It all started about
three years ago when 800.com offered three DVD’s for a dollar. I didn’t even own a DVD player but figured I might as well. So I did, Fargo. L.A. Confidential, & Austin Powers were my first.
Well those DVDs just sitting on the shelf were mocking me. So I did what felt like the right thing at the time, I got a DVD player…and five more DVDs.
“I’ll but these movies, which I truly love,” I figured, “but will mostly rent.”
Then the eCommerce thing exploded, and companies like reel.com, buy.com and dvdexpress.com were practically giving away DVDs. Coupon codes and discounts abounded as etailers attempted to gain “eyeballs” at the expense of profit. And I made out like a bandit, my collection exploded…and I was hooked. With all the deals it wasn’t a particularly expensive hobby.
But now…
The etailers and deals have more or less dried up. Sure you can scrounge them out if you know where to look. I told myself I would simply scale back once the prices went up. But then the twitching sets in…and the sweating…and I rationalize that somehow this next purchase is different…
Well, I just got done doing a massive DVD order from Amazon, 12 titles, including The Godfather Trilogy, X-Files: Season 4 and The Simpsons: Complete First Season. This should put me close to 175. That sure seems like a lot but I know some folks with over a thousand(!).
I’m not doing so bad, but I could do better. Hey, they just announced Glengarry Glen Ross will be released with commentary by David Mamet…I probably should get that…
I amg etting pretty bad about this too. I buy at least 3 a week, usually imported anime, but sometimes I will just buy a box of 20 or so, and that lasts me, but it is a horrible waste of $$$$$
Here’s what helps me: every time I get a new one, I’m not allowed to buy any more until I’ve watched it. I also have three roommates who are movie nuts and there’s usually a fresh new one on the shelf when I get home at least once a week so that makes it easier.
I haven’t gotten a big collection yet (just five DVDs so far, and three of ‘em is the Ultimate Toy Box three-disc set), but I’m definitely hankerin’ to buy a nice DVD player and start a huge collection of discs…
…then I look at my bank balance, and the feeling goes away.
Every day I stare at my collection of about 60 DVD movies and think: “Man, what a waste. I’ll probably never watch most of those again”.
But then I go out and buy more.
I make a point to watch them after I buy them, but usually that’s it.
Perhaps if I had a bigger tv, and a new stereo with full dolby 5.1 surround sound, I might watch them more often. (Like I haven’t spent enough money already)
I limit myself to one (well, maybe two) a month. Of course, there is a dispensation clause for events such as the local discount retailer that is going tits up this week. Scored the collector’s edition of “CE3K” and a copy of “Bridge on the River Kwai” for not much green.
Thousands? I’m up to about 25 DVDs in a year and a half of collecting. What a loser I am.
I just got a DVD player and I have only four DVDs. I’ve never bought that many videos of movies in general, because there aren’t that many I want to watch over and over. The DVD, though, has the advantage of being able to jump to a scene, which is much nicer than video, so there’s probably going to be things I wouldn’t have bought on video that I’ll end up buying on DVD. Or, more likely, at least thinking about buying.
Ah, the glory days of online buying were…well, glorious. So many stores committing suicide by a thousand cuts, and I was delighted to help them.
I picked up the bulk of a hundred-odd discs during the bargain insanity, and my purchases have slowed way down since they’ve dried up. I just picked up five of them (Big Trouble in Little China, Dogma (I hadn’t even realized the special edition had come out in the previous two months, and I snagged it the moment I learned), Akira, Scanners (at a dirt-cheap price point, the thing’s only 10 bucks; mostly a nostalgia purchase), and Princess Bride should be wending its way to me shortly) and that was my first purchase since April or May.
The ability to zap straight to any bit of a film has led to purchases that I probably wouldn’t have made otherwise, particularly when they could be had on the cheap. On the same principle, really, of buying an album because you really like one or two songs on it, even though the rest is pretty much blech.
Never, ever look at the DVD Bargain forum at dvdtalk.com. If you do, you’ll start buying movies on general principle, just because they’re good deals. It’s like an enabler for the addiction.
Oh, I’m a shameless DVD addict. I’m just shy of 100 now. Last purchase was Unbreakable. It was a good flick, but how many times am I gonna watch that?
(‘Must…forget…suprise ending!’)
Still, I try to limit myself now to buying things I know I’ll watch over and over (Evil Dead II - Special Edition was a recent purchase), or things that are almost impossible to find at video rental places (The Brothers Quay, The Hidden Fortress, etc.).
What’s weird is that I NEVER bought VHS tapes, except if Blockbuster was selling some used ones for 5 bucks. I think I owned like maybe 6 or 7 tapes before I got my DVD/home theater setup.
And I used to belittle my pals who wanted a DVD-I said it was a waste of money! What a sap I was!
I’ve got around 40, though I’ve got many hundreds of movies on tape. I’d love to have more discs, but $$$$$$$. Ahem.
I limit myself by a couple of factors. First, the DVD has to offer more than just the trailer, and it absolutely has to be widescreen. I don’t have HDTV or top-of-the-line digital surround sound, so if the home video doesn’t have a bunch of extras, I don’t see a huge advantage of DVD over VHS. (Yes, clearer picture. Yes, better sound. Yes, jumping to points in the movie. No, those aren’t worth ten more bucks to me.) But those special double sets and Criterion editions… those are my crack cocaine.
Also, I buy only one or two a month, with each paycheck. I’ve got a running list of “want to buy,” and of course it accumulates titles faster than I can take them off.
The alternative, sadly, is to become a Breatharian.
I believe I have over 200 now, including a bunch of box sets (mostly anime). You know, that’s the worst type of DVD addiction - box set/limited/collectors/special edition addiction. It’s the heroin of the DVD world I tell ya.
Same here. Don’t know about anyone else, but for me it’s a combination of the longer potential lifespan of DVD, plus the better image/sound quality. Plus I’m a aspect ratio snob, and DVD’s are more often correctly framed.
I got started late, missed the discounts, but I’m making up for lost time. I love widescreen; pan and scan has become an abomination in my eyes.
Can any of you other addicts recommend a good resource to find DVDs that are being issued soon? I’m dying to get a few (UHF, Top Secret, Real Genius, Joe Vs. The Volcano) that aren’t out yet.
MrVisible: As I remember, Amazon.com also lets you attach your name to still-unreleased (or gone-out-of-print) movies, and they’ll email you if the release status changes.
Wow. I got a DVD player for my birthday in April. Thus far I only own a mere four DVDs Go; Clerks; Bring it on; andSuicide Kings. I’m ordering the first three seasons of the X-files in September though, now that I can afford them… cds, however, I show no such restraint in buying. I buy 40 a year of them, minimum.
