Why does DVD packaging suck so much? (1 Viewer)

[Viper]

I'm not just referring to those old snapcases which never seem to go away, or the crappy packaging used for the new Punisher extended cut. I'm talking about the annoying ass stickers on all 3 sides of the case, which at times leave glue stuck on the damn thing forever--ruining your case. Plus, your fingernails leave marks on the plactic sleeve when you try to peel those stickers, so you have to cut along the seem of the case with a box cutter to have any chance of removing them without marking up the case. Let us not forget when the insert is actually sticking out of the sleeve a bit at the top or bottom so those stickers end up on the freaking paper (and rip it when you try to remove them). Or the cellophane wrapping that's usually superglued to the spine of the goddamn keepcase and refuses to ever come off completely! What the hell do they have against regular shrinkwrap!? I've seen it on a few releases, but not many. :frowning:

Hell, I bought T2 Extreme a while back and the metal case was so tight that sliding it off ripped the plastic sleeve on the keepcase. That really pissed me off. I still haven't found a decent 2-disc keepcase to replace that one with.

I know I can't be the only one that likes to have my DVD cases still look like new after unwrapping them. Why do some of these companies screw things up so bad? I hate shopping for replacement keepcases. None of the ones I've found online ever seem to compare to the cases that the movies actually come in. They're always cheap junk with a lousy hub mechanism. I like the ying-yang style hub that most commercial keepcases have. I'd really like to find a place that sells those type of keepcases.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Speaking of stupid packaging, anyone seen the package for An Inconvenient Truth? Some sort of flimsy sleeve that doesn't look like it could protect anything, especially a scratch sensitive DVD.

Of course, who is it made by? Our friends over at Ivy Hill, the creators of the much-maligned Snapper. :frowning:

 

[Fritz Nilsen]

I agree regarding the stickers. Covering all three sides is excessive, but at least some of them has a cover-friendly glue that doesn't leave residue. I too cut them along the box "crack" and work inside-out. It can take me up to ten minutes to remove them, especially if I need to remove glue and be careful with extruding artwork.

I've also had more than a few discs where the plastic wrapper has been hot-glue bonded to the spine of the cover. (Most of them from Anchor Bay, but not exclusively.)

And they really need to add an unwrap-strip to those wrappers. You guys hear about that baseball pro who stabbed himself with a pocket knife trying to open a new DVD?

Not to mention broken hubs and general floaters inside the covers (I tend to shop online and have had my fill of these) Are they just carelessly placed in the cover when packing, or are the hubs themselves designed poorly?

These are all among my "Top 10 reasons why I hate DVDs" (Which I don't, but you know what I mean.) along with spoiler menus.

Too bad all this applies to hd-dvd/blu-ray as well. Format of the future my foot!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

To be fair to An Inconvenient Truth, the packaging was specially designed to be environmentally friendly using minimal packaging made from 100% recycled material. To do otherwise would almost seem to work against the integrity of the film.

 

[Mary_P]

You forgot the hyphen between "annoying" and "ass"....

I agree, I hate those things. Seems very redundant to have three, especially when the whole shebang is typically shrink-wrapped on top of the security strips.

BTW, I can usually get the leftover adhesive off. After I pull off whatever I can of the sticker, I press its sticky side back on any remaining adhesive, and pull it off again. It may take several times doing this, but it usually does the trick. I have had a few that were just plain stubborn though and wouldn't come off no matter what. You could probably fix it up using something like Goo Gone (removing the insert first, of course), but I haven't tried it. In any event, seems like a lot of work to make something brand-new look like it's brand new!

 

[Jesse Skeen]

My pet peeve is the cardboard slipcases they've been putting on with NO shrinkwrap over them. Most stores stick price tags right on them, which don't come off without damaging the slipcover so you have to either keep them there or damage it taking them off. Plus they tend to get battered after being on the shelves for more than a couple weeks. I don't buy used DVDs, so why would I want to pay full price or close to it for something in this condition??? I GUARANTEE that whoever hated the snapper cases the most, I hate discs shipped this way ten times as much!

 

[Stephen_J_H]

How noble. *rolls eyes* To be even more environmentally friendly, I'll just buy a used copy, which will come in a keep case. Or better yet, I'll rent it, meaning that Paramount will have to manufacture one less copy.

 

[Brad M]

I could have started this thread. I agree 100%. I'm sick of buying a new dvd and then having to spend a ton of time to get the dvd open and all the sticky crap off the disc. A lot of new release dvds seem to be worse. Maybe the glue is still wet?

 

[BrentJ]

LOL!! I agree totally. You'd think they were 500$ a piece the way they seal some of these babies up. Sometimes it can take 20mins just to get inside.

 

[Harold Wazzu]

I think they should get rid of slip covers altogether, what a freaking waste! Save the money it took to design and print it and lower the damn price of the movies!!!

 

[Mark_TS]

What I find interesting is that outside of N America, no one else wastes the cellophane.
I have dozens of R 2,3,4 discs-and I cannot recall ever seeing security tape.
And in most cases the legal "WARNING!" that is made into such a big production at the start of R1 discs, is brief, non annoying, and in some cases, like French DVDs, often artfully and creatively interweeved into the menus.
DUNE is a great example.

I would have no problem with ONE sticker at the top, but 3 is annoying.
And as for the cardboard slipcases, or "O" cards, sometimes they come with an easy to remove square of cello-the idea being that the stores put their price stickers on those, and not ruin the slipcase.
But they never seem to 'get it'

 

[MielR]

I agree totally. In the last few months, I've had 5 or 6 DVDs where the stickers removed the edges of the cover insert!

....and what about those cases with the two little lock-tabs that you have to pop up before you can open the case? (it seems like they're using them for all the new Paramount DVDs) What is the need for those, exactly??

There really hasn't been a great container solution for any digital medium so far. CD jewel cases are OK- but have problems of their own.

Nobody has been able to come up with anything that even approaches the LP cover for functionality, simplicity and beauty.

 

[Scott Kriefall]

IIRC, the stickers and those awful little lock-tabs are there for theft prevention. Thing is... does this even decrease theft enough to offset the added cost of the stickers, lock-tabs, and (few) lost sales?

 

[Keith Paynter]

For me, that's part of what made laserdiscs so fascinating! Bigger was better...

 

[Al.Anderson]

This happened to me too, and I called them up and they sent out a free replacement case. (The only time I ever did that; but I was ticked.)

But I agree with the rest of your post completely. I hate the whole process of removing the tape, but when the tape is partially atteched to the insert and it tears I really blow a gasket.

 

[Fritz Nilsen]

My wife couldn't really see what the problem was. She thought I was just being a grumpy old sod. So I gave her my recently aquired Memoirs of a Geisha and let her sweat with the security tape for ten minutes. By then she'd gotten all three tapes off, but wound up putting her nail through the cover and with glue leftovers everywhere on the edges. NOW my wife understands me. Bliss.

 

[stephen^wilson]

The security tape that they put on the cases really annoys me,especially if the paper cover is sticking out of the top or bottom of the case.9 tims out of 10 the sticker is stuck to the paper and ends up ripping it.i don't understand why some companies put 3 stickers on the case( top,botttom and the opening on the side).They could save a lot of hassle iF they just put one over the opening.

 

[Jack Briggs]

You know, I've never had a problem with all this tape. Ever. Why? Because, I suppose, I'm as patient as possible when opening a new disc. The tape comes off reasonably easy and does so in just minutes. I've not ruined any keepcases, either.

I think those of you having these problems should just be a little more careful. My take, at least.

 

[BernieV]

My success rate approaches 99%, but that other 1% poses a problem. Some security stickers are virtually shellacked on the case. No matter how slowly and diligently you loosen the corner and peel them back, they either leave a mark on the cover or break up into little pieces. Some people claim the best method is to apply a hot-air blower to the sticker, but that's too fastidious for me.

I don't understand why online retailers need to employ all these security devices to begin with. Couldn't they tell their replicators to leave them off a given batch that's destined for direct-to-consumer sale? I'd even pay a premium for hassle-free DVD packaging, if it were available. I guess it's just the price we pay to compensate B&M stores for their shoplifting overhead. Some day one of the onliners is going to realize what a great opportunity they have to gain market share by serving their customers.

 

[Matt Stieg]

Security tape can be annoying, but I think what is FAR more worse than that is the abominable practice of melting the shrink wrap to the spine. Fox has been the WORST about that as far as I'm concerned. Now Anchor Bay and I think MGM have joined the band wagon (and sometimes Warner Bros). There is really no excuse for it. I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, HATE IT. Why do they do it? WHY?