Best place to buy dvd's?

[joshbr7257]

hi, one of my friends has a two year old kid and he loves that air bud movie, but they only got it on vhs and its starting to mess up, does anyone know of a website that sells new dvds for cheap, i googled and found it for $9.59 but after shipping its just not worth it.

[melarky]

I always check http://dvdpricesearch.com/.  It's a site that goes and checks multiple dvd retails sites and gives you a list of prices with shipping (as well as any coupons or specials that may go along with the store).

I have gotten some pretty great deals on some boxed sets from here (I got the 3rd season of CSI for $35 shipped when it was $70+ at walmart).

[joshbr7257]

hey thanks for the info, i found the dvd for $10.67 shipped

[SirPeale]

Hey, I never knew about this site before.  I've been looking for the LOTR Trilogy...Wal-Mart wanted $90 for it!  Found it via this site for $38, shipped!

[paigeoliver]

I'd actually stick with the VHS tapes for kids movies, the kids might wear them out, but they are a lot less likely to scratch up the tapes or break them.

I have actually been buying tons of VHS lately, prices on them are really sweet now that the format is nearing the end of it's life.

[Sephroth57]

I have actually been buying tons of VHS lately, prices on them are really sweet now that the format is nearing the end of it's life.

ugh i cant stand VHS, theres such a quality difference. plus no chapters or anything and, lol REWINDING. get with the times paige =p

[Jabba]

I would have to agree with Paige on this one. Teaching a child how to handle and care for a DVD is much more difficult than handling a VHS. When a DVD has multiple scratches, they sometimes "freeze" while playing. Nothing worse than a 3 year old going balistic because the "movie" won't go...

This happened just last week to me. When I looked at the DVD they were playing, not only did it hace scratches, but sticky fingerprints too. I told the kids the DVD was having a hard time interpreting a chocolate syrup fingerprint (lol)

[ChadTower]

So set the original aside and let the kid handle a DVDR copy.  That's what I do.

[pointdablame]

So set the original aside and let the kid handle a DVDR copy.  That's what I do.

Exactly.  There is no reason to use VHS anymore IMHO... especially with the quality difference.  Even if you had to shrink the dvd copy to 50%, which I never come close to.... it'd still be tons sharper than VHS.

I agree that VHS prices are good now... but that's still not enough for me.  I certainly don't want to go back to VHS

[ChadTower]

I use VHS because I still record things for keeping very regularly and the two DVD recorders I have bought both died fairly quickly.  A VCR, on the other hand, will run if you toss it off a truck into a demolition derby.

[Jollyrob]

Children don't care how sharp there movies are....but that being said

I still stand up for DVDs for kids though, cause, you can't stick a PB&J sandwich in a dvd tray as easily as you can slide one into a VCR....trust me   

[melarky]

Yeah, I agree with chadtower, getting a cheap dvd burner and just having the kids use backups is the way to go.  It's gotten really easy to make those backups these days.  If you are interested in an easy free program to make backups (that maintains chapters and special features if you want), check out DVDShrink (http://dvdshrink.org/), I was pretty impressed with that program.  There are guides all over the place for it if you need help on using it.

[pointdablame]

I use VHS because I still record things for keeping very regularly and the two DVD recorders I have bought both died fairly quickly.  A VCR, on the other hand, will run if you toss it off a truck into a demolition derby.

I forgot about that.  If I were still recording a lot of stuff and didn't have my ReplayTV, then I'm sure the VCR would still have a bit of use.

DVR is another thing that once you use... you never want to give up.  I certainly won't ever be without a Tivo or ReplayTV now that I've used one.

[ChadTower]

I use DVDShrink, it rocks.

[SirPoonga]

I no longer have a VCR.  I still want to record TV.  Been reading byopvr.com.  I think I am going to put a PVR150 in my computer and use the MediaMVP to stream video and sound to my TV.  I'm not going to record that often.  I don't need to be able to pause live tv.  I'm only going ot be recording when I am not there so the recording won't get in the way of my other computer tasks.  So for less than $200-$250 I just need a PVR150 and a MediaMVP and I will be recording TV digitally.  And since it records to my computer, the important part, I can burn stuff I want to save to DVD.

[shmokes]

For DVDs I've used dvdpricesearch.com quite a bit, but more often than not www.deepdiscountdvd.com has the best price.  I usually go with them if they're even close to the best price because I've never had a problem with them, they have consistently great or competitive prices and they ship super fast.

Chad, are you using standalone DVD recorders or the burner on your computer?  My ReplayTV allows me to transfer my recorded shows to my computer and I can burn them from there.  I was pretty sure that you could do this with a TIVO too, but could be wrong.  Or maybe you have to buy a network thing for the TIVO separately.  Anyway, I've burned more than 100 discs on my PC DVD burner and it's working like the day I bought it (and if it did kick the bucket they're dirt cheap nowadays).

[ChadTower]

Chad, are you using standalone DVD recorders or the burner on your computer?

[pointdablame]

I didn't know that about Tivo, or rather DirecTivos.  My girlfriend has a Toshiba DVD/Tivo and she uses TivoToGo?? or something like that to drop files right to her PC.  My replay has a similar feature.  I can make copies from my Replay with very little trouble.

[ChadTower]

DirecTV Tivos are integrated into the DirecTV receiver and do not have most of the cool features that regular Tivos have.

[DrewKaree]

I use VHS because I still record things for keeping very regularly and the two DVD recorders I have bought both died fairly quickly.  A VCR, on the other hand, will run if you toss it off a truck into a demolition derby.

Consider doing what SirP is doing.  Like shmokes said, DVD burners are dirt cheap nowadays.

I no longer have a VCR.  I still want to record TV.  Been reading byopvr.com.  I think I am going to put a PVR150 in my computer and use the MediaMVP to stream video and sound to my TV.  I'm not going to record that often.  I don't need to be able to pause live tv.  I'm only going ot be recording when I am not there so the recording won't get in the way of my other computer tasks.  So for less than $200-$250 I just need a PVR150 and a MediaMVP and I will be recording TV digitally.  And since it records to my computer, the important part, I can burn stuff I want to save to DVD.

Get the 500.  Dual tuner goodness for not a whole lot more, PLUS you get an FM tuner to boot, so you could listen to tunes if you so wish, PLUS if you ever have the desire to record two programs at the same time, you don't have to have yet ANOTHER PCI slot to throw the card in there. 

I'm all hooked up now, and even the wife is diggin' it

[shmokes]

DirecTV Tivos are integrated into the DirecTV receiver and do not have most of the cool features that regular Tivos have.

Though they do have dual tuners and the service is like $5/mo. instead of $13/mo. which makes them pretty tempting...

[melarky]

I finally talked my wife into getting a Tivo unit and now she uses it way more than I do (she loves it and never wants to go back).

I don't feel like paying the $13/month on top of my cable bill, so we went with a Tivo/DVD player unit that came with the free Tivo Basic service (doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the "plus" service, but it allows us to pause live tv, record all of our shows and have the tivo program guide).

I think the byopvrs are cool if you have all those computer components laying around, but if you don't, it would be hard to get all of that stuff for less than one of these Tivo/DVD players with tivo basic service free (the one we have is Toshiba SD-H400, I just did a quick search and found it selling at http://www.igotwired.com/tosdtidvddim.html for $180, I never bought from them, but the price seems nice).

If you really want the plus service after a while, you can start paying the monthly fee, and it even comes with something like a month of free plus service as a trial, but I never activated that because I know if I do, I'll be compelled to pay for their service in the future.

Tivo (or any PVR) is just like the scroll wheel on a mouse, when they were brand new before you used one you didn't seem to understand how convenient they would be, but after using one, you never want to go back to a mouse without a scroll wheel.

[ChadTower]

Consider doing what SirP is doing.

[lokki]

What about where is the best place to buy DVDs that are no longer in print.
(other than ebay)
Thinking mainly disney movies that come out and are sent to the "vault" for 10 years before they are produced again.

Examples
Jungle book
101 dalmations
little mermaid

[ChadTower]

Rent.  Copy.  Return.

[Effayy]

hi, one of my friends has a two year old kid and he loves that air bud movie, but they only got it on vhs and its starting to mess up, does anyone know of a website that sells new dvds for cheap, i googled and found it for $9.59 but after shipping its just not worth it.

I'm surprised that no one has commented on this yet but.....

He loves Air Bud?  Quick, he's only 2... He can still be taught good taste in movies, but you'll have to act fast! Fetch the Monty Python!

...Now, if this were Air Bud 5: Spikes Back, that'd be a different story!

.... And yes, there were 5 Air Buds.   



- FA

[lokki]

Rent.

[joshbr7257]

Rent.

[TalkingOctopus]

I think http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/ is pretty good.  They ship really fast too.  I normally get my order in just a few days.

[lcddream]

not to go off topic, but i'm holding off buying "regular" dvd's till hdDVD's start coming out...anyone else doing the same?

[pointdablame]

not to go off topic, but i'm holding off buying "regular" dvd's till hdDVD's start coming out...anyone else doing the same?

Kinda silly if you ask me.  Both BluRay and HD-DVD players will be able to play current DVDs, and there are a lot of upconverting processes coming along that help the picture a bit if its really that much of a concern.

Unless you have a $5k HDTV and just can't be bothered watching "inferior" DVDs, there is zero reason to wait... especially considering that manufacturers can't even decide on a standard format.  Current DVDs look very nice with today's higher end technology, and while I have no doubt that the next generation will be better, that is no reason to NOT buy DVDs today.

[lcddream]

thats what i am getting at...enventually 90% of everyone will be considering regular dvd's to be inferior...and they are...will we be re-buying all our favorites like we did when vhs starting become extinct?. i do have an expensive hdtv now though...thus my waiting

[Sephroth57]

is HD TV really that much better than a normal DVD on a normal TV? i barely notice the difference between normal TV and HDTV

[lcddream]

is HD TV really that much better than a normal DVD on a normal TV? i barely notice the difference between normal TV and HDTV

if you can't see the difference between normal tv and hdtv either it's not a real hdtv or the program isn't really in hd....there is a huge difference

[DrewKaree]

The difference between an HD program and standard is impossible to miss.  Not every "HD" TV is truly "HD", or they gave you so little information (or you were so geeked about getting the TV you never bothered to ask) you THOUGHT you'd be able to watch those HD programs, but need "just one more thing"

The best way I can describe the difference to you is this:

Take a movie you really like.  Throw in the VHS version.  Take it out.  Throw in the DVD version.  Take the VHS version.  Throw it out.

[ChadTower]

It's stupid.  HD is basically for bigass TVs.  On a regular sized, 27" TV, there is practically zero difference between good S video and HD.

Holding off on buying things on DVD in case they come outon HD DVD... christ, are you still holding off on buying casettes?