Storing DVDs

[Deleted]

I have a few complete series of shows on DVD. They take up a lot of room. I am thinking about getting some (maybe 3) of these cases to store everything. That means getting rid of the boxes though and I am not sure I want to do that. 160 Capacity DVD Storage DVD Case

I do not want to store the boxes someplace else either. Get the cases and out go the boxes or don't get the cases at all. Those of you that have DVD collections of complete series, what do you do? 

[e knight]

Maybe ten years ago, I condensed my collection by throwing out the cases and saving the DVDs either in paper envelopes in file boxes or in albums with plastic sleeves. This can net you something like a 10-to-1 reduction in shelf space. Thus a Five-Foot Shelf [ahem!] of DVDs can fit into six linear inches of shelf space.

While I got rid of the plastic cases themselves (I bundled them up and donated them to the Goodwill store) , I removed and saved the paper insert whenever this was possible. The stacks of these didn't take up much space at all, and they could be stored in a few boxes out in the garage or shed, something you wouldn't do with the discs. (In fact, if you had lots of non-temperature controlled space like that you could save the cases intact for possible future restoration.)

If I felt later on that some title or series deserved better treatment or display, I could thus restore it by putting the paper inserts into new or used boxes to house the discs. (It doesn't have to be the original box, as they're pretty much interchangeable, unless they're multiple-disc units.) I hate those oversized or metallic cases, and was glad to lose those.

Still, when were moving, I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble, and I threw out the collection of paper inserts.

No regrets, really. Much of my collection was stuff recorded off TV channels (mostly TCM) anyway. Lately I'm ripping good stuff to external hard-disk drives for the computer, and scrapping the discs anyway.

[sambda]

I've got an extremely large collection of DVDs. I couldn't find any shelving that was cheap enough for the amount of stuff I had, so I made my own out of Melamine-faced chipboard. I certainly wouldn't go throwing away boxes that DVDs came in, just to store them.

[patriciaanne]

Is there any way you could record them on an external hard drive? Then you could sell them all -- packaging and discs.

[Deleted]

Nov 15, 2020 6:54:38 GMT -5 patriciaanne said:

Is there any way you could record them on an external hard drive? Then you could sell them all -- packaging and discs.

What happens when you lose your hard drive? 

[Deleted]

Nov 13, 2020 23:54:32 GMT -5 e knight said:

Maybe ten years ago, I condensed my collection by throwing out the cases and saving the DVDs either in paper envelopes in file boxes or in albums with plastic sleeves. This can net you something like a 10-to-1 reduction in shelf space. Thus a Five-Foot Shelf [ahem!] of DVDs can fit into six linear inches of shelf space.

While I got rid of the plastic cases themselves (I bundled them up and donated them to the Goodwill store) , I removed and saved the paper insert whenever this was possible. The stacks of these didn't take up much space at all, and they could be stored in a few boxes out in the garage or shed, something you wouldn't do with the discs. (In fact, if you had lots of non-temperature controlled space like that you could save the cases intact for possible future restoration.)

If I felt later on that some title or series deserved better treatment or display, I could thus restore it by putting the paper inserts into new or used boxes to house the discs. (It doesn't have to be the original box, as they're pretty much interchangeable, unless they're multiple-disc units.) I hate those oversized or metallic cases, and was glad to lose those.

Still, when were moving, I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble, and I threw out the collection of paper inserts.

No regrets, really. Much of my collection was stuff recorded off TV channels (mostly TCM) anyway. Lately I'm ripping good stuff to external hard-disk drives for the computer, and scrapping the discs anyway.

Thank you for the paper insert idea. 

I like to watch tv in bed so watching on the computer is out. Also, I would be afraid of having a hard drive go out and losing all my entertainment. 

[Deleted]

Nov 15, 2020 0:16:40 GMT -5 sambda said:

 I certainly wouldn't go throwing away boxes that DVDs came in, just to store them.

I am not sure about that either. There is something about having them all intact and not losing the Integrity . I know I can see the box art at anytime online, but (I am not sure what the but is) there is something that makes me pause to tossing it all. 

[e knight]

Nov 15, 2020 0:16:40 GMT -5 sambda said:

I've got an extremely large collection of DVDs. I couldn't find any shelving that was cheap enough for the amount of stuff I had, so I made my own out of Melamine-faced chipboard. I certainly wouldn't go throwing away boxes that DVDs came in, just to store them.

If you want to make better use of limited space, you have to sacrifice something!
As I said, if you want, you can store the boxes -- or just the inserts -- in out-of-the-way places, even without climate control.

[Deleted]

From an Amazon review. Getting rid of the packaging...the struggle is real. 

"I mean, this thing is HUGE! We got rid of all the dvd cases (OMG THAT WAS SOOOOO HARD! We agonized over doing it, but we're adults now. We don't NEED the cases with the pictures and the inserts and, you know, we need to maximize space and stuff. Just put all your dvds in this binder and stop being so crazy hung up on the cases! We fell into a bit of a depression after throwing all those cases in the recycle bin. I made 2 batches of chocolate chip cookies to get us through. We're doing better now, thanks for asking.) and keep our dvds in this thing. It really does save a bit of space. "

[patriciaanne]

Nov 15, 2020 7:57:56 GMT -5 @tankeryanker said:

Nov 15, 2020 6:54:38 GMT -5 patriciaanne said:

Is there any way you could record them on an external hard drive? Then you could sell them all -- packaging and discs.

What happens when you lose your hard drive? 

Then you're in trouble 😯

[e knight]

Nov 15, 2020 8:19:12 GMT -5 @tankeryanker said:

Thank you for the paper insert idea. 

I like to watch tv in bed so watching on the computer is out. Also, I would be afraid of having a hard drive go out and losing all my entertainment. 

Actually, I can watch my computer-stored items on any modern TV set.

I can disconnect the external hard disk drive from the computer, take it to the other room, and connect it directly to the USB port on the Blu-Ray player which is always connected to the TV. This makes everything on the disk accessible, even 8 Terabytes worth(!) 

Now, if you don't have the directories arranged logically, it's tough to locate an item amongst hundreds of files. With no Windows Explorer, you have to step down a list long list hierarchy, but I really have done it.)

More commonly, I copy things that I plan to watch soon to a smaller disk drive or even a large-capacity flash drive, and plug that item into the Blu Ray player.

Every Blu Ray player I've had can access additional storage, instead of a disk, from its menu. Older DVD players usually can't do this. See the bottom row under "My Apps" in the example below. (This is the menu you see when you start the player without a playable disc in place.) It lets you play a "data" disc (a DVD or even a CD with plain video files like .avi or .mpg), a USB device, or (I'm guessing about the third icon) a compatible display (TV, tablet, phone).

(Our big TV receiver (about five years old) seems to recognize my computer's desktop via Bluetooth or WiFi or whatever, so if I could figure it out, I might be able to access the computer files there, directly and wirelessly.)

I have worried about disk crash. My collection is spread out over several disks, but I really need to back up the important stuff more often.

[Deleted]

Nov 15, 2020 12:34:23 GMT -5 e knight said:

Nov 15, 2020 8:19:12 GMT -5 @tankeryanker said:

Thank you for the paper insert idea. 

I like to watch tv in bed so watching on the computer is out. Also, I would be afraid of having a hard drive go out and losing all my entertainment. 

Actually, I can watch my computer-stored items on any modern TV set.

I can disconnect the external hard disk drive from the computer, take it to the other room, and connect it directly to the USB port on the Blu-Ray player which is always connected to the TV. This makes everything on the disk accessible, even 8 Terabytes worth(!) 

Now, if you don't have the directories arranged logically, it's tough to locate an item amongst hundreds of files. With no Windows Explorer, you have to step down a list long list hierarchy, but I really have done it.)

More commonly, I copy things that I plan to watch soon to a smaller disk drive or even a large-capacity flash drive, and plug that item into the Blu Ray player.

Every Blu Ray player I've had can access additional storage, instead of a disk, from its menu. Older DVD players usually can't do this. See the bottom row under "My Apps" in the example below. (This is the menu you see when you start the player without a playable disc in place.) It lets you play a "data" disc (a DVD or even a CD with plain video files like .avi or .mpg), a USB device, or (I'm guessing about the third icon) a compatible display (TV, tablet, phone).

(Our big TV receiver (about five years old) seems to recognize my computer's desktop via Bluetooth or WiFi or whatever, so if I could figure it out, I might be able to access the computer files there, directly and wirelessly.)

I have worried about disk crash. My collection is spread out over several disks, but I really need to back up the important stuff more often.

Thank you. This will give me something to chew on. I have Chrome for a browser and you can mirror your computer onto your TV with it. 

With your way, one would need the hard drive and a blue ray player to get it to play on a tv?  Hmm.

[e knight]

If you had to get out of bed and go to your office to pause the playback from the computer keyboard, it may not be so great a plan.

[e knight]

I find that the albums are the most compact storage. These are good for disc sets in more or less final form. You have a TV series that runs 12 discs, you use the first 6 or first 3 pages in the album, assigning each disc its proper, permanant place. You use subsequent pages for other series, and keep the whole thing on a shelf, alongside other volumes. Be sure to label the spines, or at least number them and keep an index.

However, if you use envelopes in file boxes instead, you can file new acquisitions in their proper place in alphabetical or some other order or grouping. (This would be problematical with the albums: unless you can add additional pages easily, you might have to shufflle many discs down to make room.) You can get cardboard separators with tabs at the top that can be labeled. Again, keep some kind of index as to what's in each box.

[Deleted]

I am glad that I am putting some time into thinking this out. I would not have thought about alphabetizing my storage until it was I was all done and saw what I had done. Now I know to bring my collection out and arrange it before putting it in storage.