DVD cases...why do they vary so much?

[Thundrchez]

Why do the DVD cases vary so much from one movie-house to the other? They are all about the same size, but I mean, some of them are really nice plastic cases with a good way of holding the DVD. Others come in a half-@%% cheap cardboard box. They all vary as to how they hold the DVD, though, with some easy to get out and others that are more difficult. Some of them just plain suck.

The CD industry has a very good standard of jewel cases for single CDs. There are a couple of variants for double CDs. Why can't the movie industry keep their cases consistent like the audio industry does with CD jewel cases?

Yes, it is a totally useless rant. I'm just a very anal retentive guy, and this is one thing that irks me.

[Gurm]

Think back to when Audio CD's first came out. The cases were MOSTLY consistent. Look at video game cases - those are a NIGHTMARE. Some come in audio jewel cases, some come in MASSIVE cases that don't fit any rack ever made. URK!

But I do agree, I HATE those stupid cheezy cardboard boxes.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Paddy]

yeh!, cardboard ones suck!

[fds]

VHS had its variety with different cases as well.

Anyway, I'm a lot more bothered by the wildy varying quality of DVDs from different studios (or just different releases from the same studio even..).

That you cannot change. You can always put the DVD disc into a standard CD case.

[Thundrchez]

You can always put the DVD disc into a standard CD case.

That is an interesting point. CD jewel cases are smaller and there are oodles of CD racks around. The main problem is that I loose the movie name on the spine.

I have seen a word processor document template before for a CD backside/spine and front cover. If WYSIWYG actually works, it should be pretty easy to make my own (though plain) labels for the jewel cases. Hmmmm... Does anybody have a lead as to where I can find one of these templates. I know one of my buddies has seen one of them before.

[Thundrchez]

Well, I've gone and done it. I went to the Mega Low Mart and got a bunch of empty jewel cases. I found a free program on the internet that will let me print out jewel case labels just perfectly.

It turns out that there are very few DVD cases that are fully "done right", IMHO. For the most part, these are my findings among my collection:

Paramount, Universal, Columbia, MGM, Artisan, and A&E - these are the good guys; a good plastic case with an easy push in the center retention method.
Warner, New Line, Orion, Live - these are the cheap cardboard boxes.
20th Cent. Fox, Anchor Bay, - good plastic cases, but a sucky way of removing the disc which requires bending the disc

Now how can we convince everybody to do it the "good" way?

[Gurm]

Thundrchez:

Too late now, but you can buy blank versions of the nice cases. I found 'em at the video store near me a couple weeks ago and grabbed 'em. Then I figured out how to disassemble the crappy cardboard cases, scanned all the artwork, and made up nice new cases. Very cool.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Dyre]

You could also use like a 'Case-Logic' Style binder for cd's. Get one of the nice 72 cd ones with nice felt backs. Of Course you might have problems with the double sided dvd's. Just a thought.
I like the JewelCase idea personally, as a lot of my DVD's are double sided.