The switch to Blu-ray brings a lot of improvements: better picture, improved sound, additional content per disc and more. It also means that your old DVDs become a lot less appealing. So, what did you do with them?
This poll question is inspired by my new roommate, who has recently been contemplating the Blu-ray switch. The problem he’s facing is that among the items he moved in with him were a few hundred DVDs. He currently uses an upconverting DVD player, but since it seems like Blu-ray is becoming the standard, he’s debated about switching.
The question, of course, is what to do with all those DVDs, a few of which are still shrinkwrapped. Selling them is a hassle and trashing them would be a huge waste. Donating them to a Salvation Army would be nice, but wouldn’t help fund the new Blu-ray collection.
Tell us what happened to all of your DVDs when you made the switch, and elaborate in the Comments below. If you sold them, how? If you donated them, to whom? We want to know!
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Alex
I’ve found that a DVD in a tyvex sleeve fits very nicely in those two little clips inside a blu-ray case. I’ve been getting rid of the DVD keepcase, but keeping the disc in case I want to watch the DVD on my laptop while on the train, rip the movie and put it on my iPod, or lend the movie to a less technologically blessed friend. There’s still uses for those DVDs beyond becoming coasters, so I tend to keep them around.
Thulsadoom
That’s exactly what I do with my doubles. Other than that, I also have a significant number of DVDs that haven’t (and in many cases are unlikely) to be released on Blu.
Personally, my collection is still very much a hybrid. Heck, in many cases even on the doubles, the DVD has material the Blu doesn’t, so it makes sense to keep it, just sans original case, and in with the BD.
I’ve even bought the odd DVD still, because there are some old films that get special edition DVD releases, but aren’t likely to get to Blu Ray any time soon, or old non-HD tv series. Case in point, when I recently got a copy of ‘The Gate’ special edition, or the recent release of Dark Skies on DVD.
Josh Zyber
Most of my DVDs that I upgraded to Blu-ray got traded-in at MovieStop. I only got pennies on the dollar for most of them, but it was a convenient way to get rid of a large number of discs without the guilt of throwing them away. Also, in bulk, I got enough trade-in credit to pick up a fair number of new Blu-rays (including a bunch of Criterions).
HuskerGuy
Voted still have but never use as it fit the best. For awhile my issue was storage space so I was selling off dvds in order to have enough room for blus. I recently bought a new media storage shelf so the dvds I have remaining aren’t going anywhere as many are not on blu yet or aren’t worth upgrading.
Joonas
I still keep the ones that haven’t been released on Blu-ray and watch them occasionally.
William Henley
The only DVDs I have are those that have not been released on Blu-Ray yet. Normally I put a post on Facebook, and I sell the DVDs for roughly $3-$8 each. Old Blu-Rays I sell for $8-$10 each (sold Gone With The Wind standalone when I bought the boxed set, and am currently trying to sell the 2D version of Alice In Wonderland now that I got it in 3D).
A couple of the kids movies I gave away to friends with young kids (this was mainly the Shrek movies – she was like the only person I knew with kids who didn’t already have them).
Warner’s DVD to Blu program was a great way to get rid of some of the “crappy” dvds.
The few I were not able to sell to friends ended up at Half-Price Books. Got pennies on the dollar, but freed up some shelf space.
Aaron Peck
I chose “I still have them, but I never actually use them” because for the most part it’s true, but if there was a “I still have them, and only watch some of them” I would have picked that one. I still watch DVDs of shows that haven’t gotten Blu-ray releases and probably won’t for quite a while. Those shows would be ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘The X-Files’.
Alex
Here’s a question: The X-Files is available on Netflix Instant Streaming. Do you pop in the DVD, or do you stream it? I ask because the other night, my wife commented how great it would be if they put the complete series of Frasier up on Instant Streaming. I reminded her that we have all 11 seasons on DVD, but she said that she’d much rather have the convenience of just grabbing it from the Instant Queue.
Josh Zyber
That might depend on what the quality of the Instant Streaming looks like for that show. As I recall, the first few seasons of The X-Files look like crap on DVD. They were some of the first TV-on-DVD releases, and Fox didn’t have a handle on how to compress 4 episodes to a disc. The quality improved with the later seasons (starting with S4 or so, I believe).
Also, do you have to pay to stream it? Why would you pay to stream something you have on disc?
Aaron Peck
Truthfully, I never really pay attention to quality on DVD anymore. I’m used it looking like crap, so I just go with it.
And yes, the first few seasons of ‘The X-Files’ look awful.
Dick Ward
I sometimes stream movies I own. It’s a matter of getting up and getting the disc or simply hitting “play.” 🙂
William Henley
You know, I ALMOST bought East of Eden, which was released last week, until I realized the entire series was available in HD on Netflix. Anime compresses REALLY well. Chobits is already available, even though the Blu-Ray of it doesn’t come out until, oh gosh, I think its June. And I noticed that Funimation is sometimes putting episodes up online as soon as they finish translating them. I just wonder how this is a substainable business model.
Aaron Peck
I don’t have Netflix. I have way too many movies to review for the site to ever think about watching movies for my own enjoyment. 😉
Still, for me if given the choice I would rather watch it on DVD. We don’t have that great of an internet connection, as our building shares only a couple wireless signals. So, I’d be fighting buffering for the entire episode.
Dail Whiteley
went to trade in some. wished i had the pennies.lol. then i decided to just give them to family. some i want to keep around cause i loved the artwork like the halloween and predator dvds.
Rudy
I still have all of mine and use them. There’s no way that I’m going to upgrade on every movie I have. Plus the fact that Blu-Ray players also play DVDs is an even greater reason for me to still keep my collection.
Dick Ward
I’m glad to see that there’s only one vote for throwing them out!
lordbowler
Some I keep depending on certain factors. If the Blu-Ray is missing some features from the DVD, I’ll keep the DVD. Or, if I want to keep the DVD around for backward compatibility.
If its a “special” packaging DVD, I’ll keep it.
For those I dump, I either give them to family or sell them if they’re worth it. I’ve traded a few crap movies to WB DVD-to-Blu program.
Shayne Blakeley
For titles that are available on BD, I either sell them through my store or on ebay. For titles not yet on BD but likely to be released, I’ve made copies and then sold the disc. Others that are unlikely to be released you can pry from my cold dead hands (there’s actually a handful of vhs as well.)
William Henley
I can share this, and sure Josh will as well – I have quite a few movies on Laserdisc that I refuse to get rid of.
Shannon Nutt
Like others, the bulk of my DVD collection is now TV-on-DVD.
besch64
I haven’t gotten rid of a single DVD yet, but I rarely watch them anymore. In fact, the only DVD from my collection that I have watched over the past few months is Mulholland Dr because Studio Canal hasn’t released the BD in the States yet for some stupid reason.
They just sit there on their shelf, looking down at me. Judging me.
Josh Zyber
Studio Canal doesn’t have North American distribution rights for Mulholland Drive. That movie is distributed by Universal here.
Gerard Iribe
99% was sold off and I bought a MacBook. I have a few, but under 50. I also have a bunch of CC laserdiscs.