I know most of us here are pretty big on DVD collectiong and would rather not loan out DVDs to friends, but sometimes it's hard to say no to family. Often times I will loan out a DVD that's in a DigiPak, like Se7en or Fight Club, and get it back pretty much mangled (in my eyes). Spines bent vertically, heavy abrasions on the cardboard covers (especially the black ones where you can see the paint gone), and the list goes on... These are just like Snappers in that you can't just replace the case. Once it's ruined, there's no reprinting artwork or buying a new keepcase. You'll have to live with it or get a new one.

But no one seems to say anything bad about DigiPaks. I see a lot of people actually getting excited about new releases that will be coming in a DigiPak. It's not so bad when they create a case that can house the DigiPak that is solid enough to protect it from being damaged (i.e. - LOTR EE), but for the most part these are just the same, if not worse than, Snappers.

I actually PREFER Snappers to DigiPaks because they seem to be less prone to damage. With Snappers it's a quick pop and turn, and you're there. DigiPaks require you to slide it out of the case (most of the time), open the x amount of flaps (depending on the number of discs), wrestle with the horribly designed disc holders that almost require you to break the DVDs to remove them, and then store the unfolded Pak somewhere until it's time to put the disc back and reverse the process. Not to mention most DigiPaks have a matte finish, thereby making it more easily damaged.

Anyway, I just think DigiPaks are pretty lame. [/rant]

i stupidly lent out my lotr EE's, the cardboard it was horrible when it came back

never again!

DVD cases never leave my shelf - if I loan out a movie, I put the disc in a jewel case. The one time I did loan out a movie in its case(Black Christmas) to a friend, it came back looking like it had been sitting in a pool - the slipcover was soaking wet, and water was still caught between the plastic. I dried it out, now the cover is washed out and quite wrinkled.
As for digipaks, I love how nice they look, but that is all. I find them terribly irritating, as there have been very few times where I've been able to remove a disc without the use of a hammer or crowbar.

Whenever someone borrows a DVD that doesn’t come in a keepcase I put it in an amaray before I lend it out. I also make sure they know that I value my DVDs and that they know how to handle discs properly.

As far as cases go, I’ve never had as much contempt for snappers as some folks, but I do dislike Digipaks. If it can be avoided I don't take the shrink-wrap completely off them anymore, I cut just enough of it to allow for the inner packaging to slide out. It doesn't make it any sturdier but does keep the outer case from getting scuffed up.

I like digipaks, they provide the potential for great packaging designs. As long as I'm the only one handling them then there's no problem. If I have to lend to other people, then I just switch the discs into the keepcase of another movie. I also tell them to be careful when taking the discs out and putting them in, and also not to leave marks and scratches on them.

I like plastic. Cardboard is teh sux0r.

I hate Digipaks. Even with the best of care, the normal wear and tear of taking them in and out their slipcases is going to take its toll over time. The cardboard is fragile and prone to damage, and once a disc holder breaks or cracks, it can't be replaced.

I'm also not a fan of those godawful things fox puts their multi-disk sets in, like Buffy or Alien. If you don't have a long coffee table, they're a pain in the ass to remove discs from.

I also dislike snappers for the above reasons -- being fragile and difficult to replace -- but als obecause they're shaped differently from keepcases. Waht I really hate is when one DVD I have from a series is a snapper and another in a keepcase. Like "Matrix" and "Blade," or even the Warner Hammers vs. Anchor Bay Hammers. It just tends to make ones shelves look less appealing when snappers are intermixed with keepcases.

i like digipaks. it makes the dvd seem more special.

Same here. I really like loaning movies. It's one of the reasons I collect them--to share my tastes with others. But because I'm a bit more materialistic than a lot of my friends, I don't loan cases--because it wouldn't really occur to them that I care about the condition of the case.

A girl friend of mine who doesn't have internet at her place HATES snappers. She keeps asking me when they will be re-released in keepcases. I'm starting to like her in a way I never thought I would.

I LOVE digipaks. I wish every box set came in digipaks. For those of us with large collections and limited storage, they are truly a blessing. Family Guy, god bless ya.

I don't mind digipaks unless there's 9 of them in a row like aliens!!!! For the most part, it's acceptable and I treat them with the utmost care. If you have concerns about it being trashed when it's loaned out, then don't let it leave your house. I am adamant about not loaning things out, even to family and people who claim they know how to handle it properly, yeah right!

One of the previous poster needs to differentiate digipaks vs. slimcases.

I never loan out DVDs, so digipaks are cool with me. Some of my favorite DVDs come in digpaks, in fact - Se7en, Pulp Fiction CE, Magnolia, Fight Club, Casablana, etc.

Family Guy is not packaged in digipak.

Same here. Some of my shrink wraps are getting a bit tattered though.

Its the CD Digi-paks that I really hate! If you crack a case, you can't just replace it.

Digipacks are the cardboard cases (Fight Club, Se7en), Slimcases are what Family Guy came in.

Either way, I like Digipacks. They never leave my shelf and I've only had a problem with one DVD in regards to getting the disc out (Battle Royale R2). I dig 'em.

I do something similar. I've got a few empty dvd cases that I picked up 3 for $1.00 at the dollar store and I stick them in one of those when I lend them out.

As for digipacks, I like them if they're made well. Sometimes it is difficult to pry the discs out, but I usually don't have much of a problem with them. I just try to be careful not to totally destroy the corners.

I hate digipaks more than snappers. I would rather just have them all in Amaray cases.

what exactly is a digipak?

Yeah, amaray cases are the best. I have a few digipaks and they're becoming unglued. Not because mistreat them, just becaues I put them somewhere and they juste became unglued. Really annoying. Tell me about being hard to take out: I bought the Korean version of When the Last Sword is Drawn and the folded parts just wouldn't come out. It was so stuck in there I had to use a stick and a half of dynamite. Now, the case is half-in, half-out so it's easier to take out until I see the movie and all the extras. It looks very silly on my shelf... (actually, my whole shelf looks silly...)

Actually, what I really like is an amaray case witha slipcover over it. Those look like digipaks but they have a good case to keep your DVDs in. If the slipcover rips, then you still have a good case for your movie. US companies should use those more.

Digipaks are okay, but what I hate is when they put the sensormatic security tags ON the artwork printed under the plastic. It is an ugly black blemish on sometimes-beautiful art, and removing them, even carefully, can cause further damage. At best, you may be left with little "bubbles" where the paper layers have pulled away from one another. At worst, it'll rip the paper and destroy it. At least the "Sex & The City" and some of the Universal "Ultimate Edition" digipaks are/were plastic, so removal doesn't damage them.

I don't have anything against dig packs, with one exception. My Malcom in the Middle Season 1 plastic part that holds the dvds is improperly glued to the cardboard part, and they are almost falling out. This is disappointing, especially when you pay good money for a series and the packaging is junk :\

Exposed cardboard sucks. It's the same principle.

scott1598: Digipaks are DVDs and CDs that came in cases made of cardboard and have the tray glued on them. They are more environmentally friendly, which is great-- but they degrade just sitting on the shelf! My LOTR EE is scuffed on the bottom form sliding in and out of the protective case. My Alien Quadrilogy came banged up in the mail and I've only unfolded it a few times and already the paint is going at the seams. I HATE digipaks. Snappers are easier to maintain but amaray keepcases are the best.

I have horror stories with CD digipaks too. By Brian Eno box sets, are composed of three DVDs in individual digipaks. The digiapaks are constructed with this horrid glue that has slowly melted away and makes the cardboard cases stick to the bottom of the boxes they are supposed to slide in and out of. You have to yank them out and all this goo is all over them. This is supposed to be a very collectible set, but it was made worthless simply because the record label used this terrible glue to hold the trays in the digipaks. The worst!