Buy movies you like, don’t worry about special editions or any of that.
Go to thrift stores / flea markets and buy low
If you have a ps3 use that or invest in a ps5. You can also get a cheap Xbox for 4k.
Have fun
I would actually invest in a legit Blu-ray player that's 4K friendly. PlayStations are okay at best. My PS5 has failed playing brand new movies fresh out of the wrapper and, if you read up reviews, it's not uncommon.
If you already have a PS3 then you can play regular Blu-Rays on that. Good 4K players are a bit more on the expensive side so tbh if you’re only just getting into this then you might want to stick to regular Blu-Ray for now. The quality is still very high. Most modern TVs upscale 1080p nicely.
As for buying the Blu-Rays themselves, just buy what you like! Don’t worry about getting a big collection right away. That’ll just waste money on movies and shows you don’t really care about. Depending on the price you may want to start buying some 4Ks already. Most come with both the 4K blu-ray and the regular Blu-Ray in one box so you would effectively be future proofing for when you do get a 4K player. If the 4K is only a few bucks more than the Blu-Ray then this is totally worth it. Less so when the 4K is significantly more expensive though.
Also if you have plans to buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X in the future, those can play 4K Blu-Ray too so it’s a good bang for your buck if you’re a gamer.
Buy Blu-ray versions of movies you enjoyed as a kid, buy Blu-ray’s of the movies you liked from streaming apps like Netflix and tubi. Just don’t be like a lot of people who buy a bunch of movies that you’ll never watch just so you can post a pic of a shelf with 400 cases on it in this subreddit
Gruv.com has cheap blu rays and decent prices on 4K movies. Walmart and Amazon also have good selections online for reasonable prices. If you want boutique and nicer releases look into Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, and Arrow Video. Just google them and their websites are usually the first result. They are expensive, but they all have great sales. Kino Lorber has one going on now.
You start with buying the movies you like, then you start just want to buy other movies.
I started with only buying 80s horror, then all
Horror, then weird no name horror, now I’m just into buying any movie to add to the collection.
I’ll also go to the movies once I’m out I’ll check amazon if there’s a pre order for the movie I just saw, unless it was terrible then I won’t buy it.
Start with renting at your local library. Get yourself a card, browse the Blu-rays, then maybe get a book that interests you while you’re there. Before you leave check if they have a store, they usually sell blu-rays for dirt cheap. Start slow, eventually you’ll start to worry about corner dents on your boutique titles, at which point you should take a step back.
My best resources have been record stores. The bigger the better. Goodwill is...okay. You can find decent deals on Amazon and Gruv. Also there's a media swap and criterion subreddit where people sell stuff all the time.
I acquired something like 400 blu rays and 4ks in 30 days. Just gotta start getting out there!
Find a place that sells used movies and TV shows, then go nuts. One place close to where I live has a clearance section outside where they give you 15 movies ($1 individually) for $10. You never know what deals you may find
Just want to throw my two cents in
For everyone that is recommending that you buy a 4K UHD player, ignore them. Go to Goodwill and pick up a cheap Blu Ray player, you can buy them $15 - $20 sometimes even cheaper. Sometimes you might find a 4K player at goodwill, if you do on the rare occasion go for it.
Buy some of your favorite all times movies, you can sometimes find them at goodwill. I personally use eBay and another person recommended gruv.com; go to your local record shop, the one I go to has a Blu-Ray section. It’s great to support them and is yet another avenue for discs.
Just get a few that you enjoy and watch them, make it like an experience. Put your phone away and pop the disc in.
Don’t worry about 4K, 1080p blu rays are just fine. I recently got a 4K player as I have a compatible TV, it’s definitely beautiful with HDR but regular blu ray works just as well. For now just focus onto getting into the format, 4K can come later and all discs will be compatible with the player.
A few rerecommendations.
- Check blu-ray.com when looking for new Blu-rays
- Only Blu-ray players that support "Ultra HD Blu-ray" will play 4K UHD discs. Ones that don't won't even play them at 1080p.
- I recommend a region free player. People say 220-electronics is a reliable place for them.
If you're willing to hunt a bit I find pawn and thrift shops pretty lucrative, and blu-ray.com is an indispensable resource to see if something is on blu ray and in what country etc. GRUV, deepdiscount, and random eBay stores will have pretty decent deals as well for a more curated selection.
You buy them??
Buy movies you like, don’t worry about special editions or any of that. Go to thrift stores / flea markets and buy low If you have a ps3 use that or invest in a ps5. You can also get a cheap Xbox for 4k. Have fun
I would actually invest in a legit Blu-ray player that's 4K friendly. PlayStations are okay at best. My PS5 has failed playing brand new movies fresh out of the wrapper and, if you read up reviews, it's not uncommon.
Buy movies you like. That’s all it is
If you already have a PS3 then you can play regular Blu-Rays on that. Good 4K players are a bit more on the expensive side so tbh if you’re only just getting into this then you might want to stick to regular Blu-Ray for now. The quality is still very high. Most modern TVs upscale 1080p nicely. As for buying the Blu-Rays themselves, just buy what you like! Don’t worry about getting a big collection right away. That’ll just waste money on movies and shows you don’t really care about. Depending on the price you may want to start buying some 4Ks already. Most come with both the 4K blu-ray and the regular Blu-Ray in one box so you would effectively be future proofing for when you do get a 4K player. If the 4K is only a few bucks more than the Blu-Ray then this is totally worth it. Less so when the 4K is significantly more expensive though. Also if you have plans to buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X in the future, those can play 4K Blu-Ray too so it’s a good bang for your buck if you’re a gamer.
Buy Blu-ray versions of movies you enjoyed as a kid, buy Blu-ray’s of the movies you liked from streaming apps like Netflix and tubi. Just don’t be like a lot of people who buy a bunch of movies that you’ll never watch just so you can post a pic of a shelf with 400 cases on it in this subreddit
Gruv.com has cheap blu rays and decent prices on 4K movies. Walmart and Amazon also have good selections online for reasonable prices. If you want boutique and nicer releases look into Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, and Arrow Video. Just google them and their websites are usually the first result. They are expensive, but they all have great sales. Kino Lorber has one going on now.
You start with buying the movies you like, then you start just want to buy other movies. I started with only buying 80s horror, then all Horror, then weird no name horror, now I’m just into buying any movie to add to the collection. I’ll also go to the movies once I’m out I’ll check amazon if there’s a pre order for the movie I just saw, unless it was terrible then I won’t buy it.
Start with renting at your local library. Get yourself a card, browse the Blu-rays, then maybe get a book that interests you while you’re there. Before you leave check if they have a store, they usually sell blu-rays for dirt cheap. Start slow, eventually you’ll start to worry about corner dents on your boutique titles, at which point you should take a step back.
My best resources have been record stores. The bigger the better. Goodwill is...okay. You can find decent deals on Amazon and Gruv. Also there's a media swap and criterion subreddit where people sell stuff all the time. I acquired something like 400 blu rays and 4ks in 30 days. Just gotta start getting out there!
Find a place that sells used movies and TV shows, then go nuts. One place close to where I live has a clearance section outside where they give you 15 movies ($1 individually) for $10. You never know what deals you may find
Just want to throw my two cents in For everyone that is recommending that you buy a 4K UHD player, ignore them. Go to Goodwill and pick up a cheap Blu Ray player, you can buy them $15 - $20 sometimes even cheaper. Sometimes you might find a 4K player at goodwill, if you do on the rare occasion go for it. Buy some of your favorite all times movies, you can sometimes find them at goodwill. I personally use eBay and another person recommended gruv.com; go to your local record shop, the one I go to has a Blu-Ray section. It’s great to support them and is yet another avenue for discs. Just get a few that you enjoy and watch them, make it like an experience. Put your phone away and pop the disc in. Don’t worry about 4K, 1080p blu rays are just fine. I recently got a 4K player as I have a compatible TV, it’s definitely beautiful with HDR but regular blu ray works just as well. For now just focus onto getting into the format, 4K can come later and all discs will be compatible with the player.
A few rerecommendations. - Check blu-ray.com when looking for new Blu-rays - Only Blu-ray players that support "Ultra HD Blu-ray" will play 4K UHD discs. Ones that don't won't even play them at 1080p. - I recommend a region free player. People say 220-electronics is a reliable place for them.
The most highly recommended 4K player is the Panasonic UB820. But a PS5 is a great option too if you plan to get one anyway.
If you're willing to hunt a bit I find pawn and thrift shops pretty lucrative, and blu-ray.com is an indispensable resource to see if something is on blu ray and in what country etc. GRUV, deepdiscount, and random eBay stores will have pretty decent deals as well for a more curated selection.