kick in pretty quickly, and it would be pretty easy to justify the cost of offering just about any title when the whole physical aspect (manufacturing, distribution, cost of goods, warehousing, etc.) are removed from the equation.

As you have mentioned you only like 10% of whats out there. Thats a sign of getting old my friend. That's what I'm afraid of. And I'm only 43. What the heck am I going to watch when I hit retirement age?

Scott

People have different tastes and values, so trying to calculate these things is pointless. I may place tremendous value on owning discs, not driving to Blockbuster and dealing with its employees, not waiting for the mail, being able to select from hundreds of movies on short notice, etc. Others might not.

We might as well debate who has the best favorite color.

For some reason I have never felt comfortable renting discs. My friend teases me that that's undoubtedly due to my aversion to placing one of those dirty old used discs in my pristine HD DVD player. God knows where those discs have been and what diseases might be transmitted!! ;)I used to feel the same way, and I think it dates back to the days of VHS rentals. Horror stories about people's machines getting gunked up with all maters of foreign materials really left an impression on me. I went so far as to buy a cheap VHS playback unit just for rentals. I was so paranoid, that I even settled for mono playback during that time. Just thinking about it still causes me to shudder, all these years later.

That paranoia led me to buy lots and lots of tapes (most of which have been recently donated to Goodwill), and even more laserdiscs (kept those). I won't go through the financial costs, but I probably could have a much nicer home theater (maybe even home) had I rented instead.

I don't have that same aversion to disc rentals though. Most of them are pretty clean, although some may have a few scratches. My HD DVD player was a floor model (never used), which helped alleviate any fear of gunking it up.

With the amazingly low price of HD DVD players now, it might be a very good time to consider getting a secondary player you could use to quarantine all rented discs, and keep them a safe distance from your pristine player.

Just a thought,

Scott

John Locke, well know British Philosopher, wrote the famous saying; we are all born with Natural Rights. Life, Liberty and the right to own property.

Later Thomas Jefferson changed the statement for the Declaration of Independence to read Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Americans, especially Americans over 30, like owning physical property. I know when I collected vinyl, I loved the cover, the printed lyrics and just carefully holding and looking at the vinyl.

Today's youth are not as admired with owning packed media, like music and video as they are borne in the cyberspace era where downloads are easy, can be transported in portable players and cost little to nothing.

So as our young become the mainstream consumers and broadband infrastructure improves and download speeds increase we'll see an end to packaged media as we know it today.

-Robert

John Locke, well know British Philosopher, wrote the famous saying; we are all born with Natural Rights. Life, Liberty and the right to own property.

Later Thomas Jefferson changed the statement for the Declaration of Independence to read Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Americans, especially Americans over 30, like owning physical property. I know when I collected vinyl, I loved the cover, the printed lyrics and just carefully holding and looking at the vinyl.

Today's youth are not as admired with owning packed media, like music and video as they are borne in the cyberspace era where downloads are easy, can be transported in portable players and cost little to nothing.

So as our young become the mainstream consumers and broadband infrastructure improves and download speeds increase we'll see an end to packaged media as we know it today.

-Robert


Hi Robert. Timely and factual post. I was going through my vinyl the other day and playing it through my new Denon. It still sounds amazing. I do have some cool collectables and Mastered recordings on vinyl like Abbey Road and the White Album.

My kids love their iPods and easy downloads. I have downloaded a couple of movies for them on the itunes store. DVD quality and ease of use made a believer out of me as I was impressed. I can't count the number of times I found my kids watching something in SD when they have the HD right there or they don't have the settings right. I believe they are like most kids and don't care near as much about quality as they enjoy the convenience.

I used to feel the same way, and I think it dates back to the days of VHS rentals. Horror stories about people's machines getting gunked up with all maters of foreign materials really left an impression on me. I went so far as to buy a cheap VHS playback unit just for rentals. I was so paranoid, that I even settled for mono playback during that time. Just thinking about it still causes me to shudder, all these years later.

That paranoia led me to buy lots and lots of tapes (most of which have been recently donated to Goodwill), and even more laserdiscs (kept those). I won't go through the financial costs, but I probably could have a much nicer home theater (maybe even home) had I rented instead.

I don't have that same aversion to disc rentals though. Most of them are pretty clean, although some may have a few scratches. My HD DVD player was a floor model (never used), which helped alleviate any fear of gunking it up.

With the amazingly low price of HD DVD players now, it might be a very good time to consider getting a secondary player you could use to quarantine all rented discs, and keep them a safe distance from your pristine player.

Just a thought,

Scott

Hi Scott,

We sound like Monk don't we? :rolleyes:

Larry

Hi Scott,

We sound like Monk don't we? :rolleyes:

LarryI don't watch the show, but I guess I'd have to admit to being a bit on the fussy side when it comes to such things.

I still won't buy used DVDs, I don't know where they've been.

And I make my wife handle all of the Netflix movies. I'd rather not touch them unless I absolutely have to.

It's probably a disorder.

Scott

Recently I subscribed to Verizon FiOS. I bought two TiVo HD DVRs and I expanded the capacity of one of them with a plug and play 500 GB external hard drive. So I'm able to record and collect a modest amount of HD content for "free", especially titles from Blu-ray exclusive studios.

While this won't permit me to "kick the habit", it should help slow down my addiction to buying discs.

The only problem with this method is that it doesn't provide the extras that I enjoy on my HD DVDs and the quality, while good, can't compare with reference level HD DVDs.

Larry

Can also be shifted to HD DVD formatted disks (HD DVD9 & HD DVD) so you're not actually limited to the harddrive space.

I don't watch the show, but I guess I'd have to admit to being a bit on the fussy side when it comes to such things.

I still won't buy used DVDs, I don't know where they've been.

And I make my wife handle all of the Netflix movies. I'd rather not touch them unless I absolutely have to.

It's probably a disorder.

Scott

I'm not being smart-assed, but yes, it is a mental disorder. Still, if it doesn't cause major life dysfunctions for you and your family, then what does it matter what causes it, you know?

I have a dedicated home theater and I think my main reason I buy rather than rent is that I rarely if ever view a movie by myself, its always with a group of friends. I feel it makes sense to have a wide selection of titles on hand inorder to be able to immediately select a movie that my friends might enjoy. Yes, I have a large number of unviewed discs, but for my situation I believe its totally appropriate, and its not like they are going to spoil if I don't view them promptly. ;)

Recently I subscribed to Verizon FiOS. I bought two TiVo HD DVRs and I expanded the capacity of one of them with a plug and play 500 GB external hard drive. So I'm able to record and collect a modest amount of HD content for "free", especially titles from Blu-ray exclusive studios. While this won't permit me to "kick the habit", it should help slow down my addiction to buying discs. The only problem with this method is that it doesn't provide the extras that I enjoy on my HD DVDs and the quality, while good, can't compare with reference level HD DVDs.
Larry
Same here. I bought discs because finally there was a source that deserved to be purchased.
I went looking at Fry's today and the prices just seem ridiculous.
Very few of the new releases are anywhere close to $19.99 which is my sweetspot unless it's a really special title.

I think hard drive storage is the most logical, obviously cost effective way to go. HD downloads that are as good as HDM can't come soon enough for me and they will come far sooner than most people think.
The studios and the providers want it too badly.
Consumers will want it too, most just don't know it yet.

[Laughing]

What a load of hypocrasy.... Did you say it was OK for Paramount to drop Blu ray but not OK for Warner to drop HD DVD? And this is 'principled'?

(Oh...you did say that.. I quoted it).

Your principles are a bit slanted, eh?


I found this little post you may have forgotten about....



Principles. So, it is good to avoid BLu Ray like the Plague because of the revision issues/ profiles or is it the Warner deal?? Principles..........:o
Don't see what you're getting at. Nothing I stated before either contradicts what I stated in this Thread or conflicts with my position that ALL studios should be releasing in both formats or not releasing in either one. I never stated here that Paramount was ok for dropping Blu Ray. Remember too that Paramount from the start professed its support exclusively for HD DVD and only decided to support Blu Ray because they were persuaded by Sony's presented position that it would dominate the world market quickly and decisively by releasing Blu Ray-equipped PS3s at over 10 million within the first year. So their dropping Blu simply returns that Studio to its original format support decision/position. Warner's decision on the other hand, moves them away from their original stated position and was done despite being one of the founding members of a new committee under the auspices of the DVD Forum that had as its mandate how to explore and implement more advanced Interactivity in HD DVD technology.

I could go on and on but if you have not grasped the reasons why they are truly hypocritical for vocally stating throughout 2007 that all studios should support both formats in huge 1 or 2 page ads in trade mags etc. and then dropping the very format that they worked closely w/Toshiba to promote early on, well no further points or facts are likely to convince you in my estimation.

D

Good luck with this. Putting aside the fact that I don't agree with the narrative of the "facts," depriving yourself of content you want is not going to punish a studio in the least.

If I were the only person who stood firm on their principles and stopped patronizing Warner Bros. then YES, you would be correct. However, we can clearly both see that a number of others have made similar decisions. My hope by writing here my intentions, I can elicit similar decisions among others who have been leaning this way or have not given the matter consideration though they may indeed be opposed to Warner's decision. Also I have a large number of friends and family who turn to me frequently for advice on what to buy when it comes to movies and home theatre etc. While I will be honest in what I state about the different formats and studios, I will also offer my opinion as to how one might be able to affect Studio sales by not buying Warner titles but rather just resorting to renting their better titles until they see their financial bottom line affected sufficiently to convince them to act more responsibly and respectfully to the very customers who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on Warner VHS tapes, then LaserDiscs, followed by DVDs in 1997 (my first purchase on DVD was the movie "Sleepers" from WB in late March of 1997 while on vacation in NYC at J&R Music World) and finally HD DVDs since late 2006. I own nearly 250 movies on LaserDisc, about 2000 on DVD and just under 140 HD DVDs, many of which are Warner titles. The last Warner title I bought was Blade Runner and until they continue their commitment to HD DVD, I may for at least some time, sacrifice by not purchasing any other WB titles on any format. Sure, when "The Dark Knight" comes out, my resolve will be tested, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.
D

If I were the only person who stood firm on their principles and stopped patronizing Warner Bros. then YES, you would be correct. However, we can clearly both see that a number of others have made similar decisions. My hope by writing here my intentions, I can elicit similar decisions among others who have been leaning this way or have not given the matter consideration though they may indeed be opposed to Warner's decision. Also I have a large number of friends and family who turn to me frequently for advice on what to buy when it comes to movies and home theatre etc. While I will be honest in what I state about the different formats and studios, I will also offer my opinion as to how one might be able to affect Studio sales by not buying Warner titles but rather just resorting to renting their better titles until they see their financial bottom line affected sufficiently to convince them to act more responsibly and respectfully to the very customers who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on Warner VHS tapes, then LaserDiscs, followed by DVDs in 1997 (my first purchase on DVD was the movie "Sleepers" from WB in late March of 1997 while on vacation in NYC at J&R Music World) and finally HD DVDs since late 2006. I own nearly 250 movies on LaserDisc, about 2000 on DVD and just under 140 HD DVDs, many of which are Warner titles. The last Warner title I bought was Blade Runner and until they continue their commitment to HD DVD, I may for at least some time, sacrifice by not purchasing any other WB titles on any format. Sure, when "The Dark Knight" comes out, my resolve will be tested, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.
D

You're tilting at windmills, my friend.

People will buy (or rent) the movies they want to see, regardless of studio, much as the people who decry Sony at every turn still see/buy/rent Columbia/Sony movies. And, frankly, many people see Warner's move as a much-needed step towards ending this wasteful and unnecessary "format war."

Even though I'm technically of the generation that should care the most about digital downloads, I've always found myself liking to own physical media. It's the permanent aspect of it, and particularly with DVDs the pricing is to the point where buying or on-demand usually gives little financial incentive - particularly since I can use Handbrake to make portable versions off of the content for my own use. Both in video and music I like having the freedom to know I have a somewhat "original" version to go back to if trends change and I want to re-encode something in a new codec or higher bitrate later on and not be beholden to whatever format/quality setting the content provider deems me worthy to get.

In terms of the HD content, the pricing obviously isn't as "sweet" as current DVD pricing, but I find the quality of OnDemand HD presentation lacking (at least in my area, YMMV depending on provider and quality of signal I suppose) compared to the physical media.

Those that don't care about physical media can go ahead and not care about it, those that want it will continue to buy it, and no amount of thinly veiled "sour grapes" posts (which are becoming far too frequent nowadays) deriding Warner or any other studio (though unsurprisingly doesn't ever seem to include Paramount or Universal) won't tend to change people's minds.

That's the beauty of moving to a digital distribution system. There's no real inventory to stock, just data. The main costs would be the encoding and system maintenance. The economies of scale kick in pretty quickly, and it would be pretty easy to justify the cost of offering just about any title when the whole physical aspect (manufacturing, distribution, cost of goods, warehousing, etc.) are removed from the equation.

That's what I'm afraid of. And I'm only 43. What the heck am I going to watch when I hit retirement age?

Scott

there are just to many "ifs" i have when dealing with downloads. here is a list of a few of my ifs.

1. if the place stores the movies i want.
2. if the cable company will allow me to download over 5x50 gig a week for movie downloads. I cant see this happening as it would cut into their VOD service.
3. if its cheap i wouldnt pay over 2 bucks for the info.
4. if its permanent. if the service goes belly up then im out all the money i paid for my downloads and will have to purchase them again.
5. if im granted a licence of use. meaning if i purchase it one place and can download it from any site available as i hold the licence.

ive seen to many companies go belly up for me to tie myself to an actual company. Sure i would probably be able to download from multiple companies then i would be having to figure out a way to remember what i bought from whom. I will pay for a permanent copy of the media so i dont have to worry about a company going belly up so i dont have to go out and get 10 hard drives to protect myself from any kind of failure. I also wonder how you would get an insurance company to insure the data on a hard drive.

I just see way to many ifs involved for me to actually feel comfortable with permanent downloaded info. I would do it for rental though.

what are you going to watch when you retire? your media collection. hehehe. or the news.

Im looking at a collection of over 400+ SD DVD titles in my collection. I also have around 45 HD-DVD titles and 15 Blu-ray titles. I've tossed all my LDs in the trash, and VHS/Beta tapes thrown away number in the 100s.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Here's an even better question: How man titles do you own that you have yet to see? 10, maybe 20, possibly even 30 or 40 or more. Now that's not right.

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.
To anyone who is planning on giving up this nasty, wasteful, expensive, disgusting habit of collecting dvds, please listen up.
Before you begin your 12 step program, contact me. I am willing to provide your unwanted dvds a home where they will feel appreciated and loved for what they are. They will be placed in a secure rack and admired on a daily basis for all they meant to those who first owned them. I will especially welcome unwanted HD DVDs as they seem to be the most reviled by some but BDs are ok too. All will be welcome.
As payment for sending your unwanted dvds to me, I will personnally send all the major studios a daily chewing out email :mad::mad:that will state in no uncertain terms how they ruined so many and how they must stop now.:D

I probably have about 100 HD DVDs and Blu-rays that I probably would never watch. I bought them because I liked the movies and wanted to own them on HDM. I would probably never watch them because my time is limited and I've already seen them on SD DVD or theaters. It doesn't diminish my desire to have them sitting on my shelf. You can't logically explain collector's need to collect things.

If a movie is really good it is worth watching more than once, though not back to back. Considering how bad most of today's movies and TV shows are (and how unattractive and lacking in talent some of tody's so-called "stars" are) it can be a very pleasant experience to pull down and watch a replay of an old favorite movie or TV show. More important, it takes power and control over what I watch away from Hollywood and the networks and puts it in my hands, where it belongs.

Can also be shifted to HD DVD formatted disks (HD DVD9 & HD DVD) so you're not actually limited to the harddrive space.

Hi,

Perhaps you can further elaborate.

I realize that with TiVo Desktop software I can transfer recorded content from my TiVos to computers on my home network and from there I could burn discs if I had a burner. I've transferred an episode of Star Trek Enterprise to my laptop. However, I was under the impression that most major movie titles are copyrighted in such a way as to prohibit transfers.

Perhaps after Digitial Rights Management issues are resolved this may no longer be a serious limitation to archiving copyrighted content on PCs and burning discs?

Larry

Hi,

Perhaps you can further elaborate.

I realize that with TiVo Desktop software I can transfer recorded content from my TiVos to computers on my home network and from there I could burn discs if I had a burner. I've transferred an episode of Star Trek Enterprise to my laptop. However, I was under the impression that most major movie titles are copyrighted in such a way as to prohibit transfers.

Perhaps after Digitial Rights Management issues are resolved this may no longer be a serious limitation to archiving copyrighted content on PCs and burning discs?

Larry

As I understand it Larry there is no defined distinction between what you are doing by recording your content to the biggest harddrive you have available vs. recording your content to an HD DVD9 standard dvd or an HD DVD15/HD DVD30 for the same purposes as the harddrive.

Not to derail this thread with what could be a complex topic I would direct you to the fair use and HD recording thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12977416#post12977416)where I list a few links in the 1st post for a good start on research and the rest of thread is also informative on the topic.

It would seem so far that as most users in that thread suspect HD recording is still both legal and most feel also ethical, at least in most cases.

I watched T2 like 50 gazzillion times thats a movie I will keep buying over and over I cant wait till blu ray release it i in super high def. when it goes beyond HIGH DEFINITION!!!!

I'm moving into the rental group. I have 300-400 DVDs and 70 odd HD-DVD and BR discs, most rebuys of what I have on DVD. But after moving a few times I'm realizing that a DVD colelction isn'tt hat cool, and now that I'm married I don't need a physical display of wealth or a ready supply of "date movies". Plus my tastes have changed and all that anime is looking kinda foolish.

So sooner or later I'll garage sale off all my DVDs and I've already stopped buying HDM in any serious way, no buys for all of January!

I did buy more HD-DVDs than I really needed to in order to support the format, but at this point I'm giving up. The Blockbuster online thing has helped at lot since I have a B&M store a mile away so I have access to damn near anything at pretty short notice. The 360 marketplace fills the rest of the void.

I'd rather spend that money on new speakers anyway :)

As I understand it Larry there is no defined distinction between what you are doing by recording your content to the biggest harddrive you have available vs. recording your content to an HD DVD9 standard dvd or an HD DVD15/HD DVD30 for the same purposes as the harddrive.

Not to derail this thread with what could be a complex topic I would direct you to the fair use and HD recording thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12977416#post12977416)where I list a few links in the 1st post for a good start on research and the rest of thread is also informative on the topic.

It would seem so far that as most users in that thread suspect HD recording is still both legal and most feel also ethical, at least in most cases.

Hi,

Thanks very much for the link, but to be clear I wasn't discussing any legal, ethical, or fair use aspects of recording. I was merely stating the TiVo software that permits archiving TiVo recordings to a computer only permits transfers of content that is not copyrighted.

Perhaps you are referring to another recording method, but copyrighted TiVo recordings can't be burned to a disc as you suggested in your earlier posting because the content can't be transferred to a computer.

The TiVo DVR permits expanding its capacity through the use of a compatible plug and play external drive. Once the drive is attached it is "married" to the internal drive to yield a total capacity of 86 hours of HD recordings. The two drives essentially become a single drive as far as the TiVo is concerned and copyrighted content can be stored on this new "virtual" drive. From there the Tivo software permits us to selectively transfer only non-copyrighted content from this virtual drive to any computer on your home network.

Larry

Hi,

Thanks very much for the link, but to be clear I wasn't discussing any legal, ethical, or fair use aspects of recording. I was merely stating the TiVo software that permits archiving TiVo recordings to a computer only permits transfers of content that is not copyrighted.

Perhaps you are referring to another recording method, but copyrighted TiVo recordings can't be burned to a disc as you suggested in your earlier posting because the content can't be transferred to a computer.

The TiVo DVR permits expanding its capacity through the use of a compatible plug and play external drive. Once the drive is attached it is "married" to the internal drive to yield a total capacity of 86 hours of HD recordings. The two drives essentially become a single drive as far as the TiVo is concerned and copyrighted content can be stored on this new "virtual" drive. From there the Tivo software permits us to selectively transfer only non-copyrighted content from this virtual drive to any computer on your home network.

Larry

Sorry i misunderstood. Why waste time on ethicality and legality when the real issue is how do we get it done. :)

You have FiOS so this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=621323)should have a wealth of info on the topic such as this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12535357#post12535357).

For more specifics I'd take questions to that thread.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. :mad:

I need to kick this habit of needing to "own" movies. This stupid format war has been costly to all stakeholders, myself included. With the exception of a few classic titles with multiple versions (CEOTTK & Blade Runner), I'm going to rely on Netflixs or broadcast saved to HD. HD VOD is just around the corner.

Tell me, why do you need to 'own' a movie? How many times are you really gonna watch the damn thing?

Join me, kick the habit. Let's punish Hollywood.

Didn't you buy a $30,000 projector a couple years ago? I saw you were contemplating a $35,000 Sim2 as an upgrade (I was researching the same PJ). It costs $3,000 to change the bulb in in a Qualia and lasts 1000 hours. You're paying $5 per movie just for the light.

If you're regretting the amount of money you've spent watching movies at home, I think your anger is a bit misdirected. Maybe there are some other areas you went a little overboard on? I've always rented more than I buy, so I don't think it's a bad idea... but as far as boycotting Hollywood or trying to punish them... that seems a bit excessive.

I know you don't really mean it, though. I just like to tease on your $30,000 PJ that's now worth less than the spare light bulb it shipped with :D

Actually Qualias are going for $15K to $20K on Videogon... Moreover, the bulb goes 2200 hours and We FOUND Sony's OEM for the bulb...so replacement is $700 :D. Moreover, it is 1080P, Zeiss optics and arguably still one of the best projectors at its price. CR could be better but not a big deal.. The big bulb lights up my 14' scope nicely...unless you go to a $50K PJ you'll be dimly lit. No PJ even at $30K comes close to its light output... So actually, the Qualia ia still a deal, a smart choice 4 years ago as it still hangs with the big boys and has a great resale for almost 4 years old..:)

Actually Qualias are going for $15K to $20K on Videogon... Moreover, the bulb goes 2200 hours and We FOUND Sony's OEM for the bulb...so replacement is $700 :D. Moreover, it is 1080P, Zeiss optics and arguably still one of the best projectors at its price. CR could be better but not a big deal.. The big bulb lights up my 14' scope nicely...unless you go to a $50K PJ you'll be dimly lit. No PJ even at $30K comes close to its light output... So actually, the Qualia ia still a deal, a smart choice 4 years ago as it still hangs with the big boys and has a great resale for almost 4 years old..:)

Regardless, anyone who has dumped $50K-$100K in a home theater, which is more than most families will gross over a 2-3 year period of time, doesn't have any room to bitch about the $20 they pay for an HDM optical disc.

Regardless, anyone who has dumped $50K-$100K in a home theater, which is more than most families will gross over a 2-3 year period of time, doesn't have any room to bitch about the $20 they pay for an HDM optical disc.


As one who doesn't have that kind of money I disagree.

Who made up the rule that because one has more money than others, they have no right or reason to not want to spend more than anyone else.

There are so many variables, but how do you know or not know someone was able to have what they have by not spending as much or any at all as some do.

As one who doesn't have that kind of money I disagree.

Who made up the rule that because one has more money than others, they have no right or reason to not want to spend more than anyone else.

There are so many variables, but how do you know or not know someone was able to have what they have by not spending as much or any at all as some do.

i also don't have that kind of money but i am in it for the long haul and
have a great fondness for this hobby and tend to spend alot.

As one who doesn't have that kind of money I disagree.

Who made up the rule that because one has more money than others, they have no right or reason to not want to spend more than anyone else.

There are so many variables, but how do you know or not know someone was able to have what they have by not spending as much or any at all as some do.


Well, to me, it's like someone who spends $80K on an Audi 8 series sedan and then gets ticked off that they will have to spend money on oil changes and what not.

Surely anyone buying a BD/HD-DVD player knows what the media costs? Someone recently showed that, in todays dollars, SD-DVD was actually more expensive at this phase of introduction than the new formats.

Well, to me, it's like someone who spends $80K on an Audi 8 series sedan and then gets ticked off that they will have to spend money on oil changes and what not.

Surely anyone buying a BD/HD-DVD player knows what the media costs? Someone recently showed that, in todays dollars, SD-DVD was actually more expensive at this phase of introduction than the new formats.

correct i was there but did not let it stop me they were almost 27 for some
titles but time and more people buying them tamed that price, just not overnight.

Well, to me, it's like someone who spends $80K on an Audi 8 series sedan and then gets ticked off that they will have to spend money on oil changes and what not.

Surely anyone buying a BD/HD-DVD player knows what the media costs? Someone recently showed that, in todays dollars, SD-DVD was actually more expensive at this phase of introduction than the new formats.


One can also say for 80k oil changes should be included. Like I said in my previous post, why is it that people with money shouldn't be cost conscious? I hear you and don't want to derail the thread, but I don't entirely agree with the " today's price adjusted for inflation is actually cheaper" than in 1997 dollars. It is psychology of cost to consumers that matters. Same BS with gas. 3.00 a gallon is a rip and seems like a lot compared to 1.00 a gallon 20 years ago. It maybe true, but appearances to consumers are what counts.

One can also say for 80k oil changes should be included. Like I said in my previous post, why is it that people with money shouldn't be cost conscious? I hear you and don't want to derail the thread, but I don't entirely agree with the " today's price adjusted for inflation is actually cheaper" than in 1997 dollars. It is psychology of cost to consumers that matters. Same BS with gas. 3.00 a gallon is a rip and seems like a lot compared to 1.00 a gallon 20 years ago. It maybe true, but appearances to consumers are what counts.

If people refused to buy the cars on such principles then inevitably the manufacturer would be forced to respond, by either lowering prices or by eating the maintenance costs, etc.

It's pretty much simple economics.

As far as gas prices go, you have to look at it as a percentage of a families annual income. What's the percentage after it has gone from $1 to $3? I think you will find that the percentage is largely based on the choice of vehicle that a person makes... this is one reason why in countries with smaller cars that get better gas mileage you don't hear as much moaning. The reality is that Americans got used to Gas that was cheaper per gallon than bottled water and fell in love with huge guzzlers that get rotten mileage. Noone to blame but yourself in such cases I say. Oil is a finite resource and even the most optimistic experts believe we will hit the mid-point in global oil production in 30 years or less (maybe much less). Then there will be a real price panic and $100 a barrel will look like pocket change.

As far as what's "expensive" and what's "not expensive" I am in a position to evaluate this pretty well. I've been both dirt poor (literally) and pretty well off. While not "rich" by any stretch of the imagination, I am "comfortable" and don't see paying $20-$30 for an HDM new release as highway robbery or extortion. I spend far more going out to the movies, which after tickets, gas and snacks costs well over $35 and I only get to watch the movie once. No backing it up or re-watching it for that bit of missed dialogue or watching the director's take on the film.

If people feel it's extortion then stop buying the movies, the prices will come down or the product will cease to exist. Just don't bemoan the lack of super high quality content for those high end home theater systems if the latter happens.

Let's see... I have one DVD which was a gift and one Blu-Ray disk for some reason. Every other movie I view is from the PC, OnDemand, or rented. I've never, ever wanted a collection of tapes/discs/etc. I'm a minimalist maybe or just really dislike clutter.

If people refused to buy the cars on such principles then inevitably the manufacturer would be forced to respond, by either lowering prices or by eating the maintenance costs, etc.

It's pretty much simple economics.

As far as gas prices go, you have to look at it as a percentage of a families annual income. What's the percentage after it has gone from $1 to $3? I think you will find that the percentage is largely based on the choice of vehicle that a person makes... this is one reason why in countries with smaller cars that get better gas mileage you don't hear as much moaning. The reality is that Americans got used to Gas that was cheaper per gallon than bottled water and fell in love with huge guzzlers that get rotten mileage. Noone to blame but yourself in such cases I say. Oil is a finite resource and even the most optimistic experts believe we will hit the mid-point in global oil production in 30 years or less (maybe much less). Then there will be a real price panic and $100 a barrel will look like pocket change.

As far as what's "expensive" and what's "not expensive" I am in a position to evaluate this pretty well. I've been both dirt poor (literally) and pretty well off. While not "rich" by any stretch of the imagination, I am "comfortable" and don't see paying $20-$30 for an HDM new release as highway robbery or extortion. I spend far more going out to the movies, which after tickets, gas and snacks costs well over $35 and I only get to watch the movie once. No backing it up or re-watching it for that bit of missed dialogue or watching the director's take on the film.

If people feel it's extortion then stop buying the movies, the prices will come down or the product will cease to exist. Just don't bemoan the lack of super high quality content for those high end home theater systems if the latter happens.

Gas, big cars and American mentality. I was in Ireland in 99 and seen the writing on the wall. When gas got down to a dollar a gallon here, it was about 3.50 a gallon there. We were headed in the right direction in the late 80's and early 90's with smaller engines and then the economy got hot. People here were buying 4 cyl. engines, but 2.0 liter engines weren't big enough for us 8 cyl. loving Americans. Toyota and Honda were making bigger and bigger like 2.4 and 2.6 and even brought out 6 cyl. to satisfy our power lust. Meanwhile Toyota and Honda were releasing the very same cars with smaller engines, like 1.6 and 1.8 cyl. to get 40 mpg in Europe. Ok, so we are pigs here. :cool: :D


I would love to discuss more of this OT stuff with you, but this isn't the place and I have a feeling we agree and think more alike judging by this post. The discussion might end up more like each of us preaching to the choir though.

I have virtually stopped going to the movies for the reasons you mentioned and also the obvious ones we HT enthusiasts enjoy, like the pause button for breaks.

No limits with FIOS. You can download and upload as much as you want and they don't throttle or suspend your service.


there are just to many "ifs" i have when dealing with downloads. here is a list of a few of my ifs.

1. if the place stores the movies i want.
2. if the cable company will allow me to download over 5x50 gig a week for movie downloads. I cant see this happening as it would cut into their VOD service.
3. if its cheap i wouldnt pay over 2 bucks for the info.
4. if its permanent. if the service goes belly up then im out all the money i paid for my downloads and will have to purchase them again.
5. if im granted a licence of use. meaning if i purchase it one place and can download it from any site available as i hold the licence.

ive seen to many companies go belly up for me to tie myself to an actual company. Sure i would probably be able to download from multiple companies then i would be having to figure out a way to remember what i bought from whom. I will pay for a permanent copy of the media so i dont have to worry about a company going belly up so i dont have to go out and get 10 hard drives to protect myself from any kind of failure. I also wonder how you would get an insurance company to insure the data on a hard drive.

I just see way to many ifs involved for me to actually feel comfortable with permanent downloaded info. I would do it for rental though.

what are you going to watch when you retire? your media collection. hehehe. or the news.

I love movies and I love to revisit old favorites.

Last night I watched Eyes Wide Shut (1999) for the second time. Saw it in the theater when it was released.

Tonight I watched The Usual Suspects (1995). I saw this at release as well, and one other time on DVD about five or six years ago.

I enjoyed them both immensely. I'll watch them again in five or six years probably.

These are both part of my 90,000 movie collection. :)

No limits with FIOS. You can download and upload as much as you want and they don't throttle or suspend your service.


they are new and they need customers. their install base is teeny weeny. wait until they have 30 mil all trying to download 5 or 6 50 gig hd movies per week. they will see their money going down the drain and they will do something about it. plain and simple. we are talking verizon here. they know how to nickle and dime you to death. hehehehe.

but anyway... thats one out of about 6 issues i have. :) doesnt make me feel the need to start downloading.

Thanks all, this thread has wandered off into the boonies.

larry