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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Do you buy many DVDs anymore? If so, how?
On an episode of The Simpsons I saw recently, a scene took place in a junkyard, which contained several piles, each with a sign: LPs, eight-tracks, laserdiscs. Then there was an empty spot with a sign that said “Reserved for DVDs.”
Pretty funny gag, but it may not be long before the joke becomes a reality. According to this recent story in the New York Times, DVD sales have started to slip, and studios are worried. Last year saw the first decline, and it’s expected to continue this year and next.
Why is this? The story says the biggest culprit may be the Internet because of the increasing availability of movie downloads and the like. Certain Fox DVDs such as Juno, which was released last Tuesday, come with a “digital copy” of the movie that you can download to your computer or iPod.
I’m not so ready to blame the ‘net, though. Sure, it has some impact, but I think the real culprits are more market saturation, and lately, an economic pinch.
In the late 90s and early this decade, I bought DVDs quite frequently, sometimes just for the special features, even if I didn’t love the movie much (example: Gladiator). Lo and behold, I found I have accumulated many DVDs I haven’t watched in years.
That’s why I’ve become choosier in how I buy DVDs - and when. I only buy new DVDs when I absolutely love the film and know I will watch it repeatedly and show it off to people (See Enchanted).
Sometimes it depends on how the DVDs are packaged. Take There Will be Blood, for instance. I loved that movie too, and I consider it the best I’ve seen this year. However, that came out in two versions: A single disc bare bones edition, and a double-disc DVD with a few extras. However, the extras are pretty sparse (they last only about an hour), so I probably won’t watch them much. Seems to me it would be better to buy the single disc, and rent the bonus one from Netflix.
I did the same thing for Munich. Its bonus DVD had only about an hour of interviews, so I rented that and picked up the movie-only disc, packaged with Schindler’s List, which I did not have, for $20. I think I got a better deal that way.
In other cases, I’m content either to rent the DVDs or buy them when I find them cheap ($10 or less) at Netflix or a used CD/DVD place. I find it pays off - literally - to be patient these days.
While I’m not keen on watching movies on an iPod, I do think technology is increasing to the point that downloads will become more and more prevalent - which is why I remain unconvinced Blu-Ray will become the main movie-watching format for long, despite its recent victory in the format war.
So how do you buy your DVDs? Do you buy many new ones anymore? Why are sales slowing down?
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