Renting over Buying Blu-rays

[Yuzo]

so, i have stopped buying DVDs,... i only rent them now,.. as i dont want a shelf full of obsolete format (even though it may be 2-3 years).

i have started buying every blu-ray i can get my hands on,.. which has made me stop and think,... "will i watch any of these again" .. yes i look super cool the more blu-rays i have ... ... and is a habbit of collecting something, just like i did with DVD... (i am still getting rid of DVDs which i never even moved since purchasing)

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my questions:

do you rent blu-ray? ... what makes you rent over buying? ... what perecentage renting over buying?

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... i am thinking of changing to 95% renting my blu-rays, instead of purchasing.

i can sign up to some unlimited rental service,... so if i ever want to watch a blu-ray again,... i just click a button at no extra cost.

this will save a tonne of money on buying new blu-rays at ridiculous prices,... plus i wont be gutted on blind-buys when i pay full whack, and the movie is poor. ... basically watching tonnes of blu-rays,... for 1 set monthly fee ... instead of wasting $200 a month buying,... for which may never be taken out of the box again until the next ultimate format comes out.

sorry if i am ranting on,.... i am just thinking of all the money i could save,... but still have the same blu-ray experience.

... would like some other opinions please

[Deadset]

I guess it really depends, some people just 'collect' blu-rays, others just want their favorite top 40 movies in the best audio / video quality available.

If I could give you one opinion, make a list of your favorite movies and buy them in blu-ray, whether you get the top 5 only or not, having them in the best format will make your viewing all the more exciting.

Personally, I don't buy every blu-ray that I want to see, I typically rent, then only buy movies that are must owns or just as good as deal as a normal dvd.

[Marine Mike]

Originally Posted by Yuzo

do you rent blu-ray? ... what makes you rent over buying? ... what perecentage renting over buying?

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i can sign up to some unlimited rental service,... so if i ever want to watch a blu-ray again,... i just click a button at no extra cost.

-I rent Blu-Ray
-I rent over buying because if the transfer isn't as good as I think it could be then there isn't a point in upgrading. Also if I haven't seen the movie and I find the movie to not being to my liking, I will not purchase it.
-I can't give a good percentage, but I can tell you that I would Blind Buy 1 out of 15 Blu-Rays.
-You can sign up for unlimited rental service through Netflix and BlockBuster

[m_tyson]

I buy the movies I want to watch, and rent the movies my wife wants to watch.

[aviman33]

I'm another renter. I see no point buying BD's just because someone is having a sale. Very few movies are worthy of repeat viewing. I have purchased a few musicals on BD, which my daughter watches frequently, since she studies musical theater. Other than that, I rent. Personnally I don't see DB's having the life span of DVD's. I think BD's will become like SACD. A format with pathetic market penetration.

John

[Yuzo]

i am actually signed up with Blockbuster (UK) for a 3 Disc Unlimited,... which i currently use for my DVD rentals.

... i didnt know this package included blu-rays, so will stick to blu-ray rentals from now on,...

and the odd DVD obviously

[JYD59]

Unless it's a favorite movie of mine (The Matrix, Alien, etc.) I'll rent it first and decide on buying it later...I'm trying to rent I AM LEGEND but my local BB always has it loaned out, but I'll keep trying. I did manage to rent 30 Days Of Night and I won't be buying it. Good movie, great PQ and sound but not something to watch over and over.

[Lucy Diamond]

I buy everything, simply because I watch EVERYTHING over and over again like a drooling psycho. I get a lot of bang for my buck, but I would honestly recommend renting this particular format for a while, just because it keeps changing. I have a feeling most of the Blus we all have now will eventually be re-release with better PG and less overall Noise and such.

BUT...when you rent and then return the disc...they have your 5 bucks AND they have the disc and when you wake up at 4am in a cold sweat, needing to watch that flick...what'cha gonna do brother!??!?!

[AaronSCH]

Originally Posted by Lucy Diamond

I buy everything, simply because I watch EVERYTHING over and over again like a drooling psycho...

I buy everything as well. However, I just recently returned to the rental counter to see "There Will Be Blood" and "Sweeney Todd." I won't buy DVDs any longer and neither has made its way to Blu-ray just yet. Funny, I don't enjoy the rental process and I used to own a couple of video stores. I simply prefer to buy the movie and know that it is sitting there when I am ready to view it. I hate having to return whether through the mail or at the counter. I know that I will eventually end up weeding out my collection but building a library is part of the fun of home video. I love treasure hunting for hot deals. That is why I doubt digital downloading will ever fully replace packaged media.

[Blu Titan]

Movies I am interested in I will buy, and if I am disappinted they go on ebay. Others like One Missed Call, Before the Devil Knows You are Dead, and Juno are movies which I probably will only watch once. Thus, I rent them first.

[robertc88]

I'm unsure why folks blind buy without knowing the content fully because they never saw it. Rental only when that is the case IMHO.

[Beta Man]

I rent and buy.... I bought about 1,200 DVDs, yet I still rented them quite frequently.... I don't buy movies just to collect them, I only buy movies I'll watch repeatedly (I rarely blind buy because of this)

Same thing with T.V. series' I have re-watched the series I have quite a few times.... With Netflix, I'm not sure how my buying habits will change with Blu-Ray because I didn't have the luxury of "free" rentals when I was buying DVDs because I hadn't gotten Netflix yet.

Now with Netflix I find it beneficial to re-watch the movies I own on DVD in their new Blu-Ray Format, to determine the transfer quality for myself (rather than rely on reviews)

I've double-dipped about 20 movies from DVD to Blu, and have watched EVERY ONE of those on blu more than once, and some (Full Metal Jacket for instance) more than 4 or 5 times.

[TwYsTeD]

i usually buy them just because most of the time when i rent them i never get to watch them when i buy them i watch them when i want or have time..

[Scripture]

Originally Posted by Yuzo

so, i have stopped buying DVDs,... i only rent them now,.. as i dont want a shelf full of obsolete format (even though it may be 2-3 years).

i have started buying every blu-ray i can get my hands on,.. which has made me stop and think,... "will i watch any of these again" .. yes i look super cool the more blu-rays i have ... ... and is a habbit of collecting something, just like i did with DVD... (i am still getting rid of DVDs which i never even moved since purchasing)

---------------------------------

my questions:

do you rent blu-ray? ... what makes you rent over buying? ... what perecentage renting over buying?

---------------------------------

... i am thinking of changing to 95% renting my blu-rays, instead of purchasing.

i can sign up to some unlimited rental service,... so if i ever want to watch a blu-ray again,... i just click a button at no extra cost.

this will save a tonne of money on buying new blu-rays at ridiculous prices,... plus i wont be gutted on blind-buys when i pay full whack, and the movie is poor. ... basically watching tonnes of blu-rays,... for 1 set monthly fee ... instead of wasting $200 a month buying,... for which may never be taken out of the box again until the next ultimate format comes out.

sorry if i am ranting on,.... i am just thinking of all the money i could save,... but still have the same blu-ray experience.

... would like some other opinions please

I use Netflix, and watch a movie before pulling the trigger on most purchases. Some movies, such as 'Blade Runner', don't require this process of me seeing it beforehand. That's rare though, as I like to see the transfer before my own two eyes, rather than relying exclusively upon online reviews or other information outlets. Certainly reviews help in your decision, but it's still best to see something for yourself, as people's opinions, equipment, and bias all vary from one to the next.

Of course, much depends on your disposable income and how important owning movies is to you. I have to say though, even if I was a multi-millionaire and retired with money to burn, I still wouldn't buy movies just for the sake of buying and owning every Blu-ray movie that exists. There's some movies that are just utter garbage, and there's no way in the world that I'd watch it multiple times. So what's the point of owning such a grandiose volume of films if they'll just sit there and collect dust? There isn't one, at least in my opinion. It's a waste of your dollars, and a waste of space. How important is and what kind of premium do you place on a collection of movies? You have to ask yourself that.

If you're seeking advice, then here's mine. Rent movies first and foremost, and then decide how important owning that movie is to you, in terms of the replay value. Again, you also have to take into account disposable cash. I don't know your situation, so obviously this is ultimately up to you to determine. Some announcements might trigger an automatic purchase to you (like Bladerunner was to me), and that's fine. It's usually with films that I've seen before, and will offer infinite replay value to me, no matter what the quality of the AQ/VQ scores (Predator comes to mind here).

In the end, everything is up to you. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[haushausman]

Here's what I came up with to justify my compulsive Blu-ray buying...

I pay around $20 on the average for a Blu-ray - $7 per Bd rental at Blockbuster = $13 difference. The last 5 Blu-rays I've sold on Ebay I've gotten around $17 used...

With renting you'll never see that $7 again. If you buy and can keep as long as you want and sell it for top dollar when your done. Blu-rays hold their value very well, sometimes I get more for a "viewed once" movie than I paid on Amazon new (go figure)...

Unless the movie is only "rental worthy", I would buy it.

[andyn1080]

i rent first that way if it sucks i wont buy it or if its a catalog title ill rent it to check out the quality and if it good ill buy it, or if its a catalog title that i dont have and its a good one ill just buy it (ie. batman begins, v for vendetta,.....waiting for reissue/remaster of T2:judgement day.....sure glad i rented that one firs t)

[masob98]

As you can tell with my collection listed, I dont buy every BD out there. I tend to buy only movies (BD or DVD) that I will watch numerous times. Even at that I wait til the movies that I enjoy that much are on a sale price, 20 or less for me. I have yet to buy a BD at full price. I just signed up for a 2 dvd unlimited rental package at Blockbuster, which includes BD. My local BB has a small selection of BD and I still haven't watched every BD they have. I like to think I dont have a habit yet, unless there is a good sale.

[ground chuck]

i generally rent first and if its a movie that i feel has re-watchablity then i may buy it. so far, i've mainly purchased movies that i know have great PQ and i know i'll watch over and over again.

[owa]

I mostly buy movies and usually only rent low-budget horror flicks. I started doing that a few years ago with DVD and don't plan to change with blu-ray.

[SDon1969]

Renting is a fine idea, but I admit I am hooked on buying, even making a blind buy now and again (like I did for The Orpahange, Gone Baby Gone & We Own The Night). I get a kick out of owning a multi-million dollar studio production for $10 to $20, and watching it whenever I want. Collecting blus can become a very expensive hobby, though.