What is the best DVD packaging?

I have a lot of DVD sets and I can’t figure out which style of packaging is my favorite. As far as I am concerned they all have problems of some sort that don’t make them perfect.

Let’s take a look at several different DVD sets and the packaging of them.

Flip Case
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Here is the first TV DVD set I bought. The First Season of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Back when this set came out in 2003 this seemed to be the most popular way multi disc sets were released. The first few seasons of the Simpsons were released this way as well.

Pros: The name is displayed on the top of the box. Because I have so many DVD’s I have to tilt mine in my shelf and having the name on the top of the box is handy for this.
Definitely well protected in these cases. Since they are so big I don’t really have to worry about having the outside box destroyed. It is pretty thick cardboard.

Cons: Too much packaging, too much cardboard. To look at all DVD’s I have to flip it open a few times. Not the biggest deal, but it still takes up too much space for me.


Standard Case

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This is a standard DVD case. Paramount has really made use out of these. I have a few sets by them that adopted this case.

Pros: Takes up little space. Plastic cases are much better than cardboard because they can’t be dented. They look nice in order and all pretty uniform.

Cons: Because it is a single case the name of the set can’t be shown on the outside. When I didn’t flip my boxes it wasn’t a big deal, but I have to take it out now to see what it is. Some sets put a cardboard sleeve on the outside of the cases for some reason. It is just extra packaging and really unnecessary. Paramount puts the episode synopses inside the case, but behind the disc. I got to take out the disc to see what episodes are on it.

Larger than Standard case

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I have a few sets that are in plastic cases like the standard ones, but they are a little bigger.

Pros: Again, I much rather have the plastic than the cardboard, that will always be a plus with me. Leaves room for a booklet in some sets.

Cons: Too big. Here is the first season of M*A*S*H. It is only three discs but takes up as much space as at least two if not three standard sized DVD cases. Here is one for Good Morning World. The press in buttons broke so now I have to keep the discs in paper sleeves inside the case. Pretty lame.

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Cardboard Boxes with mini plastic cases

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I would say the majority of my sets were released this way. These are two types like this though. Some sets have a little case for each disc and some have two discs per little case.

Pros: Back to the plastic being superior. The individual cases usually have synopses of the episodes on the disc on the back of the case. The names of the set are usually displayed on the top.

Cons: When they put two discs in each case they are too close for comfort for me. I don’t like the discs being that close. They can easily get damaged like that. I really hate when there are two discs per mini case and they are double sided discs. I have also noticed in the mini cases that the DVD’s seem to fall out. I don’t think the push button is as big in these as they are in standard DVD sets. They break too easily. The mini individual cases take up a lot of space, but I would much rather have that than the two in one.


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Good

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Not so good

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BAD!

Cardboard Boxes with overlapping discs

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I don’t have many of these. As far as I know my later volumes of the Looney Tunes Golden Collections are the only ones like this. And I got to admit, I think this is my favorite style and the most practical.

Pros: Takes up little space. It is barely bigger than a standard DVD case. Has the name on the outside of the box. Has all the discs in one place. I only have one box to open unlike the mini cases in the previous example.

Cons: Believe it or not I don’t really have anything to mention. I wish all my sets were like this, but it only works for 4 discs or less. You couldn’t put a fifth disc in this style of packaging. Here is a complaint I have about these Looney Tunes sets. They have the name Looney Tunes on the top of the box, but they don’t put what volume it is. I don’t think one more number added to it would have been a big deal, but that’s just me.

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Cardboard Sleeve with plastic book style case

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I don’t have many sets like these either. They are kind of cool, but I don’t see why you need the outside case. The Simpsons sets now use this style or one similar too it.

Pros: Discs in one general area and I don’t have to open separate cases. A little big, but not horribly big.

Cons: What’s with the extra cardboard? I just need the inside. No title on the top of box for Three’s Company. The Simpsons has it.

“Head” packaging

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These are really weird.

Pros: The Munsters set I have doesn’t take up a lot of space. They are creative, but just are very practical. The plastic outsides are pretty thick. I don’t think they will rip.

Cons: The Simpsons one is huge. Isn’t very flat either. They fall out when I open the case. It doesn’t mach my other seasons. I said earlier the Munsters set doesn’t take up a lot of space, but I got to shove the cardboard in the outside plastic sleeve to get it in.

Oversized Box sets, Limited Edition, and Complete Series cases
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Limited Edition is one word that gets to me. If I am planning on getting the set, I might as well get the limited edition style. The Simpsons heads are technically limited editions, but I don’t buy those.

Pros: They are pretty cool. This Leave it to Beaver set is neat, it comes in a lunchbox. It’s pretty nerdy, but look who’s writing this. I got a salt and pepper shaker and a copy of a script in my Seinfeld set. I got a hologram with Dick Van Dyke.

Cons: As cool as they are, they take up too much space. I can’t display them with my other sets. The second season of beaver was normal packaging so I can’t keep season one and two together. Dick Van Dyke isn’t any taller than a regular DVD, but it is 35 discs. It takes up a whole row on my shelf.



Just a few other complaints
I hate when DVD companies release each season a different way. Take a look at Green Acres.

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Season 1: Flip Case
Season 2: Standard Case with outside cardboard sleeve
Season 3: Cardboard box with miny plastic cases (2 discs per case)

Sony, why do you have the All in the Family boxes coming out of the left and not the right. Every other set I have they come out the right.

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I can’t believe they are sets still released now that doesn’t have chapters included. It’s not very hard to put a chapter in at each commercial break and after the opening credits.

I hate when they put the episode synopses on screen and not on the box. If there is an episode I want to watch and don’t know the title I either have to look it up online or wait to get to it on the season. The best sets part the synopses on the box where they belong. I also hate when they put the titles of the episodes on the disc. If I have one playing and I want to know what other episodes are on the disc I have to stop the episode and go to the menu. If they were on the box it wouldn’t be a problem.

I hate when companies stop releasing seasons. As a completetist I don’t like having missing seasons.

I hate when they release complete series sets after I already started buying the series.
I am afraid to buy Married With Children because I know as soon as I buy a season Sony is going to release a complete series that is cheaper than buying them individually.

I hate double sided discs. I would much rather pay a little bit more and have more discs. They get scratched a too dirty too easily.

So in conclusion space is my big factor. The best sets are the ones that take up little space, have practical packaging, list episodes names and synopses. Of all my DVD sets that Honeymooners one has to be the best.

BTW, if you want to check out my collection, here it is. http://taxsquad.dvdaf.com/owned (http://taxsquad.dvdaf.com/owned)

I like the two slimline cases each holding 2 DVDs and put in a cardboard sleeve but some will leave faint or deep smudges on the DVDs (ex. I Dream Of Jeannie, The Partridge Family, Brady Bunch...). I am very careful in
holding the DVDs too.

I couldn't care less. I throw the packaging out and put the DVDs in jewel cases like the 20,000 or so DVDRs I have. This way I can store them all the same.

I couldn't care less. I throw the packaging out and put the DVDs in jewel cases like the 20,000 or so DVDRs I have. This way I can store them all the same.

I don't like mixing my retail with my non retail. I have all my non retails together though in the jewl cases too and it is the most space saving and convient way.

It's too bad DVD companies didn't release DVD sets in slim sized CD cases. That would be great if they did becauase space really does become an issue.

My favorite style of DVD box-set packaging - the way Sony has their sets in Cardboard Sleeves with Mini Plastic Cases. The reason being that I find it's the easiest to get the DVD's out of. I don't care for other packaging because I'm afraid of breaking the DVD's. I actually bought the CD storage binders and I store all my DVD's in them, it's much easier to handle. I have them organized by show and printed off a guide to each of them with each episode listed in a master list according to binder.

Cardboard Boxes with mini plastic cases... these should be the industry standard. Nice and neat, hard wearing and the slim cases mean you can do individual sleeve art for each case.

Having acquired some of "Star Trek: Voyager" on DVD, I'm going to say that I like the packaging of it. I used to think it was the worst, but I've warmed up to it. The two-piece plastic cover protects the discs very well. The only fault is that when you take the book out of the case, the top disc is unprotected. Nevertheless, "Voyager," I strongly believe, was a lot better-packaged than "TNG," which had an oversized digipak in a huge gray cardboard case.

Oh, and "AITF" is not the only one with digipaks coming out from the left. I have the first two of "What's Happening!!", and they are the same way.

About those that put their standard cases in cardboard sleeves: I think that Warner Bros. has done that with a lot of their recent releases, namely "Dallas" from #10-up, and the last two seasons of "The Waltons."

But I would agree that the box with mini plastic cases would have to be the best packaging. CBS DVD did that a lot with "Hawaii Five-O," and the discs of that are very easy to get to.

By the way, that practice of CBS DVD putting episode synopses behind discs has got to go. I have several that are like that: "Hotel," "Matlock," etc.

Oh, and "AITF" is not the only one with digipaks coming out from the left. I have the first two of "What's Happening!!", and they are the same way.



I think that is one of the goofiest things. I wonder why Sony decided to do that.

Gilligan-Thank you for the excellent post and all the time it took to create it. I agree with you completely. Often I will buy individual seasons just to make sure they don't come in cheesy packaging. I also like the Honeymooners style the best; my I Love Lucy collection is the same way: one single-sided disc per plastic case and the episodes listed on the back. Each season is in a seperate cardboard box. Simple, practical and protective.

Who cares? It never ceases to amaze me the stuff people worry about.

Who cares? It never ceases to amaze me the stuff people worry about.

I'm not actually worrying about it. I just think that there is a better chance of obtaining quality disks if they are packaged well.

Wow, this is a great thread! Personally, I hate those cases where the sections fold out (the flip case). The first seasons of Monk and Full House are like that. It's really hard to get the DVD's out of the cases because they are so tightly set in. Plus, they take up more room. I prefer the slim cases mainly because they are more economical and take up less space. They should make all the DVD cases slimmer, IMO.
I know this thread is particularly about TV on DVD, but I have never figured out what the point of the extra sleeve on the newer DVD movie releases (particularly Disney) is. The actual case is the same picture with the same information, so I don't know why there is a need for an extra piece of cardboard. Seems like a waste to me.