Here's my attack on Ken. You do what makes you feel comfortable. We are here, no matter what! We appreciate your hard work and keeping us peasants informed. 😂
Man that was harsh! Lol Ken is a great guy, I've talked to him here and there through different social media sites and DM's and fully support him. Just a guy that loves movies lol
This space doesn’t really feel about a shared love of movies anymore. It seems to have switched to “must buy products for pretty box”. Buy physical media for films you love not just because it’s the cool new box set that will sit on your shelf and never be watched. I feel that breaks from buying physical media is a good thing for your financial and mental health. I appreciate the films I already own much more and have less of a backlog. People also need to stop demonizing streaming and use it as a helpful tool in assisting with your purchase making decisions. Physical media is also not worth going into to debt over.
I agree. I collect movies I actually like and want to own. I have upgraded many movies to 4K, but many of them I am happy to keep the DVD or regular bluray, simply because those editions are good enough for me. I too use streaming to check out some movies, to see if I like them. I rarely ever blind buy a movie. I do like to collect some "premium" editions of my favorite films. Those are the ones I will re-watch many times, including the special features. I like to display some of them for the art work. I am a movie and memorabilia collector, more than a physical media collector.
I really do think now and moving forward the big boxset are what collecting is going to turn into since a lot of Studios are marketing more towards a niche collector since you can usually watch it in streaming somewhere. It's not just here's the movie anymore. It's what special features, extra, and collectible packaging they can sell us.
I have never bought a boxed movie package... The only one that came close was I bought the Extended edition LOTR with the soldiers on the River holding out their arms... That was worth it. That was it... One time as a teenager I bought a collectors edition movie box set... It was only Fellowship of the Ring in the Green Box. Red was 2 Towers And Blue was Return of the kind. The next 2 films didn't come with collectible toys... Those Special Features are Legendary... Best ever special features
I just commented on the difference that I have started seeing in "collectors" vs. people who have spent years, or even decades, building a library of movies that they love. Movies and TV are a type of anti-anxiety therapy for me. That escapism and nostalgia means so much more to me than collecting for the sake of saying that I have it.
I really haven’t opened up like this on my channel but watching a few people make videos like this in the past couple of weeks I’m feeling the itch to just press record and spill some feelings. But I agree a lot of stress is involved that I try not to divulge to others.
First of all congratulations on the new job, Thank you for your content, In my personal opinion I'd do videos on stuff that I personally love and care about first unless it's a new release for example movies that we're previously only released to vhs but now have a 2k-4k new scan etc, Just do what you like to do and the crowd will follow, Do what you can when you can/If you can, Your family and job/s come first.
I would also suggest that if you want to do a review of all the different releases of certain movies but you also need to get rid of like for example vhs and bluray of it and keep the 4k only, to do the review video then get rid of what you don't need this way you don't regret not doing a review you wanted to do and won't be stressed out about not doing it because you needed more space, Keep in mind I'm not telling you what to do I wouldn't do that, I just hope my suggestions can help your Anxiety
I started my channel in 2020 and it has slowly grown, I don’t want to share my feelings on RUclips, I’m happy with how it is semi professional in its feel. I do admire you for your frankness, you work very hard and you have a family too so there are invariably pressures there too. Keep up the good work, you are one of the best channels out there.
I'm glad I am not a content creator. I can focus on buying only the movies that matter most to me, and it brings me such peace to know that I don't have to pay for a subscription to a streaming service, and I don't have to worry about a movie I care about leaving a streaming service My advice to you would be to try not to worry so much about what other people want to see, and focus more on what you want to do as a content creator. The views and the loyalty will follow as you chase your passions.
One word for you Ken - Curation. I have been curating down my collection for a year or so now and it has definitely helped with everything you talked about.
I have over 5000 films in my collection. I don’t have more than 1 copy of any movie and I only upgrade if I feel the title is special to me. I don’t need every movie upgraded to 4k. I only shop during sales and don’t care about all this extra stuff that honestly are not important. It is a hobby for me and my fiancée supports it. I just don’t go crazy. I’m currently starting to write about film. I’m not sure if this will evolve into a web site or start a RUclips channel. But I’m enjoying collecting because I’ve found what works for me. Once you figure that out the anxiety won’t be as much. I love your channel. It’s informative and fun but find what makes you happy and run with it. Your followers will still be there.
Take the pressure off yourself Ken. Just record your movie/physical media journey as it comes, follow your interests and share with us! Don’t let it become a job, keep it fun man. There are enough stresses in life as it is.
I've spent well over 30k on movies over the last 25 years. It's my hobby I don't do anything else. I have a theater/hifi setup and I sink money into that here and there and that's it. It's my oasis. It's the way I unplug from everything. Not gonna feel bad about it either.
@@bizmofunyuns6463 that is cool that you have a theater set up. Bc I use to have a theater set up & it was so much fun & cool & watching movies on my theater setup. Was so amazing bc the sound was like watching a movie in theaters
100% agree with this. I love turning off all the lights and cranking the volume up to movies. Hearing that boom of the subwoofer and just having that time where it's just a movie and I'm not stressing about real world stuff.
Keep on kicking ass man. I work outside and drive a lot during the week so I listen to your content all the time. Also you, Sue, and Tony are the reason I started my own channel (Billy's Blu's) to talk about collecting. You are appreciated.
I totally get where you’re coming from Ken! I just try to focus on the releases that I’m really passionate about and the ones that make me want to preorder right away. I understand that being on youtube makes it more complicated though
Yes, it happened to me this upcoming Tuesday. I began to preorder and today I realized that I went for more than ten titles, I did cancel most of them because I am a professional, an adult that loves movies and well aware of my priorities in life. So I cancelled most of them because in the long run you'll get it or forget that you bought them. We buy by impulse, not by rational thinking. Respect yourself, respect your family, respect your hard earned money. I do respect your channel and yourself but above that I respect myself. Love u very much my friend.
Kenny, I live in Japan 🇯🇵 and I watch your videos everyday. Your videos on physical media means a lot bc it reminds me of being stateside 🇺🇸 do what makes you happy Kenny 🫡
How about u stop buying everything. Quality over quantity. With the amount of money you spent on films youll probably never watch again, you could’ve got a bigger tv and actual surround system
@@theskinner3040That’s a shitty thing to say. No he’s not, and if you’d watched his video you’d see that he’s completely rational. KEN: Bro, regarding space, it’s okay to SELL stuff. IDK if you’re agreements with the studios who send you free discs preclude you from selling them. But you can sell your old stuff. Unless it’s your favorite film in a genre or something…WHY keep the damn DVD or VHS of it? The idea that you’re gonna make a video about all of these editions probably isn’t t gonna happen.
@@theskinner3040 I mean I mostly only own a single edition of each movie in my collection for the most part. I have extra 2 disc 4K clamshell cases in reserve in case I want to save the blu-ray because it has some awesome special feature that I don't want to lose. But generally, I don't care about the "lost" special features and just want the movie in the best quality possible. That's how I collect, and it works for me. But I'm not gonna gatekeep and tell Ken or anybody else how to collect. He was clear that this channel basically covers his physical media purchases and he breaks even. It's not like his kids are going without meals or clothing or birthday presents so he can buy two editions of Twister. Is that how I collect? Nope. But you calling him "mentally ill" is chicken-shit and uncalled for.
@@jamesphillips4599to kens point. I do have like 30 VHS and 30 DVDs that I just don't want to sell... I offered the DVDs to homeless people who if asked if they like movies say yes but I still have about 10 in my trunk. I figure they can barter or watch them on portable DVD players or when couch surfing. The VHS are hard to kill. I don't think I will ever sell those plush Disney VHS cases. Maybe someone will buy them from me one day for like 200 dollars.... I won't give them away though... I Still don't have the Armageddon and the Rock 4k and I gave away my Criterion DVDS of both. I got RoboCop though thank you Arrow. In my line of work I have seen Hoarders... That wall of movies I guess is teetering on the line of Hording behavior... As long as it is alphabetized or placed into genres it's ok. If you just put the disks on shelves with no organization. We can't be friends.
Your thoughts and feelings are appreciated Ken! So glad you feel comfortable enough to be REAL. That's why true fans of your channel love it and stick around
Just wanted to say, I appreciate you making the video. I think making these genuine videos you're always going to face some type of backlash, but as a PM RUclipsr obviously I can relate to a lot of what you're sharing. For the most part, I've bought the movies that I wanted in my collection, and I really haven't felt the obligation to buy a movie for the sake of my channel. It also doesn't help that like you, I like a ton of genres, so I'm always buying something. Especially since I started recollecting late.
I personally collect according to the time I have to devote to watching it. That greatly reduces my anxiety! Also you have to curate, it’s not even a question
I have bought less physical media recently because I realized I'm not watching all these discs. Lack of space and cost helps to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Well, 1) welcome to the world - about the your job - not hatin - it’s just a fact of things. 2) yea like a few other people said on here : Curate that collection & 3) Family First - nobody would hate on you if you said “hey guys - im only doing 3vids a week from now on” : You can always get more money - You Can Never Get That Time Back 😎
I used to have this kind of anxiety when I was buying things more new than used. Once I stopped that and also began to sell as well as buy, my anxiety went away because the selling was covering the cost of buying.
One thing that broke me out of it was doing the math. I took all my movies and x by 2hr 15mins for an average run time. Then I divided that number by the years I felt I had left to enjoy them. I used 70yr old. Then I divided that number by 52. I came to the conclusion that I may not be able to watch all my movies by the time I died. That snapped me out of it
I've already got to live to over 100 and don't give a damn... I'd rather have the choice and maybe never watch some than risk missing out on chosing a title off the shelf I feel like.
I think due to my age, I'm going to slow down with the physical media collection, also been collecting since the early 90's, starting with VHS and LaserDisc. Prices have also gone up considerably since the pandemic, which is another reason to simply slow down. I will continue to purchase digitally, since for quite a few titles, you will always get the latest 4K remasters. I have yet to experience any of my purchased titles being removed from iTunes and will only purchase titles under the $8 mark. Over the last decade, video retailers have slowly disappeared, hence the higher pricing. Just thinking it's been a money pit for me and the new movies that have come out over the past few years are rarely worth the purchase. Just my opinion and I can understand those that enjoy continuing to collect.
I did something similar. I watch on average about 5 movies a month. Sometimes less depending on life. So wake up call was realizing how many years it’d take for me to watch what I own if I keep that pace. And that’s not even including time it takes to watch all the special features
I think physical media anxiety is very real for serious collectors as well. Like you back in the day I bought DVD's and got rid of them as I upgraded to better formats. And with 4K's I now feel more like a serious collector in the last couple years. Even though I don't have the extra stress of having a great RUclips channel like you, I've started to feel the anxiety of collecting with various movie genres that I like, and the last week I've been thinking I can't continue at the same pace and have to cut back next year. So much has changed recently with how movies hit the market that it does make it hard for all of us to buy everything that we want to add to our collection. It's getting so expensive and pretty much impossible to but it all
Hey Ken 👋 You're a movie collector just like me and everyone else who collects movies, anxiety is something we all go through but we go through it and continue on buying movies but U have a RUclips channel so that's kinda different from people who don't have a video channel like me. My advice to U....just continue being U 👌
My suggestion would be try to take a break from buying, review a bunch of movies you haven't yet in your collection while you re-organize and go through your collection, sell off your extras or store them in those long underbed plastic totes, quit focusing on the slips and only buy during sales to save money. Most of the stuff that comes out will be available for years so if you can quit caring about the slips it will save you a lot of anxiety and money and give you time to see if a 4K comes out as well.
We're in kind of a golden era for physical media, but prices have gone up and it feels like more stuff is coming out than ever. There's certainly too much coming out, and I think many of us at least kind of worry that if we don't get it now, then another edition isn't coming out for a lot of stuff, particularly the smaller titles from boutiques, especially if they never had a disc before. Good times, but also uncertain times.
If you need a rest Ken, take it Maybe do not second guess your fans, ever thought of asking us what we want you to cover. Ken if you have stuff you have not seen why are they there, sell them!!! Like i do not understand how come some Collectors divide some of their collections into Directors, this i cannot get my head around, i mean do some ppl absolutley love every film hes made, so some films will be bought of a director that are just OK, these films take up space , pure and simple .
I do really agree Ken! When you get more conservative of your viewers and how many people actually watch your videos stuff can really shake your core! That’s why I changed my name
Hey Ken… man, I cannot agree with you more… I love physical media and also collect.. and the anxiety is real.. Sue from Movies with Sue said it best, when it comes to spending.. I too have put myself in some credit card debt that I am working to pay off, and it not fun.. Sooo many good releases and also kool packaging, that it drives me insane cause I want them all. But I sure the anxiety with you, and I’m rolling with ya til the wheels fall off. I follow You and some other content creators from this Physical media community because of your content, take on the movie (transfer, audio, video and special features) and for y’all’s honest reviews.. Thank you brother for those, because without you guys, I would’ve never gotten sooo many kool sets. Much love from NYC brother.. keep up the awesome work, because it’s very very much appreciated here.
I also stick to buying Blu-Rays as I don't buy many 4Ks as I'm waiting on a number of titles to get Blu-Rays for the first time ever. I also don't have a 4K player as they're quite pricy, and am probably just going to get a region free Blu-Ray player instead.
I am less picky than I used to be when buying films. I used to ONLY buy when I really loved a film and planned on rewatching it over and over. Now I find myself also buying films I find good or okay. This has led to my collection going from 30-40 films to almost 300 in the last 5 years. 300 is still not a lot compared to what people like you have. So in a sense I am still picky, but only relative to those with walls filled with films. Friends and family think my 300 films are insane haha.
Hehe, I have about 800 movies and people do not understand why you would want so many movies! Back in the 90's I had over 700 VHS, and I gave them all away when I moved. I started over and I have a mix of DVD, bluray, and now 4Ks.
I cant lie, when i did more on youtube i bought what i liked but i also had that thought of "hmm" this will push my channel a little more. Also the time thing in general im with you. I have a 50-60 full time job with 30+ employees so i dont have a bunch of time to watch/review so i pick and choose. Tik tok has helped with that since i can do small quick videos. I do want to jump back in to youtube but i just have to think about what I'd want to talk about on there.
Im sure it helped to talk through all of this and it sounds like you are figuring out what you want to do. If having that many movies, even ones you wont watch, makes you happy to just walk in the room and see then I think that is probably helping you more than hurting you. I am not a content creator, but I went through a similar dilemma a couple of years ago with video games. I caught myself just buying things if it was on sale to build my collection then realized one day it was stressing me out just seeing my unplayed game pile. So even with movies I have tried to be way better at only buying things I know I will actually play or watch. But it is really tough. Do whatever you think is best for you though. I think a lot of us are just here to listen to your thoughts on things.
It's like you're speaking directly to me! LOL I've only been seriously collecting in the last 2-3 years and my channel is still very small, but I have a lot of the same thoughts and concerns you do. Heck, I'm in my basement, recording on a phone with a son stating high school next year and a daughter in 3rd Grade. So I can relate! LOL Thanks for making this video.
Maybe making it more fun and less clockwork you'll feel less anxious. Make a post and ask from that pile what the viewers want to see. Make a live of just choosing films you'll never watch and unloading them. Make things more interactive! ❤
You are human and do you! I started watching you during Covid lockdown and I still look forward to Tuesdays but since a split with my wife and the economy and can’t buy like I use to. I make pretty good money and I can’t fathom all the money you spend. I would hope RUclips covers the cost. You are doing a great job and I love hearing about deals and reviews on movies from the past. So many movies that are new on 4K are just not up to par for me to spend my money. You do a great job!😎
I've new to the channel, only found yours within the last month or so. You bring up a lot of great points. I'm a collector of a whole bunch of things and have my own Channel as well. From what I've seen, i really like your content. This type of vid is also gear content but for different reasons. This type of vid can really make you think. I look forward to more of these types of vids and your regular ones as well.
For me, I stopped blind buying a long time ago just because a certain actor or actress may be in it. I've been a physical media collector since 1995 when I bought my first DVD. Most of my purchases now are 4K editions that I really like and want to see more than once. I still have some VHS as well. I own just what I really like in several genres. Keep 'em Ken but perhaps downsize in your library. Condensing is what I have done myself and continue to do.
Interestingly I got the UK Twister 4k set after watching your channel unboxing, you are a physical media influencer it is nice I often get comments when I preview releases that it’s my video they watched and decided to buy that title, that’s nice that they have an informed choice.
Space is a big thing for me. Especially since I moved earlier this year into a smaller place. But it was a good incentive to go through my DVD collection and get rid of stuff I know I'll never watch again. I had DVDs I bought 20 years ago still in the shrink wrap! Luckily I got out of collecting not long after blu-ray took off, and got back into it around 2022 because of 4k, so upgrading is an easier path. Lots of stuff I just don't own on blu-ray. I've gotten in the mindset that I just won't buy blu-rays anymore unless I'm pretty sure it's something I really want that won't likely ever get a 4k release (mostly TV, but a few smaller films). As for what I buy on 4k, I used to have a strict I'm only upgrading films I absolutely love policy. But over the last couple of years I've started getting tempted more and more if I see a steelbook that looks cool or a chunky box set of a film I enjoy but maybe isn't an absolute favorite. Seeing you show them off here doesn't help. You're an enabler Ken. 😂
I collect comics, movies & CD's. I bought over 25 movies from a video store recently and I've only gotten to watch about 30% of them. I don't have the time to do so but I know eventually I will so not knowing I haven't watched it doesn't deter me. The comics though, I've been selling what I know I won't ever complete or ones I don't want to continue collecting. I have been keeping what I know I will die with, everything else is expendable to me.
Ken let me say this I have been collecting physical media since 1987 when I was buying music on cassette tape & then in 1988 I started buying music CD & I have been buying CDs ever since. But I don't buy every single CD that came out just music I like to listen to & my CD collection is only 340 Cds. And I started buying movies on VHS in mid to late 1988 and I only bought movie that I wanted to own & I did sometimes blind buy a VHS tape to see the movie & own. And from mid to late 1988 to September of 1997 I bought VHS movies & I had 450 VHS tapes in my collection. But in September of 1997 I sold off all of my VHS collection to start buying DVDs to start collecting. And from September1997 to September 2009 I had 1200 DVDs in my collection. And in September 2009 I sold off all my DVD collection to start buying blurays & in 2018 I started buying 4ks along with blurays & I have 402 4ks & 1755 blurays and all together I have 2157 in my collection. And I love collecting and buying & discovering new movie when I blind buy a movie either on bluray or 4k & adding it to my collection. And yes I have been collecting physical media for over 35 years now & I still love collecting music & movies & adding them to my collection
Some I can relate with and some not so much. Recently, I started trying to get out of the decades-long habit of calling myself a "collector" because I've seen that there is a clear difference between someone who has been building a library of movies since the 80s and someone who collects physical media like one would collect stamps, baseball cards, etc. There's also the collector who just buys random movies that they know nothing about and have no interest in watching just to use for channel content. I do "collect" all types of memorabilia as well. Since finally focusing my budget mainly on starting my own channel, I wasn't able to buy as many of the recent releases that I really wanted, so now I'm going to have to pay hundreds of dollars just to get a few titles I love in the aftermarket. The modern physical media world can cause all different kinds of anxiety for all kinds of collectors and preservationists. I actually use the nostalgia of movies and TV to help with an anxiety disorder that I already deal with, so I've really had to step back and rethink how I approach my physical media purchasing. My channel is focused more on pop culture and entertainment nostalgia, so there's not as much to concern me about getting everything just for content purposes, but there's still an intersection where there are titles that I want to talk about and have to rush to get to them before they're sold out. I hope that through more people supporting the boutique labels, they'll be able to produce some of these titles in larger quantities and for longer periods of time. That would hurt the aftermarket, but I don't think I'll lose any sleep over the feelings of scalpers. Lol.
I really like your "video store" example! Sometimes I wonder why I buy some titles, but I think its because I would like to have it in my personal library.
Honestly, I just stick to genres I enjoy, or films from different countries I'm a huge fan of anime, and Asian cinema, but also am trying to get more into French films, and more Italian films. I also love British cinema not so much the modern British titles, but older British films. I also stick to directors I enjoy a lot and films I have a lot of nostalgia for. I'm going to be getting more into John Frankenheimer films as his films are still pretty new to me. However, I have been cancelling a lot of titles lately, and avoiding more, and more sales as sales are just too dangerous for me as I spend way too much. So I'm not going to be buying anything during Vinegar Syndromes Black Friday sale. I also love checking much much weirder films too especially trippy animated films from other countries they're quite fascinating. So what I've been doing is cutting back a lot lately on buying titles.
Your content is great, man. Just keep up what you're doing and if you need a break it's all good because I'd rather see whatever you put up than not and you always give us your best. I made disagree with you and I also may strongly agree with you, either way I consider it a valuable source of information and entertainment. Either sell, use Disc Binders or box up and put what you haven't watched yet in your garage and box up the fluff you don't care about and rent a storage unit until you decide what to do. Use your valuable media shelf space for the releases you love.
Chill Ken Remember its just Movies,i have over 3000 Horror Movie Titles and Horror Tv series and im almost 57 years old with a wide stent in my Heart and other health problems, so if i get to watch some before I pass great if not ill enjoy knowing i have the ability to watch some, mine are VHS,DVD,Blu Ray and a very few UHD Blu Rays format doesn't really matter to me I even have some i copied from vhs and friends dvds so all good 👍👍 just relax and enjoy
Space is not an issue for me anymore. I got 1800 blurays, 4ks and some dvds on 1 media shelf/unit. I got rid of all my case and put them all in sleeves. It works for me in my small space and i get to keep and grow my collection/hobby, may not be very everyone but you could alwayd do a small portion of your collection this way to free up some space? Also, there are rumors of paramount not selling any more blurays and only dvds and 4ks (not sure how true this is) so holding in to some of those blurays might be a good thing.
Great blog Ken. I totally get what you are talking about. The main thing is you need to bring it down to a level where you are enjoying it. Because if it’s not for enjoyment .. then what else for? Stay well mate 🇦🇺
Something which really changed the way I looked at my collection was creating a list on Letterboxd of every film I’d bought without watching. At that point I got like 140 titles. So as a new year’s resolution I said to myself that by the end of next year I would’ve cleared that list. And I did! But as a result I was really reluctant to buy new stuff. So that year I literally only bought things which I knew I would watch the same day so it never would land on that pile of films I hadn’t seen. Being so restrictive also made me realise that maybe I don’t need to buy everything just for the sake of owning it. I don’t need all the Marvel and DC films just because I love Batman. I also started to go to the cinema a lot more. And before I might’ve waited for the blu-ray, but now I didn’t. Some films I realised I wanted to buy so I could watch it a second time and some I felt fine having seen it once and I knew I didn’t need it. I also started to be more useful of streaming. If a film I wanted to see was available on a streaming platform I would watch it there first and then take the choice if I needed to have it in the collection. Now my bars for entering the collection is as follows. 1. Will I rewatch this film more than once? 2. Is it not available on a streaming platform? 3. Am I dependent on having to be available to watch the film whenever I want? Those three are my top criteria’s and they have really benefited my mindset when I’m considering a purchase. Lastly the channel doesn’t have to be strictly about the physicality of owning films. It could also be about simply watching films. Do a video where you have a movie night and talk about the film etc. Good luck! 😊
I would still watch your channel, even if you didn't have movie releases in your hand. The information you provide is very entertaining, and informative. Dont feel like you have to "buy" everything to show us and "keep up with the Jonese's" There are other Blutubers who are horribly obnoxious, and I now stay away from. Keep up the great work as always!
I never got into "buy everything". But I have had to fight my urge to buy other physical media stuff than what I wanted. This holiday season, I set a goal -- to focus SOLELY on tracking down my favorite U.S. & Canadian TV shows on home video with Original Music uncut from international vendors such as Germany, Italy, the U.K. & Australia. Nothing more. I'm focusing on ONE physical media genre acquisition. Rather than trying to buy a little of everything. This kind of stuff focuses your brain, and focuses spending as well. At least for me.
You got to just say I don't give a fuck don't worry about what other people think of you or have opinions just say what you're going to say and people will watch or they won't just don't give a fuck that's how I live every day
I still love physical media but had a small unit to store them in my movie room i could probably store around 150 movies. I then removed the unit and build another that almost trebled storage space and swore once its full that's it ! I have almost filled it but i am sticking to my promise to myself even though i now have to sell stuff for new media particularly nice steelbooks. Out goes bulky boxsets to create space for them but its not easy and stresses me out a little for sure. This collecting can get out of hand i think if i lost control i would one day walk in the room look around and just think what have i done this is ridiculous and feel terrible 🤔
I’m struggling with the same kind of stuff. Definitely been trying to cut back on purchases , I already spend about 3-5k a year on movies lol. Its been a little out of control
you'd be surprised how much space you get if you remove your slipcovers. I keep mine in a separate box in case i want to sell plus it keeps them mint. It also looks way more sleek on the shelves now.
Quality over quantity is my mantra . If your passion becomes a chore , take some time out and have a rethink and reset . I dig your channel mate , very informative . My passion is sci fi and horror all the rest of the content i just gloss over , you can't please everyone but you can please yourself . 😉
My wife and I are planning to move to another state a year or so from now, so we're currently going through our collections deciding what do we truly want to keep. Part of the decision for keepers is it must something we rewatch quite often. If we have a movie that we haven't watched in more than 5 years, we probably don't need it in the collection unless it is something specific like an Alfred Hitchcock movie or from a franchise we're huge fans of even if we don't always watch every entry (Halloween, for example). I'll tell you my most recent regret buying though. I got Inseminoid during the Scream Factory sale. Been wanting to watch it for years and when we were watching it a few weeks back, my thought was, "Well shit, I wish I never bought this." Now the one thing I am debating are my Kino Film Noir box sets. I've got the first 19 sets, and I feel I need to have them all because they're numbered, but there's only a handful of movies from those sets I will ever rewatch, so I have to decide how to approach those ones. I wish my channel was making enough money for me to fully rely on. I've quit teaching and am trying to grow the channel, but it's moving slower than I was hoping. Funny story. Back when I lived with my parents and brother, my brother walked into my room one night and said, "Blockbuster Video, open 24/7" as he was browsing my collection for something to watch, not knowing I was up to hear him say that. Like nowadays whenever I watch a new movie in theaters, I think, "How often would I rewatch this?" And that now determines if I buy it or not unless, again, it's a franchise movie. Like I will buy every Godzilla movie that comes out.
I normally just watch your videos and hardly ever comment but i can really relate to you when it comes to having movies to watch. Like for me too i have movies I want to watch and that I know i will at some point but haven’t gotten around to it because of time. Its ok it’ll come around, anxiety from that is most definitely real lol. Honestly though its a good problem to have, like its what we enjoy and what we love to collect. Lets take a breather together ken, deep breath in and deep breath out lol 😂
Just finished watching the entire video. I think you’re self-conscious of your problem enough to get out of it. You identified the problem, now you just have to act on the solutions you acknowledged in the video itself. Stop buying stuff you won’t watch, sell movies in the backlog that you won’t watch, occasionally use streaming services or theaters to watch movies before buying them if you’re unsure if they’re worth owning, and stop letting your channel interfere in your love for the hobby. Buying stuff just for content will eat away at your love for movies and you’ll end up hating what you do.
Lots people enjoy your channel. Just do media reports and every third Wednesday do your live show. And do a monthly unboxing for the month. Don’t stress over it. Take care of yourself. We don’t need to own everything we all would like too but not practical for most.
Its a pity that the bluray community has become so toxic and negative, it used to be a pleasure to interact but nowadays just simply reading the comments on this video you wonder why we bother, but ken i always enjoy your videos
I've been a collector of movies since the early seventies, when they were available on super 8mm film, mostly digest versions. So, of course, my collection has evolved, and to this day I'm always excited to add to my ever growing library. But every so often I will put that on hold and go after movie posters, action figures, and other miscellaneous movie related memorabilia, just to spice things up. At the end of the day, it's all about my lifelong love affair of movies. That's what it's all about.
More people watching you're videos is good Ken. I haven't watch all you're videos but I love them you do this for us you are one of the hardest working physical media people here on youtube and you rock Ken thank you so much yeah we all need a mansion to keep our physical media collection Ken LOL I need the you're next steel book and the second sight one
Your eyes light up more talking about the packaging and extras than the films themselves, it says a lot I think you need to start buying the films you enjoy rather than buying for your audience. Also if you stop double dipping that would also save you space.
@dalton3706 this is why I took a break from youtube and focused more on tik tok because I did the same thing. I started to focus my collection on stuff i thought would get more views. Now I post on tik tok other stuff that I enjoy like records and vinyl too
Not really what I said. Just meant there would be no way to afford or justify the purchases without the channel and also my partnerships with studios and boutique labels. I’d have to be way more picky. I’m still very interested in the majority of what I receive.
@drsteinman5510 if everyone were as pretentious as you, the hobby would have already died a long time ago. Be thankful to the collectors for buying up the stuff you wouldn't touch and keeping the industry healthy. Collector isn't a bad word and you're not superior for thinking you're not one. You're just parroting the same tired take from other stuck up yappers in the community who only do things "the right way".
Have you thought of a few of those spinning towers? They can hold a lot of discs and can be put in a corner pulled out so you can still get to the wall, but still doesn't take up a ton of space. I'm considering grabbing a few.
My personal anxiety is with all of the limited edition stuff. I am not a fan of steelbooks, so, if there is a regular 4K cover, I'm getting that. But with the Disney+ shows and some other movies (like "Inside Out 2"), they are not giving us a choice. Which means a larger expense, plus....get it yesterday before it sells out and ends up on eBay for 3x the price! :P Too many limited releases coming out in a short span of time...which isn't always financially feasible. Don't get me wrong; I am more than happy that titles are regularly being released, and more titles are ending up on BR and 4K every year! But just because home video has turned into a collectors market doesn't mean all of us can afford it! As for the many iterations of movies shows (VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, BR, 4K UHD BR)....unless a later version ends up being inferior, or there is some major collectability factor, I have been replacing my home video library with the best, and either selling or donating the older versions. It saves me TONS of room! I had shelves of DVDs....now, all that's left are out-of-print titles/titles not on later formats, and some tv shows. I've slowly been replacing my BR's with 4K's, and selling the BR's once I purchase the 4Ks. The hardest part of collecting is letting go of old habits and adapting to newer ones. I had maybe 28 longboxes of comic books. Now I am down to 3, 2 of which are full with signed books. Now I buy trades, hardcovers, and omnibus'. Saves on space...plus, I've learned how to stick with titles and stories I know I want to hold on to.
I finally hit the brakes over the last couple months. It ended up being prices for me. They’ve gotten out of control. Even studio releases. I used to clean up when stuff hit the $10 range. That doesn’t seem to be happening as much as it used to.
Definitely consolidate the blurays in the 4K cases to free space. Off load the DVDs to make wardrobe space and fill that with movies you arent in a hurry to watch. Always healthy to do a cull of the collection every once in a while
Man blockbusters Ken is dope supporting physical media I want be just like him having a huge collection 💿💿💿🤙🤙🤙📀📀📀 he owns all his movies 🎥 by the time internet 🛜 don’t exist he’s covered for life he deserves a bigger tv 📺 for the movies he has 4K
A) get rid of all dvd and movies you have several copies of B) stop blind buying! C) only buy one copy of a blu-ray or 4k D) no one expects you to review everything. Review only what you are passionate about.
To me "Stop blind buying" is the most ridiculous 'advice' I hear on a regular basis... you might as well say "Stop going to the cinema because you may not like the movie". At least buying a physical copy you can often pay less than a theatre visit and if you don't like it you can get some money back by selling it on. Try walking out of a movie theatre at the end of a movie and ask for a partial refund 'because you didn't like it'. And with older movies do you plan on paying loads of money every month in the hope a movie you want to 'watch before you buy' comes on when for the price of a couple of beers you could blind buy a second hand DVD then, if you liked it, sell the DVD and upgrade to Blu-ray or 4K? Or, to be honest, just get the film in a quality you'll be happy keeping if you like it and if you don't like it, you lose such a small amount after selling it's really nothing in any grand scheme (especially, in my experience, I like enough to keep probably 29 out of 30 or even more of the blind buy films I purchase)...
@@blujustin4175 Exactly! I love buying movies I haven’t seen before! I’ll often rewatch those more than others because I haven’t seen them 2-5 times already. Plus, buying even a 4K is usually cheaper than a night at the movies. And it doesn’t have to be “blind.” I research the moves I want first (cast, trailer, reviews I trust.) Buying movies I haven’t seen before - but research first - usually has a 90% success rate. 👍
How I control my collecting is I ask myself a few questions before I purchase, in this order. 1. Can I afford this? 2. Would I be sad if I couldn’t watch/play this 5-10 years from now? 3. Will it be available later or is this my one chance to get it?
I buy three or four titles per week...but I usually don't watch what I buy. New items just sit on the shelf.... This doesn't cause anxiety, but I don't think that watching movies is my first priority. BUYING is my first priority. I bought The Terminator on 4K, but only watched a few minutes and skipped around. Rarely, will I actually WATCH what I have purchased. Work, my Wife, and my Son take up the lion's share of my day...and when I finally sit down to watch something, I FALL ASLEEP.
Take a break, Ken... I stopped buying all physical media for almost Two years and I ended up buying a little over a $6000.00 Dolby Atmos with 9:2:2 speaker set-up an a Sony mini led 93 model TV. I also have three Sony x800m2 4k players and one ubp700 Sony 4k, yes, Each room in my house has a 4k setup ... two with a super surround sound with Teo years of saving ftom buying physical media... I spend about 7500 to 8200 a year on it, which is insane.
You’re not suppose to buy everything ever released, you only buy what you’re into. Thats a mistake the majority of “collectors” do
Yeah that’s why I’ll only buying things I want
Well said
Here's my attack on Ken. You do what makes you feel comfortable. We are here, no matter what! We appreciate your hard work and keeping us peasants informed. 😂
Man that was harsh! Lol Ken is a great guy, I've talked to him here and there through different social media sites and DM's and fully support him. Just a guy that loves movies lol
This space doesn’t really feel about a shared love of movies anymore. It seems to have switched to “must buy products for pretty box”. Buy physical media for films you love not just because it’s the cool new box set that will sit on your shelf and never be watched. I feel that breaks from buying physical media is a good thing for your financial and mental health. I appreciate the films I already own much more and have less of a backlog. People also need to stop demonizing streaming and use it as a helpful tool in assisting with your purchase making decisions.
Physical media is also not worth going into to debt over.
I agree. I collect movies I actually like and want to own. I have upgraded many movies to 4K, but many of them I am happy to keep the DVD or regular bluray, simply because those editions are good enough for me.
I too use streaming to check out some movies, to see if I like them. I rarely ever blind buy a movie.
I do like to collect some "premium" editions of my favorite films. Those are the ones I will re-watch many times, including the special features. I like to display some of them for the art work.
I am a movie and memorabilia collector, more than a physical media collector.
I really do think now and moving forward the big boxset are what collecting is going to turn into since a lot of Studios are marketing more towards a niche collector since you can usually watch it in streaming somewhere. It's not just here's the movie anymore. It's what special features, extra, and collectible packaging they can sell us.
I have never bought a boxed movie package... The only one that came close was I bought the Extended edition LOTR with the soldiers on the River holding out their arms... That was worth it. That was it... One time as a teenager I bought a collectors edition movie box set... It was only Fellowship of the Ring in the Green Box. Red was 2 Towers And Blue was Return of the kind. The next 2 films didn't come with collectible toys... Those Special Features are Legendary... Best ever special features
I just commented on the difference that I have started seeing in "collectors" vs. people who have spent years, or even decades, building a library of movies that they love. Movies and TV are a type of anti-anxiety therapy for me. That escapism and nostalgia means so much more to me than collecting for the sake of saying that I have it.
I really haven’t opened up like this on my channel but watching a few people make videos like this in the past couple of weeks I’m feeling the itch to just press record and spill some feelings. But I agree a lot of stress is involved that I try not to divulge to others.
Thanksgiving is already upon us. this year is flying by! have a good one Kenneth
First of all congratulations on the new job, Thank you for your content, In my personal opinion I'd do videos on stuff that I personally love and care about first unless it's a new release for example movies that we're previously only released to vhs but now have a 2k-4k new scan etc, Just do what you like to do and the crowd will follow, Do what you can when you can/If you can, Your family and job/s come first.
I would also suggest that if you want to do a review of all the different releases of certain movies but you also need to get rid of like for example vhs and bluray of it and keep the 4k only, to do the review video then get rid of what you don't need this way you don't regret not doing a review you wanted to do and won't be stressed out about not doing it because you needed more space, Keep in mind I'm not telling you what to do I wouldn't do that, I just hope my suggestions can help your Anxiety
I started my channel in 2020 and it has slowly grown, I don’t want to share my feelings on RUclips, I’m happy with how it is semi professional in its feel. I do admire you for your frankness, you work very hard and you have a family too so there are invariably pressures there too. Keep up the good work, you are one of the best channels out there.
I'm glad I am not a content creator. I can focus on buying only the movies that matter most to me, and it brings me such peace to know that I don't have to pay for a subscription to a streaming service, and I don't have to worry about a movie I care about leaving a streaming service
My advice to you would be to try not to worry so much about what other people want to see, and focus more on what you want to do as a content creator. The views and the loyalty will follow as you chase your passions.
Finding stuff in your collection that you forgot you even owned is amazing
One word for you Ken - Curation. I have been curating down my collection for a year or so now and it has definitely helped with everything you talked about.
I have over 5000 films in my collection. I don’t have more than 1 copy of any movie and I only upgrade if I feel the title is special to me. I don’t need every movie upgraded to 4k. I only shop during sales and don’t care about all this extra stuff that honestly are not important. It is a hobby for me and my fiancée supports it. I just don’t go crazy. I’m currently starting to write about film. I’m not sure if this will evolve into a web site or start a RUclips channel. But I’m enjoying collecting because I’ve found what works for me. Once you figure that out the anxiety won’t be as much. I love your channel. It’s informative and fun but find what makes you happy and run with it. Your followers will still be there.
Take the pressure off yourself Ken. Just record your movie/physical media journey as it comes, follow your interests and share with us! Don’t let it become a job, keep it fun man. There are enough stresses in life as it is.
That's a big downside to having a channel monetized. You feel obligated to do it and it becomes a job and takes the fun out of the hobby.
I've spent well over 30k on movies over the last 25 years. It's my hobby I don't do anything else. I have a theater/hifi setup and I sink money into that here and there and that's it. It's my oasis. It's the way I unplug from everything. Not gonna feel bad about it either.
@@bizmofunyuns6463 that is cool that you have a theater set up. Bc I use to have a theater set up & it was so much fun & cool & watching movies on my theater setup. Was so amazing bc the sound was like watching a movie in theaters
100% agree with this. I love turning off all the lights and cranking the volume up to movies. Hearing that boom of the subwoofer and just having that time where it's just a movie and I'm not stressing about real world stuff.
Thank you!
Well said. It’s a much loved hobby for me. Other people cannot or may not understand. I don’t care 👍✊️😊
Keep on kicking ass man. I work outside and drive a lot during the week so I listen to your content all the time. Also you, Sue, and Tony are the reason I started my own channel (Billy's Blu's) to talk about collecting. You are appreciated.
I totally get where you’re coming from Ken! I just try to focus on the releases that I’m really passionate about and the ones that make me want to preorder right away. I understand that being on youtube makes it more complicated though
Yes, it happened to me this upcoming Tuesday. I began to preorder and today I realized that I went for more than ten titles, I did cancel most of them because I am a professional, an adult that loves movies and well aware of my priorities in life. So I cancelled most of them because in the long run you'll get it or forget that you bought them. We buy by impulse, not by rational thinking. Respect yourself, respect your family, respect your hard earned money. I do respect your channel and yourself but above that I respect myself. Love u very much my friend.
Kenny, I live in Japan 🇯🇵 and I watch your videos everyday. Your videos on physical media means a lot bc it reminds me of being stateside 🇺🇸 do what makes you happy Kenny 🫡
Japan is still number 1 for physical media 😅
How about u stop buying everything. Quality over quantity. With the amount of money you spent on films youll probably never watch again, you could’ve got a bigger tv and actual surround system
He’s mentally ill
@@theskinner3040That’s a shitty thing to say. No he’s not, and if you’d watched his video you’d see that he’s completely rational.
KEN: Bro, regarding space, it’s okay to SELL stuff. IDK if you’re agreements with the studios who send you free discs preclude you from selling them. But you can sell your old stuff. Unless it’s your favorite film in a genre or something…WHY keep the damn DVD or VHS of it? The idea that you’re gonna make a video about all of these editions probably isn’t t gonna happen.
@ disliking a movie but then buying 5 versions of it because it has different covers is mental illness in its purest form …. I don’t mean it as a slur
@@theskinner3040 I mean I mostly only own a single edition of each movie in my collection for the most part. I have extra 2 disc 4K clamshell cases in reserve in case I want to save the blu-ray because it has some awesome special feature that I don't want to lose. But generally, I don't care about the "lost" special features and just want the movie in the best quality possible. That's how I collect, and it works for me. But I'm not gonna gatekeep and tell Ken or anybody else how to collect. He was clear that this channel basically covers his physical media purchases and he breaks even. It's not like his kids are going without meals or clothing or birthday presents so he can buy two editions of Twister. Is that how I collect? Nope. But you calling him "mentally ill" is chicken-shit and uncalled for.
@@jamesphillips4599to kens point. I do have like 30 VHS and 30 DVDs that I just don't want to sell... I offered the DVDs to homeless people who if asked if they like movies say yes but I still have about 10 in my trunk. I figure they can barter or watch them on portable DVD players or when couch surfing. The VHS are hard to kill. I don't think I will ever sell those plush Disney VHS cases. Maybe someone will buy them from me one day for like 200 dollars.... I won't give them away though... I Still don't have the Armageddon and the Rock 4k and I gave away my Criterion DVDS of both. I got RoboCop though thank you Arrow.
In my line of work I have seen Hoarders... That wall of movies I guess is teetering on the line of Hording behavior... As long as it is alphabetized or placed into genres it's ok. If you just put the disks on shelves with no organization. We can't be friends.
Your thoughts and feelings are appreciated Ken! So glad you feel comfortable enough to be REAL. That's why true fans of your channel love it and stick around
Just wanted to say, I appreciate you making the video. I think making these genuine videos you're always going to face some type of backlash, but as a PM RUclipsr obviously I can relate to a lot of what you're sharing. For the most part, I've bought the movies that I wanted in my collection, and I really haven't felt the obligation to buy a movie for the sake of my channel. It also doesn't help that like you, I like a ton of genres, so I'm always buying something. Especially since I started recollecting late.
Dude, thanks for sharing. Anxiety has been a huge topic these past few years.
I personally collect according to the time I have to devote to watching it. That greatly reduces my anxiety! Also you have to curate, it’s not even a question
Just sell a bunch of those movies behind you. I guarantee at least 30% of them are shit and you will probably never watch again.
Well said
I have bought less physical media recently because I realized I'm not watching all these discs. Lack of space and cost helps to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Well, 1) welcome to the world - about the your job - not hatin - it’s just a fact of things. 2) yea like a few other people said on here : Curate that collection & 3) Family First - nobody would hate on you if you said “hey guys - im only doing 3vids a week from now on” : You can always get more money - You Can Never Get That Time Back 😎
I used to have this kind of anxiety when I was buying things more new than used. Once I stopped that and also began to sell as well as buy, my anxiety went away because the selling was covering the cost of buying.
One thing that broke me out of it was doing the math. I took all my movies and x by 2hr 15mins for an average run time. Then I divided that number by the years I felt I had left to enjoy them. I used 70yr old. Then I divided that number by 52. I came to the conclusion that I may not be able to watch all my movies by the time I died. That snapped me out of it
I've already got to live to over 100 and don't give a damn... I'd rather have the choice and maybe never watch some than risk missing out on chosing a title off the shelf I feel like.
@ I agree, but it stopped me from going overboard…I‘lol always have titles on the shelf for that occasion
I think due to my age, I'm going to slow down with the physical media collection, also been collecting since the early 90's, starting with VHS and LaserDisc.
Prices have also gone up considerably since the pandemic, which is another reason to simply slow down. I will continue to purchase digitally, since for quite a few titles, you will always get the latest 4K remasters. I have yet to experience any of my purchased titles being removed from iTunes and will only purchase titles under the $8 mark. Over the last decade, video retailers have slowly disappeared, hence the higher pricing.
Just thinking it's been a money pit for me and the new movies that have come out over the past few years are rarely worth the purchase. Just my opinion and I can understand those that enjoy continuing to collect.
I did something similar. I watch on average about 5 movies a month. Sometimes less depending on life.
So wake up call was realizing how many years it’d take for me to watch what I own if I keep that pace. And that’s not even including time it takes to watch all the special features
I think physical media anxiety is very real for serious collectors as well. Like you back in the day I bought DVD's and got rid of them as I upgraded to better formats. And with 4K's I now feel more like a serious collector in the last couple years. Even though I don't have the extra stress of having a great RUclips channel like you, I've started to feel the anxiety of collecting with various movie genres that I like, and the last week I've been thinking I can't continue at the same pace and have to cut back next year. So much has changed recently with how movies hit the market that it does make it hard for all of us to buy everything that we want to add to our collection. It's getting so expensive and pretty much impossible to but it all
Hey Ken 👋 You're a movie collector just like me and everyone else who collects movies, anxiety is something we all go through but we go through it and continue on buying movies but U have a RUclips channel so that's kinda different from people who don't have a video channel like me. My advice to U....just continue being U 👌
When it comes to space, you might think about those spinner racks. Sure, they don't look as nice as a solid wall. But they are great space savers.
You will never make everyone happy. Just do what you need to do. Collect how you want to collect. 🤔
My suggestion would be try to take a break from buying, review a bunch of movies you haven't yet in your collection while you re-organize and go through your collection, sell off your extras or store them in those long underbed plastic totes, quit focusing on the slips and only buy during sales to save money. Most of the stuff that comes out will be available for years so if you can quit caring about the slips it will save you a lot of anxiety and money and give you time to see if a 4K comes out as well.
We're in kind of a golden era for physical media, but prices have gone up and it feels like more stuff is coming out than ever. There's certainly too much coming out, and I think many of us at least kind of worry that if we don't get it now, then another edition isn't coming out for a lot of stuff, particularly the smaller titles from boutiques, especially if they never had a disc before. Good times, but also uncertain times.
If you need a rest Ken, take it
Maybe do not second guess your fans, ever thought of asking us what we want you to cover.
Ken if you have stuff you have not seen why are they there, sell them!!!
Like i do not understand how come some Collectors divide some of their collections into Directors, this i cannot get my head around, i mean do some ppl absolutley love every film hes made, so some films will be bought of a director that are just OK, these films take up space , pure and simple .
I do really agree Ken! When you get more conservative of your viewers and how many people actually watch your videos stuff can really shake your core! That’s why I changed my name
Hey Ken… man, I cannot agree with you more… I love physical media and also collect.. and the anxiety is real.. Sue from Movies with Sue said it best, when it comes to spending.. I too have put myself in some credit card debt that I am working to pay off, and it not fun.. Sooo many good releases and also kool packaging, that it drives me insane cause I want them all. But I sure the anxiety with you, and I’m rolling with ya til the wheels fall off. I follow You and some other content creators from this Physical media community because of your content, take on the movie (transfer, audio, video and special features) and for y’all’s honest reviews.. Thank you brother for those, because without you guys, I would’ve never gotten sooo many kool sets. Much love from NYC brother.. keep up the awesome work, because it’s very very much appreciated here.
I also stick to buying Blu-Rays as I don't buy many 4Ks as I'm waiting on a number of titles to get Blu-Rays for the first time ever. I also don't have a 4K player as they're quite pricy, and am probably just going to get a region free Blu-Ray player instead.
I am less picky than I used to be when buying films. I used to ONLY buy when I really loved a film and planned on rewatching it over and over. Now I find myself also buying films I find good or okay. This has led to my collection going from 30-40 films to almost 300 in the last 5 years. 300 is still not a lot compared to what people like you have. So in a sense I am still picky, but only relative to those with walls filled with films. Friends and family think my 300 films are insane haha.
Hehe, I have about 800 movies and people do not understand why you would want so many movies!
Back in the 90's I had over 700 VHS, and I gave them all away when I moved. I started over and I have a mix of DVD, bluray, and now 4Ks.
Ken, your level of knowledge regarding collecting is similar to my own. That is why I tune in. I enjoy your channel a lot.
Thank you for your time and you truly entertain and inform. Keep up the great work. Thank You!
I cant lie, when i did more on youtube i bought what i liked but i also had that thought of "hmm" this will push my channel a little more. Also the time thing in general im with you. I have a 50-60 full time job with 30+ employees so i dont have a bunch of time to watch/review so i pick and choose. Tik tok has helped with that since i can do small quick videos. I do want to jump back in to youtube but i just have to think about what I'd want to talk about on there.
Im sure it helped to talk through all of this and it sounds like you are figuring out what you want to do. If having that many movies, even ones you wont watch, makes you happy to just walk in the room and see then I think that is probably helping you more than hurting you.
I am not a content creator, but I went through a similar dilemma a couple of years ago with video games. I caught myself just buying things if it was on sale to build my collection then realized one day it was stressing me out just seeing my unplayed game pile. So even with movies I have tried to be way better at only buying things I know I will actually play or watch. But it is really tough.
Do whatever you think is best for you though. I think a lot of us are just here to listen to your thoughts on things.
It's like you're speaking directly to me! LOL I've only been seriously collecting in the last 2-3 years and my channel is still very small, but I have a lot of the same thoughts and concerns you do. Heck, I'm in my basement, recording on a phone with a son stating high school next year and a daughter in 3rd Grade. So I can relate! LOL Thanks for making this video.
Maybe making it more fun and less clockwork you'll feel less anxious. Make a post and ask from that pile what the viewers want to see. Make a live of just choosing films you'll never watch and unloading them. Make things more interactive! ❤
You are human and do you! I started watching you during Covid lockdown and I still look forward to Tuesdays but since a split with my wife and the economy and can’t buy like I use to. I make pretty good money and I can’t fathom all the money you spend. I would hope RUclips covers the cost. You are doing a great job and I love hearing about deals and reviews on movies from the past. So many movies that are new on 4K are just not up to par for me to spend my money. You do a great job!😎
I've new to the channel, only found yours within the last month or so. You bring up a lot of great points. I'm a collector of a whole bunch of things and have my own Channel as well. From what I've seen, i really like your content. This type of vid is also gear content but for different reasons. This type of vid can really make you think. I look forward to more of these types of vids and your regular ones as well.
For me, I stopped blind buying a long time ago just because a certain actor or actress may be in it. I've been a physical media collector since 1995 when I bought
my first DVD. Most of my purchases now are 4K editions that I really like and want to see more than once. I still have some VHS as well. I own just what I really like
in several genres. Keep 'em Ken but perhaps downsize in your library. Condensing is what I have done myself and continue to do.
You can do it. I believe in u ken
Interestingly I got the UK Twister 4k set after watching your channel unboxing, you are a physical media influencer it is nice I often get comments when I preview releases that it’s my video they watched and decided to buy that title, that’s nice that they have an informed choice.
Space is a big thing for me. Especially since I moved earlier this year into a smaller place. But it was a good incentive to go through my DVD collection and get rid of stuff I know I'll never watch again. I had DVDs I bought 20 years ago still in the shrink wrap! Luckily I got out of collecting not long after blu-ray took off, and got back into it around 2022 because of 4k, so upgrading is an easier path. Lots of stuff I just don't own on blu-ray. I've gotten in the mindset that I just won't buy blu-rays anymore unless I'm pretty sure it's something I really want that won't likely ever get a 4k release (mostly TV, but a few smaller films). As for what I buy on 4k, I used to have a strict I'm only upgrading films I absolutely love policy. But over the last couple of years I've started getting tempted more and more if I see a steelbook that looks cool or a chunky box set of a film I enjoy but maybe isn't an absolute favorite. Seeing you show them off here doesn't help. You're an enabler Ken. 😂
Ken you ma dogg bro love you man !!!! We’re all human !!!!
that is exactly what I do! :). I combine my blu-rays and 4k's into one case...yes, you have to order 2 movie cases, but it saves A LOT of room.
I collect comics, movies & CD's. I bought over 25 movies from a video store recently and I've only gotten to watch about 30% of them. I don't have the time to do so but I know eventually I will so not knowing I haven't watched it doesn't deter me. The comics though, I've been selling what I know I won't ever complete or ones I don't want to continue collecting. I have been keeping what I know I will die with, everything else is expendable to me.
Ken let me say this I have been collecting physical media since 1987 when I was buying music on cassette tape & then in 1988 I started buying music CD & I have been buying CDs ever since. But I don't buy every single CD that came out just music I like to listen to & my CD collection is only 340 Cds. And I started buying movies on VHS in mid to late 1988 and I only bought movie that I wanted to own & I did sometimes blind buy a VHS tape to see the movie & own. And from mid to late 1988 to September of 1997 I bought VHS movies & I had 450 VHS tapes in my collection. But in September of 1997 I sold off all of my VHS collection to start buying DVDs to start collecting. And from September1997 to September 2009 I had 1200 DVDs in my collection. And in September 2009 I sold off all my DVD collection to start buying blurays & in 2018 I started buying 4ks along with blurays & I have 402 4ks & 1755 blurays and all together I have 2157 in my collection. And I love collecting and buying & discovering new movie when I blind buy a movie either on bluray or 4k & adding it to my collection. And yes I have been collecting physical media for over 35 years now & I still love collecting music & movies & adding them to my collection
have you seen Cereal at Midnight's storage solution?
Some I can relate with and some not so much. Recently, I started trying to get out of the decades-long habit of calling myself a "collector" because I've seen that there is a clear difference between someone who has been building a library of movies since the 80s and someone who collects physical media like one would collect stamps, baseball cards, etc. There's also the collector who just buys random movies that they know nothing about and have no interest in watching just to use for channel content. I do "collect" all types of memorabilia as well. Since finally focusing my budget mainly on starting my own channel, I wasn't able to buy as many of the recent releases that I really wanted, so now I'm going to have to pay hundreds of dollars just to get a few titles I love in the aftermarket. The modern physical media world can cause all different kinds of anxiety for all kinds of collectors and preservationists. I actually use the nostalgia of movies and TV to help with an anxiety disorder that I already deal with, so I've really had to step back and rethink how I approach my physical media purchasing. My channel is focused more on pop culture and entertainment nostalgia, so there's not as much to concern me about getting everything just for content purposes, but there's still an intersection where there are titles that I want to talk about and have to rush to get to them before they're sold out. I hope that through more people supporting the boutique labels, they'll be able to produce some of these titles in larger quantities and for longer periods of time. That would hurt the aftermarket, but I don't think I'll lose any sleep over the feelings of scalpers. Lol.
I really like your "video store" example!
Sometimes I wonder why I buy some titles, but I think its because I would like to have it in my personal library.
Honestly, I just stick to genres I enjoy, or films from different countries I'm a huge fan of anime, and Asian cinema, but also am trying to get more into French films, and more Italian films. I also love British cinema not so much the modern British titles, but older British films. I also stick to directors I enjoy a lot and films I have a lot of nostalgia for. I'm going to be getting more into John Frankenheimer films as his films are still pretty new to me. However, I have been cancelling a lot of titles lately, and avoiding more, and more sales as sales are just too dangerous for me as I spend way too much. So I'm not going to be buying anything during Vinegar Syndromes Black Friday sale. I also love checking much much weirder films too especially trippy animated films from other countries they're quite fascinating. So what I've been doing is cutting back a lot lately on buying titles.
Your content is great, man. Just keep up what you're doing and if you need a break it's all good because I'd rather see whatever you put up than not and you always give us your best. I made disagree with you and I also may strongly agree with you, either way I consider it a valuable source of information and entertainment.
Either sell, use Disc Binders or box up and put what you haven't watched yet in your garage and box up the fluff you don't care about and rent a storage unit until you decide what to do. Use your valuable media shelf space for the releases you love.
Chill Ken Remember its just Movies,i have over 3000 Horror Movie Titles and Horror Tv series and im almost 57 years old with a wide stent in my Heart and other health problems, so if i get to watch some before I pass great if not ill enjoy knowing i have the ability to watch some, mine are VHS,DVD,Blu Ray and a very few UHD Blu Rays format doesn't really matter to me
I even have some i copied from vhs and friends dvds so all good 👍👍 just relax and enjoy
Space is not an issue for me anymore. I got 1800 blurays, 4ks and some dvds on 1 media shelf/unit. I got rid of all my case and put them all in sleeves. It works for me in my small space and i get to keep and grow my collection/hobby, may not be very everyone but you could alwayd do a small portion of your collection this way to free up some space? Also, there are rumors of paramount not selling any more blurays and only dvds and 4ks (not sure how true this is) so holding in to some of those blurays might be a good thing.
Great blog Ken. I totally get what you are talking about. The main thing is you need to bring it down to a level where you are enjoying it. Because if it’s not for enjoyment .. then what else for? Stay well mate 🇦🇺
You do good work. Hang in there. 😊Man I want to watch movies day and night .
Something which really changed the way I looked at my collection was creating a list on Letterboxd of every film I’d bought without watching. At that point I got like 140 titles.
So as a new year’s resolution I said to myself that by the end of next year I would’ve cleared that list. And I did! But as a result I was really reluctant to buy new stuff. So that year I literally only bought things which I knew I would watch the same day so it never would land on that pile of films I hadn’t seen.
Being so restrictive also made me realise that maybe I don’t need to buy everything just for the sake of owning it. I don’t need all the Marvel and DC films just because I love Batman.
I also started to go to the cinema a lot more. And before I might’ve waited for the blu-ray, but now I didn’t. Some films I realised I wanted to buy so I could watch it a second time and some I felt fine having seen it once and I knew I didn’t need it.
I also started to be more useful of streaming. If a film I wanted to see was available on a streaming platform I would watch it there first and then take the choice if I needed to have it in the collection.
Now my bars for entering the collection is as follows.
1. Will I rewatch this film more than once?
2. Is it not available on a streaming platform?
3. Am I dependent on having to be available to watch the film whenever I want?
Those three are my top criteria’s and they have really benefited my mindset when I’m considering a purchase.
Lastly the channel doesn’t have to be strictly about the physicality of owning films. It could also be about simply watching films. Do a video where you have a movie night and talk about the film etc.
Good luck! 😊
Yes it's stressful such as
Getting damaged items
Dealing with cs retailers stores, etc
You do a great job, don’t let hater’s get you down.
I only buy movies that I'm going to watch over and over again
Well said
I would still watch your channel, even if you didn't have movie releases in your hand. The information you provide is very entertaining, and informative. Dont feel like you have to "buy" everything to show us and "keep up with the Jonese's" There are other Blutubers who are horribly obnoxious, and I now stay away from. Keep up the great work as always!
I never got into "buy everything". But I have had to fight my urge to buy other physical media stuff than what I wanted. This holiday season, I set a goal -- to focus SOLELY on tracking down my favorite U.S. & Canadian TV shows on home video with Original Music uncut from international vendors such as Germany, Italy, the U.K. & Australia. Nothing more. I'm focusing on ONE physical media genre acquisition. Rather than trying to buy a little of everything. This kind of stuff focuses your brain, and focuses spending as well. At least for me.
You got to just say I don't give a fuck don't worry about what other people think of you or have opinions just say what you're going to say and people will watch or they won't just don't give a fuck that's how I live every day
I still love physical media but had a small unit to store them in my movie room i could probably store around 150 movies. I then removed the unit and build another that almost trebled storage space and swore once its full that's it ! I have almost filled it but i am sticking to my promise to myself even though i now have to sell stuff for new media particularly nice steelbooks. Out goes bulky boxsets to create space for them but its not easy and stresses me out a little for sure. This collecting can get out of hand i think if i lost control i would one day walk in the room look around and just think what have i done this is ridiculous and feel terrible 🤔
I’m struggling with the same kind of stuff. Definitely been trying to cut back on purchases , I already spend about 3-5k a year on movies lol. Its been a little out of control
you'd be surprised how much space you get if you remove your slipcovers. I keep mine in a separate box in case i want to sell plus it keeps them mint. It also looks way more sleek on the shelves now.
Quality over quantity is my mantra . If your passion becomes a chore , take some time out and have a rethink and reset . I dig your channel mate , very informative . My passion is sci fi and horror all the rest of the content i just gloss over , you can't please everyone but you can please yourself . 😉
My wife and I are planning to move to another state a year or so from now, so we're currently going through our collections deciding what do we truly want to keep. Part of the decision for keepers is it must something we rewatch quite often. If we have a movie that we haven't watched in more than 5 years, we probably don't need it in the collection unless it is something specific like an Alfred Hitchcock movie or from a franchise we're huge fans of even if we don't always watch every entry (Halloween, for example).
I'll tell you my most recent regret buying though. I got Inseminoid during the Scream Factory sale. Been wanting to watch it for years and when we were watching it a few weeks back, my thought was, "Well shit, I wish I never bought this."
Now the one thing I am debating are my Kino Film Noir box sets. I've got the first 19 sets, and I feel I need to have them all because they're numbered, but there's only a handful of movies from those sets I will ever rewatch, so I have to decide how to approach those ones.
I wish my channel was making enough money for me to fully rely on. I've quit teaching and am trying to grow the channel, but it's moving slower than I was hoping.
Funny story. Back when I lived with my parents and brother, my brother walked into my room one night and said, "Blockbuster Video, open 24/7" as he was browsing my collection for something to watch, not knowing I was up to hear him say that.
Like nowadays whenever I watch a new movie in theaters, I think, "How often would I rewatch this?" And that now determines if I buy it or not unless, again, it's a franchise movie. Like I will buy every Godzilla movie that comes out.
I normally just watch your videos and hardly ever comment but i can really relate to you when it comes to having movies to watch. Like for me too i have movies I want to watch and that I know i will at some point but haven’t gotten around to it because of time. Its ok it’ll come around, anxiety from that is most definitely real lol. Honestly though its a good problem to have, like its what we enjoy and what we love to collect. Lets take a breather together ken, deep breath in and deep breath out lol 😂
Just finished watching the entire video.
I think you’re self-conscious of your problem enough to get out of it. You identified the problem, now you just have to act on the solutions you acknowledged in the video itself.
Stop buying stuff you won’t watch, sell movies in the backlog that you won’t watch, occasionally use streaming services or theaters to watch movies before buying them if you’re unsure if they’re worth owning, and stop letting your channel interfere in your love for the hobby. Buying stuff just for content will eat away at your love for movies and you’ll end up hating what you do.
Lots people enjoy your channel. Just do media reports and every third Wednesday do your live show. And do a monthly unboxing for the month.
Don’t stress over it. Take care of yourself. We don’t need to own everything we all would like too but not practical for most.
Its a pity that the bluray community has become so toxic and negative, it used to be a pleasure to interact but nowadays just simply reading the comments on this video you wonder why we bother, but ken i always enjoy your videos
I've been a collector of movies since the early seventies, when they were available on super 8mm film, mostly digest versions. So, of course, my collection has evolved, and to this day I'm always excited to add to my ever growing library. But every so often I will put that on hold and go after movie posters, action figures, and other miscellaneous movie related memorabilia, just to spice things up. At the end of the day, it's all about my lifelong love affair of movies. That's what it's all about.
More people watching you're videos is good Ken. I haven't watch all you're videos but I love them you do this for us you are one of the hardest working physical media people here on youtube and you rock Ken thank you so much yeah we all need a mansion to keep our physical media collection Ken LOL I need the you're next steel book and the second sight one
Don’t worry. Ken, I got you covered!
Your eyes light up more talking about the packaging and extras than the films themselves, it says a lot I think you need to start buying the films you enjoy rather than buying for your audience. Also if you stop double dipping that would also save you space.
Let it go, let it goooo....
That’s the problem, you’re calling yourself a collector instead of just enjoying films
He said he buys 90% of physical media for the audience. It’s not good when your hobby becomes your job.
Yeah, he's too worried about having a huge collection than just enjoying the movies
@dalton3706 this is why I took a break from youtube and focused more on tik tok because I did the same thing. I started to focus my collection on stuff i thought would get more views. Now I post on tik tok other stuff that I enjoy like records and vinyl too
Not really what I said. Just meant there would be no way to afford or justify the purchases without the channel and also my partnerships with studios and boutique labels. I’d have to be way more picky. I’m still very interested in the majority of what I receive.
@drsteinman5510 if everyone were as pretentious as you, the hobby would have already died a long time ago. Be thankful to the collectors for buying up the stuff you wouldn't touch and keeping the industry healthy. Collector isn't a bad word and you're not superior for thinking you're not one. You're just parroting the same tired take from other stuck up yappers in the community who only do things "the right way".
Facts, great video as always!
Have you thought of a few of those spinning towers? They can hold a lot of discs and can be put in a corner pulled out so you can still get to the wall, but still doesn't take up a ton of space. I'm considering grabbing a few.
My personal anxiety is with all of the limited edition stuff. I am not a fan of steelbooks, so, if there is a regular 4K cover, I'm getting that. But with the Disney+ shows and some other movies (like "Inside Out 2"), they are not giving us a choice. Which means a larger expense, plus....get it yesterday before it sells out and ends up on eBay for 3x the price! :P Too many limited releases coming out in a short span of time...which isn't always financially feasible. Don't get me wrong; I am more than happy that titles are regularly being released, and more titles are ending up on BR and 4K every year! But just because home video has turned into a collectors market doesn't mean all of us can afford it!
As for the many iterations of movies shows (VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, BR, 4K UHD BR)....unless a later version ends up being inferior, or there is some major collectability factor, I have been replacing my home video library with the best, and either selling or donating the older versions. It saves me TONS of room! I had shelves of DVDs....now, all that's left are out-of-print titles/titles not on later formats, and some tv shows. I've slowly been replacing my BR's with 4K's, and selling the BR's once I purchase the 4Ks.
The hardest part of collecting is letting go of old habits and adapting to newer ones. I had maybe 28 longboxes of comic books. Now I am down to 3, 2 of which are full with signed books. Now I buy trades, hardcovers, and omnibus'. Saves on space...plus, I've learned how to stick with titles and stories I know I want to hold on to.
I finally hit the brakes over the last couple months. It ended up being prices for me. They’ve gotten out of control. Even studio releases. I used to clean up when stuff hit the $10 range. That doesn’t seem to be happening as much as it used to.
Definitely consolidate the blurays in the 4K cases to free space. Off load the DVDs to make wardrobe space and fill that with movies you arent in a hurry to watch. Always healthy to do a cull of the collection every once in a while
triangle of sadness
Man blockbusters Ken is dope supporting physical media I want be just like him having a huge collection 💿💿💿🤙🤙🤙📀📀📀 he owns all his movies 🎥 by the time internet 🛜 don’t exist he’s covered for life he deserves a bigger tv 📺 for the movies he has 4K
Plus i understand you 100 percent of having them in all kinds of different formats.. i do myself
A) get rid of all dvd and movies you have several copies of
B) stop blind buying!
C) only buy one copy of a blu-ray or 4k
D) no one expects you to review everything. Review only what you are passionate about.
To me "Stop blind buying" is the most ridiculous 'advice' I hear on a regular basis... you might as well say "Stop going to the cinema because you may not like the movie". At least buying a physical copy you can often pay less than a theatre visit and if you don't like it you can get some money back by selling it on. Try walking out of a movie theatre at the end of a movie and ask for a partial refund 'because you didn't like it'.
And with older movies do you plan on paying loads of money every month in the hope a movie you want to 'watch before you buy' comes on when for the price of a couple of beers you could blind buy a second hand DVD then, if you liked it, sell the DVD and upgrade to Blu-ray or 4K? Or, to be honest, just get the film in a quality you'll be happy keeping if you like it and if you don't like it, you lose such a small amount after selling it's really nothing in any grand scheme (especially, in my experience, I like enough to keep probably 29 out of 30 or even more of the blind buy films I purchase)...
@@blujustin4175 Exactly! I love buying movies I haven’t seen before! I’ll often rewatch those more than others because I haven’t seen them 2-5 times already. Plus, buying even a 4K is usually cheaper than a night at the movies. And it doesn’t have to be “blind.” I research the moves I want first (cast, trailer, reviews I trust.) Buying movies I haven’t seen before - but research first - usually has a 90% success rate. 👍
How I control my collecting is I ask myself a few questions before I purchase, in this order.
1. Can I afford this?
2. Would I be sad if I couldn’t watch/play this 5-10 years from now?
3. Will it be available later or is this my one chance to get it?
From the sounds of it, you already know what you need to do. Scale back, man. Collecting should be fun, not anxiety inducing. It's not a race, Ken.
I buy three or four titles per week...but I usually don't watch what I buy. New items just sit on the shelf.... This doesn't cause anxiety, but I don't think that watching movies is my first priority. BUYING is my first priority. I bought The Terminator on 4K, but only watched a few minutes and skipped around. Rarely, will I actually WATCH what I have purchased. Work, my Wife, and my Son take up the lion's share of my day...and when I finally sit down to watch something, I FALL ASLEEP.
i get horrible anxiety and found fidget toys can help alot
Take a break, Ken... I stopped buying all physical media for almost Two years and I ended up buying a little over a $6000.00 Dolby Atmos with 9:2:2 speaker set-up an a Sony mini led 93 model TV. I also have three Sony x800m2 4k players and one ubp700 Sony 4k, yes, Each room in my house has a 4k setup ... two with a super surround sound with Teo years of saving ftom buying physical media... I spend about 7500 to 8200 a year on it, which is insane.
Are you talking about the X 93L mini LED that’s my dream TV I want to get that. How is it?
Very Nice!!!👍
@ 👍
If you have it, do what makes you happy. If you don't, you have to prioritize.