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justeleblanc wrote:a) harder to bootleg on ebay

I like all those points, but I hadn't thought about this one. I wonder if anyone's experienced any bootlegging of digipack titles on ebay?

justeleblanc wrote: e) juste prefers them

I guess my Six Moral Tales set was an anomaly...

justeleblanc wrote:c) environmentally friendly

I always thought this one was pretty much b.s. Kind of like when one is arrested and they apply mulitple charges, hoping one of them will stick. Every time I see this one, I envision some ad executive smirking when he first came up with that one and saw it make the final list...

It uses less plastic than the tipical amaray.... but who knows?

Paupau wrote:It uses less plastic than the tipical amaray.... but who knows?

but uses more paper and dyes/inks I'd say there probably about even.

miless wrote:

Paupau wrote:It uses less plastic than the tipical amaray.... but who knows?

but uses more paper and dyes/inks I'd say there probably about even.

what about the trash side? biodegradable?

justeleblanc wrote:what about the trash side? biodegradable?

Who's gonna throw them out?

fdm wrote:

justeleblanc wrote:what about the trash side? biodegradable?

Who's gonna throw them out?

Your family after you're dead.

CSM126 wrote:

fdm wrote:

justeleblanc wrote:what about the trash side? biodegradable?

Who's gonna throw them out?

Your family after you're dead.

Good point.

Ecologically speaking, both digipaks and standard DVD cases are pretty shitty. Digipaks may be partly made from a "renewable" resource, but the varnish and glue applied to the paper makes it pretty much unrecyclable. At least the paper will decompose quickly. The plastic used to make DVD cases is petroleum-based and will take untold thousands (millions?) of years to decompose. Also, it's toxic. The softer and more pliable the plastic (clear cases, especially), the more toxic it is. But they are reusable and more resistant to damage.

I probably have a smaller collection than many of you folks, but at a respectable 800 and counting, my wife has been hollering for awhile. Therefore, thinpacks get my vote. Not digipacks, not keepcases per se, but thinpacks. Storage space has become the prevailing issue at my house over all others. I would think that storage is or will become much more of an issue for retailers, libraries, etc.

sherlockjr wrote:I probably have a smaller collection than many of you folks, but at a respectable 800 and counting, my wife has been hollering for awhile. Therefore, thinpacks get my vote. Not digipacks, not keepcases per se, but thinpacks. Storage space has become the prevailing issue at my house over all others. I would think that storage is or will become much more of an issue for retailers, libraries, etc.

It took some doing, but I recently converted most of my DVD collection to thinpaks. The only exceptions were items in snapper cases and "prestige" titles like Criterions, MoCs, Second Runs, et al. It saved quite a bit of space (though I've managed to just fill it all back up again). And I've also found that trimming the cover art slightly and using a non-standard case has not affected my ability to sell the DVDs on the secondhand online market (and I'm very careful to make sure people know what they are buying). The only drawback (and I consider it a very minor one) is that I can no longer scan the spines of the disc easily from the couch.

At the library, we have some very nice compact storage for DVDs and tapes, but I'm managing to fill it pretty rapidly. It's gotten to the point that, less than two years after installing it, I'm looking at performing a massive weeding project over the summer just to make sure I have enough room for next year's acquisitions.

Steven H wrote:

justeleblanc wrote:a) harder to bootleg on ebay

I like all those points, but I hadn't thought about this one. I wonder if anyone's experienced any bootlegging of digipack titles on ebay?

Here in China, the Rohmer Six Moral Tales set is available as both a box containing digipaks or with standard amaray covers.

In China, most bootlegs are sold with three covers. A thick cardboard cover that can fit around the entire keepcase, a smaller cardboard cover that fits in the outside plastic sleeve of a keepcase, and a thin glossy paper cover that fits inside the outer plastic sleeve (standard covers). All covers are flattened.

The reason I mention this is that all of that is slipped inside a thin resealable plastic sleeve, without a bulky plastic keepcase. This makes Dvd's very thin, light, and easy to store. Though not great for display purposes. The discs themselves are inside a very thin plastic sleeve usually placed inside a cardboard envelope.

Thats it, now im definitely moving to China.

justeleblanc wrote:d) aesthetically -- when looking at the spines -- more novel-like

Yes. Viewed spine-on, the recent Criterion digipaks look like slim paperbacks. Much classier than a row of shiny plastic keepcases.

As my DVD collection swells to house-engulfing proportions, I've come to appreciate that the best thing about keepcases is their disposability. The DVD goes into a paper sleeve, the cover and inserts go into a drawer, and the empty keepcase gets binned. If I ever want to sell the DVD later, it's a simple matter to reassemble it with a new case.

Kinsayder wrote:Viewed spine-on, the recent Criterion digipaks look like slim paperbacks. Much classier than a row of shiny plastic keepcases.

so subjective!

Give me keepcases!

ByMarkClark.com wrote:Give me keepcases!

yeah!

I love the recent Criterion digipaks, especially the Double Life of Veronique (which has the best packaging of any DVD I own). They also seem to hold up well to the abuse of being in a video store, all of ours are still in good condition. However, I hate the single disc digipaks and hope that Criterion never uses them. It just bothers me how they hang open, I guess.

I'm a huge fan of Criterion's switch to the clear keepcases, especially because they actually use both sides of the cover (ditto for Blue Underground).

patrick wrote:I'm a huge fan of Criterion's switch to the clear keepcases, especially because they actually use both sides of the cover (ditto for Blue Underground).

I'll second that emotion. I particularly like the Eclipse slimline clear keepcases. (Not crazy about the wraparound paper sleeve, however.)

How does everyone feel about steelbooks? For some reason I'm a sucker for them, although I hate the spindles the discs fit on (I always feel like I'm going to crack the disc). I was hoping that after The Quiet Earth came out that Anchor Bay would start using them for their limited editions (like the old LE tins).

I'm still kicking myself for missing the Departed Best Buy-exclusive steelbook, it looked really nice.

Steelbooks are ok, but I never find that the artwork looks any more or less compelling when on steel as compared to a digi or keepcase. It mostly used by studios so consumers feel they are buying something more "valuable" than a usual DVD case. I have an Edward Scissorhands steelbook that is nice because the image is actually raised on the front. That was a nice touch.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm indifferent. For me, packaging all starts with the cover image. If the image isn't good, no matter how interestingly they wrap it up, it won't make a difference to me.

I just opened up the first season of the Sci-Fi Channel series Eureka at the shop, and it looks like Universal has come up with some of the first "environmentally friendly" DVD packaging (outside of the monumentally shitty An Inconvenient Truth packaging). From their press release:

The DVD set comes in incredibly unique and innovative packing. Made in Eureka, this package is 100% recyclable and 80% made from post consumer content. The DVD trays are 100% biodegradable and made from a combination of starch, cellulose and water.

It's a fold-out digipak, but the disc trays are made of the aforementioned material instead of regular plastic. Pretty nifty, but they forgot one thing - the DVDs don't actually stay slotted in their trays. Why is it that "environmentally friendly" seems to be synonymous with "prone to damaging your discs"?

patrick wrote:Why is it that "environmentally friendly" seems to be synonymous with "prone to damaging your discs"?

The environment fucking sucks.

Any one else POed at Fox for cutting a recycle into their cases. Why can't they put a stamp like every other company?