People are increasingly turning to Digital Video Disks (DVDs) as the preferred medium for entertainment viewing. “Going to the movies” in the  comfort of your home has many advantages. The range and variety of titles provide a rich resource of viewing options. There are several methods of acquiring DVDs including purchase from retail outlets, renting from commercial companies, borrowing from public libraries and friends. The choice is yours, except if some of your friends are picky about loaning.

Most of the DVDs  in our collection are in the form of box sets. How were they selected, that is, what are our purchasing criteria? The first step in our evaluation of a title that appears interesting is to read whatever reviews are available and keep an ear out for what our personal and book store friends report as interesting and/or entertaining. Armed with these scientific data, we guess on the probabilities of our wanting to view the piece more than once and calculate the price per viewing. The cutting point is 4 viewings (two of us, times two viewings) and divide the cost of the DVD box by 4. If we are in serious doubt but still curious we may buy a single before investing in a box or  borrow from the public library. Occasionally we buy a dud, but even these may a suitable gift or donation.

Usually after a second viewing and discussion we decide whether or not to Review the DVD for Showtime! We are some where between careful and frugal and seldom spend in ignorance. In the end the most a viewer is out is viewing time and we have had the pleasure of being entertained.

Categorization has its downside, but our selections can for the most part safely sorted into COMEDY, DRAMA OR MYSTERY, allowing for considerable overlap. Following is a list of shows included to date sorted by the three categories.