Physical Media Hoarding: Why Is It So Hard To let DVDs & Blu-rays Go?

[@busht4169]

I still have (and refuse to give up) my very first DVD I purchased with my own money in 1995. Stargate. So old you have to watch half the movie on one side and flip the disc. Yep...never giving it up. Great video sir and full of real points and info.

[@jjthekollector]

More like 1998 unless you mean VHS

[@kevinkelley3906]

The "Ultimate Edition" is a joke. Unfortunately I bought the DVD and it sucks!! Hardly any features!

[@kevinkelley3906]

It's hoarding when you have every possible edition of a movie no matter how minor

[@HomeCinemaEnthusiast]

I’m in the same boat , I have a lot of DVDs that are quite nostalgic to me . I have to pull the trigger on letting them go as I have upgraded to Blu Ray or 4k

[@kevinkelley3906]

If it's your first dvd you ever bought then there is nothing wrong with keeping it

[@TankFerretPresents]

We've seen that digital products can and will be altered. A solid library of physical media is immensely valuable.

[@80sMadeConsumer]

That it is I would never go back!

[@HomeCinemaEnthusiast]

Love My cousin vinnie . Still have to upgrade from dvd

[@JohnDoe-bz4yl]

If I upgrade from a DVD to a Blu Ray I'll donate that DVD to a charity shop and If I upgrade from a Blu Ray to a 4K I normally put the Blu Ray in the 4K case if the 4K doesn't come with a Blu ray copy because a lot of the time the Blu ray has special features that are not on the 4K

[@MoviesDonuts]

I have felt this way for a long time thank you for this video. I have a small collection and as I upgrade its seems harder to part with some of my favorites.

[@80sMadeConsumer]

People have connections with their movies I get it!

[@TonyThompson1981]

One of the other reasons I'm not getting rid of anything currently is that it becomes a pain in the butt. Because I have a paper list of my movie collection and the CLZ app, so I'd have to go through and delete them. From the app is simple enough, but from the paper list is a serious pain. lol

[@80sMadeConsumer]

Just started using the CLZ list this year and it’s amazing! Still hate the subscription service though. I never used a paper sheet that’s impressive. Around 2005 there was a an app you could get for the iMac that let you scan your movies with the web cam and they showed on a book shelf they discontinued it as soon as the iPhone became a thing and didn’t have anther app until 2016. Not sure how I ever went without one.

[@TonyThompson1981]

I have a room with wall to wall shelves for my movies so I still have plenty of room. Therefore I don't have to worry about getting rid of anything right now. But there's plenty that I've gotten rid of in the past that I really regret. But I try not to dwell on that too much.

[@80sMadeConsumer]

I have had some regrets too, no point on dwelling on that too much I’ve never seen or own yet haha. Glad you have room for now, I’ve always curated the collection but now it’s a struggle to have everything displayed nicely for the videos and functionally for everyday use.

[@Seriously140]

I have this same problem. There are eight blurays near my front door that have been upgraded to 4K bluray. The problem for me is there is not a "fair" way to get rid of them. I could sell them on eBay and get maybe $7.00 for all of them, which is not even worth the time to photograph and list them. I could give them to a friend or family member, but maybe they will not ever watch them. I went to my local library to donate them for the entire community to enjoy, but they said they would not go into general circulation for the community. Instead they put them on a shelf, and anyone that wants them can take them for free to be their own. That leads me back to giving them to a friend, but I want them to go to someone that appreciates them, damnit. So there is just not a "fair" way to move them along.

[@80sMadeConsumer]

@@Seriously140 I had the exact same experience I used to send my upgrades to friends that I thought would appreciate them. They however aren’t movie people or at least at the same level I am. I get the same enjoyment out of watching an action movie from the 80s as I do a slow burn drama from the 70s or any silent film. The two things I adopted that have mitigated a feeling of loss, 1 found a used book store that takes trades on DVDs and Blu-ray’s I trade what I don’t want and get new stuff on the cheap. If I don’t like a film straight to the book store. The 2nd thing was a I found a penpal that is a movie person to send upgrades that I think are top notch and they do the same. Movie people are the only ones that’ll appreciate sharing gems out of their collections & finding new ones. I’ve gotten a few wonderful films and some I didn’t care for, but really a fun experience no different than a rental.

[@richarddexter7641]

I've only got X amount of space for my videos. If I replace a DVD copy with a BluRay or 4k version, or a BluRay with a 4k version, the older version is easily history. I don't really care about the packaging or even the extras in most cases (though I'm keeping the BluRay versions of LoTR and The Hobbit for the extras that aren't available on the 4k versions). Latest example of this is that I upgraded my DVD copy of the Polar Express for the 4k version for $7.99; the DVD will be out of here as soon as I can make a trip to donate it. And eventually, all of the videos in my collection are going to be replaced by putting them on a Plex or Jellyfin server, giving me access to all of my videos wherever I am, as well as giving me all of my collection digitally. Once that happens, I can't see myself keeping any of the physical media. A server with redundancy for every movie I want to keep will serve me just fine.

[@TorontoJon]

I generally keep a number of DVDs or even VHS tapes even though I upgraded to either a Blu-ray or 4K/Blu-ray combo set (and I avoid buying 4K-only releases since I can't share those movies with family members that don't own 4K players). I'm willing to part with certain VHS movies or DVDs if the cover art was unremarkable or matched by the cover art by the corresponding Blu-ray or 4K, but in many cases in terms of mainstream releases' cover art, the Blu-ray or 4K cover art is typically pathetic and uninspiring with just head shots of the main actors and no cool original poster art or custom art (except in the case of boutique labels), so there's a case where I still hang onto the original VHS or DVD which had better artwork for display purposes. However, in terms of thrifting, I do avoid buying a VHS or DVD if I already have the movie on Blu-ray or 4K because enough is enough after a while and in some cases, if the VHS or DVD of a particular movie is good enough to me (or the Blu-ray or 4K has issues with artificial smoothening or de-aging of actors, etc.), I won't even bother upgrading. So, it all depends. :)

[@The90sBro]

The Dukes of Hazzard is probably the only one of those you should keep the DVD copy of, simply because HD-DVD has so many issues and Disc Rot is common with that format so I'd want an extra copy. I personally like to keep DVDs when I upgrade because I travel a lot and want to watch movies on my laptop which only has a DVD drive. But to stop the hording aspect I'll buy a DVD+Blu-Ray combo pack (and sell the DVD copy) or I'll buy the Blu-Ray and swap out the case so I can put the DVD in with the Blu-Ray so it only takes up 1 spot on the shelf.

[@80sMadeConsumer]

Yeah I’m keeping it now traded in all the rest this afternoon. I keep every format of my absolute favorite films and have a portable DVD player for trips to the in-laws haha. The main reason I find I can’t part with some are there are special features that never made it to the next format.

[@plexnbrown760]

This might be hoarding but I usually put the dvd in paper slip in with the 4k or blu or the blu with 4k

[@80sMadeConsumer]

No it’s a good way to keep all the special features together and save space. I couldn’t do it sometimes I think about getting a case that holds 3 discs but I love the original packaging.

[@RickHonks1]

It's not hard at all. I just give away any previous copy of a movie that was upgraded. I've literally given away hundreds of blu-rays and DVDs. I'll never understand people's ridiculous obsession with packaging or how they like how their movie cases look on a shelf. My couch faces my TV, where I watch my movies and not my movie shelf. Do people who 'collect' movies, literally stare at the their shelves for hours on end to admire their disc cases? If so, they need some serious help. So stupid.

[@richarddexter7641]

You're like me; you collect the movies but not the packaging. I've got no heartburn in eliminating original discs in favor of the upgrades, though I can understand why some people love the packaging. It's just not for me.

[@TorontoJon]

It's not "stupid". People and collectors have different passions, that's all. For instance, I don't particularly care about sports or sports teams and never have, so I'll never own a valuable baseball card or hockey card collection because that's not where my passions lie, but I don't begrudge collectors that love their teams, collect various sports memorabilia, and drool over their prized cards of their favourite sports heroes.

[@TorontoJon]

I would certainly agree that collectors that obsess about and keep buying all sorts of variations of packaging and the same movie over and over again may need to re-evaluate their hobby because they're going down a costly rabbit hole and are being played for suckers, but then again, to each his or her own. If they have that kind of passion for their hobby, who am I to ridicule them or to stand in their way? One thing is certain though; I don't envy them or their repetitive collection. Eventually, it's just stuff piling up and enough is enough.