I used to but with all the streaming options, I really don’t see a use anymore.
Poll coming.
I voted ‘used to’ but I recently bought a few when my DirecTV was down.
I can think of several reasons why someone might buy DVDs instead of streaming:
- There’s something they want to watch that isn’t available on any streaming service,
- There’s something they want to watch that isn’t available on any streaming service that they already subscribe to, and it’s cheaper to buy the DVD than to sign up for a(nother) streaming service.
- There’s something they like enough that they want to have it always available to watch—and who knows how long the streaming services will keep it available?
- Their internet is too limited (in speed, or reliability, or amount of data they’re allowed to use) to make streaming practical.
I buy them because I don’t want to sign up for multiple streaming services to see what I want to see more than once (sometimes just once – you can sometimes get them for less than what it costs to stream one if you don’t want the monthly service).
I buy them for things that aren’t available on Netflix.
Aside from the availability of shows, all things being equal I prefer DVDs because:
-they’re easier to rewind or fast forward.
-no buffering problems from a poor connection
-more subtitle options.
-though not as common as previously, they offer extras like deleted scenes, commentary, and other items.
If you just want something to watch, then streaming might cover your needs. But if you want to watch specific movies/shows, DVDs provide more options.
If you just want something to watch, then streaming might cover your needs. But if you want to watch specific movies/shows, DVDs provide more options.
I buy them used, $2 for a DVD, $4 for a bluray. I mostly buy them for commentaries. My collection is very small, right around 40, and I bought 25 of those 40 for the commentary tracks.
Also bluray looks better on my hd (not 4k) tv than either cable or streaming. Streaming looks about the same as when my bluray player up-samples a regular DVD – which it is remarkably good at – while cable is in between that and actual bluray.
Yes, but only in packs. Mainly, anyway. We have bought:
Maze Runner Trilogy Blu-ray - $20
Back to the Future Trilogy: $13
Harry Potter 8-pack: $25
Mission Impossible 5-pack(there were only 5 at the time): $20
Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy, with Features: $25
These deals we get on Amazon sometimes are just too good to turn down.
We price-watch and just grab them when they go on deep discount.
If there’s something I’ll want to watch more than once, or a classic that I’ll want in years to come, I’ll buy it. Either in digital form*, or a DVD/Blu-ray disc.
I mean, do any of us really trust that Netflix will always have That Show You Love? If you truly love it, and want to show your grandkids, you’ll need to own it.
Now, you should own it in a format that’ll be accessible decades from now. Are we sure there’ll be DVD players? How will those interface with the new Sub-Q Visual Cortex Interface? (That’s sub-cutaneous, Squiv-See™ for short).
*So will .mp4s (using the H.264 codec) on a Solid-State Hard Drive have the most longevity? Or am I safe for a few decades with DVDs?
Hey, I have a friend with shelves and shelves full of every bestselling movie prior to 2000 on LaserDisc…
I’d buy one occasionally just because. And I bought a small number of DVDs that were my favorites (for example, the blu-ray versions of Fantasia and Becket) and/or hard to find.
But a few years ago I began accessing a network of suburban Chicago libraries (as a guest from the Chicago Public Library), and together they have a huge number of DVDs. And since each suburb runs its own library, each staff has its own tastes, which results in some obscure and interesting choices. So I’ve been checking out and copying DVDs which were interesting but which I probably wouldn’t have bought.
We prefer physical copies but will buy digital versions when physical copies are unavailable or too expensive.
I rarely buy new DVDs anymore, but I still regularly shop for used ones. There’s a couple of pawn shops near where I live where you can buy them for a buck each, which is cheaper than what it cost to rent them back in the day. If I can’t find something I particularly feel like watching on Netflix, I’ll hit up those pawn shops and see what’s available.
If I see a cheap working VCR in a thrift store, I buy it and stick it in a closet. I have a good sized collection of videotapes (some movies never got released on digital). And the last company that made VCR’s shut down production in 2015.
DVD players are heading in the same direction. And earlier this year Samsung announced it’s phasing out BluRay players.
I buy them. It’s like books. If I like it enough to borrow and borrow and reread or rewatch, I might as well buy it.
I really do find many movies are not streaming. It’s usually $2.99 to rent a stream of a movie and the ones I listed about ended up being $5 or less per Blu-ray in some cases.
My wife did buy Beauty and the Beast (the live action one) recently for $10 and that is probably the most expensive Blu-ray we’ve gotten that is just one movie. We really wanted it.
I don’t buy them anymore.
Not because of streaming, but because I never watched the ones I bought anyway.
Never had a DVD or Blu-Ray player (just whatever was on my computer, but I never used that for movies), so I never got around to buying any discs. But back in the VHS days, I don’t ever recall buying a movie, either. Rented, sure, quite a few. I’m not a huge movie watcher anymore, but I do have a Netflix subscription and stream every so often. (I’m much more likely to consume video media in episodic 30-minute chunks than sitting through a 90-120 min movie, hence not watching a lot of movies. The ones that do rope me in tend to be documentaries.)
Yeah but only the movies I really like.
Streaming services constantly take movies down, so just because its on netflix doesn’t mean it’ll be there next month.
I still do buy some. You can never fully rely on the vagaries of streaming rights and sometimes I feel like watching something. I don’t like digital downloads because I prefer physical media.
That said, I buy much much less than I used to. The main reason being I moved from a house to an apartment so I don’t have the space anymore.
Much less frequently than before but I still buy some once in a while.
Even if I hate Episode 9 I will get the BR to complete my collection.
Will probably get GOT final season for the same reason.
I got Expanse DVDs – best option for me.
Brian