Are you a blu-ray Collector or Selector?

[Andrew-Kenneth]

Generally speaking I'm a selector.

When I made the switch from dvd to blu-ray way back in june 2010 I started collecting a number of new films on blu but also upgraded favourite films that I already owned on dvd.

After about six months I almost stopped upgrading dvd's to blu cause I realised that a number of these blu's remained unwatched. (or only got watched once)

After realising this my collecting became more selective.
I only buy a blu-ray now when I really feel the urge to watch it.

There is one big exception to this selective blu-ray buying habit and that's my ongoing collecting of Indian blu-ray's.

I watched my first Indian blu-ray in oct 2010. (At that time I had no knowledge at all about Indian cinema) Pretty soon I got hooked. And now I've collected about 192 Indian blu-ray's. (59 blu's shy of a complete collection)

All of these are blind buys. (This sounds more risky than it is, cause only the best or most successful Indian films get released on blu-ray.)

I order these movies regardless of their content or artistic merit. They're like Pokemon to me. (For instance I'm not particularly fond of gangster or horror movies but will order and watch Indian gangster and horror movies.)
Also I will order and watch movies that are critically panned by critics and fans alike. (In the words of George Bush : "Bring 'em on !")

I guess at this moment I'm probably the guy with the biggest Indian blu-ray collection on the planet.

Because I'm pretty new to watching Indian films I don't posses the taste that can make me into a selector regarding these films and because I'm not Indian myself I am not biased towards one or two Indian languages. (I collect blu-ray's in all available indian languages ; hindi, tamil, telugu, marathi, bengali & malayalam)

[Scruffy Nerf Herder]

I guess I would be a "selector". I only spend money on movies I know for a fact I'll watch more than once in my lifetime.

In a world with Netflix, Redbox, Amazon Instant Video, VOD and so many other tools for watching movies (not to mention this thing called a theater), it seems a bit thoughtless to buy countless Blu-rays of movies you've never seen. That's just how I see it though.

[DoubleDownAgain]

Originally Posted by TheMan

In a world with Netflix, Redbox, Amazon Instant Video, VOD and so many other tools for watching movies (not to mention this thing called a theater), it seems a bit thoughtless to buy countless Blu-rays of movies you've never seen. That's just how I see it though.

Thoughtless?

[JavaJulien]

Originally Posted by HeartPalmeiras

I think people are thinking too hard. of course a selector is a collector. i mean, i am selective, but the movies i select are part of my "collection." the OP means collector as in collecting movies endlessly not for the sake of building a "collection" of enjoyable movies, but for the sake of building in terms of numbers. so in this case, collecting instead of building a "collection". it will never make sense to everyone the same way, but i understood what he meant from the beginning and have no problem with it. i can say i am a selector for the sake of building a "collection" and that's it. there is no way --in my mind-- that you can separate those two, but i understand what the OP meant: so it's just for fun and just go with it rather than get hung up on definitions.

I used to collect (as defined above) because i used to buy many movies just for the sake of buying them. however, i now am a selector and have put on sale most of my "collection" and am only keeping a few titles. few in this case means around 250-300 of them, but lower than where i was before. i am keeping only those movies i know i will watch over again. doesn't mean i will never again purchase a new Blu-ray, but only that i will be "selective" when adding something to my "collection." example: my preorders coming up are Game of Thrones season 2 and Who Framed Rodger Rabbit. i also plan to get Rush: 2112 and Queen: Hungarian Rhapsody.

now, there are a few things i "collect." example the steelbook UK edition of Akira and Watchmen, the Akira amazon.jp exclusive 30th anniversary, and three different editions of the movie Senna (br, uk and jp), all Luna Sea Blu-ray and all Metallica Blu-ray.

lots of things i am trying to get rid of, so if anyone would like a list just PM me.

PS
LET'S GO BRUINS!!!

PSS
LET'S GO PATRIOTS!

The way I see it to make it simple, a "Collector" buys for the sake of having it regardless if they actually like the movie while the "Selector" buys only what (s)he finds enjoyable.

[brian9229]

Isnt selecting still collecting?

[DoubleDownAgain]

Originally Posted by JavaJulien

The way I see it to make it simple, a "Collector" buys for the sake of having it regardless if they actually like the movie while the "Selector" buys only what (s)he finds enjoyable.

According to the OP's definition, which I still find problematic.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Bluprint

With all due respect to your comment, you missed a few things in the definition or description of Collector, such as "or want to". Meaning that while they might not have 30,000 they would if they could or "want to" have every release they see. And that is where the first word of the description or definitions "Most" comes into play.

No difference. Why would anyone WANT to own 30,000 BDs if there's no way to watch them all? It's one thing to want to be a completist and own everything by one actor or one director or one cinematographer, although I would even question that. But there are more bad, forgettable movies than good movies so there's really no point owning everything except to say, "I own everything." The quality of any type of collection (whether it's music, books, toys, posters, antiques, marbles, etc.) is the quality of the selections that one makes, not how many one owns. If you want everything just for the sake of owning everything, then one is nothing more than a hoarder.

[brian9229]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

No difference. Why would anyone WANT to own 30,000 BDs if there's no way to watch them all? It's one thing to want to be a completist and own everything by one actor or one director or one cinematographer, although I would even question that. But there are more bad, forgettable movies than good movies so there's really no point owning everything except to say, "I own everything." The quality of any type of collection (whether it's music, books, toys, posters, antiques, marbles, etc.) is the quality of the selections that one makes, not how many one owns. If you want everything just for the sake of owning everything, then one is nothing more than a hoarder.

Uh, really?

[DoubleDownAgain]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

No difference. Why would anyone WANT to own 30,000 BDs if there's no way to watch them all? It's one thing to want to be a completist and own everything by one actor or one director or one cinematographer, although I would even question that. But there are more bad, forgettable movies than good movies so there's really no point owning everything except to say, "I own everything." The quality of any type of collection (whether it's music, books, toys, posters, antiques, marbles, etc.) is the quality of the selections that one makes, not how many one owns. If you want everything just for the sake of owning everything, then one is nothing more than a hoarder.

If I had the means, I'd love to own everything. Why? Not for the reasons you state, I'd like to be able to be able to watch what I'd want to watch when I'd want to watch it and by extension my friends and family. But as I don't see myself having the means to do so I'll hold off on those titles that I don't think I'd ever watch and save my blu-ray budget for Blu-rays I want to own and watch.

[reelgeek]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

No difference. Why would anyone WANT to own 30,000 BDs if there's no way to watch them all? It's one thing to want to be a completist and own everything by one actor or one director or one cinematographer, although I would even question that. But there are more bad, forgettable movies than good movies so there's really no point owning everything except to say, "I own everything." The quality of any type of collection (whether it's music, books, toys, posters, antiques, marbles, etc.) is the quality of the selections that one makes, not how many one owns. If you want everything just for the sake of owning everything, then one is nothing more than a hoarder.

That part's very subjective. There are people who thrive on so-called "bad" movies, but they genuinely enjoy them.
This whole thing is overthinking a simple concept of buying and watching a movie. The person with 10,000 DVDs and Blu-rays doesn't need to validate why they got that much...or the person who owns 15 doesn't need to validate why they are so selective.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

It's one thing to want to be a completist and own everything by one actor or one director or one cinematographer, although I would even question that.

On what grounds? Surely there are enough hours in a lifetime and the expense is likely reasonable so what's there to question if somebody wants every Adam Sandler or Stanley Kubrick movie?