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Article Title: Those awful DVD cases...
Article Date: 16/01/2006
Article Last Update: 23/03/2006
Introduction:
This will be my first article I ever written for my site & I think it would be a great topic to start off the year with something that everyone has face before. After all these years working with many DVDs, it is time to check out right down to the basic of the world of DVDs, the DVD cases. Since the releases of DVD discs, they have their own special DVD case. Unlike CD cases: these DVD cases are big, size of a small book, about one & a half bigger then a DVD disc itself. Boy, it does takes alot of space for a disc that is pretty much the same size as a CD. Well, one can say there is a spot for an insert booklet, more space for the cover design & even room for another DVD disc fills with extras. Plus, if you aligned them up in a bookshelf, it looks great.
After looking all over the Internet to see there is any DVD case problems (e.g. designs) but I did found two that is related for all Anime fans, which is this one, Anime Web Turnpike: Last Exit Before Toll (March Edition) & Anime Web Turnpike: Last Exit Before Toll (November Edition), both written in the year 2001. Boy, these are really old articles, but it does give you a hint back then what it was. Those articles actually inspired me to write this little article. I only started the Anime world in 2002, just after when DVD really hit off. My question is, did the DVD cases, after all these years, have evolved over time? You know, are they still easy to use, user-friendly? Does it saves the disc when you drop the DVD case & the DVD disc won't pop out accidentally & get damaged? How about solutions to the common problems, like one of those odd DVD case when you go through the torture way of trying to get the disc out painfully & frustrated & in worst case, the DVD got screwed over or crack in half while doing so? Those are issues that will be covering, what works & what doesn't to even nothing have changed.
Is there a size standard?
With the wonders of plastics, DVD cases can comes in all colors along with the common black, white & clear. However, for the size, is another story. Pretty much all the commercial used DVD cases for, well DVDs, which hold either one disc or even two with a special flap in the middle; they are pretty much the same size case. Well, not really, there is still a standard problem. Some cases have different height, give & take a few millimeters in you aligned them all together, which some peoples are born to hate if they like things organized & straight. Why on Earth that some cases are taller then others, which it suppose to be a standard size? Most peoples don't really care, but for Anime DVD collectors, it's a little different. For Anime DVDs, which most are series that spans multiple volumes, comes out at different intervals, which means depending of the supply, you might end up that not all DVD releases of one particular Anime series comes with the same DVD case made by the same manufacture. Some might be taller, while others are shorter, though the color might be the same. No two DVD cases are made equal. Some won't get bothered, but that brings out the issue with those special limited edition boxes that goes along with the first volume. Since some DVD cases aren't the same height, well, you got a problem to fit your entire series collection to that box when all the volumes are all finally release.
Types of hooks that hold the discs...
The major difference of all standard DVD cases are the little hooks that hold the DVDs in the case. Personally, I don't know what to call them. Some called them buttons, while in DVD standard, "hubs". I know they got names for each of them as most are patented, but I don't know which is which, but I will keep you up to date when I get that information & post it right here. Here you go, a list of all the DVD cases, mostly single disc one that I have seen so far. I also have taken the time to take pictures so it will be alot easier to explain it. Note that the DVD cases here are experiences with Anime DVD releases.
The "hook" button: This one is pretty common in the early stage of DVDs. It's basically button with button with two hooks that shape like the ying & yang symbol. They are very easy to take out, all you do is press & pop, no problem. These works quite well & still in used today. However, like all good things, it has its problems. This type of button are prone that the DVD will pop out & jump around in the case, damaging it, if the DVD case is dropped.
The double "hook pinch" button: This one is also pretty common in the early stage of DVDs. This one got two small hooks that you need to pinch them together in order to take out the DVD disc out. There is even a little section saying "pull up" here. It's someone a pain on the butt to do, but it's more solid to hold the DVD disc in place. This one is getting harder to see in newer DVDs releases, but you can still spot them for old series. However, if one of the hooks got broken, the DVD case is now rendered useless & will not hold anything at all.
 
The "clip" button: This one is one unique that haven't been used for some time. It also called the M button or M hub. Unlike the other, this one actually has a clip lock in the middle that you can see. If you press it, the clip folded in & release the DVD. Putting it back, just put the DVD on top & & press & the clip snap back right in. The only problem with this one, well, the DVD is hold by just two pins, which make the DVD wiggles more then it should & you must make sure that it's back in locking position or the DVD disc not hold there.
The "teeth" button: This one is easy to spot, it's like little teeth all in a circle & you just press it & pops comes the DVD disc. Usually goes to three to six teeth to lock in the DVD. They are still in use & depending on how the teeth are laid out, if one breaks, the DVD case can be still be used (if more then four teeth). However, pressing too hard might make all the teeth breaks.
The "tri-star" button: This one just recently came into view recently & it has become quite popular in the most recent Anime DVD releases. This one is a button with three small pins exactly one third apart. Just press a bit, hold & take out the disc. This one is pretty solid & hold the disc firm & quite easy to take out without any presume on your part. No wonder it's so popular.
The "rubber" button: This one also just came out recently. I think this one is the easiest to take the disc out, because, the button is made of soft plastic, press & the disc is release. Plus, it holds the disc in place & it doesn't move or spin. There is also a hard plastic one (right) version as well. This one is currently being used.
The "star-push" button: These are quite rare to see, but it's out there. These are also easy to use, it even say "push" right on the button with 6 pins. All you do is press & the disc pops out with no effort. However, there actually comes in two versions, but it's not the button, but the rest of the case. One version, the DVD case itself looks cheap (left picture), while the other isn't & build more solid (right picture).
 
The "flower-hole" button: To save the best for last, well, not really best, but the worst one yet, which is the one with a empty hole right in the middle with five to even six pins around holding the disc. I do know that it was designed by Scanavo Inc.. Personally, I hate this type. The DVD discs are very hard to come out. Pressing the so-called button is quite painful pressing, thanks to that empty hole in the middle. It can also make an imprint right on your thumb every time to press it. Also, you need to put a little force to take out the disc, as in, bending the DVD disc slightly to take it out. Uh, who is in the right mind want to bend DVD disc? Even you success taking out the disc, the DVD might get damage, to fingerprints to worst case, cracking the DVD disc itself. These ones are quite unpopular with many DVD fans & they are around for quite some time. Even with those problems, but they are still in service. There are two versions, one with six pins (left) & five (right).
The new "flower-hole" button: Scanavo Inc. promised to make some improvements to it's type of DVD cases with this type of button. This one is sort of a new version of the previous one above, totally different then the ones I have seen before. It seems to have added extra smaller pins in between the large ones. It still the same problem, with the hole in the middle & you have to bend the DVD disc just to pop it out, causing a possible damage to the disc. However, I find this one is actually harder to remove the DVD then the previous one.
If you see in the picture above, this DVD got cracked when I try to take the DVD out with the new "flower-hole" button. This is the first time it ever happens to me. Thanks Scanavo Inc., the improvements over the old design didn't work.
Comparing Anime companies DVD cases...
With more & more Anime releases to come by, it seems to be lots of sources where the DVD cases are coming from with quality to different type of hooks varies from interval. Since I worked with most Anime DVD companies, I can give you what kind of DVD cases they have been using.
- ADV Films: Most of their DVD cases are supplied by Scanavo Inc.. Since that is the case, the most DVD cases are with the "flower-hole" button. Even recent Anime releases have this type of DVD cases. I have my own fair share of frustration, which I just broke out of my DVD just trying to get it out (look above). Even that article I mention at the beginning back in 2001, looks like this one never change at all. At least, there is one good news is that some Anime DVD releases are using the "rubber" button. Hopefully, they will stop using the "flower-hole" button. However, all the cases are exactly the same, so no height problem. On a good note, some releases do seem to have the "rubber" button.
- Bandai Entertainment: A while ago, they have decided to manufacture their DVD releases & since then, well, everything is great, except for the DVD cases. Now, these days, the DVD cases are the "star-push" button. Almost every DVD release, even special limited edition, used this case. Personally, these DVD cases feel cheap & not solid at all. They can bend easily & somehow, they only come in black. They do smell a bit, too. Maybe it's just me, but I hope they decided to change the DVD cases soon. If the DVD cases feel cheap, it looks cheap & the value of the DVD is reflected upon that. Once again, the only good thing about it is that all the cases are exactly the same, so no height problem.
- Central Park Media: They used various DVD cases, but mostly the "teeth" button on their new releases now.
- FUNimation Productions: When they first releases DVDs, their DVD cases back then was a bit on the cheap side, as they weren't solid as the others in those days, but over the years, they have change to a newer DVD case. Even though they use the "star-push" button like Bandai Entertainment, but it's not the cheap ones The case is actually more sturdy then their counterparts.
- Geneon Entertainment: I have been working with them for the longest & I see the stages of their DVD cases come & goes. They have pretty much used most of the DVD cases listed here. Currently, they are using the "tri-star" button & some of the "rubber" button. Both works greats, however, there are problems with the sources of their DVD cases. I started to notice that some DVD cases changes over time, making that some DVD cases are taller then others on one volume to another.
- Manga Entertainment: Surprising, they are still using the "hook" button for more of their releases. They are still good DVD cases, just be sure not to drop them.
- Urban Vision: They also used various DVD cases, but mostly the "teeth" button on their new releases.
Conclusion:
There you have it, to what little information I have right now. Some DVD cases did evolved over time & for the better, while others didn't at all, even they carried the same problem, like the "flower-hole" button, which by now should have been faded out to a more user-friendly. I will keep you all when more information comes in. This article will be updated once & a while, as the search is on for that perfect DVD case.
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