Any Reason to Collect Blu-rays These Days?

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:12 am

I started getting back into horror movies in a big way, which got me wanting to collect physical discs again. Just having something to put on a shelf is pretty neat, and then of course you get director's commentary and extras you don't get by owning a digital edition. A lot of Blu-rays are super cheap these days as well, so I could pick up a lot of favorites and even replace some of the films I have on regular DVD. Plus you know you're getting the highest video quality.

On the other hand, I generally dislike physical media as I consider it nearly obsolete. My collector side is competing with my practical side. Is it really worth owning these titles any more, if I can just stream them anytime I want for a nominal fee?

What say you, Hivemind? I realize any kind of collecting is ultimately a personal decision, but I'm curious as to what others think about the practicality of owning physical movies these days.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:16 am

The streaming market is come-and-go. Something that's on Netflix today may be gone next month, unavailable for three months before popping up on Amazon. The market is fragmented and piecemeal. Having the physical media of something means never having to hunt the Wumpus to see who has it. Not to mention not relying on the vagaries of your internet connection.

Of course, I got the Marvel Phase 1 BR box set for Christmas, so I may not be the most impartial debater.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:22 am

The reasons to buy physical Blu Rays at this point are: (1) if you are going to watch it regularly or semi-regularly and want to ensure that you can keep access to it; and/or (2) for collection purposes (i.e. you like having it on your shelf, you like having a physical collection that you can look at and admire).

It's mostly illogical though. While the streaming market is come-and-go, unless it's an indie title, you're going to be able to access it somewhere online. Pretty sure that it won't be hard to find Ant-Man online in 10 years.

telcta · Post by **telcta** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:31 am

I really wish they would add extra content to the streaming versions, even the iTunes extras are pretty lame from what I was used to. I love listening to commentary and I had collected hundreds of DVDs, always salivating over the extras. I decided not to go through the process of repurchasing movies and instead found that our libraries have a fantastic, updated selection of movies and TV shows (I stopped Netflix DVD because they've been stripping all the goodies out). So when I need my commentary fix, I borrow from the library because I can't remember how many times I listened to commentaries more than once in my old DVD collection.

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:32 am

I don't rewatch most movies enough to justify buying a copy of it. I remember buying The Godfather box set and I have never opened it up because I've seen the movies enough that I do not have the desire to intentionally sit down to watch one. Even when I sold most of my DVDs a year ago (they were taking up a ton of space and were never watched) I kept a handful of special DVDs. I have not even thought about watching those movies since then. It's just the need to collect stuff that gets us.

Also, think about it this way. If you own a movie you probably aren't going to watch it that often. Maybe every few years or so. If you rent it now, but the next time you want to watch it again you might have some new options for watching it as the technology continues to advance. Maybe the next time you want to watch it you'll have a 4k setup and it will be a better experience than what you'd be watching if you had bought it years ago.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:40 am

A few years ago, I sold most of the DVDs I had to some on-line place that gives you a quote and IIRC generates a paid shipping label. Anything more than $2 was sold. The biggest returns were ~$30 for I Claudius and Eisenstein's War and Peace. I watched I Claudius several times and paid $60 for the set. I looked for War and Peace for a long time, finally got it for around $80, and it too sold for $30 -- and was still unopened.

By and large I don't watch movies a second time and my wife is the same. With plenty of kids stuff available via internet-based services, there's no reason for the expense or clutter of physical media.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:49 am

Jeff V wrote:A few years ago, I sold most of the DVDs I had to some on-line place that gives you a quote and IIRC generates a paid shipping label. Anything more than $2 was sold. The biggest returns were ~$30 for I Claudius and Eisenstein's War and Peace. I watched I Claudius several times and paid $60 for the set. I looked for War and Peace for a long time, finally got it for around $80, and it too sold for $30 -- and was still unopened.

By and large I don't watch movies a second time and my wife is the same. With plenty of kids stuff available via internet-based services, there's no reason for the expense or clutter of physical media.

Do you recall the name or details about the place that you sold the DVDs to? I am thinking of dumping 90% of the DVDs that I have.

raydude · Post by **raydude** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:10 am

I liken this decision to my previous experience with Comcast vs Dish network. Comcast was raking me across the coals w/ pricing and I thought I had been misled by a recent Comcast offer. So I decided to switch and go to Dish. Cheaper rate and no practical difference in my mind. It was fine until winter hit and I had no TV because of snow on the dish. That and several other annoyances made me switch back to Comcast, which ironically has given me the lowest rate I have ever seen. And I still get my shows regardless of the weather.

So, streaming movies is fine until you get knocked offline. Then you're out of luck. If it's a movie you could see yourself watching on a night when you absolutely do not want to do anything else, ask yourself - "Self, what would I do if I tried to stream it and my internet was down?" If you are a happy-go-lucky type that would find something else to do then stick with streaming. If you think you might Hulk-smash something then absolutely buy the Blu-ray.

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:13 am

How often is your internet down? I can't remember the last time I've had power and no internet with the exception of some very short-term downtime.

Lack of internet is definitely a factor when buying kids movies as they watch them via DVD in the car's DVD player. Other than that it's all digital.

geezer · Post by **geezer** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:19 am

Are the various streaming and download services Blu-Ray quality in terms of both video and audio now?

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:31 am

McNutt wrote:How often is your internet down? I can't remember the last time I've had power and no internet with the exception of some very short-term downtime.

Lack of internet is definitely a factor when buying kids movies as they watch them via DVD in the car's DVD player. Other than that it's all digital.

Never had a car with a DVD player (and I can't imagine ever wanting one).

If kid wants to watch movies in the car, he can do so on his Kindle.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:31 am

I've been growing my Vudu streaming collection steadily the last few years. I like it because they're also tied to my Ultraviolet account (well, the majority of them, at least). Plus, the Vudu interface is just easy to use and seems to never be down.

They also have a conversion service that I've been using lately. You simply download their conversion software, insert a dvd (or blu ray) and it finds the corresponding version in its catalog. Then you pay 2 bucks to convert to a dvd to a standard definition, or 5 bucks to an HDX version (a bit better than HD). If you do 10 at a time, you get 50 percent off.

I'll probably keep doing this and then unload my old DVDs. The only downside is that you often lose all the extras that come with the dvd or blu ray editions. However, more and more of the newer releases on Vudu are including all the extras when you buy them through their service.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:41 am

This answer works for both BluRays and DVDs, as I have the same philosophy for both.

I think it is worthwhile for absolute favorites and rare shows. You aren't going to be taking my Dark Knight BluRays, nor my Band of Brothers DVD set. My Babylon 5 DVDs are staying right where they're at. Band of Brothers is the only one on that list currently streaming through any of the services I have access to. Of course, none of those were purchased for retail price. Most of my (fairly small) collection were either on sale really cheap, or picked up second hand (99 cent DVDs!)

Now, owning BluRays because you want to watch something? That's nuts. Something worthwhile is always available to stream.

Laura · Post by **Laura** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:52 am

I get a lot of my DVDs from my local library. They have all the latest releases. A couple years ago they were getting rid of quite a few BBC series for $1 each. I bought about eight sets, watched them and then sold to Amazon for pretty good prices. They pay the shipping and generate a shipping label, so it is easy to do. I do have Netflix as well.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:27 am

Eh. I like having the physical media. So I still buy some. But only if they are pretty cheap. And with the availability of Netflix (we pay for the blu-ray option), I've definitely dropped my collecting way down. I watch for movies with lots of extras.

Captain Caveman · Post by **Captain Caveman** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:31 am

Laura wrote:I get a lot of my DVDs from my local library. They have all the latest releases. A couple years ago they were getting rid of quite a few BBC series for $1 each. I bought about eight sets, watched them and then sold to Amazon for pretty good prices. They pay the shipping and generate a shipping label, so it is easy to do. I do have Netflix as well.

We check out DVDs and Blu-Rays from the library as well. It's really a great resource.

We have a 4 year old, and it's great to make a library visit a weekly stop. We get tons of books, plus he picks out one DVD or Blu Ray for the week that is the main source of his TV time for the week (we give him an hour a day, usually after preschool when he needs to unwind... though we sometimes indulge and give him more on weekends).

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:40 am

Yeah, this definitely would not be for just having something to watch. It would be because I want to own all the Halloween movies and be able to break them out in October and watch the series, for example.

I think I may pick up a couple on the cheap and see how I feel.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:45 pm

I've been considering buying a Blu Ray player just to buy and watch the Alien trilogy and the Star Wars trilogy. So far I haven't convinced myself it's worth it.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:46 pm

Greedo shoots first in the blu ray still, I've heard.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:55 pm

hepcat wrote:Greedo shoots first in the blu ray still, I've heard.

You make a strong argument.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:57 pm

That and the inclusion of so many clumsy CGI bits meant to retcon the movies is what keeps me from getting the blu ray versions. If he were to ever release an original version that included only touched up explosions or what not, I'd be on it like white on rice.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:02 pm

I also always keep in mind the possibility of having to have the internet turned off. If it was the 'net or a car to drive the kids to school, there would be no contest. I'd be glad to have a collection of offline options at that point.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:25 pm

geezer wrote:Are the various streaming and download services Blu-Ray quality in terms of both video and audio now?

No, at least not guaranteed. Streaming services have gotten much better, but ultimately they're still using a lot of compression to deliver the data, and they're adjusting the quality on the fly depending on traffic. ISPs can potentially screw with the Netflix bandwidth as well, if they so desire.

Part of my reasoning is that even if Blu-ray does go obsolete, and becomes the last physical format, there may be some value in having that consistent audio/video quality in hand (at least until the disc disintegrates).

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:26 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I also always keep in mind the possibility of having to have the internet turned off. If it was the 'net or a car to drive the kids to school, there would be no contest. I'd be glad to have a collection of offline options at that point.

You could drive your car to the library.

I struggle to find time to watch the DVDs I get from Netflix (particularly those I shouldn't watch when the baby is up...and when the baby sleeps, I sleep, hence the challenge). If ever I lost the ability to watch a movie at my convenience, I probably wouldn't miss it all that much.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:30 pm

I buy some blurays still. I mostly limit it to movies that I know I'll want to have available for a while, and that really benefit from the extra audio/video quality. I can definitely tell a difference versus streaming, even if my wife can't.

I still buy way, way fewer than I used to. I actually need to go through my collection of HD-DVDs that I still have and decide which I want to find cheap blurays for. I still have an HD-DVD player, but I use it so rarely that I don't even keep it connected.

I love streaming video, but I don't want to depend on them for access to things I like. I suppose I could buy the digital copy from Amazon, but if I'm paying to own a copy, I'd rather get the higher quality of a bluray for the same price.

gameoverman · Post by **gameoverman** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:55 pm

I watch everything, except live sports, via streaming or off hard disk. I don't watch extras or listen to commentary tracks off discs, but I don't see why you couldn't rip those items to hard disk along with the movie if you're into that stuff.

To me, that time spent finding the disc, taking it out of the package, firing up the blu ray player and loading the disc, then watching the FBI warning...all tedious wastes of time I'm glad to live without.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:59 pm

The FBI and Interpol warnings annoy the crap out of me. They're punishing the wrong people with that snippet that can't be fast forwarded through. If I was watching a pirated copy, odds are the warning wouldn't freakin' BE there.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 2:48 pm

Kids. Blu rays for home use, DVDs for travel. The kids watch the same movies repeatedly and often get overwhelmed by all the choices when browsing streaming services. Plus, you can count on Disney to eventually cycle movies out of stores.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 3:36 pm

Jeff V wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:I also always keep in mind the possibility of having to have the internet turned off. If it was the 'net or a car to drive the kids to school, there would be no contest. I'd be glad to have a collection of offline options at that point.
You could drive your car to the library.

Why? To check out the VHS tapes? Life in a town of 4,000 has its upsides. The libraries are not one of them.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 3:51 pm

Blackhawk wrote:
Jeff V wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:I also always keep in mind the possibility of having to have the internet turned off. If it was the 'net or a car to drive the kids to school, there would be no contest. I'd be glad to have a collection of offline options at that point.
You could drive your car to the library.
Why? To check out the VHS tapes? Life in a town of 4,000 has its upsides. The libraries are not one of them.

That one copy of Nymphomaniac Vol I and II is always checked out, isn't it?

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 3:53 pm

I think I'll approach this by picking up a couple of discs under $10 of movies I like that I haven't yet watched the director's commentary for. That way I can justify the purchase for the additional content, and if I wind up with buyer's remorse I'm not out much money.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 3:57 pm

Blackhawk wrote:
Jeff V wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:I also always keep in mind the possibility of having to have the internet turned off. If it was the 'net or a car to drive the kids to school, there would be no contest. I'd be glad to have a collection of offline options at that point.
You could drive your car to the library.
Why? To check out the VHS tapes? Life in a town of 4,000 has its upsides. The libraries are not one of them.

Are they part of a library network? If so, you might be able to acquire items from much larger libraries through them.

JonathanStrange · Post by **JonathanStrange** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 8:04 pm

I NO longer look for or am in the market for DVDs, singles or collections

UNLESS

It's a movie I'm confident I'll watch several times. (Galaxy Quest, Back to the Future, Carlito's Way)

It's a tv series that's hard to find or I'll watch casually very often. (Barney Miller, The Young Ones, Stargate)

BUT MOSTLY I don't even bother looking at Blu-ray dvd sales/offerings. Physical copies seem passe, but I get that when the fit hits the shan, a few could come in handy.

SO: It would be strange to have NO DVDs but weird to have more than a small shelf (unless you went to JeffV's garage sale and bought his DVDs, books on ancient Egypt and his autobiography, then you're weird already and what's a little more weirdness.)

(PS. I've been wanting to see BABYLON 5 for ages but I can't find it for free (or Hulu/Netflix/AmPrime subscription) and I don't want to spend $100+ for it. So not everything can be found at the price you want to pay; which is nothing in my case. Cheapskate, that I am.)

ChaoZ · Post by **ChaoZ** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:12 pm

I still pick up an occasional BluRay. For a movie I like, under $10 is fine. For a movie I love, I'll go to $15. Haven't bought a TV series in a while.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:15 pm

JonathanStrange wrote:I NO longer look for or am in the market for DVDs, singles or collections

UNLESS

It's a movie I'm confident I'll watch several times. (Galaxy Quest, Back to the Future, Carlito's Way)

It's a tv series that's hard to find or I'll watch casually very often. (Barney Miller, The Young Ones, Stargate)

Good Lord, you're all over the place when it comes to taste in film and TV.

nasai · Post by **nasai** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:25 pm

hepcat wrote:
JonathanStrange wrote:I NO longer look for or am in the market for DVDs, singles or collections

UNLESS

It's a movie I'm confident I'll watch several times. (Galaxy Quest, Back to the Future, Carlito's Way)

It's a tv series that's hard to find or I'll watch casually very often. (Barney Miller, The Young Ones, Stargate)
Good Lord, you're all over the place when it comes to taste in film and TV.

He forgot Flesh Gordon and Zombie Ass.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:30 am

JonathanStrange wrote:books on ancient Egypt

Too lazy for a garage sale, but they are listed for sale on Amazon.

The autobiography isn't finished yet. It has to wait until I'm done roamin', done carin', done livin'. Which I believe is coming soon.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:19 am

I still buy most of the movies I want to watch on Blu-Ray. There are several reasons for this:

Streaming quality is much lower than what you'd get on a Blu-Ray. Most people probably won't care or notice, but putting on a Blu-Ray movie when you're used to streaming on Netflix is a pretty huge leap in picture and sound quality and easy to notice.
You're likely to get better support for larger sound systems on Blu-Ray.
Extras are almost never available with streaming.
The selection is almost limitless on Blu-Ray, while streaming leaves you at the whim of copyright holders.
A shelf full of Blu-Rays gives guests a much better visual reference when you just want to watch a movie together. "What do you want to watch?" works much better when you can just look at a shelf.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:51 am

TiLT wrote:

A shelf full of Blu-Rays gives guests a much better visual reference when you just want to watch a movie together. "What do you want to watch?" works much better when you can just look at a shelf.

This never happened when I had a shelf full of DVDs. On the rare occasion I have guests over to watch movies, the movies are chosen well in advance, as that would have been the purpose of their visit with ample time to procure from Netflix or other sources. Nor have I ever been invited to peruse a shelf full of DVDs at a friends house to select something to watch -- if I am there to watch a movie, the movie has already been decided.

BTW, my blu-ray player is in need of retiring -- the open/close button has collapsed into the box and I can only load it using the remote (for once, the idiotic decision to put open/close button the remote is useful). I have never actually owned a blu-ray disk, and the number of blu-ray disks ever played on the thing is less than a handful. I do not pay extra to rent them from Netflix.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 11:00 am

First Blu-Ray in my collection: Trick 'r Treat

Ever since seeing this for the first time 3 or 4 years ago, it earned a spot on my list of annual movies to watch at Halloween. In terms of capturing the feel of the holiday, it's probably my #1 favorite. What Costume Quest is to gaming, Trick 'r Treat is to movies.

I had an enormous DVD collection at one time, but it was made up of all kinds of genres and really had no rhyme or reason to it. This time I'm going to be much more selective about what I buy.

I went through last night and purged the rest of my standard DVD collection. I kept all the kids movies and horror films. Everything else I'm giving away or trashing.