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Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Originally Posted by Jory
(Post 11951577)
Jeeeeeeeeeesus.
Odd, though... this person has enough money to buy all those movies, and doesn't buy a larger TV? I don't have half that many films, and even I saved up for a 1080p 46-inch. Here is a link to his youtube site and his "Cinematic Media Library" tour, which gives a better perspective of the TV. His library is amazing, though he doesn't have very many collectibles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVMYi2OWP5g |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Originally Posted by Jory
(Post 11948756)
I'm the king of procrastinators, but every now and then I actually follow through on one of my threats. This time it was my longstanding threat to get rid of the DVD and Blu-ray cases that have been taking up so much room in my relatively small apartment. I bought two 320-disc capacity CD wallets on Amazon, and after a few days' work, I got most of the discs out of the cases and into the wallets, making sure to leave empty spaces for new additions:
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/337/dq6c.jpg http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3338/x1ai.jpg One wallet is for movies, the other for TV shows. Simple. I know that a lot of cinephiles are probably horrified at the very thought of doing something like this, and I was worried that I would get all nostalgic about losing the cases and artwork, but I really didn't. I was so fucking sick of those cases, in more ways than one: taking up so much room, constantly having to find new space for them, having to re-arrange shelves with every new addition, putting up with case spindles that won't hold the disc at all because the plastic shattered in transit, and (I could post five topics about this one) cases in which getting the disc out is a chore because the people who designed it were more concerned with it looking nice than with it being functional. Now that it's done, my only thoughts are "good riddance." (In case anyone is wondering, no, I didn't throw out the cases entirely. They're all sitting in a big box shoved in the back of my closet in case I ever need them, and I took out the paper sleeves and stuffed them in a big Ziploc bag that's sitting next to the box. It's a good thing I kept them, because I've had to dig them out on occasion, like when I give away a DVD that I own more than one copy of.) Anyway, doing this cleaned up the shelves in my place considerably. The vast majority of my DVDs and Blu-rays went into the CD wallets, but I did keep one small shelf devoted to movies: http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8269/0zlg.jpg As you can see, I like to keep it loose with space for additions. There are several reasons why I may put something on this shelf with packaging intact instead of relegating it to the CD wallets: if it has nice packaging, if it's one of my favorite movies, or if putting the discs in the CD wallets would be redundant (for example, if a lot of discs are crammed together in a box set and no more space can be saved by removing them). On the top shelf there are some small sets (Alfred Hitchcock, Alien, Chucky, Terminator, Universal Classic Monsters), the Monty Python's Flying Circus "16-Ton Megaset," and some single-film releases with nicer packaging (Apocalypse Now, Halloween 35th Anniversary, Nosferatu, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Steelbook, some Godzilla films). The middle shelf has Mission: Impossible on the left (the black film cans housing the DVDs were taken out of the huge cardboard box in which they came), Blade Runner (my favorite movie, sitting next to the hardcover book it came with), King Kong in the ridiculous metal tin case, some Criterion Blu-rays, a couple of multi-film sets (A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films), and some nicer single-film releases (Gladiator Steelbook, Taxi Driver). The bottom shelf has a few of those Mill Creek sets filled with 50 movies each, Star Trek stuff in the middle, and Tales from the Crypt on the right (the packaging on these is far too good to throw out). Everything else went in the CD wallets. I had to make some tough decisions here and there. Should I keep the Mel Brooks Blu-ray set intact on the shelf, or spread the discs out alphabetically in the CD wallets? (I chose the latter.) Some of it was hard to throw in the closet because it was just so pretty, like the Simpsons and Futurama cases, but the more frustration I had with getting the discs out, the more I wanted the damn things gone. Now getting the discs out is just a matter of flipping to it in the CD wallet and pulling it out. I sacrificed some aesthetics for convenience, but my progressively rising blood pressure is okay with that. P.S. Please, no requests for the cases I threw in the closet. As eager as I was to get rid of them, I like keeping them around in case I ever need them. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
I started putting a lot of stuff in binders but ended up putting a lot of it back in their cases. Some of the titles I left in the binder are things that took up a massive amount of space, including the 40 volume Star Trek TOS collection and all eleven seasons of M*A*S*H. I've also left in some b-grade stuff, like things I get from video store closings and such.
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Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...psc3932728.jpg
I guess I should update this topic, since a complete reversal has come about. Yes, even though it's been scarcely four months, all the discs have gone back in their cases and back on the shelves. Why? A few reasons. First, the CD wallets, which seemed great at the time, annoyed me more and more as time went on. I didn't like how they left small scuff marks on the disc surfaces (never serious enough to cause skipping, but I'm paranoid nonetheless) and simply lugging out the huge wallet and flipping through the pages to get what I wanted was becoming progressively more annoying each day. It seemed like for every advantage the CD wallets had, a more severe disadvantage would pop up making the whole ordeal seem not so worthwhile. Second, I found some new shelves that have been working out much better than the old ones. Specifically, they can hold more cases in about the same amount of space, so space is no longer a problem. One shelf is designed specifically for DVDs, and the other is one of those tall shelves that lean against the wall, not designed with DVD and Blu-ray storage in mind but surprisingly well-suited for the task. I'll keep the CD wallets around, just in case my collection ever becomes so unruly that they once again become necessary, but for now I'm counting this an an interesting failed experiment. I'm still working on doing some re-arranging in my collection, using this opportunity to put things in more specific categories than I've been used to, and in the next couple of days I'll have pictures to post. (I'm simultaneously working on the bookshelves which take up three of the four walls of my bedroom, so progress has been slow.) |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
I did this:
http://www.************.com/dvdzz.jpg 24-disc poly cases. Almost 700 discs. I cataloged them all in an excel spreadsheet. Simple to find what I want, and the almost 500 pounds of dead weight in cases, booklets, inserts, I tossed into the trash. Saved my sanity. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Originally Posted by E. Honda
(Post 12089129)
and the almost 500 pounds of dead weight in cases, booklets, inserts, I tossed into the trash. Saved my sanity.
I'm sure someone here would have wanted at least some of it. Aren't we here to help each other? |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Part of the joy in having my collection is having the cases, booklets and inserts to peruse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm always looking for 2, 3, and 4 disc cases to replace ones that are either faulty or eco (crap). Ended up having to buy some at retail from Amazon. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Interesting to see you've reversed course, Jory. Certainly nothing wrong with that. I posted earlier in the thread that I think collecting should be fun, so do as you see fit.
I agree with you, kd5. I like the idea of consolidating and saving space, but I enjoy sometimes looking for something to watch. It brings back memories of looking through titles at the early video stores or library. I don't buy as much as I used to, but I still will casually walk through the media section about any time I'm in a B&M store. And I enjoy that even if I come out empty handed. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Alright, it took a little longer than "a day or two" to rearrange everything since I was working on the huge bookshelves in my bedroom at the same time, and I was also waiting on a shipment of DVDs and Blu-rays that was taking forever to arrive, but now it's all done.
I know this isn't a giant collection, and some may be thinking, "What the hell? This is what was causing a space crisis?" But there really isn't a free wall in the apartment for new shelves, and the old ones were not made for DVD storage and could only hold so many. I took a chance on the second shelf since it was not specifically designed to hold DVDs and Blu-rays, but it turned out to be amazingly well-suited for the job. It's sort of a dust magnet, but a quick pass with a cotton duster every week or so keeps it clean. I posted some wide shots and a whole shitload of close-ups in the "post pics of your DVD collection" topic, in case anyone wants to see exactly what I've got and make fun of my poor taste in film: Here you go. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Originally Posted by E. Honda
(Post 12089129)
I did this:
http://www.************.com/dvdzz.jpg 24-disc poly cases. Almost 700 discs. I cataloged them all in an excel spreadsheet. Simple to find what I want, and the almost 500 pounds of dead weight in cases, booklets, inserts, I tossed into the trash. Saved my sanity. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Originally Posted by Jory
(Post 12085583)
I'll keep the CD wallets around, just in case my collection ever becomes so unruly that they once again become necessary, but for now I'm counting this an an interesting failed experiment.
I was wary of albums because of people who said the discs could warp, plus the hassle of keeping everything alphabetized. I know that's not a big deal to some, but it's important to me. I decided I would try paper sleeves and store the discs in a dresser. I converted each drawer into five rows using plywood dividers. Unfortunately, the weight of the discs was more than I had anticipated and I ended up putting everything back in the original cases after about a week... so there went $60 worth of materials down the tubes. By this point, I was fed up and decided it would be in my best interest to prune things down before making my next move. In the last two months, I've sold off/donated at least a third of my collection. By going to used records stores, I scored a bit more than if I'd dumped them at pawn shops -- but I still averaged less than $0.50 per disc. Taking the time to list them on eBay or Amazon just didn't seem worth the effort. There were some titles I hadn't watched in 5-10 years (if at all) and I had to admit that most of this stuff would probably not get revisted anytime soon. My collecting habits were more about scoring a good bargain. It would take me years (hell, probably decades) to get through the entire collection from beginning to end. Not gonna lie: it gave me a lot of anxiety to part with so many titles. There are a good thirty or so discs I kind of regret selling off. Still, I'm glad I made an effort to get the collection down to a more manageable size. Now I'm looking into buying a couple hanging file DJ cases to store the remainder of my discs -- especially the bulky TV season sets of show I love, but rarely get around to watching. With those DJ cases, it should be easy to reorganize the DVDs alphabetically and not put any pressure on the discs like a binder might. Not as ideal as slim or jewel cases for preventing wear, but there is no way I am buying thousands of those for every disc in my collection. If these DJ cases don't do the trick or end up causing damage to the discs, I might consider giving up on collecting entirely. :p UPDATE: Just tried out one of those hanging file DJ cases and I do not recommend them at all. The pouches that hold the discs cause noticeable scuffs, even when you take extreme care inserting and removing them. Even the paper sleeves I'd tried previously didn't cause visible wear like this. Glad I caught the problem right away before moving any more discs into this thing. Hopefully I can get a refund, as I'd hate to be out even more money on another failed attempt to save space. Looks like I'm back to square one... again. :( |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
I prefer the one from 3KAZE. You can fit about 25 DVD Titles in a folder.
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Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Originally Posted by seangi
(Post 12176321)
I prefer the one from 3KAZE. You can fit about 25 DVD Titles in a folder.
Any other thoughts on the 3KAZE? I had never heard of it, but checked out their website and it looks like it may be a viable option. How are the slleves? Do they scratch the discs? |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
I don't care for binders. Pulling DVDs out of a binder seems more tiresome than just leaving them in their original cases. Also keeping them in alphabetical order is a pain.
Paper sleeves cost 5¢ or less. And you can put 150+ discs in a CD/DVD box that sells for $5 or $6. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
I recently cleared up a little bit of space by taking all the DVDs that I also own on Blu-ray and putting them in a big cabinet drawer in my bedroom. I could sell them, but (A) it doesn't seem worth the hassle for the few bucks I would get, (B) some of them have extras that aren't on the Blu-rays, and (C) I like having back-ups in case the Blu-ray fails.
When space starts to become an issue again, my plan is to take my less reputable titles and stuff them in that same drawer. I like having Citizen Kane, King Kong, Apocalypse Now, the Mad Max trilogy, the Alien Anthology, and my Criterion Collection Blu-rays on my shelf within easy reach, but I don't exactly need House of the Dead, The Scorpion King 3, Argento's Dracula 3D, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Screamers: The Hunting, Van Helsing, and Howard the Duck hogging up space. The more I run out of room, the classier and more respectable my collection will start to look, and my taste in cinema will gradually look less embarrassing. :lol: |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
I've done some of my titles into binders, but I've come to regret the loss of artwork and packaging.
Now, I still need more space on my shelves but I'm hesitant to use more slim cases because they're so slim that the title looks bad when the font is too big. I seem to recall somebody mentioning cases that were slimmer than normal cases but not superslim. Can anyone point me towards those? thanks |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
It's funny that this would come up. I started doing just the other day - though a small amount. I ordered a binder and put duplicates (blu rays where I had the DVD and still want them... for a while at least) and other movies that I don't watch often and could care less about the case.
I'm likely going to expand a little broader, but my real issue is music cds, not dvds and that's more complicated for me, but I have to do it and realize that I have a fair amount that I'm ok with having the disc filed and a fair amount where the "collection" matters to me. |
Re: Ditching the cases and saving space
Like you all, I too have been putting my dvd/Blu/HD-DVD into binders. I however have been throwing many of the cases in the re-cycle bin but saving a few in case I damage any cases. I also have on display a few of my favorite movies/TV shows and have been adjusting my collection as I buy new ones. and albert m I also having being finding issues when applying this approach to my CD collection as well.
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