How are you guys buying/collecting movies

dt22 · 13 Aug 2018 at 10:02

Morning,

I would like to move away from DVD/Blu-ray to digital only but can't really find a good strategy to do so. I would rather not be tied to a specific vendor like Amazon or Apple etc.

Are people here still buying discs as it still seems the most consistent way to get movies!

Cheers

Nitefly · 13 Aug 2018 at 10:13

Rent them from iTunes or wherever (for £3.50 usually). I think it’s pretty uneconomic to actually buy them these days and it saves on clutter.

Squid Vicious · 13 Aug 2018 at 11:32

Mix of digital and discs for me - tend to use Amazon Prime for Digital but also purchase discs (Bluray/UHD Bluray) for movies that I really enjoy.

Haze · 13 Aug 2018 at 12:19

I can see why you would not want to be stuck with just one digital provider, but I would never be able to keep track of which movies I have brought through which provider and it would do my head in, and they don't seem to be any cheaper than buying a physical copy

Haze · 13 Aug 2018 at 12:21

And renting is super crap idea, if you want to watch it again then you have to pay again.... No thanks, might be OK if you are the sort of person that only watches films once

Maundie · 15 Aug 2018 at 11:12

I still buy the odd Blu-Ray (sometimes in UHD as well depending on film) but I don't buy anywhere near as many nowdays, I do have Netflix, Amazon Prime and Sky subscriptions so that's probably why.

robfosters · 15 Aug 2018 at 11:28

Don’t buy discs anymore as they seem to have lost all resale value. You’re lucky to get more than £1.50 for them second hand now.

dowie · 15 Aug 2018 at 11:42

robfosters said:
Don’t buy discs anymore as they seem to have lost all resale value. You’re lucky to get more than £1.50 for them second hand now.

So why not buy them second hand then?

Maundie · 15 Aug 2018 at 11:57

dowie said:
So why not buy them second hand then?

Lol!!

Have to say I was looking in Barter Books in Alnwick at the weekend and they had quite a few DVDs and Blu-Rays in 2nd hand, missus bought a couple of CDs for £1.80 each which was great for replacing some old albums that have long since been lost (read lent out and forgotten about).

robfosters · 15 Aug 2018 at 11:59

dowie said:
So why not buy them second hand then?

Tbh, I rarely watch twice anyway. I used to have hundreds, got rid of them. Sky and streaming services is where it’s at for me.

ianh · 15 Aug 2018 at 16:59

Digital downloads mainly with the more expensive Blu-Rays reserved for SFX heavy films as I don't see the point of paying BR prices for a comedy/drama etc when a cheaper DL versions exists.

I haven't bothered with 4K yet and I don't see myself re-buying from BR to 4k BR except for the original Star Wars Trilogy (non-special edition) if it ever came out.

nicktay2605 · 15 Aug 2018 at 20:49

I very rarely re-watch films so brand new physical media is too expensive for me. Streaming is definitely the future, the only problem at the moment is that there aren't too many streaming services that have a decent sized catalogue, particularly when it comes to 4k UHD films. I've bought a few 4k films from Rakuten for £5.99 each, that was very good value imo.

Apple seems to have the best catalogue but it's annoying that they force you to buy the 4k box to watch them, they should really have an app for 4k TVs.

Werewolf · 15 Aug 2018 at 22:16

DVD and Blu-ray for me.

I'll order some things new, others I wait for them to hit the right price.

I like the ability to go back and watch something again at a later (random) date, and not have to pay for it again, I also often end up watching a film over the space of a couple of days if I'm watching it with my father (he can't sit for more than about an hour without smoking).

Digital downloads for films are something I don't trust at all, especially as the ultraviolet downloads seem to be a bit of a nonsense.
I've lost access to one provider beause their support can't work out that my account is giving a "no account for this email address" message when I try to use the link it emails me for a reset.
I also don't trust digital providers to actually be around, I would hope Amazon and Apple will remain, but I've seen enough companies go bust (including huge ones) to not bet on it.

There is also the whole, I don't want to have to rely on an internet connection for watching TV/Films thing, given if my internet goes out, I'm more likely to want to sit and watch a film.

Malevolence · 15 Aug 2018 at 23:36

Blu-ray here. Can't understand how people can pay to stream or download movies that are of lesser quality than the hard copy.

CircleFaust · 16 Aug 2018 at 10:23

i'd still buy the odd bluray but not enough that it's clogging up the place
i use netflix also but they are really only good for watching series'

DrToffnar · 16 Aug 2018 at 10:27

Still only really buy discs if I won't to own the movie itself. I'll usually rent or watch on Netflix or Amazon and buy the Blu Ray if I like it. I like to collect things, but it's also so I don't forget what I've watched over the years

Nitefly · 16 Aug 2018 at 10:34

Haze said:
And renting is super crap idea, if you want to watch it again then you have to pay again.... No thanks, might be OK if you are the sort of person that only watches films once

Really though, how many films have you watched more than twice in, say, the last year? Not many, I guess? I’m not sure I’ve seen any films more than once in the last year and maybe only a couple of films twice over the past 2 years. Even if you rent twice (£7ish) that’s still probably a broadly exquivilent cost to purchasing at a fair price. Since ditching my stash of blu rays over a year ago I haven’t once rented any of them and have otherwise found them on Netflix etc, so there has been no loss to me from renting the occasional film and otherwise using streaming services. I’d quite firmly suggest it’s not a ‘crap’ solution unless your the kind of person that constantly watches ALL of your films. So much convenience and space saved, too. Think of a film that you want to watch - immediately watch it \o/

Yaayuh! · 16 Aug 2018 at 11:12

I only buy Blu-rays (or DVDs if Blu-ray isn't available) of things that I really enjoy, want to own and likely to watch again. Usually from Amazon or HMV deals.

marc2003 · 16 Aug 2018 at 11:16

blu-ray only for me. I don't have internet bandwidth for music streaming let alone films. I rarely buy full price though. I usually pick up crap from CEX (never had a problem ripping any of them and that's all I care about) or if I'm feeling really rich I'll grab 3 for £20 from HMV.

Haze · 16 Aug 2018 at 12:10

Nitefly said:
Really though, how many films have you watched more than twice in, say, the last year? Not many, I guess? I’m not sure I’ve seen any films more than once in the last year and maybe only a couple of films twice over the past 2 years. Even if you rent twice (£7ish) that’s still probably a broadly exquivilent cost to purchasing at a fair price. Since ditching my stash of blu rays over a year ago I haven’t once rented any of them and have otherwise found them on Netflix etc, so there has been no loss to me from renting the occasional film and otherwise using streaming services. I’d quite firmly suggest it’s not a ‘crap’ solution unless your the kind of person that constantly watches ALL of your films. So much convenience and space saved, too. Think of a film that you want to watch - immediately watch it \o/

Loads thanks, enjoy films, I have some that I must have watched a good 30x