Has anyone else sold/given away their DVD/Blu-ray collection to move to streaming?

[CyberCubed]

Over the last few years I've sold almost all of my DVD's/blu-rays that I've had since the early 2000's on ebay. I only kept a few select stuff that was sentimental to me, and I still have all my TMNT cartoon DVDs because I won't sell that (until we get blu-ray releases, if that ever happens :lol: ), but I did away with everything else.

I've moved to online streaming/digital only at this point. I realized what's the point of buying a blu-ray that I'm only going to watch like once every 5-10 years (or even longer). I had DVDs of stuff I hadn't rewatched in over a decade and I wondered what the point of keeping it on my shelf was.

The early 2000's era of people having these huge DVD collections on their shelves is pretty much over. Now owning a huge DVD collection is kinda frowned upon and viewed as a waste of space. So I only basically have some TMNT DVDs now and the original Star Wars trilogy in blu-ray, but that's it.

[TigerClaw]

Over the last few years I've sold almost all of my DVD's/blu-rays that I've had since the early 2000's on ebay. I only kept a few select stuff that was sentimental to me, and I still have all my TMNT cartoon DVDs because I won't sell that (until we get blu-ray releases, if that ever happens :lol: ), but I did away with everything else.

I've moved to online streaming/digital only at this point. I realized what's the point of buying a blu-ray that I'm only going to watch like once every 5-10 years (or even longer). I had DVDs of stuff I hadn't rewatched in over a decade and I wondered what the point of keeping it on my shelf was.

The early 2000's era of people having these huge DVD collections on their shelves is pretty much over. Now owning a huge DVD collection is kinda frowned upon and viewed as a waste of space. So I only basically have some TMNT DVDs now and the original Star Wars trilogy in blu-ray, but that's it.
While the streaming is nice and all. Physical media is here to stay. Part of that reason is because the blu-ray or 4k blu-ray has better picture quality then the streaming which is mostly compressed.

[AquaParade]

I've moved to digital in a big way but not completely. Ya see, my collecting habits are sort of strange. If I want to own something, then I really want to own it, so I'll usually secure a sealed backup copy of any physical media I buy, namely books, movies, figures, etc.

So yes, I have two copies of The Dark Knight on 4k, two copies of Alan Moore's "From Hell", and I'll have both the sealed single issues and the hardcover collection of "The Last Ronin" if it ends as strong as it began. Not everything needs to be in the same format. All that matters is I can abuse one to my heart's content and not have to worry about ever replacing it.
I understand if this sounds weird and slightly obsessive, but I guess "piece of mind" has a big role in how i collect things.

The notable caveat being the fact that I'm very particular about the physical media I want to own.
Not including backups, I'd estimate that I own 12-15 movies/tv shows, 10 hardcovers, and 50 single issue comics. All in all, not a very sizable physical collection. Takes up less than a small bookshelf.

Everything else I'm interested in I'll just rent or get a cheap digital copy of. I love the convenience of digital media, and the way it clears up space around the house, but I don't enjoy collecting it by any means and have made peace with the fact that my digital collection could disappear any day now.
So yeah, I've mostly shifted to digital media, with one foot lingering in a slightly obsessive, but contained collecting hobby.

[ABrown]

Ha, I've still got a collection of movies on VHS that I never repurchased on DVD. I don't have the money (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=63255) to keep repurchasing all my favorite shows/movies every time a new way of watching them come out.

[Andrew NDB]

I got rid of all of my DVDs of movies and TV stuff that weren't already available in quality higher than 480p (which is DVD quality). Which was a lot. I can't imagine parting with my Blu-rays anytime soon.

[newfan]

Nope, I could do with sorting through the DVD's I have but don't plan to rid myself of the movies/series I still wish to keep.

[Autbot_Benz]

The early 2000's era of people having these huge DVD collections on their shelves is pretty much over. Now owning a huge DVD collection is kinda frowned upon and viewed as a waste of space. So I only basically have some TMNT DVDs now and the original Star Wars trilogy in blu-ray, but that's it.
Once again cubed is wrong as usual. Plenty of people including myself still enjoy and have a massive physical media collection. Hell go the blu ray.com forums it's as pro physical media as you can get.

Also having a huge blu ray collection is better than having to buy 5 different streaming services just because one streaming service has something while another doesnt

[CyberCubed]

It's actually due to all the online streaming services now, like netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, etc...that so many people are moving away from physical media. A lot of people realize they can just watch what they want on those streaming services instead of buying physical.

In the early 2000's online streaming wasn't a thing, and it only really picked up speed around 2010 or so. Now in 2020/2021 it's pretty mainstream. There's a reason why big stores like Target/Wal-Mart,etc. have severely reduced the space for blu-rays for movies/TV shows, it definitely isn't like it was over 10 years ago.

[Autbot_Benz]

It's actually due to all the online streaming services now, like netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, etc...that so many people are moving away from physical media. A lot of people realize they can just watch what they want on those streaming services instead of buying physical.

In the early 2000's online streaming wasn't a thing, and it only really picked up speed around 2010 or so. Now in 2020/2021 it's pretty mainstream. There's a reason why big stores like Target/Wal-Mart,etc. have severely reduced the space for blu-rays for movies/TV shows, it definitely isn't like it was over 10 years ago.

why are you bringing up streaming services anyway? You don't subscribe to them you just pirate everything cause your a cheap bastard

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Cubed, shut up.

[IMJ]

Back in the day if I was even remotely interested in a flick, then I bought it. But I abandoned that particular accumulation of things some years back when I added a 6 TB Home Media Server to my setup. So the short of it is that I still buy the physical media from the I.P.'s that I love (The Avengers movies for example), but anything else that isn't top-notch becomes a digital copy on my server (not a streaming services server, but my server located in my house).

Limiting your disc-based collection only to your favorite content has benefits. It means having less STUFF lying around. It makes the non-favorite content more accessible (a server is "click of a button"). But either way I don't rely purely on a third-party streaming service. I still want my own copies of "XYZ" so that I can truly watch something on-demand. Going to streaming-only means finding out that "on demand" really means "on demand from whatever selection we give you" rather than meaning "on demand for whatever you want to watch when you want it".

[Shark_Blade]

I have moved on to digital but I still keep my old blurays because there are many special features unique on disc that are not available anywhere else. I got rid of their cases and place them in folder bags to save space. Physical cover art and disc boxes mean nothing to me, I can just look them up online anytime.

[CyberCubed]

why are you bringing up streaming services anyway? You don't subscribe to them you just pirate everything cause your a cheap bastard

Well I meant for other people. I pay exactly $0 but a lot of other people would still rather pay for online streaming to watch thousands of shows/movies than buy 1 blu-ray every few months.

[newfan]

Well I meant for other people. I pay exactly $0 but a lot of other people would still rather pay for online streaming to watch thousands of shows/movies than buy 1 blu-ray every few months.

Between streaming and my movie channels I find that I watch what I have on hard copy less (so far as rewatching) but I still purchase the movies I know I want to own permanently, just a toss up between digital purchase and hard copy, or both where it's only a few pounds extra to get both.

[drgon78]

Nope, I am keeping my Blu Rays and I only get rid of my DVDs when I get the Blu ray version.

[Jester]

I've culled my collection of movies I don't have a strong connection to. I ripped them all to ISOs and saved them to a hard drive anyway.

[IMJ]

Nope, I am keeping my Blu Rays and I only get rid of my DVDs when I get the Blu ray version.

I do this too - and on that note I've taken an interest in combining disc sets to make the best possible version. The Fifth Element DVD special edition had a bonus features disc that is unsurpassed to today. So I took my Blu Ray Steelbook (the ex one) and combined the discs into a 4k super package with all of the formats and the best Special Features disc.

I've done that with a few flicks where the opportunity arises.

[Jester]

I do this too - and on that note I've taken an interest in combining disc sets to make the best possible version. The Fifth Element DVD special edition had a bonus features disc that is unsurpassed to today. So I took my Blu Ray Steelbook (the ex one) and combined the discs into a 4k super package with all of the formats and the best Special Features disc.

I've done that with a few flicks where the opportunity arises.
I kinda did this with UHF. The DVD copy has bonus features that the Blu-Ray claims to have, but doesn't so I have the DVD and the Blu-Ray meant to replace it sharing a 2 Disc BR case.

[Storm Eagle]

I've only purchased digital copies of movies that I have which don't seem as though they'll ever get released offering free digital copies.

[DarkFell]

Nope. I still have my DVDs. The only DVD's that I sold are the ones that I didn't want to own anymore.

As long as they're not scratched up to the point that they're unwatchable or unplayable, I will still be a fan of DVDs, video games, ect.

[sdp]

Physical hasn't been mainstream in years, garage sales sell DVDs for pennies and blu-ray never reached half of what dvd was. Remember how huge dvd sections were in the 00s? Numbers don't lie, physical media is a niche now only followed by enthusiasts like here in the forum or old people who are intimidated by tech

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsNXT6mtyn6prjtSWoYaNxW0mRoqSHn NJkvQ&usqp=CAU

[Cyndaquilfan123]

I refuse to give up my physical media collection.

[IMJ]

I can't help but wonder what the collectors market for physical media - specifically optical discs - will be like and when in the future it will pop.

The last ten years have seen VHS collectors pop up out of nowhere. I can't help but wonder how that will unfold for discs. My quick reaction is to take the position that they are "worthless", but everytime someone says that a collector's niche pops up, lmao....

[AquaParade]

True. No one saw records making a comeback either, and while they'll never be as strong as they were in their prime, the collector market keeps them afloat. I imagine disc movies will still be around for a very long time. Perhaps they will become more elaborate and expensive to justify themselves to the collectors market.

[Leo656]

If I want to watch a movie or TV show, I can go pull it off my shelf and watch it whenever I want to. Not when Netflix or some other streaming service decides that I'm "allowed" to, based on contracts and licensing issues and whatever other nonsense.

I also don't have to worry about the movies or TV shows I like being "censored" or edited because one of the people in them said a Bad Thing on Twitter, or because someone arbitrarily decided that something in them was otherwise "problematic". Which happens quite often in streaming media; whether most people notice or care is irrelevant, I want the "pure" experience, not what someone decides I'm "allowed" to see.

I'm also a huge fan of behind-the-scenes docs and other special features which you generally don't get on streaming. Again, whether other people care is irrelevant.

I pay to own, not merely "borrow". With digital media, that's all you're doing is borrowing, and you can lose your "privilege" of having it at any time; I don't like that at all. If other people get bored of something after watching it once, that's their prerogative, but they shouldn't assume that their experience is what's best for everyone and I have to wonder how much those types of people get out of life in general. "I watched a thing, and I liked it, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again." Then you didn't actually like it that much, I reckon. But whatever.

So anyways, No. There's still a few hundred shows and movies on my To Buy list so I won't be stopping collecting anytime soon. By all means, if anyone is in the process of liquidating theirs feel free to let me know and we can make arrangements.

[Autbot_Benz]

If I want to watch a movie or TV show, I can go pull it off my shelf and watch it whenever I want to. Not when Netflix or some other streaming service decides that I'm "allowed" to, based on contracts and licensing issues and whatever other nonsense.

I also don't have to worry about the movies or TV shows I like being "censored" or edited because one of the people in them said a Bad Thing on Twitter, or because someone arbitrarily decided that something in them was otherwise "problematic". Which happens quite often in streaming media; whether most people notice or care is irrelevant, I want the "pure" experience, not what someone decides I'm "allowed" to see.

I'm also a huge fan of behind-the-scenes docs and other special features which you generally don't get on streaming. Again, whether other people care is irrelevant.

I pay to own, not merely "borrow". With digital media, that's all you're doing is borrowing, and you can lose your "privilege" of having it at any time; I don't like that at all. If other people get bored of something after watching it once, that's their prerogative, but they shouldn't assume that their experience is what's best for everyone and I have to wonder how much those types of people get out of life in general. "I watched a thing, and I liked it, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again." Then you didn't actually like it that much, I reckon. But whatever.

So anyways, No. There's still a few hundred shows and movies on my To Buy list so I won't be stopping collecting anytime soon. By all means, if anyone is in the process of liquidating theirs feel free to let me know and we can make arrangements.

this x100.

[AquaParade]

Yeah, Disney+ removed the Michael Jackson episode of The Simpsons before they begun to air the show, so I've kept that one on DVD.

[Leo656]

And that same day that situation was announced, the online price of the Simpsons box set containing that episode shot up to around $100.

It's since come back down to much more reasonable prices, but the fact remains that it's a good example of how a lot of people fear their favorite shows and movies being "censored", and that a mild "panic" often ensues when it happens. "It's no big deal" until it actually happens. And since it's happened before it can and will happen again, for any reason or no reason. Look at how most reruns of "Home Alone 2" edit out Donald Trump's cameo, now. End of the world? Nah, but if you want to watch the "real" movie as it was originally intended to be seen, then it's annoying.

Or even if some streaming service insists that they're only showing the Theatrical Cut of a movie, maybe they only have the rights to that version or maybe they just figure that's most people's preference, but you'd rather watch the Director's Cut. Just for another example. Most discs of films which have multiple cuts go for under $10 now, and at least you get to decide which version you'd rather see, instead of being told which one you HAVE to see.

And so on and so forth. For me there's just a ton of reasons why physical media is more convenient. Again, if someone else doesn't care and they get bored of a movie after watching it once and they're happy sitting in an empty room without being surrounded by "stuff" because that's so irritating for some reason, that's entirely their prerogative but the whole "My way is best! You'll see! It's the future!" nonsense is beyond annoying. Especially since they never give it a rest for more than a day or two at a time.

[AquaParade]

The best of both worlds is those digital movie codes they sometimes include with physical media. It's really cool to have the ease of loading up a digital video alongside the security of having the disc version on your shelf.

[Coola Yagami]

I mostly keep everything. I only get rid of stuff if it gets broken or if something really sucked.

Only thing I sell or get rid of are games that sometimes get better or arcade-perfect re-releases, I get rid of the inferior versions.

[Leo656]

I was able to get my wife a bunch of Blu-rays cheap for Christmas because they were "Used", in the sense that someone had opened them up just to remove the digital code but had never played the discs or touched them otherwise. :lol:

Game of Thrones box sets at Walmart: $35-40 each

"Used" Game of Thrones box sets for sale online, minus digital code we're never going to use: $12-15 each

So yeah, that was pretty sweet.

I do like how most sets nowadays provide multiple options for the same basic price, though. Options are great. I mean it just makes sense. I'll never use the digital codes but as long as they're not technically charging me more for them I don't mind that they're there as a "Bonus".

[The Deadman]

No because not every movie is on a streaming service.

[CyberCubed]

No because not every movie is on a streaming service.

Well not on the "official" ones anyway. But every notable movie/show is uploaded somewhere.

[Allio]

I have given away old dvds, but not for a reason you think.

When I upgrade I end up give my old stuff to my co-worker to give to his kids. I’ve given them my old dvds of the ninja turtles film, my old Godzilla blu-ray/dvds, Gamera blu-rays, and ultraman dvds.

I’ve even done it with manga and comics. When I switched over to IDW’s tmnt hardcovers I gave them all of my trades (all 100 issues worth, all minis, and all of universe). Same thing with my old Shonen jump magazines, since I own almost all this series in volume forms, I gave them almost the complete collection.

[sdp]

Anyone remember checking tvshowsondvd.com and deepsharkdvd.com for news and great deals? Going to Best Buy to buy all our favorite DVD movies and tv shows? Wishing some shows would get dvd releases? Displaying proudly a DVD collection? Rebuying the same movie on DVD again because of commentary tracks or features you'd only watch once? Or simply because the cover was better? Buying a PS2 and justifying it as a "DVD player" to your parents? Great memories, but can't believe all the money I spent on shows/movies I watched one time or zero times in the case of others? yeah I can watch them whenever I want but that meant never and it just takes space :D:lol: So much money I wasted that could've gone to something more worth it but whatever, everyone had DVD craze in the early 00's.

[Leo656]

Sorry your life sucks so bad, maybe start a blog.

[CyberCubed]

The DVD craze was huge but it made sense. VHS releases meant whole series usually never got released (remember for TMNT only a select few eps), and suddenly we could get entire series with every episode on DVD. Especially for shows that went on multiple seasons, getting an entire show on DVD felt so special back then because it literally never happened before.

It's actually hard to believe for so long only movies came out on VHS and then for TV shows only a select few episodes of each series would come out on VHS but never an entire series and never in order. I don't know how we managed back then. If a show went off the air or if you never recorded it yourself...you'd never see episodes again for years or ever...

[sdp]

I cringe just to think I had similar set up for when I had DVDs albeit without it going to other walls but still
https://a1.amlimg.com/MjdhMWY0MDkxMzE0MTg4NmYxM2UxNzEwNDFlNjdiNDNi6TgtxC PTxXMWAZ8ogT9WaHR0cDovL21lZGlhLmFkc2ltZy5jb20vNTQ3 NDkyZWNjYmZkYzkyY2UyNjQzYTNmNWNkZGJlZTJlMDdjZDMxNz kwMGJjNGQyMjkzMGY2OGQyYzUxMjg3YS5qcGd8fHx8fHwzOTZ4 MjkyfGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYWR2ZXJ0cy5pZS9zdGF0aWMvaS93YX Rlcm1hcmsucG5nfHx8.jpg

[Leo656]

I cringe just to think I had similar set up for when I had DVDs albeit without it going to other walls but still
https://a1.amlimg.com/MjdhMWY0MDkxMzE0MTg4NmYxM2UxNzEwNDFlNjdiNDNi6TgtxC PTxXMWAZ8ogT9WaHR0cDovL21lZGlhLmFkc2ltZy5jb20vNTQ3 NDkyZWNjYmZkYzkyY2UyNjQzYTNmNWNkZGJlZTJlMDdjZDMxNz kwMGJjNGQyMjkzMGY2OGQyYzUxMjg3YS5qcGd8fHx8fHwzOTZ4 MjkyfGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYWR2ZXJ0cy5pZS9zdGF0aWMvaS93YX Rlcm1hcmsucG5nfHx8.jpg

Yeah, wow, how horrible. All that space that could have anime posters or whatever all over it instead. The horror. :roll:

The DVD craze was huge but it made sense. VHS releases meant whole series usually never got released (remember for TMNT only a select few eps), and suddenly we could get entire series with every episode on DVD. Especially for shows that went on multiple seasons, getting an entire show on DVD felt so special back then because it literally never happened before.

It's actually hard to believe for so long only movies came out on VHS and then for TV shows only a select few episodes of each series would come out on VHS but never an entire series and never in order. I don't know how we managed back then. If a show went off the air or if you never recorded it yourself...you'd never see episodes again for years or ever...

The Ruby-Spears "Superman" animated series is a good example of that. It aired at odd times and only ran once - not sure if it even aired in reruns after its first run - so I only got to see like two episodes of it when it first aired. I spent decades trying to find any information I could about it, but there wasn't much in the pre-Internet days, and it never got a VHS release at all. I'd ask people about it and they'd have no idea whatsoever. It got to a point where I half-thought I'd just imagined the entire thing, aside from a single magazine article I had which confirmed its brief existence. I was ecstatic when the DVD set finally came out in 2010 and made sure to get a copy the day it came out.

"Adventures of Superboy" was another one. Never aired in reruns, never had a VHS release; you could only find it on bootleg DVDs of varying quality for the longest time. Then they put out Season 1 on DVD, the "bad" Season, and then for the longest time it seemed like they weren't going to bother with the three "good" Seasons, until around 2014 when they finally did. That wait was excruciating.

There were a few other shows that never had a syndicated run of repeats or a VHS release, but those were the two biggest ones I cared about off the top of my head. And even though He-Man was in repeats for a while, after 1990 it was pretty much "gone" and the official VHS tapes were hard to find. I remember the online push to get that show on DVD finally was HUGE back in the early-2000s. People were paying like $200 on eBay for bootleg VHS tape copies, it was nuts. I remember I was like thisclose to jumping on that until I read they were finally gonna do DVDs. That was a huge relief. That was my favorite show as a kid and except for occasionally renting "Secret of the Sword" (the only thing most video stores around here carried of He-Man) I hadn't seen it in like 15 years until the DVDs came out. Again, huge relief.

[IMJ]

Anyone remember checking tvshowsondvd.com and deepsharkdvd.com for news and great deals? Going to Best Buy to buy all our favorite DVD movies and tv shows? Wishing some shows would get dvd releases? Displaying proudly a DVD collection? Rebuying the same movie on DVD again because of commentary tracks or features you'd only watch once? Or simply because the cover was better? Buying a PS2 and justifying it as a "DVD player" to your parents? Great memories, but can't believe all the money I spent on shows/movies I watched one time or zero times in the case of others? yeah I can watch them whenever I want but that meant never and it just takes space :D:lol: So much money I wasted that could've gone to something more worth it but whatever, everyone had DVD craze in the early 00's.

I remember all of this.
Remember DVD Spot? It was like a social media site for DVD Collectors where you could log and track your collection and share it with other people.

[CyberCubed]

When I upgrade I end up give my old stuff to my co-worker to give to his kids. I’ve given them my old dvds of the ninja turtles film, my old Godzilla blu-ray/dvds, Gamera blu-rays, and ultraman dvds.

I’ve even done it with manga and comics. When I switched over to IDW’s tmnt hardcovers I gave them all of my trades (all 100 issues worth, all minis, and all of universe). Same thing with my old Shonen jump magazines, since I own almost all this series in volume forms, I gave them almost the complete collection.

I would have sold all that stuff on ebay or somewhere else online rather than giving it away for free.

When I transitioned to IDW's trades I sold all my single issues and TPB's and almost broke even when I bought the hardcovers. Same for old videogames...I sold Mario Sunshine and Galaxy when the Mario collection came out on Switch and I basically got the game for free.

Although ebay takes a huge cut out of the sales, it's still better than nothing. I made almost $10,000 selling things on ebay over the last few years. I can't believe how much stuff I had lying around that sold anywhere from $100-$300...it was crazy. Stuff just sitting around my closet or shelf for years collecting dust.

[Allio]

I would have sold all that stuff on ebay or somewhere else online rather than giving it away for free.


I could have. But what can I say. I love that sense of satisfaction of giving it to a younger generation that otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

I’m kind of those boys crazy uncle like that (I only have nieces so I don’t have nephews to spoil.) I do also enjoy the fact that I have single-handedly ruined their enjoyment of power rangers by giving them the good tokush!t

Plus most of the stuff wasn’t much to begin with and weren’t worth much. I got the old ninja turtles dvds for like $5 a piece at Walmart. If I sold them I would have gotten...30¢. Shonen jump magazines weren’t in good condition and they aren’t worth much now even if they were in good condition (these were the English released Shonen jump, not the Japanese ones)

Anyways my valuable stuff is what I keep. My Kamen riderOOO complete selection modification belt could net me a nice grand.