MojoLists

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

Audio calibration turns ugly ducklings into audio swans, it can make an inexpensive system sound very good, and a good system sound great. If you haven’t carefully calibrated your system, you are not getting the best sound and you are missing out on details and nuance you never knew existed.

Audio calibration allows you to adjust for the differences in your room size, layout, furniture, floor, and even the decorations that hang on your walls. Every room is different and the factory levels are dead flat. Many new receivers have auto calibration features that detect and adjust delays and levels for you. In my experience, many of these do a good job but need a little tweaking after giving the starting point.

The starting point of audio calibration is measuring the distances and setting the speakers as close to the recommended distances as possible from the seating area. The front three speakers are of the most concern as they do the majority of the work. The center channel in particular is important in that it provides a solid foundation for dialog, the important part of most movies. Distances are important and it is often necessary to play around with exact positioning and angle to achieve the best sound.

Finding the best position requires a calibration disc and sound level meter. I have found all of the calibration discs available today do a great job of walking you though the setup of both audio and video calibration. I recommend using an inexpensive analog sound level meter, the digital models have received some criticism over the years so I have never tried one.

Now that the front speakers are in place, at least for the moment, let’s focus on the surround and rears if you have them. Most homes allow for easy placement of the front speakers but the rears are likely to be more difficult. I prefer the rear channels to be set up high on the side and back walls. Homes however have a way of making placement difficult, especially in living rooms where side and rear walls many not exist. Do the best you can and don’t mount anything to a wall yet, you will almost certainly have to move it.

This is where having a friend around can be handy. Have them hold the rear speakers up in the position you feel will work best, one at a time of course and make sure they are not standing with their body between you and the speakers. Start the calibration disc and set your analog sound level meter to “C weight,” “slow,” and “70.”

Let the calibration disc run through all of the speakers to find the loudest one and adjust the volume until the sound meter needle is dead center. This is your reference for the rest of the calibration as well as the reference volume point you will use for movies if you want to exactly replicate the volume level of a movie theater.

Run the calibration and adjust all of the speakers with the receiver controls until they are all showing dead center on the sound meter. It is now time to mount the rear speakers and put in a DVD you are familiar with. Action movies are best for this, as you want action in the rear speakers. Adjust speaker angles and placement to make sure you are getting the best imaging and recheck all of the sound levels again.

Finally, it is time to adjust the subwoofer. This is done exactly the way the rest of the speakers were calibrated except the sound level meter should be set to “80.” Placing the subwoofer a few feet out from a corner is usually best, but not always possible. One old trick is to place the subwoofer in one of the chairs and walk around the room to identify the position that has the best volume. If you are limited to one place for the subwoofer, adjust it the best you are able.

You have now calibrated the audio levels for your receiver. If you are not using the 5.1/7.1 analog inputs you are finished and can enjoy the newfound life in your movies. If you are using the 5.1/7.1 analog inputs, we get to do it all again. These analog inputs bypass any settings on the receiver so the process must be repeated by calibrating the sound on the DVD/Blu-Ray player.

Some receivers require calibration of each input individually. Use the original settings and make adjustments from there, it should be a minimal and quick process for each input.

After calibration is done, you will need to go through this process whenever you add or remove equipment in your system, move, add, or remove furniture and once a year just for good measure. Speakers and amps can change over the year without you realizing it and besides, it gives you a chance to keep familiar with your system and identify problem areas that appear out of nowhere.