Purchasing Habits

[BillyG]

Many comments in other threads about it, shall we discuss?

Up until the last...oh let's say year, I was a huge movie collector. I would go to DVD shopping every week. Scour for cheap deals, get the new releases, easily drop $100-200 a month on DVDs. I think my interest started to drop after an awesome indie movie shop near my old place shut down. Houston is notorious for its big box dominance, so having a small place with real film lovers was a big draw for me. Their inventory covered the most odd foreign films (I remember stacks of Old Boy upon release, and Best Buy not having a single copy).

But when I moved back home and no longer had much space to store new movies I didn't buy as much. I bought movies that I really loved, or something on a super cheap deal (can't pass up the Best Buy or Amazon $5 BD sales), but in the last year I probably only bought what I would have bought in a month or two before. I was up to about 500-600 DVDs before I moved, and now I see this huge space. Moving into the new house I have several DVD racks, but they take up a ton of space. We are having trouble figuring out how to arrange the house because of it.

The Losers is a good example. I really enjoyed it in theaters. A lot. But it wasn't great. I don't feel the need to stick it in someone's hands and say WATCH THIS! A year ago it would have been a day one purchase. Hell, I didn't even know Kick Ass was coming out today until Amazon emailed to remind me. Before I would look at the new release lists every weekend to see what I was going to buy.

I am considering investing in a really bad ass 2 or 3 TB home media server. Netflix has spoiled me. I want to save the space. I was a hold out forever on CD's, but now I download MP3s from Amazon on the cheap, and back them up on my external HDD. And I have to find space for all these DVDs I have now, not to mention games.

[Ed Hocken]

I haven't bought a dvd in months and until I just got RDR I haven't bought a game in who knows how long. Part of it is because I'm trying to be a cheap bastard and part of it is because it just becomes more stuff piling up.

[BillyG]

The other big factor for me is time. I have like 400 movies on my Netflix queue. I have tons of DVD/BD I haven't watched yet. I know for a fact I packed Fantastic Mr Fox and Once Upon A Time In The West that were still sealed. I just don't have the time to watch 3 movies in a day anymore.

[V]

Same here. With instant, I just watch what I want, when I want. Although I will plunk down money for something rare, or something of sentimental value.

[Ed Hocken]

I don't have the attention span to watch movies back-to-back-to-back.

Also, I've never purchased a statue or a bust. Yeah they look cool, but it's another thing that collects dust. I'd rather spend that cash on vacation or exercise.

[Nathan]

Same here. With instant, I just watch what I want, when I want. Although I will plunk down money for something rare, or something of sentimental value.

That.

[Timothy225]

I used to be more hardcore into films than I am now, especially back in the days of videos (foreign horror and sci-fi stuff - it was how I learned of Naschy, Argento, etc.). Over time, however, I sort of grew out of it, most especially when I got engaged, as I had to factor in not only my stuff but my soon-to-be-wife's shit too when we were house-hunting.

Also, since Jen and I are homebodies by nature, we opted to go all-out on our cable set-up, which gave us damn near limitless access to films. Hence, not much need to buy a bunch of DVDs or maintain my video collection.

Nowadays, only if it's a movie I have a particular attachment for (similar to Vin), or if it demands repeated viewings (LOTR extended editions, for example - once a year or so, I'll do a marathon and watch 'em back to back), it makes it to the shelf.

[Matt]

My CD/VHS/DVD collections used to be a point of massive pride. LOOK! LOOK at my library! LOOK and feel inferior to me! KNEEL BEFORE ZOD'S ALMIGHTY COLLECTION THAT FAR SURPASSES YOUR OWN!

Thousands and thousands of dollars later, I now have a collection that does nothing but collect dust. 90% of those movies will never be seen by me again...I own them to complete a collection, nothing more. I broke my need to be a completionist on things, and, as such, my need to OWN a physical piece of media has grown much, much more selective. I buy maybe 40 DVDs/blu rays a year now, and I typically wait until they are in the $10-$15 range before I actually purchase them. I'll make exceptions for items that particularly interest me, but that's it.

My funds are now focused into my vacation account, and I'm much happier.

[V]

The last DVD I bought was 'Death Machine'...

$3 at Movie Stop. Although I will buy Venture Bros. Season 4 this fall...

That's a given.

[Bobby Bear]

Interesting topic, and one that I've been thinking about quite a bit lately oddly enough. I've never really been the guy to try to build up a massive collection of movies in a particular format because it's expensive and I'd really rather just get favourites or stuff I hope to get a lot of replay value out of. If it's something I really love, I don't mind forking out for it. Or, like V says, if it's of sentimental value. But if I see something and just "enjoy" (but don't feel blown away by) it, a purchase is pretty unlikely.

[Fil]

The Losers is a perfect example of the kind of movie I'd buy on DVD or Blu ray a few years ago having seen it in the theatres or not (I didn't). Now, I only buy Blu Rays of films I really love, and stream or download movies to my PS3. I don't have the space or the disposable income I used to. Although, I will buy movies I like on Blu if I see them really cheap.

[BillyG]

My CD/VHS/DVD collections used to be a point of massive pride. LOOK! LOOK at my library! LOOK and feel inferior to me! KNEEL BEFORE ZOD'S ALMIGHTY COLLECTION THAT FAR SURPASSES YOUR OWN!

God that was me. When I started dating again 4 years ago I even put in my profile online that if you have a problem with a guy with a WALL of DVDs then it won't work.

[gravedigger]

The Losers is a perfect example of the kind of movie I'd buy on DVD or Blu ray a few years ago having seen it in the theatres or not (I didn't). Now, I only buy Blu Rays of films I really love, and stream or download movies to my PS3. I don't have the space or the disposable income I used to. Although, I will buy movies I like on Blu if I see them really cheap.

This about sums up the situation for me. I generally only get DVDs during holidays as presents now.

[Abraham Smashington]

God that was me. When I started dating again 4 years ago I even put in my profile online that if you have a problem with a guy with a WALL of DVDs then it won't work.

Old threads are fun. Not gonna lie, there are days where I come across an instagram post showing off a physical media shrine and I get wistful for those days. But the last time we moved I went through all of my shit, put them in nice leather books with their covers and shit, sold a TON of shows on DVD and other shit I already had purchased on blu ray and haven't looked back. Now I have a single shelf with my physical media and that's just for special editions and the like. Otherwise I have all of my books and then like 800 flicks on my iTunes account. Digital is so much easier and I no longer spend a good chunk of my paycheck on that nonsense. I'll grab shit new that I really want or wait until they're down to 5 bucks. Plus now it saves on moving and hauling all that shit.

I'm hoping once we move into a house or whatever happens after this place that I'll be able to digitize all of my physical media and toss it on a drive to stream via Plex. Right now I just don't have the time. I'm so lazy that I'll want to watch a movie that is upstairs in one of those books and I'll first check streaming options and if it's not there I'll just buy it digitally if it's cheap. The other day I had a hankering to break out my dvd of King of Kong but didn't want to go upstairs. Click-click and 5 dollars later now I have a better looking version digitally. lol

[BillyG]

hahaha, we don't even HAVE a bookshelf now. We have been trying to figure out where to even fit one, and what to put on it. We don't have space anymore for all our books, dvd's, etc. 99% of the movies are outside in containers, and the books are in boxes in our hallway...still. We are thinking one skinny bookshelf, but it has to go where we put our xmas tree. And then like...no idea on all these books. DVD's are getting ripped eventually and put on plex. I need to buy a stupid like 16TB drive and put a backblaze backup on it.