I mostly use my dvd on line collection for the history of watching as well..  Like if someone asked me if I had ever seen ... i.e.  Patch Adams as an example,  I would quickly go to my phone ap.. look it up to see if I own it or  have watched it.. even on cable TV .  If I watch an entire movie I don't own but catch it when I am channel surfing  on one of the many  cable/ streaming sites of  HD titles .,  I try and make it a habit of downloading  the title to my data base and marking it watched ' on such and such a date ' and then  stick it under my wish list.  Even if I  rewatch a title I do own,  but on cable TV I still mark it as 'watched'  -on that date. ,, so the Invelos program itself is a great way to keep these titles/history - UP TO DATE.

I may own a  blue ray of Forrest Gump (to replace my laser Disc) .. I may skim this  DVD title to check quality and physical data for playback..  but not necessarily watch the title at the point of entry to my data .. due to tiime .,,  but the history of the title over say 8 - to 10years  may read 5 or six viewings in total for the overall  love of the title itself..

Movie-watching is just a second-rate activity for most people and that's why streaming is taking over.  Convenience and affordability are preferred over ownership and collectibility.  "Casual" movie-watchers don't watch as many movies, as many different types of movies, nor watch them as often, etc., as movie lovers like us do.  Most of these casual watchers hardly own any movies; they just mostly rent.  These casual fans also don't buy movies as gifts anymore, as most of their friends and families have gone digital.  So it is left to us, the most passionate movie lovers, who still buy physical movie discs.  We are heading back to the laserdisc era when we paid high prices for LDs.  Criterion is already charging $60 for its 4K Blu-rays.  I feel bad for the younger generation of movie fans who were born too late, and the heyday of LD/DVD/BD has passed them by.  I was in my formative years during that heyday, and the superior picture and sound quality of physical discs over everything else surely helped me develop my love of the movies.

Quoting movie_madness:

Quote:
"Casual" movie-watchers don't watch as many movies, as many different types of movies, nor watch them as often, etc., as movie lovers like us do.  Most of these casual watchers hardly own any movies; they just mostly rent. 

I agree with most of what you've said, but I think that people who mostly or only watch movies on streaming services probably watch at least as many as those who prefer physical media.  It's just so easy to click a few buttons and then pick from a huge range without even getting up... But it did get me thinking...

I don't actually watch that many movies, mainly because I don't have time, (at the moment only one or two a week), but when I do it has to be an 'event'. By this I mean it has to feel special, like it matters, like it's a little treat for myself. The whole process, from getting comfortable in exactly the right position for watching, the temperature, the lighting in the room, anything I'm drinking, it all has to be 'just right'.  Maybe I'm trying to reproduce the feeling of going to the cinema a bit more.  Getting the disc out, handling it, putting it in the player, watching right through to the end of the end credits, watching the trailers first if there are any, even the sound of it starting up when I press 'play' is all part of the experience.

I do use streaming services for about 5% of what I watch, but it just doesn't feel the same, the experience is just not as good.  Even if what I see on-screen looks and sounds the same, the experience is different.  It feels 'cheap' somehow.  I really do feel people reduce how great it can be watching a good film by not 'doing it properly'; (i.e. like I do  .)

I do probably limit how many films I watch, partly because I don't want to experience to become less special and everyday.  I don't want to just click some buttons or ram a disc in the machine and quickly watch as much as possible.  I want to enjoy the journey.  (You can probably imagine how slow I am when I play computer games.  I like to explore the gaming environment; I've been shot in the back so many times, you wouldn't believe!    )

I've been colecting since the ealy days of VHS