HD-DVD Cases Worse Than Blu-Ray's

[Phanto]

From the Inquirer (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=28907):

The size is again different, but the most troubling bit is the red strip at the top, it adds a lip so it appears that they won't stack flat.
Why would they make the cases different from the DVD? I mean it is a new generation and all, but why?

[Kamalot]

Anyone remember the Sega Saturn game cases? They were the size and shape of VHS casettes. Apparently, Sega did some market research that determined that Americans like bigger things, so the standard CD sized packaging was inflated. The result? Big wastes of space that cracked and broke easily.

A game packaging success story is the Nintendo DS game cases. The cases are the thickness of a DVD case with the height and width of a CD. It fits easily in media cabinets and looks great. They are durable and even function as GameBoy Advance game cases as well. It merges the best of all shapes without being bloated and fragile.

[Nite_Moogle]

Talk about stupid. Retailers are going to hate them.

[jacktion]

Why do some people try to make our lives just a little worse? Can't people try to use their brains? The designers of these cases are just idiots. That's all. If anyone here knows one of the designers, or knows any of their family, just give them a smack for us will you?

[bapenguin]

My guess is someone said, "we need to differentiate ourselves from DVD..."

How about different color boxes. Don't change the size and shape.

[Roc Ingersol]

What're the marketing people going to get paid for then? Choosing which color the box should be? C'mon. They've gotta add superfluous plastic to justify the bill. :p

Though stupid, they're not that big a deal.

I imagine they stack fine, if you alternate orientation. Can't imagine that's a deal breaker for the 'I leave my movies piled on the carpet' crowd.
The also look like they aren't taller, or all that much wider - so unless you have a spine-out shelf that has individual slots per case, with sides that extend the full height of the case, they'll probably still fit.
The lip will also make it easier to grab a single movie from a shelf. At the expense of number of units per shelf anyway.

[bKangy]

They look terrible. I'd honestly hoped they'd just stay the same to as the current generation, because they were effectively perfect!

[jBusy]

Anyone remember the Sega Saturn game cases? They were the size and shape of VHS casettes. Apparently, Sega did some market research that determined that Americans like bigger things, so the standard CD sized packaging was inflated. The result? Big wastes of space that cracked and broke easily.

It wasn't just the saturn. Playstation 1 games were the same size when it was first released.

[Grimgrock]

I personally don't think this is better or worse that what we have today. Today's DVD cases, if they are single disc cases, are far thicker than necessary. Extra paper marketing materials (if any) inside the case are rarely necessary or even worth reading.

So if they want to change the design for HD-DVD cases, let them do it. Consumers, if they don't like it, won't buy them and they will be forced to revisit their design. Does anyone remember the oringal audio CD cases with the paper box encasing the plasic case used today. I think Sam's still have CDs like this. That design changed, perhaps this one will as well.

[Nath5000]

Yeah, I can completely understand why they'd want to differentiate the products. Walk into a best buy and it was at one time easy to tell the difference between the old (VHS) and the new (DVD) based on their packaging. Also CDs came in jewel smaller jewel cases so it was still differentiable on that front. I think a design change is a smart idea as long as it gets everyones thumbs up. If the case has flaws, whether its being unstackable or just plain gimmicky than its not good. I dont think anyone ever gave dvd cases, compact disk jewel cases a thumbs down.. I guess I'll have to see what actually comes out of this. I cant imagine why they'd ever choose something that wouldnt fit well into a stacked or lined up library as easily as dvds have.

By the looks of the picture and the limited information presented in the Inquirer article its hard to determine exactly if the back is indented any due to the indent on the top of the case so that they fit together properly. Either way If the case bombs and HD-DVD survives and everyone hates it, it will most likely be updated.
The article also says that the cases wont free stand up by themselves when it looks in the picture as if the cases have some sort of little flat tabs on the bottom. Im not sure how many people actually stand their dvds individually upright without leaning them against something. I think those little nubs on the bottom would be good enough to keep it from being round and sliding over all of the time.

[Busted_Astromech]

On a related note, have there been any better pics/descriptions of the Blu-ray cases? The other Inquirer article is not very helpful: a blurry picture and a description that the guy couldn't really see.

[Kamalot]

I think, for both case types, people will have to get their hands on them.

I like the idea of them having indentations on the back to they stack nicely, something that can't be told from the photos.

Really what it comes down to though is cost.

If HD-DVD is 1/2 the cost but still shows my movies in HD, then I'm going HD-DVD. Same applies for Blurry. I could care less how many gigs each disc holds as long as it works flawlessly and my movies look great.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Think about this - if there is an indentation in the back to fit that lip, wouldn't that be even worse? Then the damn things would sort of "lock" together, making it that much harder to grab one off the shelf. This whole lip idea is just silly. Kinda like those silly cardboard DVD cases with the plastic tops and bottoms that get caught on the standard cases. PITA.

[Kamalot]

It would be nice if the lip ran along the entire back of the case, allowing one to slide HD-DVDs in or our of your shelf.

I'll also stick to what I've already said, for both case types, people will have to get their hands on them.

[Fernie417]

On a related note, have there been any better pics/descriptions of the Blu-ray cases? The other Inquirer article is not very helpful: a blurry picture and a description that the guy couldn't really see.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/ces2006/gallery01.html
Pretty much the same thing as HD-DVD, except it's blue. Stackability aside (although the Blue-Ray one appears to be flatter then the HD-DVD), I like the designs for the cases, they'll be smaller and thinner which will probably save me a bit of space in the long run. Assuming I ever get around to buying a HD television set that is.

[Kamalot]

This is a great link! The main article should be updated with this news...Sample HD-DVD packaging. As you can see, HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc will use almost
identical packaging, simply color-coded differently (HD-DVD red, Blu-ray blue) and with
their respective format logos at the top of the case.

[Sensei-X]

Yeah, they are kinda ugly, but that's just the default case design and I'm sure studios will go with different designs to better suit them. But in all honesty, after dealing with the stupid case designs for the Simpsons season 6 Homer head case, and the Battlestar Galactica Complete series Zylon head box, everything else looks functinal by comparison (just please, no more round DVD cases).

[Busted_Astromech]

Many thanks, Fernie417.

....So that "lip" on the top of both is unnecessary, save for distinguishing them from DVDs/each other? Bah.

Still, it might be an improvement, if:
1)They're thinner than DVDs, and
2)They represent a move to standardized casing. Please, no more cardboard cases because you're too cheap to license a box "technology." And since working at EB, I've discovered another annoying case, plastic this time but with 2 "clasps" you must undo before opening (can't remember the studio). God but that was annoying.

[Talanvor]

Well, considering that at my job there's a lot of idiots that can't tell the difference between WS and FF DVD movies, I can't say I'm too surprised they tried to come up with a way to make them look different from standard DVD cases.

Meh, long as can fit as many or move of these in the same space as a normal case.

[net7runner]

Something tells me the two marketing companies hired for BR and HD-DVD have spent a little too much time in inter-office Halo CTF tournaments.

Red vs. Blue....FIGHT

[Sensei-X]

Well, considering that at my job there's a lot of idiots that can't tell the difference between WS and FF DVD movies, I can't say I'm too surprised they tried to come up with a way to make them look different from standard DVD cases.

Meh, long as can fit as many or move of these in the same space as a normal case.

The funky case design really doesn't serve much of a purpose, GameCube, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360 games all come in the same size and style DVD case and that works just fine. All they really need is a red or blue strip printed across the top with either Blue Ray or HD-DVD printed on it. On the topic of DVD movies, there are way too many movies that have WS and FF versions and the text identifying which is which is either way too small or hard to read, like they want you to buy the wrong one so you have to go back and buy a second copy (I also wish they would tell you if the damn DVDs are single or dual-sided, I hate dual-sided DVDs).

[Schnoogs]

Hopefully this is the last generation of physical media so we wont have to worry about cases ever again.

I think it wold be funny to set up a timeline complete with illustrations of cases from the music, video game, and movie industry.

[Kamalot]

Hopefully this is the last generation of physical media so we wont have to worry about cases ever again.

I think it wold be funny to set up a timeline complete with illustrations of cases from the music, video game, and movie industry.

You know, that would be way cool. Remember media that came in plastic caddies? Ugh.

[XenonCJ]

I wish all formats were something like the 3.5" floppy disk, nice and protected.

[ElectricMonk]

i keep all my movies stacked vertically on a shelf anyway, not sure what the big deal is here

[Kamalot]

I wish all formats were something like the 3.5" floppy disk, nice and protected.
You know, 3.5 floppies aren't bad. They were protected well. At least they had the nifty little door to cover the disc itself, something Sony left out of the UMD.

Let me ask you, what is the purpose of putting a disc in a caddie, if you aren't going to cover the whole thing?

DUH!