raving lunacy - oxymorons for the 21st century

Back in the 90’s, when personal computing was starting to make inroads into our lives, software came on CD’s, in big boxes that you bought at the computer stores. For you youngins’ this was before online downloads, when having a 14.4 modems made you the geek of the week. Everyone of these products came in a cereal sized box that opened differently than every other one. They all had a jewel case holding the CD, and the box was more of an intelligence test than the contents were.

VCR Tapes on the other hand had a constant size and package. DVD’s have arrived to replace tapes, There was a brief interval with a crossbreed paper plastic case, but a stake was driven into it’s heart. The standard DVD package is a plastic clam-shell containing a circle holding your movie and maybe some weird blurb sheet. Straightforward, consistent packaging. Holds 1, 2 or 3 DVD’s. With the arrival of TV Series on DVD, we have been thrown under the bus again, by either the return from the dead zombie bad package designers, or their hell spawn possessed get.

The resurrection of bad package design

Multi DVD sets present challenges, between the desire to package them for the lowest possible cost of production, vs the desire to embellish the cases with information about the contents, maybe an ad for other series, and simple things like disc numbers.

Some of these folks are having a problem with the idea that this is one of the areas where the contents are much more important than the package. You had us at the cash register.

This has led to some interesting (in the sense of the chinese curse) formats and packages. (this is one of those places where recycled plastic could be very big in the holder) It has also led to the return of the paper/plastic halfbreed. The photos are by yours truly, so they may not have that vaseline glass, no blemish look, but I think you will get the idea. I also have a link to Amazon in case you want to get your own copies:) (yet another stab of becoming filthy rich online by selling stuff to get you offline.)

Here in no particular order are some series and the design choices made.

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House, M.D. - Season Three is the third season on DVD.House stars Hugh Laurie as a diagnostician in a New Jersey regional hospital whe runs a department that takes on cases that the rest of the staff can’t solve.House is a cranky bastard whose bedside manner is nonexistent, has his own health issues, and his staff gets run through the wringer of his intelligence and dry wit. If you are looking for kittens, butterflies and rainbows, you will be sorely disappointed.It is one of the few highlights of commercial television in a desert of clone reality and what will you do for money shows.

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Season Three comes on a Flip flop, double stack, open top and bottom sleeve package.

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I hate double stacking. The chances for damage go up, and it is a PITA to juggle the discs when you are settling in for some serious viewing.
House, M.D. - Season Three Highly Recommended.