How do you place your DVDs on the shelf? (1 Viewer)

[Blu]

I used to go alphabetical order but found a much more challenging and fun way (especially if you have a LOT of DVDs) to place your movies.
I use the common thread method now. It is like a real challenging puzzle to find something that movie A has in common with movie B and place them as such. I use Genre, Actors, Directors, studio or date as criteria. For example Shawshank Redemption is next to Green Mile which is next to Cast Away which is next to Forrest Gump etc. etc.
Try doing that for a whole collection! I have a little over 200 so I can't imagine what it would be like for way over that! But it was a lot of fun to figure all of these out!

 

[RAF]

Assuming that you want a serious answer to this question, once you get to a collection of my size (over 3400 titles, split almost evenly between DVDs and LDs) the only way to go is to number them in order of purchase and let a database, like DVD Profiler or similar, take care of all the grouping and categorization.
The only exception that I make for this is for collections (like Twilight Zone and Star Trek Original Series) which "dribbled" out to us. In those cases, I move things around a bit and adjust the numbering.
Any other way, in my estimation, would require you to spend almost all your time arranging your shelves rather than watching the movies (another problem that is a whole different topic to discuss!)
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RAF
[Demented Video Dude since 1997]
[Computer Maven since 1956]
["PITA" since 1942]
Link Removed

 

[Blu]

Well with immense library of 3400 titles there isn't much else you would be able to do!
And yes I'm curious how other arrange their libraries.

 

[Deane Johnson]

Alphabetical by title. Keep cases in one place, snappers in another.
With over 900 titles, I'd never want to play a word association game to find something.
Deane

 

[JJR512]

I don't see how any method, for any sized collection, could be better than straight alpha by title. Even for a 3400-piece collection.
Let me see if I understand how this method works. Suppose you want to find the movie "Ghostbusters" and you don't know where it is. You gotta go to your computer, get in that program (assuming you leave your computer on all the time, else you gotta turn it on first, etc.), look up the title, find the number, then go look for the number on the shelf. All the titles are arranged in numerical order, so finding it by number, once you get the number, is easy.
If you arrange them by title alphabetically on the shelf, if you want to find "Ghostbusters" you just find the G's then find the movie. Finding an item by title when they're arranged alphabetically is just as easy as finding an item by number when they're arranged numerically.
As for having to move stuff around, yes, you have to do that now and then. Not every time you add something, though, if you're smart. What I did with my CD collection when it was growing, which is also arranged alphabetically by album name, was keep about ¼ of each shelf empty for slack space. As I added to my collection, shelves would gradually fill up, although not all at the same rate. When a particular shelf would get full, I would move some from the end of the shelf down to the beginning of the next shelf. Every once in a while I would need to move several times. But I still feel that overall, alphabetically is just simpler.
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-Justin "JJR512" Rebbert

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[JJR512]

Alphabetical by title. Keep cases in one place, snappers in another.

See, I don't even make this distinction. All titles are arranged in one collection alphabetically by title, regardless of the genre, regardless of the packaging (unless it doesn't fit on the shelf), whatever. That way I never have to think about it. I don't have two collections to look through, one for one type of case and one for another, or I don't have to try to remember which type of case is every single movie.
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-Justin "JJR512" Rebbert

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[Adam Tyner]

Alphabetically, by title.
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[David Williams]

I keep mine alphabetical by title, with a separate section (also alphabetized) for multiple release TV series (like Farscape, but not Ab Fab)

 

[Jon_B]

I have a rather small collection. So my comments should reflect how I organize my dvds. I arrange the dvds by the company that produced it, i.e. Fox, WB, Dreamworks.
Jon

 

[Thomas T]

I have a huge DVD/laser disc collection comprising over 3,500 titles so alphabetical is the only practical way to go. However, for the DVD's, I do separate my amray cases from the snappers. For the large laser collection, they are also alphabetical except that the box sets are separated from the regular discs.

 

[Richard Cooper]

I lob 'em on top of my bookshelf and then always seem to want the one at the bottom Mind you, I've only got 50...

 

[David Tallen]

I store DVDs alphabetically by title almost exclusively. However, I put all the James Bonds together. Then, when the Universal double movie DVDs were released, I had a new problem. I now have all the Frankenstein movies (except Abbott & Costello, don't ask me why) together (six titles) under "Frankenstein" and all the mummy movies (five titles) together under "Mummy".
Nothing is perfect, which is why I am building a database which will allow me to print several lists. The main list will be alphabetical, but there will be separate lists for any grouping I desire, such as "Universal Horror", "James Bond", "Hitchcock", "Allen, Woody", "Wood, Ed" and so on. I re-print the lists when I add to my collection. I keep one list by each of my DVD players (two).
The database doesn't really solve the question of how to store them on the shelf. For the foreseeable future, I will stick with my current system of 95% alpha and 5% other.

 

[Adam_S]

legt to right:
Kubrick Collection
Criterion Collection by spine number
Alpha by title
i've separated out criterion because their's were the first three dvds (Lord of the Flies, Silence of the Lambs, Robocop) i bought and they look so much better together, i wish stores would just put all the criterion collection together like the book stores do with Star Wars and Star Trek, would make my trips there much easier.
I separated out Kubrick collection because when i got 2001 it really messed up the look of the Rock CC and The Abyss next to each other.
I've told myself i'm going to sort by studio once i have at least ten from each of the major producers.
Adam

 

[Todd_Brown]

I organize by Genre first, then alphabetical in the genre. It is only difficult when a movie could be in 2 genres (i.e. "Event Horizon" is Sci-Fi but also can claim horror), but I make a judgement call and move on ("Event Horizon" is in Sci-Fi), I have 194 titles but over 200 DVDs with box sets like Alien Legacy, etc...
Todd
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My DVD Collection
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[PhilipG]

By genre, then by release date. All sequels go directly after the original (& prequels before).
The exception is: my "historical" genre. These are ordered by the date the stories are set.
The other exception: I keep my Criterion discs together.

 

[DaveF]

My mammoth collection of nearly 20 DVDs is lying in a heap on the floor, in front of my CD rack.
I hope that helps
Check back with me in a few years -- I might have them alphabetized.

 

[Kurt N]

quote:
my CD collection when it was growing, which is also arranged alphabetically by album name
So Abbey Road would be at the beginning of your collection and With the Beatles at the other end???
I don't go by genre, because there are too many close calls. I have movies alphabetical, then adult titles alphabetical, then music alpahabetical by artist, then tv shows alphabetical, then the Inside DVD, Total Movie things, alphabetical and chronological within each title.
"You may say I'm kinda anal...but I'm not the only one..."
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I suppose you think that's very funny, Harold.
my DVDs
[Edited last by Kurt N on October 20, 2001 at 05:23 PM]

 

[Frank Anderson]

Want something challenging? Organize by UPC number.
I do Alpha by title. I wait until I have more than 5 DVD's to add then shift everything that needs it. I don't mind doing it because 1)I usually find something that I want to watch again 2)I enjoy organizing them.
At one time I was also seperating snapper from keepcase but now I have no snappers. All covers have been lovingly reproduced and put in Amarays. When my Monday shippment arrives from DVD Empire I will have 697.

Frank
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[Edited last by Frank Anderson on October 20, 2001 at 06:00 PM]

 

[Rob T]

I currrently keep myVHS' in alphabetical order, but I have no specific order for my DVDs as yet. Once I get more and a better place to store them, I'll put them in alphabetical order.

 

[Mark McLeod]

I just reoragnized my stuff on Thursday night. Currently it's alphabetical by studio with any special cases like Fight Club and T2 going on their own special shelf. I have one nice DVD rack and the rest in a set of drawers. All boxsets, snappers and other non keepcase packaging go in the nice rack