DVD addiction
I started a post about something philosophical, but decided against it in the end, so I thought instead I'd write about DVD's. :)
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I buy DVD's... too many of them. Probably about one-third of the trips I make to Target or Best Buy result in a DVD purchase. I doubt it qualifies as an official addiction. I don't buy movies instead of food. I don't steal them from my friends' shelves, or hoard them in their original cellophane wrappers. But let's just say that of the 150 or so DVD's that I own, I think I've watched about 100 of them, 10 of them are unaccounted for (read: I forget which friend borrowed which movie,) 10 of them are in their original wrappers because they are unwatched, and the rest are probably copies of movies that I liked in the theater, bought the DVD, but don't feel compelled enough to watch it.
Like everything, there's always someone worse to compare to... a friend of mine probably spends an average of $200 a month on Amazon. I doubt I could come up with a house payment if I hocked my entire collection.
The studios have been successful at creating the notion that a DVD might be temporary. So if you don't buy it now, there's no guarantee it will be around in the future. This is classic collector psychology. Look at Toy Story, Blues Brothers, and other movies that are currently out-of-print, and likely selling above original retail on eBay or Amazon. For instance, until it was re-released in a new box set, my copy of the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers was going for about $80 on eBay. Eventually, demand was high enough that a Brazilian bootleg was being sold for $25.
The other half of it is the technology. I never really was interested in VHS tapes. I owned a few, but renting was good enough. DVD's on the other hand are cool. I can't afford to be a real AV-geek, but I do read the box to make sure it's in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, original aspect ratio, etc. Which leads me to what's coming: HD-DVD & BR-DVD. Collectibles that become obsolete. Uh oh.
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This will have to be a topic for another day, but I want this camera...
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I buy DVD's... too many of them. Probably about one-third of the trips I make to Target or Best Buy result in a DVD purchase. I doubt it qualifies as an official addiction. I don't buy movies instead of food. I don't steal them from my friends' shelves, or hoard them in their original cellophane wrappers. But let's just say that of the 150 or so DVD's that I own, I think I've watched about 100 of them, 10 of them are unaccounted for (read: I forget which friend borrowed which movie,) 10 of them are in their original wrappers because they are unwatched, and the rest are probably copies of movies that I liked in the theater, bought the DVD, but don't feel compelled enough to watch it.
Like everything, there's always someone worse to compare to... a friend of mine probably spends an average of $200 a month on Amazon. I doubt I could come up with a house payment if I hocked my entire collection.
The studios have been successful at creating the notion that a DVD might be temporary. So if you don't buy it now, there's no guarantee it will be around in the future. This is classic collector psychology. Look at Toy Story, Blues Brothers, and other movies that are currently out-of-print, and likely selling above original retail on eBay or Amazon. For instance, until it was re-released in a new box set, my copy of the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers was going for about $80 on eBay. Eventually, demand was high enough that a Brazilian bootleg was being sold for $25.
The other half of it is the technology. I never really was interested in VHS tapes. I owned a few, but renting was good enough. DVD's on the other hand are cool. I can't afford to be a real AV-geek, but I do read the box to make sure it's in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, original aspect ratio, etc. Which leads me to what's coming: HD-DVD & BR-DVD. Collectibles that become obsolete. Uh oh.
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This will have to be a topic for another day, but I want this camera...
posted by Matt at 9:23 PM
3 Comments:
Gee, this DVD addiction sounds eerily familiar. Love your blog by the way!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Thanks Carrie... :) Luckily not too much is coming out that interests me lately, otherwise I'd be in real trouble. Though, I think "The Incredibles" arrives in March.
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