Buying Movies is Becoming More and More Difficult

Over the summer, we had just purchased an HDTV and I was excited about the advancements of watching TV. Then I started getting into the idea of Blu-Ray. I had heard it, seen it, wasn't going to do it because I didn't have a Blu-Ray player and I wasn't looking forward to spending more money than I have to.

I'm not sure what exactly it was that changed me - but I wanted to get involved. I wanted a PS3 anyway because I wanted to play the MLB game, so getting Blu-Ray was an added benefit of getting a PS3. I was in luck because my friend was selling his for real cheap, so I got a PS3 and now I just needed the discs.

I got all of Lost (obviously,) True Blood, and Weeds on Blu-Ray, and the picture is awesome. The content is different - more interactive. The discs were only $5 more expensive than regular DVD, I figured it was worth the High-Def quality. It totally was.

Problem is, Blu-Ray isn't as portable as DVDs. By that I mean when traveling or not at home, I can watch DVDs on my computer. I can't do that with Blu-Ray. This really limits where I can watch them. Also I can't take them over to my friend's house unless they have a Blu-Ray player either. So it's frustrating.

Then there is the Digital Format problem. Anyone can download movies/shows from iTunes - but they are limited to watching them on their computers. It's restricting and frustrating. Sure I can watch it on my laptop or my iPod (which I find incredibly frustrating to watch on an iPod, even the Touch) but I can't watch it on my TV easily. Apple's got the Apple TV deal, but it's not very successful.

It leaves the average consumer in a quandary. Which copy do I buy? Do I want the best picture? Do I want portability? I'm not buying 7 different versions. What is anyone to do?

I really like what Disney is doing. Most of their movies are for sale in a "Combo Pack" which includes DVD, Blu-Ray, AND Digital Copy versions of the movie. FOR 5 DOLLARS MORE THAN A REGULAR DVD. WHAT A SMART IDEA.

I wish every company had that policy. Yet they don't. Instead they're greedy and want to milk us for whatever they can get out. I'm sure someone bought The Dark Knight in all three different ways. Avatar will be bought in 5. It's a rip off.

The future is definitely headed towards the Digital format. A huge database of your films in one storage location. You won't buy discs, you'll just download from the store. It's already happening. What's one to do with the movies you already have? There will need to be some way to convert it.

In the meantime, I'm really trying to not buy anything. I'm not giving anymore money to those greedy bastards.