Are you obsessive about your blu-rays?

[Ray Jackson]

By anal I mean do you obsess over the condition of the discs and how to keep them in pristine condition in ways that most other people couldn't care less about as long as they keep working?

I recently came to the realization that I'm an extremely anal, neurotic head case when it comes to my beloved blu-ray collection. I loaned my three-season boxset of Deadwood to my next door neighbor's kid, under the precondition that he be extremely diligent about keeping the discs scratch free. A few days later he returned season 1 and I immediately performed a thorough inspection of all the discs, only to discover a couple light scratches and some fingerprints...FINGERPRINTS!!!!

I started having a panic attack...heartbeat skyrocketed to near fatal levels...all ability to think rationally or maintain any sort of baseline cognitive functions ceased. I immediately initiated a diagnostic examination of the disc, which consisted of looking at it closely under bright lamp lighting for about 20 minutes and fast forwarding through each disc to make sure they still played properly.

...everything checked out okay.

But the feverish rage that was surging through my body refused to go away. It was all I could think about for the next four or five hours. I had just paid a hundred bucks for that boxset and this little demon f*ck stick had tainted an otherwise immaculate collection of discs. Now he wants to borrow my Breaking Bad boxset and I told him that from here on out he's cut off....that he'd have a better chance of scoring a pound of raw heroin than of ever borrowing another blu-ray from me.

The thing is, he's been really generous in lending various movies and shows to me over the last three years or so. He turned me on to The Wire, Justified, Boardwalk Empire and a bunch of other great stuff. And he doesn't give a flying you-know-what whether I leave fingerprints on the discs or not. I could urinate on them and he wouldn't care...as long as they still play.

It's a very awkward situation, because I've known his parents forever.

...but a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

[HD Goofnut]

Yes. You have to be if you want your stuff to last indefinitely.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Yes. You have to be if you want your stuff to last indefinitely.

Amen brother!

It's not just a question of functionality for me. There's something deeply obsessive inside of me that cherishes the aesthetic quality of a beautiful, mirror-like disc, devoid of any and all signs of human contact.

...the voices won't accept anything less.

[BLOFELD]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Amen brother!

It's not just a question of functionality for me. There's something deeply obsessive inside of me that cherishes the aesthetic quality of a beautiful, mirror-like disc, devoid of any and all signs of human contact.

...the voices won't accept anything less.

Lol. This is too funny.

[monitor]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Amen brother!

It's not just a question of functionality for me. There's something deeply obsessive inside of me that cherishes the aesthetic quality of a beautiful, mirror-like disc, devoid of any and all signs of human contact.

...the voices won't accept anything less.

I'm very anal about my Blu-rays - if I get a case through from Amazon with a tiny bend in the plastic, I'll replace the case. Slipcovers are the worst, those little white scuffed corners are horrible. I store all my Blu-rays vertically, just in case they warp slightly over the next 30 years...

I lend mine out occasionally, but only under the pretext that it comes back as it went out. I lend most to my brother, who knows he'll (as you said) have a better chance of scoring a pound of raw heroin than of ever borrowing another Blu-ray from me if he scratches or fingerprints one.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Yes. You have to be if you want your stuff to last indefinitely.

And even then, there's zero guarantee, seeing all the discs that have been going bad lately with bronzing, rot, etc. Nothing lasts forever, especially physical media.

[meremortal]

Not as much anymore. I used to be with cds as a teen because they'd be returned months later, heavily scratched, or sometimes never returned at all. I actually like the combo releases for this reason so I can just loan out the dvd without worry.

[meremortal]

Not as much anymore. I used to be with cds as a teen because they'd be returned months later, heavily scratched, or sometimes never returned at all. I actually like the combo releases for this reason so I can just loan out the dvd without worry.

[AKORIS]

my BD collection? well I would'nt say that I'm overly.....what i mean is that my collection is important to me and....well I think anal is kind of a strong word for caring about.... I mean there are obviously more important things in life but.....I'm just trying to say.....


oh screw it!!!

yes, I'm anal about my blus!!!!!!!!!!

[Member-260138]

Yeah, I'm anal about my blu rays. I keep them in alphabetical order. After I open them and watch them, I put them right side up in the case so they can be read easily when I open the case again.

[monitor]

Originally Posted by TaxiTodd

I personally don't lend anything (especially my blu-rays) to anyone. My feelings are "If they can't afford to buy it for themselves they don't need it".

I lend my parents my films all the time. They do treat my collection like a library, annoyingly, but they never damage anything so I suppose I can't be too sour about it.

[koover]

If you look at my collection size, I'm sure you'll understand why I and many others are protective of their Blus. You don't have to own thousands to be protective, but the more you spend, the more "alert" you become. You want to ensure the love hobby of your life stays in the best possible shape it can be.
I'm not even close to the point where the OP is at and I just don't quite understand their thought process. They are only materiel things when it comes down to it. Take care of it so they last a lifetime, but it's not life and death. BUT, if I lend one out and it literally comes back trashed, that's the last time.

Just some advice to some.......I believe most of the posters in this thread are young, (just a hunch) not all, but the majority. Once something life threatening happens to you or someone close, a loved one becomes ill, someone you know falls on very hard times, etc....you catch my drift, you'll come to the realization that your collection really isn't that important in the grand scheme of things compared to people, not matter how large or small it is.

I'm "picky" about my collection and take VERY GOOD care of it. But I'll never OCD because of fingerprints, or all of a sudden I personally dented the corner of a slipcover. Minor stuff guys.
Don't shut out friends, family or lose a friendship over not lending out BLUS because of a few fingerprints.

[monitor]

Originally Posted by koover

I'm "picky" about my collection and take VERY GOOD care of it. But I'll never OCD because of fingerprints, or all of a sudden I personally dented the corner of a slipcover. Minor stuff guys.
Don't shut out friends, family or lose a friendship over not lending out BLUS because of a few fingerprints.

I'd never lose a friendship over it, even though I love to take care of my collection.

The thing that gets me is when you order something online and it doesn't turn up mint from the warehouse. If a friend put a mark on a slipcover I wouldn't mind nearly as much, but you expect a slipcover from Amazon to be pristine.

I ordered Battle Royale from Amazon last week and it turned up literally caved in on the bottom right corner, like someone had stomped on it several times. The parcel packaging was fine, I don't know how it was sent out to me in the first place.

[Majin Blu]

I wanted to expand from my simple "yeap".

The main reason I don't let anyone borrow my movies is because I don't know anyone who respects others property like me. I used to lend my stuff out a lot and it either got damaged or never returned. The last DVD I let someone borrow, they literally was using it like a coaster. That was the last time. I don't have much spare cash and this is what that little amount go towards - my movie library. The folks in my life know I prefer not to lend stuff out or and they respect that (no conflict and no friendship enders). I don't ask to borrow anything from anyone just because of that initial respect.

As far as getting "mint" stuff in the mail - I gave up a long time ago. I just keep things in the condition that receive them. If it's slightly dented, that will be the only dent or scratch it will ever get because I take care of my things.

[theater dreamer]

I know this post is a few months old, but I echo the sentiment expressed by Koover.

This is a hobby for me. I love film, and as my collection grows, I realize that the total investment I've made into it grows as well. Like Koover, I take very good care of my movies. I always have, even when my collection was comprised of VHS tapes standing on a bookshelf. But, I don't have a problem lending out movies to the select few of my friends who are real film enthusiasts. I know they will take care of my movies, just as they know when they lend me films, I will treat them as my own. My friends are mature, responsible people, and respectful other people's property.

That being said, if something were to happen to one of my movies, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Nothing in my collection cannot be easily replaced. Now, I know that will change. There are Criterion movies I want to acquire that are out of print, like The Third Man, and Last Year at Marienbad. On the off chance that one of my friends asks to borrow a more valuable film, I will make it clear that extra care need be taken in handling the film, and the packaging. That's all I'll have to say.

Life is far too short to worry about material possessions. Ultimately, it's stuff, and in the grand scheme of things, friends and family are all that matter. All I know is that if I can do something to enrich the lives of my friends and loved ones, I'm going to do it. If lending out a movie for a few days introduces somebody I care about to the works of Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Luc Godard, or Krzysztof Kieślowski, it is not only my duty as a film lover, but my privilege. Sharing culture, be it film, art, literature, or music, is one of the greatest things we can ever do for another.

Originally Posted by koover

If you look at my collection size, I'm sure you'll understand why I and many others are protective of their Blus. You don't have to own thousands to be protective, but the more you spend, the more "alert" you become. You want to ensure the love hobby of your life stays in the best possible shape it can be.
I'm not even close to the point where the OP is at and I just don't quite understand their thought process. They are only materiel things when it comes down to it. Take care of it so they last a lifetime, but it's not life and death. BUT, if I lend one out and it literally comes back trashed, that's the last time.

Just some advice to some.......I believe most of the posters in this thread are young, (just a hunch) not all, but the majority. Once something life threatening happens to you or someone close, a loved one becomes ill, someone you know falls on very hard times, etc....you catch my drift, you'll come to the realization that your collection really isn't that important in the grand scheme of things compared to people, not matter how large or small it is.

I'm "picky" about my collection and take VERY GOOD care of it. But I'll never OCD because of fingerprints, or all of a sudden I personally dented the corner of a slipcover. Minor stuff guys.
Don't shut out friends, family or lose a friendship over not lending out BLUS because of a few fingerprints.

[sukraj]

No

[BLOFELD]

Originally Posted by samcooke343

I lend my parents my films all the time. They do treat my collection like a library, annoyingly, but they never damage anything so I suppose I can't be too sour about it.

Agreed, but I no longer lend films out to friends or acquaintances. Every time one or two weeks turns into three or four months with me begging for films back.

Now as a rule of thumb I lone films to my parents but that's about it.

[StingingVelvet]

I said before I'm not anal like the OP, but do admit I never lend out movies. People are WAY too careless with discs, I have learned. Every time I lent a DVD out it came back smudged up or scratched. Never again.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I said before I'm not anal like the OP, but do admit I never lend out movies. People are WAY too careless with discs, I have learned. Every time I lent a DVD out it came back smudged up or scratched. Never again.

yup, same here

[monitor]

Originally Posted by BLOFELD

Agreed, but I no longer lend films out to friends or acquaintances. Every time one or two weeks turns into three or four months with me begging for films back.

Now as a rule of thumb I lone films to my parents but that's about it.

My best friend doesn't have a Blu-ray player, but if he did I'd be fine lending to him. I can't think of any other friends I'd lend to however. I've been trying to get my best friend to buy a BD player for ages!