Extras, included with DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray have seriously lost their luster, at least for me. In the early days of DVD, I would wade through the extras, including the commentaries as if the movie itself simply didn't justify the purchase without them. I eagerly purchased the multiple disc versions and watched in astonishment when others selected the single disc version, geez, anyone can see that 2 discs are better than one.

More than a decade later I simply don't care, I watch the movie and remove the disc from the player with very few exceptions. The exceptions are when I know there is a great gag reel or short movie, like the squirrel in the Ice Age movies or the penguins from Madagascar. I admit, I can't get enough of the penguins, or the squirrel, or any number of Shrek sing along shorts. These my friends are the rare exception to the rule.

Blu-Ray (and once upon a time HD-DVD) promised to provide a huge leap forward in the extras department, BD Live removed the limitations that disc space once  enforced, so why then am I still so severely underwhelmed by the extras? Easy, they suck, they have no imagination and outside of the rare exception, they, oh I already said it.

There are commentaries I must have, all of which are found on the excellent Criterion versions, these guys know how to spruce up a movie. Kevin Smith commentaries are also worth a listen just for the laughs. The vast majority of commentaries however are worthless, they might as well mike up one of my dogs, the sloppy licking sounds would be far more entertaining and provide more information.

Gag reels should give us a few laughs, hence the term gag reel. Somewhere along the line the need to include extras lost focus and the gag reel is now more likely to make us gag than laugh. While not a great piece of cinematic art, Marley & Me should have been able to piece together a good or even great reel. I was saddened by its complete lack of funny however.

There is one gag reel I must mention as excelling, once again, not a great cinematic treasure but one of my biggest guilty pleasures. Armageddon's criterion 2 disc set has the funniest reel I have ever seen. Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton  are a couple of very funny guys, give this one a chance, you won't regret it.

Blu-Ray is a huge improvement in picture and audio, so why is it failing so miserably at delivering the interactive extras it promised us? Lack of creativity is the best I have been able to come up with but I am sure there is an accountant behind the scenes who hasn't laughed in 20 years and would prefer to keep the rest of us from doing so as well.

Studios, are you listening? Give us something to smile about, show us the awe and wonder you promised. We love the improved picture and sound but for the extra bucks to get the Blu-Ray disc, well, give us something that really blows our socks off.

Movies are designed to place you deep inside their world, well good movies are. Watching a movie on a large television or even projector is a wonderful experience but the picture only tells half the story. Movie soundtracks envelope you, they bring out emotions, surround you in their make believe world, and complete the fantasy.

If you are listening to movies on the speakers in your television or on a cheap, uncalibrated sound system you are missing the movie. From the explosive sound effects to the softest whisper, a good sound system brings the movie to life.

Films are NOT a visual medium, they are a combination of video and audio. If you haven't watched your favorite films, no matter what the genre, in the theater or a home theater with a full 5.1 sound system, then you need to do so, right now. The difference is night and day. The importance of the sound track to telling a story on film was known even before talkies came out. Music was always played during the showing, music designed specifically for the film and timed to elicit the emotion, the action, the laughter being displayed on the screen.

Don't cheat yourself by cutting out the second half of a film, bring them to life in a whole new way. Experience the entire artistic vision of the director and invest in a sound system worthy of the movies you love.

For years I have preached about the evils of pan-and -scan. Thanks to VHS and the public's inability to endure any movie that didn't fill their entire 4:3 screen, pan-and-scan became the way we endured movies, even the early days of DVD were filled with the criminal act. Criterion had the vision and guts to start releasing movies in their original aspect ratio during their beginning with Laserdisc and eventually helped all of the studios see the value of putting out DVD's in their pristine and full aspect ratio.

Aside from the occasional release that comes in both flavors, pan-and-scan has slowly vanished, thanks in part to the popularity of HDTV with its  16:9 aspect ratio. Now a new evil has started to find its way onto DVD and Blu-Ray. The most current release of Gulliver's travels, a movie with an original aspect of 4:3, has been released in an altered 16:9 format.

No movie should be changed from its directors vision, in any way. I don't want to see any of Stanley Kubrick's 4:3 films in 16:9,  that wasn't what he wanted, that wasn't his vision.  The general public needs to be educated all over again it seems... wait, that isn't it at all.

The studios need to be smashed over the head for this idiotic practice and belief that John Q Public won't accept black bars on their screen. People have finally come to understand that some movies don't fit their screen. If they don't like it they can select from a number of options to stretch the picture (a practice I am appalled by but tolerate) and fill their screen. It makes no sense whatsoever to leave those of us who wish to see the movie as it was presented on the big screen.

I am hoping this practice dies quickly and I certainly won't be purchasing movies, in any format that don't present the movie properly. Take a stand and force the studios to do the right thing, skip the purchase until the movie is offered in the format it was filmed for.

I will go into the lesser evil of not offering original sound tracks in a later article, it upsets me just as much however so be prepared for another rant.

Genesis (1970-1975)  is a dream come true for any early Genesis or Peter Gabriel fan. The early works of Genesis, with Peter Gabriel at the helm showcases the artistic vision and showman ship Gabriel brought to every show, every song, and just about everything in his life.

Gabriel put on exotic costumes and brought shows to a standstill with 30 minute poetry readings or political rants. This made him a little hard to swallow, especially for his band mates, it eventually broke the band apart and ushered Phil Collins to the front of the stage from behind his drum kit.

This is where I left Genesis behind, no longer relevant in my  mind as they began to pump out pop candy like an 80s hit machine, a bad one, at least in my opinion. The early years hinted strongly at the creative powers of Gabriel, the showmanship, and the production mastery that became focused during the 80s and downright masterful in the 90s and beyond.

This 7-CD, 6-DVD box set sounds wonderful. The surround mixes are aggressive, letting Gabriel's artistic vision flow around the room, recreating the energy and feel of the music. The surround mixes are hit and miss, you will find favorites throughout. The CD versions are solid and well mastered, placing the listener at the front of the band.

If you are a fan of early Genesis and Peter Gabriel, this is a no brainer purchase. Order your copy today and let the music pull you back in time, to the birth of a master, a true artist who is finding his legs in these recordings.

Blu-Ray sale pricing has begun to show signs of coming down, not to DVD levels but it is still an improvement. Mainstream titles such as Black Hawk Down, The Shining and Underworld can be found regularly for $14.99 along with a smattering of other archive titles. I picked up MiB and The Fifth Element for $9.99 recently as well.

New releases still seem to be holding to the $22.99 - $29.99 pricing structure but I expect to start seeing these come down over the next year as well. Blu-Ray has continued to show market strength in a difficult economy and can only go up from where we stand today. Archive titles are at a price worth considering VS their DVD counterparts already, at least if you remain patient.  

I have found the best prices at Fry's and Amazon with some surprise bargains at Best Buy. On a side note, for those of us who still have HD-DVD players, Fry's has some very good deals on the remainder of their HD-DVD stock. I picked up Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 for $9.99 and a number of other titles for under $5 recently.

For true bargain hunters, the wait is nearly over and for those simply looking for a good deal to add to their collection, the time has come. Happy Hunting.

It was 1998 when I first started collecting DVDs, and oh what a time it was. Buy one get ones were all over the web, it was difficult to pay more than five or six bucks for a disc back then, if you knew where to go. It was the golden age of collecting and in a very real way, it was responsible for the super fast adoption of DVD.

Blu-Ray has seen its share of buy 2 get one deals, super special pricing and so forth, but it in no way compares to the early days of DVD. It was the perfect storm. I was working for an online company at the time and was very in-tune with the fledgling industry as a whole. The rise of the internet played a big part in the surge of consumer technology. New product news traveled fast and people wanted it, now.

The general idea behind internet sales sites was not to make money, at least not for a few years or even a decade. It was all about being cool and getting as many customers in your doors as possible. Music, movies and book sales were the driving force behind Amazon and many other companies, they practically gave away the media. Just to ensure they were not going to make any money soon, they often threw in free shipping.

I miss those days but I also realize that they had to end in order for these companies to survive. I grit my teeth when I look at prices for new releases and have had to adopt a different mindset when adding to my collection. In the old days. I bought everything the week it came out, assuming it had received high ratings for picture and sound quality. Today it is more difficult to get me out there on any given Tuesday, I can wait most of the time.

Waiting serves two purposes and unless I absolutely know I have to get the movie, I wait. First off, waiting means the price will come down, way down in most cases. Second, I end up finding I really didn't need the movie. I rent it and will probably never watch it again.

Waiting was unthinkable before, I would miss out on the good deals... hey, wait a minute... you know what? That old marketing ploy actually worked. Amazon got me collecting on the cheap, they hooked me like a pusher births a junkie. All those years ago I thought I was taking advantage of these companies but they were just waiting for my addiction to fully kick in.

I don't collect as much crap as I used to and I figure the stores I buy at are even making a little money off of me now. Perhaps Blu-Ray needs to go out and offer up a few cheap highs to the public. It worked in the past, besides, I could deal with a good sale on Blu-Ray movies right now. I still have a taste for the addiction but I am staying on the wagon, at least for now.

My love affair with concert albums, and now concert DVD and Blu-Ray discs started back in the 70s with Frampton Comes Alive and Journey:  Captured. Since then I have listened to far more disappointing concert albums than good, but there are a handful of concerts I consider great in every way.

With the advent of concert DVDs and Blu-Rays, I am now able to place myself in the front row and let the experience envelope me. Based on my age I know many of these concerts will not appeal to the younger crowd but they are without doubt fantastic examples of what can be done when magic strikes on concert night.

When it comes to DVD and Blu-Ray concerts, I have a strict criteria for whether a disc gets my love or not. The disc must be a concert, not a documentary that continually breaks up the experience.

I found Peter Gabriel while I was going through my MTV, New Wave phase back in the 80s. Shock the Monkey received a lot of airplay and opened the door for me to experience what a master of epic concert drama is capable of. When I first popped Growing Up Live into my DVD player I had not given Peter a serious listen for several years. While I appreciate his work in the later 80s and early 90s, it was not something I listened to often. Growing Up Live changed that when I was blown away by not only the complexity of the music, but also the theatrical powerhouse of a show that unfolded.

Growing Up Live

became my reference DVD immediately, the picture quality is outstanding and the DTS 5.1 track is mind blowing. I have found few DVDs that can provide as quality a test for speakers. I take this along every time I look for speakers and can tell immediately if they meet my requirements. The music, the show, and the quality make this my number one pick.

Neil Young’s Live Rust is a powerful set that begins with an all-acoustic set before blasting off when Crazy Horse walks onto the stage. There is no denying the otherworldly, artistic talent that flows from the mind and heart of Neil Young and this is one of his best moments.

U2 caught my attention way back with their first two albums but lost me afterward. I was never offended by their music, it certainly was impressive but the rebel magic of Sunday Bloody Sunday was gone in my mind. I was lucky enough to live in Denver and see Under a Blood Red Sky but that isn’t my pick here despite being an amazing concert. My pick is U2 Go Home - Live from Slane Castle, it is a perfect evening that makes me understand what I was missing when I dismissed U2 during the 90s.

My wife is a huge Elvis Costello fan and while I have always enjoyed his music it wasn’t until she got front row tickets for an Austin show that I really gave him a serious listen. While that show was amazing the Blu-Ray, Elvis Costello & the Imposters: Club Date - Live in Memphis has the master in a very small venue and at his best. This one is not to be missed.

Tom Petty has been dragging my heart around for years and his music has only gotten better with each passing year. Tom Petty and The heartbreakers: Live in Concert catches Tom and the band doing what they do best for two discs. Blues and rock from his career and a selection of work from other artists make this an evening to enjoy. The sound and picture quality are superb. This disc deserves a night in your theater.

I know I am going to be hammered for leaving out the Eagles, Peter Frampton and many other fine bands. I can only say that this is my current top 5 and while it evolves with time, you can’t go wrong with any of these concerts.

More and more I hear, “there is no difference between DVD and Blu-Ray” and I am shocked, dismayed and can do nothing more than scratch my head. How can anyone with eyes not see the improvement over upscaled DVD? Is Toshiba working behind the scenes to brainwash people as payback for losing the format war?

I will admit to the fact that I do not always see the financial benefit to HD sound or 1080p source material but I sure as hell can see and hear the difference. I think a fly, with its multi-faceted view of the world can see the difference. When I have to consider budget however, many times the DVD wins out. I have discussed my buying criteria in previous articles so I won’t rehash it here.

I did find a clue to at least one person’s unfavorable review of DVD VS Blu-Ray however and just so no one else makes this mistake… You cannot connect your Blu-Ray player to your HDTV with a composite cable (the yellow one) and see 1080p or even good 480p. You must use at least a component cable (red, green, blue) for 1080i and HDMI or DVI cables for 1080p.

I understand that to many people, connecting anything to a TV or receiver is akin to launching the space shuttle, but you spent a lot of money for your system, read the manual and get what you pay for. If you don’t want to, can’t or the manual isn’t available in your native language get help from a friend!

DVD is a wonderful media and I still buy movies on it. The picture is great and for many of the movies I purchase, quite adequate. Blu-Ray is amazing and many of my purchased go to HD. The point is, there is in fact, a huge difference between the formats for movies that are well produced. I understand that Blu-Ray doesn’t fit into everyone’s budget and that many people do not have a display that is HD capable. Down the road when prices are right or there is a beautiful new HDTV in your living room, I hope you make the smart choice and jump onto the Blu-Ray train, it is better in every way.

When it comes to buying many of the available TV on DVD collections, I just don’t get it. I have a few TV shows on DVD and for the most part I have been happy with them. What I don’t get is the need to watch Sanford and Son again and that is one of the better shows available today.

If it was ever on the small screen it is most likely available on DVD and now many are making their way to Blu-Ray. Has no one ever heard of Tivo? These show are available out there, I have seen them in my Sat guide. As a serious collector of movie media I understand the collectors bug, perhaps it's the cost of sets that puts me off. I can justify the cost of the Sopranos and many of my favorite Sci-fi shows, to a point.

I am a big fan of the Stargate  franchise, both SG-1 and Atlantis, but even my serious collectoritis hasn’t convinced me to buy these. I probably just lost most of you but I do like my Sci-fi and it is one of the few things I can still get my 15 year old son to watch with me. I won’t be buying these anytime soon however because they are on TV, all the time.

I did a cost analysis of lowering my DirecTV subscription to the minimum and starting to purchase the shows we watch on DVD or Blu-Ray. It didn’t pan out however as the cost of these TV sets is high, besides, it is pretty tough to avoid spoilers until the set comes out.

I hang my head in shame when I admit to owning all 5 seasons of Andromeda, a series that forced its writers to work with a special effects budget of about $75 an episode. It is one of my guilty pleasures though so I will accept the ridicule now. I guess I do in fact understand the desire to own many of these shows, at least if you really loved a series but is there really any joy at all in watching Survivor again?

Is it time to go Blu-Ray? The answer is, well, that depends. Blu-Ray is a superior format, better than DVD in every way except price. With entry level, Blu-Ray players found for $200 or so from major brands like Sony, Samsung and Panasonic the time has come for many of us to jump in.

Prices on Blu-Ray players are dropping as quickly as they did with DVD, which means we have a few years before the players and media reach current, or close to current DVD prices. This depends a lot on Blu-Rays ability to continue making its way into homes. If sales slow because of the economy, we will have a longer wait.

One thing to avoid when purchasing a new Blu-Ray player is bargain basement machines. I was shocked to see that Consumer Reports listed the Sylvania player as their best buy. This player and others from brands like Insignia will not play newer Blu-Ray discs and will continue to become more useless with each day. You don’t need a 2.0 Profile machine but it must absolutely be capable of accepting firmware updates.

Blu-Ray players are Java based which allows them to be easily upgraded by the consumer (Free of charge) as new features are added. Unlike DVD, Blu-Ray can and does change, you have to be able to upgrade or your fancy new machine will sit unused after just a few months. Fortunately, most players are upgrade friendly.

The advent of 2.0 Profile Blu-Ray players allows the consumer to connect directly to the internet for automatic updates which makes their use much easier overall. In the event you have an older player or are unable to make an internet connection, manufacturers provide upgrade discs through the mail or you can download the update on your computer and burn it to a CD.

Profile 2.0 players are also able to take advantage of all of the BD-Live functionality, which brings interactive features to the experience. I am not blown away by BD-Live, at least not yet but I have found some fun games and in the case of Sony, a fan club where I can register my Blu-Ray discs and receive points towards additional purchases or even free Blu-Ray discs. If you can afford the little bit extra for a 2.0 Profile player, it is worth it for ease of use but certainly not a deal breaker in my opinion.

Blu-Ray disc prices are also a consideration but I have found that waiting for bargains pays off. In addition, I rent many Blu-Rays from Blockbuster. Netflix also carries Blu-Rays and both services will automatically update your queue so that you don’t have to mess with doing it yourself.

If you have an HDTV, it is probably time to upgrade just for the difference in picture quality. If you have an HD audio capable receiver, you should really go ahead and jump. I know the movies cost more right now but you can always rent and in the end, we are having this discussion because we want the best possible picture and sound available. DVD is far from dead and I weigh my buying decisions on the type of movie and the benefits I can expect to see if I buy Blu-Ray.

Do yourself a favor and treat that fancy HDTV to a completely new level of amazing, even if you can’t start collecting the media, you can still enjoy the magic that is Blu-Ray.

The Top Ten Action DVD and Blu-Ray list for 2008 is all about explosions, gunfire, car chases and superheroes. This top ten list of action movies on DVD and Blu-Ray for 2008 isn’t about plot or story line, it is about sitting down in your home theater and grinning from ear to ear that you spent the time to get your system right. This is your payoff, this is what all of the hard work was for and I suggest you invite your friends, pop in these discs and rattle their fillings loose.

The Dark Knight: The blockbuster smash of the year offers a pristine picture and amazing sound on both DVD and Blu-Ray, obviously, as with all of these movies, the Blu-Ray experience really takes things up a notch. The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack envelops you fully, making you a part of the action. The car/truck/Batpod scene is especially impressive.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr. brought Iron Man to life but the creators of the DVD and Blu-Ray did a fantastic job of bringing the movie experience to home media. Every time the metal clad hero appears on screen brings the promise of detailed sound and room shaking bass.    DVD   Blu-Ray

Rambo: Before you hit the home button on your browser, hear me out. Rambo has absolutely no theatrical merit whatsoever but damn does it deliver the goods when it comes to bombastic sound, buckets of gore and flying body parts. The rail gun scene may make you cover your eyes but your ears will beg for more, this movie delivers the good and then some when it comes to showing off your systems capabilities.    DVD   Blu-Ray

Wanted: I really expected to be disappointed by this movie, but I liked it, a lot, and the sound quality in either format is excellent with plenty of gunfire, explosions and action moving from speaker to speaker. The inclusion of a lossless mix on the Blu-Ray takes things up a notch but you won’t be disappointed by the sound on the DVD, this puppy rocks!   DVD   Blu-Ray

The Incredible Hulk: I walked in expecting the worst but this movie was damn good and the endless pounding of bass will have you begging for mercy. Every time Hulk appears on screen, you had best brace yourself for every footstep, explosion and beastly roar.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Hellboy II: The Golden Army: I loved the first Hellboy movie and was not disappointed by the sequel. I know many critics gave this movie a hard time but I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The sound on this release hits you in the chest and turns your internal organs to jelly, what more could you ask for? How about an amazing DTS-HD Master Audio track on the Blu-Ray version, this track delivers detail and thunder equally well.   DVD   Blu-Ray

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Disney deserves a medal for this release, not only for a stellar sound track, which is one of the most detailed and well produced I have ever had the privilege of hearing. The extras, video quality and Blu-Ray interactivity are all reference, this disc pushes both the DVD and Blu-Ray technologies to their limit.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Hancock: I really wanted to place Hancock higher on the list, I even liked this movie, but from a blow you mind sound experience perspective, there is too much lull between action scenes. When the action does come, prepare yourself, it is in you face and all around you. This soundtrack makes the most of your subwoofer and surround speakers.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Whether you liked the movie or not, the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones story is nonstop action and that takes you right back to the original. The audio track is solid and detailed while packing a punch.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Wall-E: If not for the fact that Wall-E is not in any real sense an action movie it would have been in the top 5. The soundtrack for Wall-E is exceptional in every way, with clear dialog, chest thumping bass and lots of action in all 6 speakers. This is not only a great movie but a great reference soundtrack that is easy on visitors who are prone to disapprove of more traditional action fare.   DVD   Blu-Ray

These movies are my personal choices for showing off a home theater, if you feel I have left anything off, let me know, I am always open to suggestions and user input.

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

When you have a few DVD or Blu-Ray discs, keeping them safe is easy. It’s when you have 50, 100, 250 or more DVD and Blu-Ray discs that you have to start getting serious about storage and care of your collection.  This article will focus on where to put your selection to ensure the discs and cases stay good as new.

The traditional solution to DVD and Blu-Ray storage is to use shelves, large shelves, and this is the route I prefer. I have a need to look at the collection, pull out the case and make a viewing decision. Shelf storage keeps discs and cases in good condition and makes looking over your collection fast and easy. Standard bookshelves or dedicated DVD shelves are pretty much the same and interchangeable.

Shelf storage comes in a variety of sizes to fit most situations, the only problem is when you have so many discs, filling so many shelves that you have nowhere else to go. It is possible, as I am finding out now, to run out of shelf space and worse, space for more shelves. Those with an extra room can place their collection there but most of us don’t have an extra room or even an extra wall to spare. For most collectors however, the basic shelf solution is the way to go.

Storage binders are the solution for the seriously space deprived and it works in a pinch. Most people are familiar with these for storing CD collections but they work for DVD and Blu-Ray just as well. There is a serious downside to using DVD binders however. Small dust particles or even dirt get into the sleeves and scratch the delicate surface of the discs. CD’s are capable of playing perfectly well with minor scratches but DVD and Blu-Ray discs can become unplayable much easier because of a thinner layer of protective covering. Even if great care is taken, you can find your collection suffering.

Another consideration of the binder solution is that you have to either store the cases or toss them out which makes trading or selling discs much more difficult or impossible. It also makes picking a movie from your collection a chore as many discs have no clear identity and for those who have difficulty reading small print, well, you will suffer.

DiscSox is a nice solution that is a combination of the shelf and binder solutions. You cut the artwork out of the original case, slide it and the movie into a special sock to greatly reduce your collections space requirements. DiscSox claims a 13 inch stack of cases will be reduced to 3 inches and keep your discs safe and secure.

While I like the idea of saving a lot of space and still being able to see the movies cover, I can’t imagine cutting up the cases. The cases are not important to many people so you will have to weigh the DiscSox option based on your needs.

One creative option is using drawers, in a dresser, cabinet or even kitchen. This solution may work well for you if you prefer a shelf free environment but can’t bring yourself to destroy your collections covers. This option allows you to keep your movies out of harms way while maintaining a more traditional décor.

Now that you have your solution picked out, remember to dust shelves and cases often. Dust can quickly become adhered to the plastic covers of DVD and Blu-Ray cases making them less than perfect in appearance. I learned the hard way and grimace every time I pull out one of those movies.

Collecting DVD and Blu-Ray Movies    Organize a DVD and Blu-Ray Collection

Collecting movies on DVD and Blu-Ray can easily become an obsession. Hang out on any home theater forum and you may be amazed, even shocked, at the movie collections out there. Three thousand DVDs is a lot, and there are more than a couple collectors out there who put the local Blockbuster to shame.

Collecting is easy, but doing it on a budget, dealing with storage, and keeping the disks organized takes work and planning. Taking the time to come up with a careful plan for collecting makes the task enjoyable and pays off for the whole family.

I plan to cover the variables of collecting in several articles, including finding the best bargains, choosing the method of storage, and keeping track of your collection. Collecting DVDs and Blu-Rays seems like a no-brainer until your collection begins to exceed 50 discs or so--at which point organization becomes a must. If you have relatives or friends you loan movies to, things can get even more out of control.

This article covers how to buy discs without busting your budget. The first thing to do is create a wish list with a simple prioritization system.  Creating a list keeps impulse buying to a minimum so your collecting budget doesn’t keep getting dinged with minor wants or dogs. My system is simple and straightforward and can be used in something as easy as an excel spreadsheet, a piece of paper, or an organization system like DVD Profiler, which I will cover in a future article on organization.

Buy it When Released: This category is for the must-have movies, like The Dark Knight. Preordering online can save you money sometimes, but I prefer to hit the local brick-and-mortar for these buys. Home Theater Forum has two hard-working members who put together a list of all the large stores, both online and off, so you don’t have to spend your time searching. Most times the store prices are within a dollar of each other…so you simply visit the one closest to you.

Classics: The first thing about classics is that they are often available in different versions that can have widely varied quality issues.  With some classics, there is only one version available and it simply isn’t worth owning unless you are a die-hard fan. This is another place where an enthusiast’s forum can be handy. You will find other fans out there who know the right version to buy and why. In the case of a single bad version being available, I suggest waiting until a better release comes out.

Really Want: These are movies that have already been released and you know you will buy it. Depending on how recently the movie was released, the price may already be right. For movies released in the last 6 to 12 months--it is worth waiting until you find it on sale or the MSRP comes down. DVD Price Search is an easy online tool that searches all of the major and a number of minor stores. DVD Price Search also lets you enter all or part of your want list and shows you the best store, including shipping costs to make your purchase.

Kind-a-Want: These discs are nice if you find a great deal, but you could live without it. This category includes discs that are most likely to eat away at your budget…so carefully consider what movies you might be giving up from higher on your list when you purchase these. Kind-a-Want discs are about the only time I will consider a used disc and I have had great luck at Half.com. They have a great selection of used and new discs.

Another good way to maintain your collection, getting rid of bad choices and making friends all at the same time is to, once again, give your favorite forum a try. Other enthusiasts take great care of their discs and are looking to trade or sell their copies.

Now that you have a game plan for buying, we can talk about storage next time. See you then!

DVD and Blu-Ray Storage    Organize a DVD and Blu-Ray Collection