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How do you organize your collection? (1 Viewer)

Dave Hahn

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Dave Hahn
Like others have mentioned, I often find myself "in the mood" for a certain type of movie; a western, a sci-fi flick, a horror film, etc so I organized my collection by genre and sub-genre.

I keep Collections, i.e. Bond, Diry Harry, The Marx Brothers together and find that I often use a boxed collection as a book-end or spacer between genres.

Yes, it is difficult defining certain movies, but since it is my collection I make the choice. For instance, if I think something is more of a comedy then a drama, I put it in the comedy section. Works for me.

My genres are:

Contemporary Comedy
Older/Classic Comedy
Westerns
War
Horror
Science Fiction
Comic Book - Superman, Batman, X-Men, Spiderman, etc.
Fantasy - Conan, Excalibur, Harry Potter, etc.
Contemporary Action/Adventure
Older Action/Adventure
Contemporary Drama
Older Drama
Television
Sports
Musicals
Animation
Holiday
Documentaries

I once used an online dvd database, but I stopped using it some time ago and can't even remember the name.

I've thought about making my own database in Excel, but just can't see myself manually entering all that information. I really wish there was something comparable to DVD Pedia for Windows. Using a scanner to input my collection would be a huge time saver.
 

CineKarine

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Karine Philippot

I have 5 tall bookcases with extra shelves, some are three rows deep and even so I have hundreds of titles with nowhere to go!!! All the DVDs are on shelves in alphabetical order, the rest are all VHS not released on DVD yet or taped off TV!!!!! I am moving shortly and trying to find ways to make all the titles easy to see and to find is a challenge for sure! ;)
 

Tony Whalen

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Tony Whalen
Like JohnRice and others, I've sorted my alphabetically, but I've removed the "sets" to another location. I'm closing in on 600 titles, and they simply don't all fit in my living room! :)

So, I built some shelves on the landing of my basement stairs, going wall-to-wall. That area now holds box sets, TV series and movie "series" that contain three or more titles. Individual movie releases stay in the living room cabinets... until something becomes a trilogy, at which point they get moved downstairs. :)
 

Kevin M

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Kevin Ray
I organize my collection by year of release 1921-1922-1923...etc. I have used most of the organization types quoted here but have finally settled on year of release as my favorite.
Works for me.
 

Kevin M

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Kevin Ray
Yeah, I'm surprised that more people don't do it this way, I mentioned this method in a similar thread about two years ago and someone came back with the complaint that they couldn't do it because then you have to figure out the month the movies were released and then the day and.......oy. :rolleyes
 

Will Krupp

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(blush) I do it that way. It's only tough when you have two released on the same day (Blue Lagoon and Can't Stop the Music for example) or, like in the case with THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP you have to decide between original British release (July 1943) or US release (March 1945) or digipacks like Sony's Cary Grant or Universal's Deanna Durbin collection. Those get put in the "general era." That's the beautiful thing about it being my collection and my rules, as crazy as they may be. :)
 

Kevin M

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Kevin Ray
Well, if you want to do it that way and you have the proper info to do so then go for it I say, but to not do so because you feel you have to be as precise as you can is silly...to me anyway.

BTW, I used to keep my Criterion's separate from the main DVD's but I decided to include them for continuity's sake.
 

DavidBC

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Mar 4, 2005
Messages
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I also organize by year (and then alphabetically within the year), with the tv titles separate. Once a collection gets so big, chronological is the only way that makes sense to me (I'm often in the mood to watch, say, something from the WWII era, but I am very rarely dieing to watch something that starts with "H".
 

ZacharyTait

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I sort mine by spine color!












Just kidding! :)

I have mine sorted into regular DVD cases and box sets. Both categories are done alphabetically. I'm going to be ordering some regular cases that hold up to 6 discs so that I can get all of my box sets with my regular cases.

This is the shelf that I use to store my DVDs on:

http://www.sauder.com/furniture/product.asp?p=498


They are about $20 a shelf. When I have to move, I dont' have to worry about taking the DVDs out and putting them in a box; I can just leave them on the shelf and move it all.
 

Kevin M

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Kevin Ray
I used to do it by studio...looked neat but in the end not what I wanted.
 

Marko Berg

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Mar 22, 2002
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Two words: Access database.

This allows me to sort the movie collection alphabetically, by genre, by studio, by year of release, or even by spine colour. :)
 

Fritz Nilsen

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Fritz Nilsen

Actually, I sort by studio and by spine color (and/or snapper/Amaray). I kid you not.

Box sets are stored in a display case, as are steelbooks and any other fancy packaging that sticks out.

Ridicule me if you want, but that keeps the collection looking neat and organized from an aesthetic standpoint. I have been doing this ever since I started recording tapes (Beta) back in the 80's. Sony blanks next to Sony blanks etc. I was only eight at the time, but it seemed the natural thing to do and I've stuck with it ever since.

Sorting by studio makes me able to find any title within my 2000-strong DVD collection within seconds. For any visitors who are oblivious to which studio releases what -they're SOOL.

(Click on image for fullsize)

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/3/3b/htf_imgcache_13311.jpeg] [/url]
 

Danny Burk

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South Bend, IN

I wondered if I'm the only one using an Access database. I'd never be able to find anything if I didn't use it. My system is complex, but I can find anything within a minute or so. I've used the same system for years, and it expands to accomodate any new formats (such as DVDR) that get added.

DATABASE: I have databases for 4 separate categories: features, shorts, cartoons, and TV. By far the largest is "features". For each feature listing (the others are less complex), I include title, year, studio, director, the three most important stars, an optional "notes" column, "silent?" column (I include an "x" to indicate if it's a silent), and "number". Each tape and DVDR is numbered and kept in that order on my shelves. If I could keep everything alphabetically, I wouldn't need numbers. However, I started out with Beta tapes and usually put two features on one tape, then filled the end with cartoons or shorts. I'd never find these if they weren't categorized by number.

Each Beta tape (I still have hundreds) is prefixed by B, i.e. "B123", etc. Similarly, VHS tapes are "V110", "V512" and so on. Commercial DVDs aren't numbered because of the way I shelve them, but DVDRs are numbered "D250", etc. In many cases, I have a film in multiple formats, because I can't dispose of an old tape due to its containing other items that haven't been upgraded to DVD.

SHELVING: Beta and VHS tapes are straightforward, simply shelved in order of the numbers I've applied to the boxes. Commercial DVDs aren't numbered since they can easily be shelved in alphabetical order, but box sets don't nicely fit into my system and are stored on their own shelves. I'm not completely satisfied with the arrangement, but the best I've been able to come up with is to group them by studio (WB, Fox, etc) and then by category within studio groups, i.e. musicals, comedy, etc.

DVDRs are numbered, like tapes, although I don't physically apply a number to a disc. They're stored in "Case Logic" cases that fit 8 discs onto a double-sided page, totalling 320 discs per case. I apply a label to the lower right corner of each right-hand page, i.e. one label per 8 discs, which indicates the number of that disc. It's easy to figure out the others and it saves time by only applying one label per double page.

All of this sounds complicated, no doubt, but once it's set up it's quick and easy to maintain. I add new items as soon as I buy or record them, so it only takes a few minutes of maintenance each week.
 

Mendoza

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Aug 28, 2007
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Jesse
Thanks for the tip, I bought DVD Profiler (here) since it's exactly what I was looking for. It's not free but the range and depth of customizable features is surprising. I especially like the ability to generate catalogs and fine-tune the precise layout and info. I am fulfilling the simple dream of printing catalogs with pictures!
"Free at last, free at last! Thank GOD ALLMIGHTY I AM FREE AT LAST!!!"
htf_images_smilies_banana.gif
 

Mike Frezon

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I agree that the "Reports" function is one of the nicest features.

For myself, I'm happy printing up a very simple text report with the title in a system that reflects the way they are categorized on my shelves. :emoji_thumbsup:

Glad you are happy with DVD Profiler, Jesse! The good thing about making the purchase is that you now own it for life. Any updates and you will have access to them.
 

ErichH

Screenwriter
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Mar 1, 2001
Messages
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Genres seemed like a good way to go at first.
Then it was by director, but that didn't last long.

Now I'm on to keeping certain sets together, and Directors in close proximity when possible.

More often than not, I prefer to choose from a database and dig out the film, but it's nice to have a title jump out when I'm scanning the drawers on a given night.

I can't count how many times I've changed my mind when I reach for a title and see so many others just a few inches away. This could lead to me standing in place for minutes while my food gets cold. Yes/No/Yes/No
New title night is nice. No decisions & Warm Movie Food.
 

BrettGallman

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Nov 11, 2002
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Brett
I'm one of those members who has a slightly strange way of going about this. First of all, I have two shelves. I've had the first shelf since I've collected DVDs, and it houses all of my favorite films of various genres (most of them are film series, so it solves the problem of what to do with those).

I've only had my second shelf since last December, and it's already gone through several changes. It has 8 different sections, which is nice because it helps to break things up into categories. Anyway, each section is pretty much dedicated in some way: for example, the first couple of shelves are dedicated to directors: Hitchcock, Spielberg, Scorsese, Coppola, Carpenter, Craven, etc. After that, it shifts to genre. I'm a huge horror nut, so pretty much any horror film that isn't on that first shelf goes on the second shelf and I have various categories: zombies, creatures, slashers, modern, etc. The problem is, I had this second shelf filled as soon as it was set up, so I have a huge overflow of dvds just sitting around now, so it might be time to invest in shelf number three where I can store all my action/adventure, comedy, and drama films that are just piled up all over the room.

By the way, I also hate having to decide what to watch. I only get to watch films on the weekend due to being in school all week, so it's pretty tough to decide. I've stood in front of my shelf for minutes at a time trying to decide on something.
 

StephenA

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 30, 2001
Messages
1,512
I do it by type of packaging to make it look more uniform. For some reason I think it looks better when keep cases, snap cases, and box sets/other types are all kept in their own groups on my shelves.
 

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