DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

#31

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3/20/03 at 6:57am

Gordon McMurphy
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In reply to Gabe D:

Papillon is from Warner in the USA? It is from CTHV in the UK. Great film.

Gordy

#32

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3/20/03 at 7:32am

David Lambert
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I haven't the slightest idea what the three titles are before Panic Room. I can see Collectors Edition Volume 1-3, but not what they are collectors editions of.

John, they are The Honeymooners. And no, I've never seen those boxes before. It just looks obvious to me (even with my bifocals).

DAVE/Memphis, TN

...Want to see your favorite show on DVD?

#33

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3/20/03 at 12:22pm

Nathan McMahan
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Email me if you'd like some good used DVD cases, most are amaray and are cased up in 30 unit lots. Just pay for actually shipping and a small fee.

The thinpaks I got from US plastics. They give you a 10% discount for orders more than 260. So 300 worked out to be about 108.00

Their number is 419 228 2242. They are out of Lima, Ohio. Direct link:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...tm%29+DVD+Case

Great company to do business with. Hassle free and real people to talk to.

It\'s not my goddamn planet, understand monkeyboy!

#34

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3/28/03 at 11:53am

RobertCharlotte
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Sorry to dredge this up again, but with Futurama on my shelf now, this issue has me interested.

I think these cases make a great solution for multi-disk sets, but I think the Honeymooners-style spines (as above) are a mistake. I think the spines ought to be designed as if it was one thick spine, just sliced to fit each individual case, so basically you would have the title spread across the cases (kind of the way the illustrations on Ric Easton's ST:TNG and DS9 sets are, just on a much smaller scale).

Blücher!

#35

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3/28/03 at 12:56pm

Edwin-S
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These cases seem to be fine for box sets with a slipcover. I find them to be a bit flimsy feeling and the closures don't seem to be positive enough. I am not sure that these cases would work well for single movie issues. They seem to be too light duty.

When you have to shoot...shoot. Don't talk!

#36

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3/28/03 at 1:13pm

MarkHastings
Mark
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Quote:

With over 800 DVD's and no room left for storage, I've just recently converted my entire collection to thinpaks. It was just a matter of trimming 3/16th of an inch off each side of the original cover.

Nathan, I think a little bit of math might convince people here. Can you figure out how many more "thin" DVD's can fit in the same space as your 800 "regular" case DVD's. I'm sure the difference will be dramatic!

I'm at the point where I'm stacking DVD's in front of other DVD's to be able to fit them on my shelf and I don't like it at all. I'd LOVE to have smaller packaging.

#37

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3/28/03 at 1:32pm

Neil White
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I share the concern about positive closing of the cases. I see this problem in Amarays - sometimes the case does not stay snapped shut. I would be concerned that this is a worse problem on the thinner cases.

And thank goodness they're plastic. I really dislike the packagin on Saturday Night Fever and Grease. I was worried for a minute these cases were like those.

N

My gallery: http://www.pbase.com/nezmo

#38

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3/28/03 at 2:45pm

Jason Harbaugh
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I think these cases are great for boxed sets or season sets are great. I love the futurama discs and packaging and wish all of my tv shows on dvd's were like that, especially Sex and the City. I hate that packaging.

I don't know if I would like it for my entire collection. They could easily replace all of my snappers though.

The End.

#39

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3/28/03 at 3:36pm

Will_B
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Quote:

I'm laughing at this one. With over 800 DVD's and no room left for storage, I've just recently converted my entire collection to thinpaks. It was just a matter of trimming 3/16th of an inch off each side of the original cover. The biggest problem was making color copies of all the snapper cases at Kinko's. (It wasn't exactly cheap, though).

I am all for thin cases but I was afraid of this difference in cover art size. Why didn't they just make the darn case 3/16 of an inch deeper (not thicker, but deeper) so that the old covers could fit perfectly? That really bites that they aren't easily swappable.

"Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic than they originally predicted." -Krysta Now

#40

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3/28/03 at 7:59pm

Will_B
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ThinPak doubles (2-DVDs) cover art is 268.29mm wide
ThinPak single (1-DVD) cover art is 265.11mm wide
A regular Amaray case's cover art is 10 3/4" wide, which according to an "inches to millimeters" conversion website is 273.05mm.

So even buying the 2-DVD size ThinPak (which is STILL thinner than an Amaray case) doesn't solve the mismatched cover art size problem.

All this and more is available on the manufacturer's website, nexpak.com

"Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic than they originally predicted." -Krysta Now

#41

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3/28/03 at 8:20pm

Chris
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I'll make the same argument I made way back when everyone had all sorts of different kind of cases, and we argued about whether WB's snappers vs. clamshell vs. clip, etc.. here's my thought:

CD Case. The current DVD case is the equivelent of a CD Long Box, majority trash.

After being a laserdisc purist for years (and keeping all my box sets in order) I now routinely pitch all the DVD packaging and insert discs either straight into one of the 200 disc/500 disc sleeved kits I have to lock them away while taking up little space.

My Current DVD-Profiler

"I've been Ostrafied!" - Christopher, Sopranos 5/6/07

#42

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3/28/03 at 9:35pm

Bill A
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I too like the thin cases for multi-disc sets, and I agree with Sony's assessment that people would buy more DVDs if they didn't take up so much space (I sure would.)

Am I alone in blaming Warner Brothers for this mess? When I saw the picture of the prototype DVD box (Batman Forever) I couldn't believe that they weren't going to use a jewel case. I seem to remember that the Warner's decision for this was based on "wanting to make DVDs stand out" from CDs and VHS tapes. Sony tried to fix this by releasing their DVDs in both jewel cases and the longbox - leaving it to the marketplace to decide. Of course, the longbox won out; I assume that people wanted uniformity in their collections.

I almost hope that all the companies get together and decide to release DVDs in jewel cases - it would double shelf space.

#43

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3/29/03 at 7:56am

MarkHastings
Mark
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I wouldn't even mind the square jewel cases they use for DVD-A, at least it would be slightly different than the CD jewel case and it seems to be a bit more sturdy.

As long as they never digress and give us something similar to that damn Disney Clamshell VHS case

Those things fit NO WHERE!

#44

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3/29/03 at 9:02am

Qui-Gon John
John Co
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Well there was some digression in box sets. HBO's Six Feet Under, that box doesn't fit on most standard DVD shelves either. The Sopranos style packaging was much better.

#45

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3/29/03 at 9:58am

James L White
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Maybe WB will use these slim packs soon, we can only hope

Samsung HL-S5688W 56" DLP
Panasonic TC-P50X1 50" Plasma TV (bedroom)
Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD's
Panasonic BMP-BD60
Sony BDP300 Blu Rays (bedroom)

#46

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3/29/03 at 9:58am

Chris Farmer
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Man I hope htey never go jewel cases, those things are the work of Satan himself. Drop them and they instantly shatter, the hubs are for crap, and I've had the damned hinges break off literally as they just sat their in my CD rack. I rip all my CDs to MP3 so I don't have to risk scratching them, so they spend most of their time in my storage unit, and I have had them break as they were just sitting there, no joke.

#47

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3/29/03 at 10:16am

FredK
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These are great for boxsets, especially for something like the Godfather where the individual paper cases don't fold flush to eachother.

What will really suck is if a long term amaray release (I Love Lucy, etc.) went to these cases mid series.

This will introduce more variety to our shelves, at least we can say goodbye to the double thick plastic cases in favor of 2 disc amarays... at least I'm assuming they'll be gone if the studios are this keen on shelf space. It is interesting though because I would expect studios to want new releases to have larger and more attractive packaging to help sales.

I'd have no problem converting all of my cases to the smallest format, but the majority of existing spine imagry is not meant to fit the smaller case. I've been tempted to toss my dvd's into bulk binders, but I happen to enjoy some of the case presentation and don't want to toss it.

#48

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3/29/03 at 1:55pm

Will_B
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Quote:

I've been tempted to toss my dvd's into bulk binders, but I happen to enjoy some of the case presentation and don't want to toss it.

You don't have to toss the art if you do this:

I use UniKeep "view case binders" for some - UniKeep binders are like entirely plastic 3-ring binders with no metal parts whatsoever (they feel like DVD cases, but they're for 8 1/2 x 11) and they are sealed on all sides (so no dust) and are incredibly modern and cool looking - perfectly flat, you can even stack them on their sides if you wanted to. I usually get the transparent ones so I can see the first film cover without opening it.

Filled with Avery page protectors for the cover art, and 3-ring-binder-style CD holders for the DVDs themselves.

All the ingrediants are available at Staples.

"Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic than they originally predicted." -Krysta Now

#49

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3/29/03 at 5:08pm

Daniel J
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I'm also agains jewelcase on every level- not only the most fragile storage format around, but it's also difficult to get liner notes out of a jewel case. I like amray, because it's durable and easy to use, but I like Digipak because of overall presentation quality. The slipcase and quality finish give the disc set an extra level of "cool".
Whatever format they go with in the future, I hope we never lose inserts. I really like the way the DS9 set looks.

Ba weep gra na weep nini bom!

#50

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3/29/03 at 7:14pm

Adam Lenhardt
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Personally, having gotten Futurama last night, I still prefer gatefold packaging for multiple disc sets and regular sized cases for single disc sets. That said, I do have to admit that the Futurama packaging is pretty classy.

#51

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3/31/03 at 7:34am

John Berggren
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I now have Futurama, and I must say that I LIKE these cases for boxed sets. I would not, however, like to see them become the standard, as I still find the bindings hard to read unless you are right up upon them.

Support the fight against Multiple Sclerosis as I ride in the 2007 MS 150 in New Bern this September.

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#52

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3/31/03 at 8:49am

Wade K
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I'm thinking of doing something similar to Nathan. I like the cases, and since I store my DVDs mainly in alphabetical order, I'm not that concerned if I can't read them from far away.

#53

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3/31/03 at 10:54am

MishaLauenstein
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These look like the ones the I Spy sets were re-released in.

Well, I look at those 21 ugly cardboard things with plastic snaps and the ink ripped off the cover when I took the store's security tape off and I think how beautiful 21 thin plastic cases would look.

But then again, my buying them at > $5.00 per episode in the early days is responsible for the TV Show on DVD explosion on DVD we see today.

That's how I keep my blook pressure low. ; )

Misha

40% Ben Katz + 30% Bobby Hill (Texas) + 20% Monica Geller + 10% William Dent. (Wardrobe by George Costanza)

#54

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3/31/03 at 12:20pm

KerryK
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BTW, you can't completely blame Warner for the non-use of jewel cases. Video stores didn't want to change their displays so they asked for a larger sized box than a jewel case.

I am working on a DVD pack right now that's going in thinpaks and they're great. They actually are pretty tough and they really do take up much less space. I haven't noticed a problem yet with keeping them closed. Our main problem is they can't be automatically assembled yet at most duplicators, so it's $$$$$.

#55

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3/31/03 at 6:09pm

Will_B
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Kerry, would you do a favor and try wedging a standard Amaray cover into the NexPak for me? Does it manage to fit even without trimming? I know the Amaray cover is larger by a few millimeters, but does it manage to squeeze in there anyhow, just by chance?

"Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic than they originally predicted." -Krysta Now

#56

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4/1/03 at 7:46am

KerryK
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OK, but I'm out of thinpak samples right now. When I get them back, I will.

#57

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4/1/03 at 8:14am

Richard Gilmore
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1) the jewel cases for the DVD-A's are too fragile. The hard plastic cracks with the slightest pressure.

2) I've got the Futurama set also. I love the thin paks. They are translucent, soft, plastic so the insert shows on the inside with information/graphics.

3) from my measurement, they are even a little thinner than 1/2 the normal size.

4) I'm running up against storage limits also and plan on going to these. Scan my originals, and photoshop a thinner spine, shouldn't be a problem after a few tries. Given the spine is thinner, I concede that it is harder to read them, but I can still see them with my 47 y.o eyes well enough.

Took me years to go over to the dark side

. I still miss the great big beautiful graphics of Vinyl LP's, but the movies are taking up too much room.

#58

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4/1/03 at 8:28am

Dave Scarpa
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I have to tell you I like the Black Thinpack packaging. I toyed with the idea of going to Jewel thincases but abandoned it. The Plastic thinpak seems durable but it gives you a bit more room on the spine than the jewelcase. Can these be purchased anywhere if I wanted to do a Case Swapover and what's the expense?

My DVD Collection

The Megaplex

#59

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4/1/03 at 10:45am