Do you keep doubles of movies (i.e. Blu-rays and DVD editions)?

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by foreigncontaminant

A few years ago, I did the same - sold many DVDs (often at the demand of my demanding wife at that time), whenever I got the new Blu-ray.
However, I’ve since changed my mind (and my wife). I still have quite a lot of DVDs left. But there are a few I sold, that I would now actually buy back if I found them again.

There are a few reasons for this. And I may be alone on most of these...

The first reason is sentimentality. The arrival of DVD was very exciting back in the mid-late 1990s. I can still remember friends saying to me in 1995 “man, when is DVD going to get here?”. My father and I had a lot of fun gathering the films we enjoyed (mostly Sci-fi), and experiencing them for the first time in this superior quality new format of the time (to what had existed before). In about 1998 or so I bought a CRT based widescreen Grundig TV for $2500, a Japan-made Toshiba DVD player, and we thought we had it made on the many saturday nights when we watched our favourite films. He has since passed away, and of course, I miss those times immensely.

The second reason is, I personally think films can be appreciated and enjoyed at lower quality levels than Blu-ray. Every film I saw at home in the 1980s was on VHS. The first time I ever saw Star Wars, was actually at age 10 on a tiny black and white TV, during a TV broadcast (so it had commercials). Yet I love them all just the same. And while a clear, high res picture is of course fantastic, in some cases (particularly with older films) it can over-expose detail which actually hampers the believability of a film for me - eg where special effects do not hold up as well in sharper, higher resolution.

Third reason is extras and alternate versions. Last week I bought Crocodile Dundee on DVD due to it being an early, alternate version, which may never appear on Blu-ray.
I will never sell my special edition of The Abyss on DVD either, as it includes a great booklet (remember the days when DVD releases included booklets?). And The Last of the Mohicans is another example - the Blu-ray cut of the film is different to the DVD, critically in relation to the soundtrack.

Fourth reason is, of course, that many films are not (and will not) ever be released on Blu-ray. So keeping those is a given.

Plus sometimes just the cover art of an old DVD you have had for years, is great. Great memories of enjoying that particular film, and reading the cover. Then one day they release a Blu-ray, and you buy that too, but the cover just sucks for some reason...

No, I’m never getting rid of my DVDs now. They’re not worth much anyway, and they’re worth more to me. Guess I’m a sentimental fool. But if it brings you joy, or if you’re sentimental, or you think you might regret it later - don’t sell.
If not, sell and do what works for you.

That had me LOL.