Summary
There’s never been a better (or cheaper) time to fill out your physical media collection, and I have a long list of movies that I’d like to own on Blu-ray before my chance to snag them passes by, but I don’t have infinite money, so some need to be prioritized.
I Can’t Buy Every Blu-ray, So I Need a System
There are hundreds if not thousands of movies I’d like to own as small plastic discs taking up space in my home. Clearly, buying all of them in this format is impossible, and it’s not like I’d have the time to watch them all anyway, so there are some rules of thumb that move discs lower or higher on my wishlist:
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Series Blu Ray
One of the few Star Trek TV series to get a painstaking HD remaster using the original camera film negatives. To date, this is the most ‘HD’ that classic TV Star Trek gets!
That means, in general, I’m not going to spend money buying physical copies of (for example) Marvel movies, because there’s no reasonable scenario where those won’t be streamed for the rest of my natural life and even if they went offline, there’s like a billion pressings of these mainstream movies.
Streaming Services Are a Great Way To Try Movies Before Buying Them
While I like to buy physical versions of shows and movies that are gone from streaming services, these same services are invaluable for discovering new movies that I would like to own on a physical medium. Sadly, more and more releases, especially streaming originals, aren’t getting physical releases, but for third-party content this isn’t the case yet.
So, since my streaming subscriptions are a fixed monthly cost, I can watch movies for “free” and then if there’s one Ireallylike it will go on my Blu-ray wishlist if I know that I’ll watch it again someday.
Blu-ray.com Is the Best Tool for Getting Blu-Ray Information
If you haven’t really spent much time shopping for Blu-rays, you might not know how complicated it can get. There are often multiple versions of the same movie, with varying levels of quality, special features, and rarity. Personally,Blu-ray.comis my first port of call whenever I want to buy a Blu-ray and I don’t know which version to get, or even if a Blu-ray of a given movie even exists.
It has just about all the info I need, including what sound formats a given disc supports, if it has a region lock, whether the cover is reversible, and so on. And, of course, you can use the site to manage your wishlist, though I don’t use that feature, however. For me, it’s about getting information about titles.
The UHD Version Isn’t Always the Best!
You might think that I always go for the 4K version of a Blu-ray when available, but actually I rarely buy a 4K Blu-ray for a few reasons. One of the big ones is when the 4K has been produced by using AI upscaling, instead of re-scanning the original film stock at a higher resolution. The AI upscaling algorithms can absolutely ruin the look of the film, and you’re better off just buying the FHD disc and letting your TV or player upscale it the old-fashioned way. It looks great, don’t sweat it.
The other reason I tend to skip the UHD version of a movie, is that they are just so much more expensive. There’s no real reason to buy a $50 disc when I can get the FHD version of the same movie for $10 or less? FHD discs look great, and usually look significantly better than the 4Kstreamingversion of that movie. If I was watching my movies on a 100-inch TV or certain projection setups, I’d be more enthusiastic about the 4K version of a movie, but until prices eventually come down, I’d rather add five FHD discs to my collection than a single 4K title.
I Check Every Marketplace for the Best Prices
Since I’m aiming to build a substantial collection of movies on Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray, and DVD, I need to get the best deals. Every dollar saved means a bigger collection. So, when I’m on the hunt for a specific title, I will try and compare prices from as many sources as possible. This includes the second-hand market.
That Star Trek boxset I recently bought retails for $200 where I live, and getting a “used” copy for $100 was a big win. The set is pristine, so there’s no downside. Blu-rays in particular are hardy discs and I have yet to encounter a single used Blu-ray that has any sort of playback issue whatsoever, so don’t be afraid to save a few bucks if you can get a used copy in good condition.
