To sell my DVDs or not? Poll

[DjAmTraX]

I am storing my ripped DVDs on hard drives for quick and easy access. I may no longer need the actual disk & case. Let's say I have the ripped files backup and I am 90% safe from every having the need of the originals. I know I won't get much for the DVDs, but why do I want to keep storing them? Should I keep them just because I MAY (10% chance) need them again or should I sell them now and use the money for hard drives?

What are you doing with your DVDs?

[QuickSilver08]

Tough call...for the most part I have digital copies and/or transfered to Blu-Ray. Im holding onto them for now. They are just in the shed...just incase

[fridgeymonster3]

I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I'm ripping them to my HDD's and then encoding them. As of now, I'm keeping both the entire rip and the encoded movie in iTunes, although I'll probably start deleting the rip folders of movies I don't care to lose. When I'm done, I'm going to try and sell 75%+ of my movies and only keep the actual copies of my favorites; otherwise, byebye DVD's.

[NightStorm]

If you sell the DVD, ethically you should also delete your rip. This is why I have boxes of DVDs in storage at the moment (and why I'm really liking the digital distribution methodology).

(And yes, I realize we have no license to create the encoded file... but at least you can argue fair use if you still have the disc.)

[phairphan]

I agree with NightStorm. There is little difference between ripping and then selling them and ripping DVDs you rent (or downloading them from a torrent, for that matter). If you're fine stealing your movies with either of the latter two methods, then go ahead and sell them.

[Dagless]

Okay, so what if you lose the DVD do you delete the encoded file then? :rolleyes:

Personally I'd sell them. I've never been pressed for space but if need be I would sell my DVDs and keep the encodings. It's not theft by any long shot - by selling them on the only person who makes money is you. Hollywood/whoever isn't going to see a penny from that specific disc after the initial sale and given that you've owned them for a period of time (rather than borrowing, renting etc) then by all rights you should be allowed to sell it on yourself.
So I destroy or blank out photos of artworks around my house that I no longer own?

I've always bought my media but I've sold on, donated, lent out and forgot about many of my stuff in the past.

[DjAmTraX]

If selling DVDs and CDs are so bad Ameba and others alike should be shut down. So ethics aside because we can argue all day on that topic. Let's focus on the original questions. Do you worry about ever needing the originals? Have you experienced a failure and you are glad you didn't get rid of the disks? Should you store or sell them?

[fridgeymonster3]

If selling DVDs and CDs are so bad Ameba and others alike should be shut down. So ethics aside because we can argue all day on that topic. Let's focus on the original questions. Do you worry about ever needing the originals? Have you experienced a failure and you are glad you didn't get rid of the disks? Should you store or sell them?

I'm not worried. I have my iTunes folder on a seperate HDD and I have a drive that mirrors it every week via Carbon Copy Cloner. Therefore, if the original HDD fails I can just swap in the other. I'd be a little worried if I didn't have a backup.

[NightStorm]

If selling DVDs and CDs are so bad Ameba and others alike should be shut down. So ethics aside because we can argue all day on that topic. Let's focus on the original questions. Do you worry about ever needing the originals? Have you experienced a failure and you are glad you didn't get rid of the disks? Should you store or sell them?

So you're saying all the sellers on ameba have ripped the discs and sell them back? :rolleyes:

[Rich1963]

I'm solidly in Nightstorm's corner on this one. By the letter of the law(s), you cannot sell the DVDs. On the subject of losing them and having a secondary copy, it's mute because although fair use allows you to make a second copy, the DMCA prohibits the bypassing of copy protection to make the second copy. It's a beautiful catch-22.

That being said, and hypothetically speaking, either sell them ASAP or keep them until they delaminate. They are only going to lose value from here forward as the value of the format plummets in the face of Blu-ray and digital download. Much like the cassette tape, vinyl record, VHS, etc.

[fridgeymonster3]

what's he gonna make? $1-3 per DVD max? They aren't worth anything anymore and if he's bought them all, I see nothing wrong with having a digital copy and selling them. I get the copyright arguement and it's probably not even in the grey area, but it's not like he's making anything near retail value for the DVDs. Go ahead and sell them.

[Rich1963]

Listen, I'm not here to argue with you on this. But other people read these boards (read: MPAA and RIAA) and someone should at least state the honest facts. I'm in complete agreement with you. I've got over a thousand TV shows and movies in my collection. But the boxes of DVDs sit in my basement in diaper boxes (empty of diapers, of course) because there is an off chance one day someone might come knocking, and it helps if you can prove your collection is yours.

What's sad about this is I'm personally in complete agreement with you, fridgymonster, and the current IP laws suck. But he should at least know the consequences of this. Besides, like you say, he's only going to make a few bucks. Maybe keeping them is the smarter course of action.

However, should he decide to sell them for $1-3, please send me a PM with the entire catalog so I can have first dibs. :D

[ViciousShadow21]

personally i like having the discs for two reasons. the obvious: just in case something happens to your digital copies. and i also just like having the boxes. i have over 600 movies and 100 tv shows in a book shelf next to my tv. i love coming home and seeing them. and ppl always say how impressive it is.:D but that is just me. i also keep them on a HDD tho.

[fridgeymonster3]

But the boxes of DVDs sit in my basement in diaper boxes (empty of diapers, of course) because there is an off chance one day someone might come knocking, and it helps if you can prove your collection is yours.

If someone came knocking at my door and I didn't own all my iTunes content (I do, but for arguements sake), I'd say. "hold on please" and take the 15 seconds it takes to take two of my 1 TB HDDs out of bays 2 and 3 in my mac pro. Uh oh, no more illegal content.....:p

[Rich1963]

I don't think they would physically come to your house, but I think the content industry is more than aware of what's going on out there and just hasn't found the solution for the whole DVD/ripping issue, yet. One thing the RIAA showed, however, was that invading people's privacy and pissing nearly every consumer off was no problem when it came to copyright enforcement, common sense be damned. The MPAA shows no more common sense, either.

[hitekalex]

So where does one even sell DVDs or CDs these days? I had a quick look on eBay - used DVDs barely gather any bids at all.. If you can't even get a couple of bucks per DVD, selling them is not worth the hassle..

[Rich1963]

Spun.com is another good one. Craigslist is another good one. Just put an ad on Craigslist advertising all of the DVDs you have and just put in the ad they're only for sale as one group, set your price, and I guarantee you someone will still call you in about an hour and offer to come pick them up. That site delivers amazing results for the low price of free.

[ravenvii]

I now own 0 DVDs. I sold them all, and now just use NetFlix to watch movies. I see no reason to own any movies, other than those that are beyond awesome.

And no, I didn't rip my DVDs first. I'm a good citizen, see. :p :D

[The Mad Hatter]

My take on this is...

Unless you are archiving full ISO rips (and backing 'em up), and using them for your media center—I'd say keep them.

Right now m4v/mp4 are the format of choice, but what if a "new and improved" compression comes down the pike? How are you going to go back to the source if you sell off your DVDs?

I say encoded 'em, box 'em, store 'em!

That's just my 2¢

[Rich1963]

I believe I'll throw my 2¢ at Mad Hatter. Makes the most sense in all of this. Good night all.:)

[GottaLoveApple4]

I sold all my DVDs a while back and just re-bought them on iTunes. Yes, I know that iTunes does not have every movie, but for me it did. Also, yea I might have lost some money doing this, but at least it is 100% legal. I couldn't be happier though to not have to deal with discs anymore!! I love my Apple TV....especially now that iTunes has HD movies for purchase.

P.S. Backup is a must if you do not want to lose all your movies, but with Time Machine and Time Capsule, there is nothing to be worried about at all! Enjoy selling your DVDs if you decide to do so! I know I did!:apple::D

[DjAmTraX]

My friend asked me today why in the hell am I wasting time, energy, and money on hard drives? He said in a few years Netflix will have every movie I now own avaliable for Instant Watch. Heck, there will be more selection and may be higher quality than my rips.

That got me thinking too. The man has a point. DVD discs will die and evrything we want to watch again will be avaliable from services like Netflix so I may just be wasting my time doing my own. You can not win this game.

[rspeaker]

I don't know about legal issues, but it seems to me, after you rip the DVDs, if you decide you don't want them anymore, you should give them away, not sell them. It seems like there's more wiggle room if your rip DVDs and keep the disks, or if you rip the disks and give them away, but if you rip them and make even a small sum of money off of them... that just seems wrong.

And while Netflix may eventually end up with most movies and TV shows on Instant Watch, they may not have everything. With physical disks or rips, you don't have to pay for anything, because you already own it.

[EricNau]

Okay, so what if you lose the DVD do you delete the encoded file then? :rolleyes:
That's an absolutely false analogy. When you buy a DVD, you purchase the right to watch the video contained within the disk. If you sell the disk, you sell with it the right to watch that encoding.

If you lose the disk, no transfer of ownership has occurred; you still own the rights to watch that video.

It's not theft by any long shot - by selling them on the only person who makes money is you. Hollywood/whoever isn't going to see a penny from that specific disc after the initial sale and given that you've owned them for a period of time (rather than borrowing, renting etc) then by all rights you should be allowed to sell it on yourself.
Not true. When you copy a DVD on to your HDD and proceed to sell the DVD, you're selling a DVD that you would otherwise keep if that duplication were not possible. With the absence of your disk on the market, the would-be buyer looks elsewhere for a legitimate video.

You're essentially turning one video into two; by increasing the available supply, demand is decreased, and likewise its market price.

So I destroy or blank out photos of artworks around my house that I no longer own?
Again, a false analogy. A reproduction of a piece of art differs from the original, making its value significantly lower. It's not an identical copy, as is the video file on your computer in comparison to the DVD.


If you sell your DVDs you are ethically and legally bound to delete the copy on your computer.

[DjAmTraX]

All this talk about ownership rights. If it is so wrong to rip your DVDs, the RIAA should go after software companies that provides the software and charges us for it. Make it so that you are allowed to make ONE copy of each disk you own so it will make you think twice about selling off the original disk. Ripping DVDs to HD is no secret to RIAA and the movie companies. Actors & actresses didn't get rich because everyone watched/bought a digital copy. I feel that DVDs should be treated the same way as music CDs. At least I bought a copy, I'm not making a digital copy of a digital copy from a friend.

I think I am going to sell them off because it does me no good storing them if I will never use them again. My girlfriend tells me that "storing something you may never use again is hoarding, it's a disorder." By recycling, I am actually helping the environment. Providing a means for someone who may not be able to afford to buy from stores.

[jessica.]

My take on this is...

Unless you are archiving full ISO rips (and backing 'em up), and using them for your media center—I'd say keep them.

Right now m4v/mp4 are the format of choice, but what if a "new and improved" compression comes down the pike? How are you going to go back to the source if you sell off your DVDs?

I say encoded 'em, box 'em, store 'em!

That's just my 2¢
Ethics and such aside, this is the best answer yet. I won't argue ethics, right or wrong. The OP clearly doesn't care and I'd be wasting my precious time. However, I agree. MP4 is the format of choice today. I'd venture to guess we'll see better compression in the future. I'd keep them. I like having mine to be honest with you. I like having the physical DVD. I miss having my CDs as well.
All this talk about ownership rights. If it is so wrong to rip your DVDs, the RIAA should go after software companies that provides the software and charges us for it. Make it so that you are allowed to make ONE copy of each disk you own so it will make you think twice about selling off the original disk. Ripping DVDs to HD is no secret to RIAA and the movie companies. Actors & actresses didn't get rich because everyone watched/bought a digital copy. I feel that DVDs should be treated the same way as music CDs. At least I bought a copy, I'm not making a digital copy of a digital copy from a friend.

I think I am going to sell them off because it does me no good storing them if I will never use them again. My girlfriend tells me that "storing something you may never use again is hoarding, it's a disorder." By recycling, I am actually helping the environment. Providing a means for someone who may not be able to afford to buy from stores.
Whatever helps you sleep at night. :)

[madmaxmedia]

Ethics aside, if you're only getting a buck or 2 per disk then you may as well keep them.

What if you lose the HD? If you have full rips that are 4 to 8 GB, then that's an awful lot of storage space.

If they are conversions, then I would keep the originals simply because you have lossy copies.

Again, I'm assuming you're only getting 1 or 2 bucks per disk. Maybe sell the movies you don't care about, but for movies I really like I prefer to have the original.

[NightStorm]

Whatever helps you sleep at night.
My thoughts exactly. Why did you even make this thread; were you looking for some sort of justification for what you are planning on doing? :confused:

It's rationalization like this (along with other things -- don't get me wrong) that justify stronger DRM in the mind's of the studios/MPAA.

[TraceyS/FL]

I'm in the anti-piracy camp.....

And then there is the other issue of format and re-ripping when something better comes along and all that.

Would you get enough money for them to make it not hurt when you had to buy them again?

[MovieCutter]

Sell em. I sold all 500 of my DVDs years ago and haven't missed them a bit. They looked nice on my shelf when I was in college, but I haven't had to move them everywhere with me, and it frees up space.

[ChrisA]

IF you sell the DVDs then legally you'd be required to delete the ripped copies. There is no grounds to argue "fair use" if you no longer own the DVD.

You can ignore this if you like but if you are willing to ignore copyright then why did you bother to buy the DVD? Why not simply down load from a Bit Torrent?

[dynaflash]

Hehe, forget legalities. I am constantly in a state of re-encoding my digital library simply because hb and its libraries keep getting better and better making my year old encodes look like garbage in comparison. I don't know how many times I have thought " this is the last time I will encode this title, it looks so good" only to re-encode it six months later at a much smaller file size and a better visual quality. Plus your disks are your ultimate backup and cheaper since you already own them.

Its a non-issue as far as I can see.