Mike Adams

I'd better start by saying, yes, I know that there has already been a thread about throwing away DVD cases, and as a consequence, throwing away the cover art as well. This thread is also inspired by the thread about slipcovers, but since the people I'm trying to ask aren't gonna be reading a thread about slipcovers, starting a new one seemed appropriate. Besides, the "throwing away DVD cases" thread wasn't in this subforum anyway (which is where it would have belonged), so it's time for a fresh start.

Okay, now on to the question. I've read posts in the "slipcovers" thread where people said they throw away any slipcover that has the same image as the regular cover insert. I'm assuming that means that variances like foil or holographic covers don't matter, and they throw it away just because it matches the cover underneath. My question is whether anyone does the same thing with the actual cover artwork, say if there's a booklet or chapter insert that features the same artwork as the cover (think Paramount or Universal releases).

I thought I was saving a lot of space by buying DVD binders for the disc and chapter insert and storing the empty cases in boxes, but after a while that has become just as annoying. I got up to three boxes full of empty DVD cases that weren't taking up any less room than they did before they were empty, and it just got to be too much for me. I'll spare everyone the gory details, but suffice it to say that the booklets and inserts that were identical to the cover artwork are now much more important than they were before.

I'm interested to read everyone else's take on this -- are you content to toss covers when you have a booklet or insert that just repeats the cover art, or do you keep the empty case somewhere as well? Obviously this applies more to folks who store their discs in binders, because of course those who keep everything on a shelf are gonna keep the cases. I'm mainly interested to know what people's criteria are for keeping redundant artwork. I'd imagine some people just throw away the insert instead, because after all, most DVDs have a chapter menu, and you can always just skip around if one doesn't.

Well, that's all I've got to say... let me hear your thoughts.

Mike Adams

Okay, fine. DON'T let me hear your thoughts... why do I fucking bother????

The Bus

I actually don't throw anything DVD-related out of the packaging except for the occasional advertisement or the sticky fake backs for some season sets and box sets (Godfather, etc.)

I often lend out non-valuable DVDs to a small group of people and not having the cases would be a pain in the ass.

As it stands now, I have a perfect area in my HT in the basement where to put cases: it's just around the corner and is a small cubbyhole almost designed for it. The problem is, I don't have the appropriate furniture to hold all these discs and I don't like what's in stores AND the right furniture would be very expensive, so it's not a main priority for me.

I've gotten close to tossing all my CD cases away. I don't keep CDs in cases but still have boxes stored with all the cases. I might toss those out one of these days.

Sorry if this is off-topic but maybe it made you feel better that someone replied.

Cameron

i would say, if you want to keep the stuff, and save the space....stack the covers and inserts in one box nice and flat and throw out the cases. Easy to replace in the future if you wanted to.

however, I think its crazy, and don't toss any of it

Mike Adams

Hmm, reverse psychology worked.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I suppose my case is simply a matter of limited space, although I really wouldn't want to have racks and racks of DVDs in cases even if I did have the space. As I mentioned, I thought I'd be saving space by going with the binders, but like I said it ended up taking up more space because of the empty cases. My solution has satisfied my need to save space for now, but as I get more and more DVDs and get back to three or more boxes of empty cases, I'll probably take the cover inserts out of the ones that don't have identical chapter inserts and store them without the cases. I have to say that the DiscSox are looking pretty good right about now.

Mike Adams

That's actually not off-topic at all (and I'm not a "topic-Nazi" anyway). That's exactly how I've gotten to this point with my collection -- I have very few CDs that are still in the jewel boxes, and the only empty jewel cases I've kept have been ones with different art from the back of the CD booklet, or at least art that's integral to the packaging.

When I first started buying CDs I don't think I would have even considered doing that, but once I got to 100 or so, it really started to make sense. As with CDs, I also never wanted to buy DVDs used, but now I'm okay with it if it's really necessary. I wouldn't have thrown anything away early into my DVD collecting (and I even have one or two "sticky fake backs" lying around), but it just gets overwhelming after a while. Perhaps it's because I have so many different collections, so it doesn't take much growth in any one of them for me to feel like I'm drowning in junk.

Oh well, I'll figure something out -- any other comments/suggestions are welcome.

GoldenJCJ

I Keep all my original artwork and slipcovers, even if they are exactly the same. What's the point of getting rid of a slipcover? You don't gain any space by tossing them.

IMO, half the fun of collecting DVDs is being able to display them on the shelf. unwieldy cases, slipcovers, etc. I live in only a two bedroom apartment so I don't have tons of space but I have managed to find enough space for a nice DVD shelf to display my DVDs.

storing my DVD cases in boxes and keeping my DVDs in albums would somehow diminish the pleasure of collecting, for me at least.

Mike Adams

Well, you don't have that much fewer DVDs than me (at least at last count), so I can't pull a nin74 on you and claim you don't know what you're talking about because you don't own enough DVDs. I really pretty much agree with you, although my experience has been slightly different.

I 100% agree that slipcovers aren't hurting anybody, so unless they just annoy you in principle, there's no real reason to toss them. I'll also give you that for the most part, a DVD case just adds to the fun of collecting. I would definitely not want every last one of my discs in a binder with no cases on shelves at all, but for titles I'm kind of lukewarm in my enthusiasm for, having just a disc in a binder or a disc and an insert is totally fine with me. I guess it just depends on how you look at things.

I have to say though that when I want to watch a DVD, I find myself scanning my shelves before thinking to go look through my binders.

joliom

I toss out almost every slip cover. The only ones I keep are the ones that actually hold the case together somehow (like the Seinfeld sets). I keep most inserts, booklets and those glued-on papers that they often attach to the back of box sets. I keep the booklets and inserts inside the dvd case if possible, but if they're too thick or too oversized for a keepcase then I store them in an envelope in my desk. I also keep all the original cases for DVD's that I've converted into a custom cover (for possible future resale). I just store them all in boxes that I keep above my closet. My CD's are all in those giant Case Logic wallets. I keep all the original jewel cases in boxes above my closet as well. I keep thinking that one day I'll buy a big house and will be able to store them all in custom built shelving. I won't ever go back to keeping my CD's in the jewel cases - the convience of the wallets is too great - but I would love to have them all shelved somewhere where I could easily access them all for reference purposes. I guess my dream is to eventually have a house with a big home theater room with all my DVD's and a big library/study with floor-to-ceiling shelves holding all my books and CD cases. Of course by the time that happens technology will have probably evolved to where physical media is totally obsolete anyway...

reverie

My criteria for keeping a DVD cover is: if it comes with it, I keep it.

Granted, I really need to find a more compact way of storing/displaying them since they've overtaken a living room wall. I'm considering some sort of cabinet or spinner rack.

Mike Adams

I can definitely see where keeping CDs in binders might be more acceptable to most people than doing the same with DVDs. With pits that are multiple times smaller, a much smaller scratch can do much greater damage to a DVD, and a video glitch is much more noticeable and annoying than an audio glitch.

Mike Adams

That's a pretty good answer!

joliom

Besides that it's just more convenient to store CD's like that. With music you may listen to a particular CD from start to finish, but you're also likely to listen to a couple songs and then want to hear a couple more on anothor disc. It's annoying to have to take them out and put them back into a case every 10 minutes. With the wallets I have hundreds right at my fingertip (and with digital it's even easier). But I don't care about having DVD's in individual cases since I don't pop in movies left and right every couple minutes - I sit down and watch them. So it doesn't create a major inconvenience taking them in and out of cases. I guess if I was always popping in certain DVD's just to watch a particular scene or check the credits then it would be different.

Mike Adams

Yep, that's a good point.

Trevor

If you are keeping the case, why throw any part of it away? Just keep everthing in it. It takes the same amount of room, and makes it easier if you decide to sell or gift it later.

And if I threw the cases away, I would keep the cover art in my binders with/under my insert/custom cover.

I hope no one else is like me, because I keep everything. I cut out the blurb stickers on the outer plastic and throw them in the case, and often save the top sealing sticker (usable for rebates sometimes).

So I guess I only throw away most of the plastic wrap.

All the cases then go into big bins/boxes and to a friend's basement.

Mike Adams

My original post implied tossing (or re-using) the case. What I found was that putting DVDs in binders actually increased the amount of space required, because the case took up the same amount of room, empty or not. The only time I ever get rid of DVDs is when I have to double-dip, and if it's an SE with crappy artwork, I typically put the old disc in the new case and trade it in at my local flea market. Of course I'm responsible enough to black out or remove any references to material that isn't on the older disc -- don't want people who buy it to be disappointed. Often it's a matter of taking the chapter insert out and putting it into a slimcase as if it were the cover. Obviously these methods won't work at most major retailers, but the flea market dude doesn't seem to care. Mostly though, I'm just too careful with my DVD buying to be selling off a lot of DVDs later on, although I don't throw anything away until I'm sure I want to keep the DVD.

Unfortunately I don't have a basement, and storing cover art in my garage or storage room only helps if I know I don't want the artwork back anyway, since humidity and temperature changes are gonna work it over so much that I wouldn't want to use it again. It'd be okay for resale purposes, but like I said, I rarely do that. I'd definitely not want to leave it in someone else's hands, partially because why burden someone else with my junk, and also if it means enough to me to keep it, I don't want it in someone else's possession.

I'm just saying that's what I do -- you're right, not everyone is like you (although I probably was early on), but if I wasn't interested in finding out about how others view the situation, I wouldn't have started the thread. Thanks for keeping it going!

Panda Phil

I usually toss slipcovers if they're just slipped over a standard case shiner version of the disk coverart. I mean whats the point? Just more cardboard to clutter up the place with.

Mike Adams

Huh??? How do slipcovers "clutter up the place"??? They only take up about a sixteenth of an inch on the outside of a DVD case. I'm all for saving space, but I don't think slipcovers pose much of a threat. If they just annoy you in principle, do what you want with them, but I can't see any basis for arguing that they add to clutter, unless you remove them and toss them on the floor.

reverie

Jeez, talk about having issues... throwing out the plastic wrap, what's wrong with you?!

Just kidding. Sadly I sometimes keep the little sticker "blurbs" on the wrap as well, but it's a rare occassion (with DVD that is, cds are a different story!).

Mike Adams

I actually used to do that with vinyl, and I probably still have some around that I need to scan just so I'll have them in an easier-to-store format. Keeping the actual stickers gets really annoying.

reverie

I keep all of the ones from cds, but I just throw them in a big envelope for now. One day I'll figure out what to do with them!

Mike Adams

Hey, an envelope! Gee, that would have been a good idea. I think the few that I still have are in a big container of papers out in the garage.

I've mentioned my multimedia database idea elsewhere, and as part of that, I plan to have images of cover art both with the stickers and without. I probably won't be doing that for newer CDs and stuff, just vinyl where the stickers themselves would have some nostalgic value. By scanning the sticker separately from the cover, I can include a button that will show or hide the sticker while viewing the cover. The button will only appear when viewing a title that has a sticker scan available for it, but will otherwise be ghosted or perhaps completely invisible.