When I read earlier that Warner Bros. is delaying Netflix's access to the studio's new releases, I was initially upset. How dare they punish me just because I choose to rent rather than buy DVDs? Then I remembered that most WB titles end up on my queue for about a year before they make it up to the spot where they're shipped out to me. That's the beauty of being a movie watcher rather than a movie collector: I can wait, because there's a bazillion other films available that I haven't seen that I can watch in the meantime.

Those bazillion -- a number that stays pretty constant year after year thanks to all the new movies made annually -- will always be why I don't buy DVDs or Blu-ray or any of that stuff. Why own a movie? To see it again and again? Not when there are so many others to see before I die. And if I do want to re-watch something, it's likely pretty accessible through Netflix if I don't need the film immediately (though we bloggers sometimes do need such immediacy for timely research/reference). And now at least instant streaming options allow for improved quickness with many titles.

Then of course there's the issue with home video formats being replaced. A new -- though old-news-spouting -- article from USA Today goes over the story of dwindling DVD sales and how Blu-ray is Hollywood's profit salvation for the future. And interestingly enough they mention the next wave of technology, 3D Blu-ray and 3D television. Certainly another format will come along in the next few years that will require you to buy your favorite films once again. And your VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray versions will be added to the trash heap.

The only motive I really get behind with movie purchases is the special features appeal. I'm not into listening to commentaries or knowing every little thing about a movie through behind the scenes documentaries and what not -- except when it helps with my academic work -- but a lot of geeks and wannabe filmmakers are into the bonus stuff. And these features aren't always available through rental outlets like Netflix. Some studios have even begun only distributing bare bones versions of DVDs to these outlets, leaving the bonus material only accessible through purchased titles.

As a business move, that concept makes a lot of sense, though I sincerely hope classics distributors like Criterion -- whose DVD commentaries are typically my only exception -- don't follow suit. As for Warner Bros.' idea of delaying rentals until a month after sales, it'll still probably only appease those kinds of buyers who rush to Best Buy every Tuesday to purchase new releases anyway. As for us renters, it won't likely make us buy any more than we do now.

What do you think? Do you prefer to buy or rent movies? Why?