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Studios: Please go back to decent packaging! (1 Viewer)

Joined
Jul 31, 2001
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I am a dvd collector. I have about a couple hundred of them in my collection so far.
When Close Encounters of the third kind came out, I left work early to rush to the store to get a copy. I was very disappointed in the flimsy cardboard case the dvd came in. It doesn't feel like something you would collect. In fact, if all dvd's we're packaged like this, I probably wouldn't have started collecting them in the first place.
I have watched it twice so far, and the edges of the cardboard outer sleeve have started to wear in the corners from trying to get the inner part back in. Although I didn't enjoy the packaging, I reassured myself by thinking special packaging like this would be rare.
This week, I bought the ultimate edition of American Pie.
Although the packaging looked pretty sharp at the store, once the shrink wrap was off it, I discovered how awful that type of case is. It doesn't even close for god's sake! To make matters worst, the security plastic thing is on the inside of the transparent case. This is an "ultimate edition"?
Do manufacturers actually think people enjoy these unique cases?
Is it because they cost less to produce? If so, I would gladly pay a buck more to get a nice Amaray case, especially on "ultimate editions".
I know it's all about the movie inside and not the packaging. I do collect the movies and not the dvd's themselves. I just think that for the price, I would like a dvd case that looks good and that I won't be afraid of damaging.
Studios, please ask for customer feedback on dvd case designs. I know someone who only buys a couple of dvd's a year won't mind any kind of packaging, but we the collectors are unhappy.
Thank you.
Marc.
 

Jeff_A

Screenwriter
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Marc,
I agree with you on the limitations of unique packaging. While I am extremely careful with my A/V software, it seems inevitable that these designs are prone to breakdown eventually. Friction form sliding them in and out of storage; wear from opening and closing; etc...
In essence, it just makes it much more difficult to keep our collections in pristine condition.
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Ricky f

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May 12, 2001
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I agree mark and Jeff, As A collector myself I like the DVD'S to last and with some of the cases they bring out it does not help.
I have the unbreakable case and I have no real complaints but the outer part will eventually ware and that makes me angry at studios for producing cases that are not going to last very long.
Snap cases are the worst, My Tales from The Crypt : Demon Knight case is really, really worn and I am sure my other Warner Bros cases will be soon which is no fault of my own , I take care of my DVD'S.
We pay the money for DVD'S we expect them to last, Hopefully in the future all studios will produce cases that actually last.
Regards,
Ricky
 

rhett

Supporting Actor
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I didn't mind the Unbreakable case, but the new Ultimate Edition cases are the pits. Also, the double disc cases like Gladiator's and T2's are a complaint of mine as well. The discs don't hold as good, and when you are buying a 2-Disc set, it feels more collectable if it is a Double Amary case like Big Trouble In Little China, or the Die Hard discs.
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"Why don't we just wait here for a while...see what happens."
 

Ricky f

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I know rhett I did like the Unbreakable case it is just eventually the outer part will wear away and it will not last very long. But overall a very nice case.
Regards,
Ricky
 

Joshua Clinard

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I hate Warner's Snapper cases. They truly suck. Warner should do a Test, by offering a few box office movies and having two versions. One in snapper, and the other in Aramay cases, and see which sells better.
 

Cees Alons

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I love the snappers. My little wish is, to have the cardboard replaced by a similar plastic cover.
Cees
 

PienSavaca

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Warner should do a Test, by offering a few box office movies and having two versions. One in snapper, and the other in Aramay cases, and see which sells better.
Unfortunately, the experiment will be flawed.
Col-Tri released early titles in both keep case and jewel box editions, suppossedly letting the consumer decide the more popular package. But the decision came down to the retailers-- they had to chose racks that merchandised their DVD inventory from *All* manufacturers. Unless all manufacturers did the same experiment, it is pointless.
The same goes for seperate rated/un-rated or p&s/ws releases... you're at the mercy of educated retailers and researched consumers. Have you seen the widescreen version of "Remember the Titans" at Wal-mart? Probably not. Blame joe six-pack for the lowered expectations of most products.
Warner should just switch to a keep case and be done with it. The AOL/TW 'logic' that bugs me most is.... "Why do I keep getting unsolicited mailings of AOL cds in nice durable keep cases, but the DVDs that I *pay* for come in 'crapper' cases?"
 
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Although I would definitely prefer keep cases than snappers on Warner releases, the outer rim of the snappers keep the dvd's in reasonably good condition. It's the all-cardboard cases that get me down.
I wonder why Warner refuses to go to keep cases...Does it have something to do with the used dvd market?
Marc.
 

GaryEA

Second Unit
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The one thing that has me the most concerned in regards to carboard snappers is humidity.
Humidity can ruin a sheet of paper in an afternoon's time, and here we have bio-degradable, thin sheets of cardboard acting as protectors of DVD's. Over time, that moisture in the air, whether I keep the room I store my DVD's air-conditioned or not, is going to get to these cases. It will first warp the cardboard, collect moisture inside the case, and finally start to break it down.
I have the same concern over the storage of my laser discs; trying to keep the room cool enough so that the problem of moisture and humidity is slowed.
(hmmm... keepcases for laserdiscs...)
-g
 

Trace Downing

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I wonder why Warner refuses to go to keep cases...Does it have something to do with the used dvd market?
Ivy Hill, the Snapper maker, is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL/Time Warner. Thus, New Line, Warner Bros, and HBO, are bound by the family business to use the Snappers.
TW owned them before AOL merged with them. So eventually the unsolicited mail CDs will either be mailed in Snappers, or AOL will get Ivy Hill to design a new case (preferrably with all plastic).
Either way, the possibility of any of these 3 studios going to Amaray is a snowball's chance in hell. New Line only uses Amarays for their "Infinifilm" line of discs.
One thing about the Snappers, they have the best disc hubs in the business. I've had some for 4 years and they (the cardboard) still look like new, so I wouldn't worry about durability, if you take care of them.
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Mark_TS

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actually, WARNER is the last holdout for snappers...one by one all the other studios have dropped them- the new BBC discs put out by WARNER are in keeps....even NEW LINE just switched away from snappers.
after taking back 2 different KUBRICK titles for broken hubs, (and scratched discs)it strikes me as curious how these can be labeled 'the best in the business'...
further, consumer anger in Australia finally got them to drop the snapper, switching to keeps....since its likely they had a division of Ivy Hill down there, even the sole ownership of packaging cant stand in the way of progress... here, I suspect they are just a little more arrogant in regards to consumer wishes...
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[Edited last by Mark_TS on August 04, 2001 at 11:59 AM]
 

Trace Downing

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quote: ....even NEW LINE just switched away from snappers.[/quote]
Not completely. The "infinifilm" line are the only ones using the clamshells. Since the last 2 movies we're infinfilms, I guess it easy to be under that impression. Platinum series will still be in snappers...if they still have platinums forthcoming.
I'm not saying that the hubs on snappers arent infallable, but on the whole, they secure the disc better, and are the easiest to remove the discs from. JEEZ, some of you think the Amaray is just the holy grail, that things just couldn't possibly get better (if Ivy Hill ever redesigns a new disc holder, which is a possibility, since they have to come up with a 2 disc case now). They break, just like everything else.
Oh' really, 'consumer anger in Australia'? Aren't you overstating the importance of DVD cases in peoples lives down there just a tad? This could've possibly had nothing to do with...Oh' say, a contract with a new manufacturing/distribution deal to save on costs of import duties?
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Ta-ra-ra boomsy-ay
Did you get yours today?
I got mine yesterday.
That's why I walk this way!
[Edited last by Trace Downing on August 04, 2001 at 08:19 PM]
 

Dick

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But here's the funny part - simply by packaging the INFINIFILMS, which are supposed to be the ultimate DVDs, in keep cases, they are admitting the keep case packaging is better!!
 
Joined
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Yesterday, I bought the special edition of Dogma. Now there's packaging that I like, a standard double keep case in a cardboard outer sleeve. If studios want to impress us with a full color cardboard case, than at least make it an outer sleeve to a standard keep case. That way, I can put the keep case on my dvd shelf and store the cardboard outer sleeve somewhere where it can't be damaged!
Marc.
 

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