DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

So I've outgrown my existing DVD racks and I think it's finally time to just drop a wad on one large floor/wall rack.

Thing is, like a lot of you I'm sure, I can get pretty obsessive about stuff, so after shopping for racks, I'm left with a lot of lingering questions and potential nitpicks that only someone who is actually using one of these racks solely for DVD's can answer and/or confirm.

So... what I've been looking for is a large floor/wall rack (or multiple racks that meet the need), something that is no more than, say, 75" wide give or take an inch or two, and - most importantly - will allow all shelves to be set at equal heights in relation to another, with an equal amount of "gap" between the top of every row of of DVD's and the shelf above it.

Now, from what I've been able to tell after thoroughly browsing a half dozen of the "Post Pictures of Your Collection" threads, it looks like there aren't very many that do exactly what I want one to do, but I am leaning toward one model currently. To give you a general idea of what I'm shooting for, here's a picture from one the aforementioned threads of a Prepac CMA-1520, with a shelf configuration I could certainly live with:

img182.imageshack.us/img182/3025/img1151lf9.jpg

(Apparently that's all I'm allowed to do at this stage, so just paste that in front of the http business to view)

Point of all this being, if you own or have owned something similar to what it is that I'm looking for (not just the above model), I'd sincerely appreciate any feedback or opinions that you may have either in favor or not, especially in relation to shelf adjustability and/or lack thereof, and any relevant photos would be double rad. Shopping around, these things appear to run between 200-300 smackeroos, and largely mail-order, so I loathe even the thought of having to try to return something that massive by mail at my own expense, or even moreso living with something I don't like as a result. Yuck.

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

Are you at all handy? Do you own common tools; table saw, router, Drill etc.? Shelves are one of the easiest things to build from scratch and you get exactly what you want. I made mine from maple but you can make them from just about any wood, or from MDF and paint them black or white or any color in between. The fireplace facade I made from MDF (medium density fiberboard). The shelves you are showing can be done in a weekend.

http://home.earthlink.net/~schrader4...ce%20after.jpg

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

Check out overstock.com. They routinely have these are a decent price. And if they are running a no shipping or $3.00 shipping promotion, it can be a very good deal.

I would also look at Ikea. They have shelving specifically for DVD and CD's and of course also have regular shelving that would work.

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

I've gone through over half a dozen different types over the past couple years (ranging from $30-40 models to $300+ Models) and have only liked a very few.. the rest all ended up falling apart to some degree (which may be my error considering how often it has happened to me - but this is after reading and clearly following all directions and not skipping anything)

Rotating DVD Shelves: I know you didn't mention these, and that's probably a good thing. The capacity of them can be considered a selling point, but these take up a great deal of space (about a 3x3 foot space, in my case, as it needs room to "spin" without edges hitting anything). Reaching bottom shelves can also be tricky (I ended up sitting mine on top of a subwoofer for easier reach). Never fell apart (and after moving, I didn't want to bother trying to take it apart after all the hassle it's been, so I abandoned it). Wouldn't go this route again because of the many inconveniences.

Wood shelves with no backing:
http://www.storeyourmedia.com/images...9b-closeup.jpg
(Not the exact model, but the wooden version best buy sells (used to sell?) with a metal "X" in the back to hold it).
One of my favorites, and one I own 3 of! These are nice, sturdy, easy to adjust to fit your shelves, light, easy to put up/tear down.. but not very high. Mine are set to 6 shelves/40 discs each (200 total). Would be nice if they were higher, but these are one of my favorites.. also one of the cheapest solutions at about $40 a piece. (I can't speak for the model in the picture - thats just an example)

Large frame wood shelves w/ backing:
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US...6934507_ra.jpg
One I had high hopes for.. but was very disappointed in. The frame is wood, the shelves are wood, but the backing is just a piece of cardboard that you nail in yourself (with about 20 miniature nails). I found it difficult to put together in a room as it would fall apart easily when moved. Shelves are held in by plastic pegs that go into pre-drilled holes (like the above model), but the holes on this model kept "ripping", turning from a perfect-sized circle (o) to a much longer one (0), which meant the shelves wouldnt stay in place. About 5 shelves had this issue, and I had to keep adjusting them (to a bigger size) so the shelves wouldnt keep falling. The cardboard backing fell off, and towards the end of its life (approx 1 year) it started swaying back and forth and eventually cracked off at the joining points. It was nice because of the size/design, but the functionality wasnt there for me.

Steel wire shelves:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

These come in a variety of sizes - I went for the 12 shelf model. Not the cheapest ($120), but I liked the fact that it was so tall. Setting mine to DVD size, it fits 10 shelves (good thing, too as in both purchases I made of this model, 2 of the shelves were damaged beyond use). I like these because they're not as wide as the other shelves, but are tall. I've got about 18 inches from the top of mine to the ceiling. Assembly is pretty easy, but can be some trial and error to get the shelves the exact height you want. Quality is something that will last, but it's not the sturdiest when standing on it's own (it can tip over easily due to the weight on it (especially when its all up top), so it included a mounting screw to 'tie' it to your wall. I just used a rope and hooked it to something nearby, which has worked fine for the past ~2 years. Downsides are that they don't look quite as nice as the black wood (since they're steel rods with shelves), and smaller cases (like PSP UMD discs) can be hard to load due to the way the shelves are designed (for CDs/DVDs). Blu Ray/HDDVD cases work fine. Very little "wasted space" (about 1 inch on each side, for the metal rods.. unlike the sometimes 3 inches of wood on each side of other shelves).

I'm using the steel shelves and wood (no backing) shelves exclusively now. The others were too much for me to deal with, and I felt that once I set it up, I had to leave it there and not touch it. If you have a smaller collection (and a lot of space), I recommend the wood (no backing) as it's a little bit nicer looking and less maintenance (no need to secure it down), while a larger collection/little space would do better with the steel.

BestBuy does 20% off sales on storage from time to time (I think they just did it last week), but they have a limited selection.

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

The idea of building your own shelf is a great one. I built my own about a year ago, and while it is far from perfectly constructed, it has held up (13 months now) and doesnt seem to be going anywhere. If I were to move it it could create a problem with it, but for now its built well enough and secured to the wall, so I don't see it going anywhere. I'll try to post pics soon, but overall it cost >$50 in supplies and took 1 day to build.

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

Thanks for the feedback, that's very handy, as that's the model that's currently at the top of my list. Does anybody else here own that particular model and if so, have you experienced something similar, or was that an exception?

I checked out Ikea, but all they have is small-capacity storage and traditional bookshelves, and while I know a lot of people use Billy, the wasted space above and in front of each case would drive me crazy.

Problem is, there doesn't seem to be any large-format DVD-only storage, at all. They all try to double as CD storage, and in the process, leave odd, random space (or one abnormally large space) between shelves when adjusting strictly for DVD. That Prepac I'm currently looking at presents an acceptable compromise, but I'm putting that one on hold in case anyone else has had the same problem SPIDERone had.

On a side note, while I can appreciate the utility of the wire/rod racks, I've ended up with too many little "grill marks" on the bottom of weighty paper-based cases in the past to go that route again.

As for making my own... mehhhhh... sure, it would be ideal, as I'd get exactly what I want (assuming everything went as planned), but I don't have the necessary tools, nor motivation. :)

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

Here are my 2 Billy's with the optional glass shelves - CDs on the left and DVDs on the right:

http://tylerspad.net/temp/billy-sm.jpg

I like the look with the glass a lot better than the stock wood shelves.

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

Have you given boltz racks a glance? I personally love them.

-Tim

Re: DVD Rack Shopping: Questions
 

x2!!!

I have three mm252 and they are hi tech looking and hold DVDs and blurays at your choice of two angles.