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[Victoria Waterfield]

I kind of like being able to get up and grab a dvd off the shelf. 'Owning' movies or music in a subscription model isn't quite the same and there's going to be DRM hell before they let us have video files that we can download and rightfully call our own.

I do like owning DVDs as well, and I've got quite a few, but I'm saying that there is also a second tier of films and programs which I do not feel the need to own, but knowing that they are freely available to me online whenever I choose nonetheless significantly boosts my quality of life, as it were.

[jay-ell]

I like to own things sometimes, too, don't get me wrong.  (All 7 seasons of Buffy, anyone?)  But I currently share a 2 bedroom townhouse with 3 other people, so the fewer things I can possess in physical form, the easier my life is. 

[CortJstr]

I like to own things sometimes, too, don't get me wrong.  (All 7 seasons of Buffy, anyone?)  But I currently share a 2 bedroom townhouse with 3 other people, so the fewer things I can possess in physical form, the easier my life is. 

What, no Buffy Season 8 comic? And here I thought Pedro loved you.

[jay-ell]

He does!  ...but we're talking DVDs here.  I didn't feel my comic book collection was necessarily relevant.  Also, I wasn't sure I wanted to geek out quite that much.  This sor of seems like a cool kids thread. 

Also, I'm about three months behind due to graduate school kicking my ass.  So I've fallen behind in my watcherly (readerly?) duties, and am ashamed. 

[melack]

I don't think digital distribution will become the norm until companies get their act together and stop lacing content with crippling DRM restrictions. If given the option between buying a Blu-Ray disc for 25 dollars or paying 6 to download a movie that will expire 24 hours after pressing play, I'll choose the former every time.

[jay-ell]

I'll be honest, most of the time I'd rather have a download that expires for a quarter of the price. 

Because I'm not the kind of person who generally watches movies more than once. 

TV series are another story, but when it comes to movies -- which I don't watch all that often to begin with -- unless it's a particular favorite (like The Usual Suspects) or a really truly classic film (like the Die Hard trilogy) I just really don't feel the need to see it over and over. 

I realize, however, that I'm in the minority here.  So what I'd love to see is the elimination of prohibitive DRM to allow greater customer choice.   

Isn't that really all anyone wants? 

[melack]

There's also the third option (which is actually the one I'm going with right now) of paying 15 bucks a month for a NetFlix subscription. Their shipping is so damned fast it may as well be digital distribution. Plus you get to actually take your time with the movie and watch the special features. The only drawback is new Blu-Ray movies tend to be in very short supply. I've had the latest version of Blade Runner on Blu-Ray at the top of my queue for over a month now and still haven't got it.

[smick]

dang. I really like Owning Things. I am hell of Materialistic, I guess.

I really like having all my DVDs and CDs and LPs and the books I've read sitting on a shelf where I can look at them. Maybe because I want people to see them and think I like cool things, so what?

If Ray were one end of the spectrum of buying things, and Roast Beef were the other, I am hell of on the RB end.   

The ladyfriend heard a story about Kurt Cobain once, where after Nirvana broke, and the world was their oyster Kurt lost his shoes.  Apparently some kids had cold stolen his shoes during the show, and he kept wandering around in socks.  When pressed about it, the best he could do was mumble that someone had stolen his shoes.   Here's a guy who could snap, and have 20 pairs of shoes, purchased, brought to him, and then say "I don't like these" and another 20 would be brought to him.  Yet he can't pull it together to get 1 pair.

I work a decent job.  I'm ashamed of material things.   Like if someone were to come by, and I have a big TV, I'd be putting on airs.   Such as "Who the hell does Mr. Big TV think he is?"

The ladyfriend handles these things much better, and doesn't understand why I am ashamed of the spoils of my hard work.   Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I really enjoy what I do, and sometimes can't believe I'm paid to do it.

When I balk at buying something I want, like a CD, or a new game, the ladyfriend might say something to the effect of "Buy some shoes, Kurt."

So... I guess, HD-Blu-DVD... I ... I'll probably stick to my VHS player that was built by the Incans for a while.

[Victoria Waterfield]

So... I guess, HD-Blu-DVD... I ... I'll probably stick to my VHS player that was built by the Incans for a while.

They made those things without any kind of glue holding the parts together, you know.

[theinevitable]

oh, no, see, I hate owning nice things. What I like owning is like, old used CDs and records and books from the used book store, army navy surplus jackets, etc. There is probably hell of negative stuff which you can extrapolate about my personality based on this. I don't see myself ever owning a fancy TV or a nice car... I like old things. With character.

[littlefallsmets]

I don't like owning things because the less stuff I own, the better chance I have of having the liquid assets available to deal with the next disaster around the corner... because I have the anxiety and the panic and always believe that disaster is just around the bend.

[melack]

I don't like owning things because the less stuff I own, the better chance I have of having the liquid assets available to deal with the next disaster around the corner... because I have the anxiety and the panic and always believe that disaster is just around the bend.

Ironically, this is the same mindset people who invested in HD-DVD had until recently.

[jough]

I have both HD DVD and Blu-Ray (about 80/60 titles) so I for one was hoping that there wouldn't have been a winner to the "war" and that certain titles would come out in one format, some the other, and combo players would be the defacto next gen players sometime this year.

I won't be re-buying all of my HD DVDs on Blu-ray since they still play just fine in my player.  I guess eventually I'll re-buy some of those titles, though.  If my HD DVD 360 add-on dies I probably won't bother replacing it with anything.