Organizing a large DVD and Blu-Ray collection is more than
just putting the movies on a shelf. You need a tracking system and an orderly
way of arranging the movies so you can find what you want quickly.
When I was living alone and had less than 500 DVDs, I was
able to maintain them with less effort than I am able to now, I always knew 
the
movie was there, I just didn’t always know its exact location. Then my good
friend and neighbor got his first DVD player and I started loaning movies out.
Loaning movies out must be done with extreme caution, I only
have two people I loan movies too and I don’t feel a bit bad about telling
everyone else no. Loaning movies complicates things unless you keep careful
track of your movies but there is a solution that makes keeping track of your
current movies easy. It also keeps track of your wish list and best of all, the
movies you loan out.
DVD Profiler comes in
a free and premium version. The free version does everything you could want but
the premium version is inexpensive and includes a few bonus features. Adding
your DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs is as easy as entering the name, UPC, reading
the disc in a DVD drive or by using a hand scanner. The DVD Profiler database is kept up by
enthusiasts and includes every region, version and variable you can imagine, so
you always have the exact information that applies to your DVD or Blu-Ray.
DVD Profiler allows
you to sort by genre, actor, media type and more making it easy to find exactly
what you feel like watching. It also has excellent reporting capabilities, all
of which can be printed out. In addition, they have a mobile and online version
so you can check your wish list at the store or make sure you don’t already
have a disc and trust me, when your collection starts to get big, you can
easily forget what you already have.
Now that you have your collection loaded up it is time to
organize your shelves. I use alphabetical, which is the easiest but there are
other options I will discuss below. I print out a report in DVD Profiler and start loading the shelves,
it makes alphabetizing faster. I go through all of my collection once a year to
check for out of place or missing movies. Large collections, especially with a
teen in the house, have a way of getting unorganized.
I also take the time to go through my list to identify any
discs that failed to make it into the database or have vanished, usually into
the depths of a bedroom. I track everything down and make corrections if necessary.
Alternative organization methods are as numerous as movies
themselves, I have seen by director, year of theater release, and even by the
style of case. I would suggest keeping it simple, genre is a good option that
makes sense. I also separate my DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD collections, more for
appearance than anything else.
Now that you know how to find the best prices, store your
collection and keep it organized the sky, well ,shelf space is the limit.
Collecting
DVD and Blu-Ray Movies DVD and
Blu-Ray Storage