DVDs

What is the best way to organise your DVD collection? Here’s a geeky assessment.

You can tell a lot about someone from their DVD collection: their taste in movies, how cultured they are, how they feel about Nicolas Cage movies, how much disposal income they have and so on.

You can also tell how organised they are. For some of us, this writer included, the sight of a disorganised collection is enough to induce rage, or at least low-level disapproval.

If your one of those people who just throw their DVDs on a shelf (or even worse, the floor) with no care for order, then we're here to help.

In this post, we've analysed a few ways to organise your DVD collection and rated them on how easy it is to sort DVDs, how easy it is to find films and (crucially) how easy it is to add new films.

And hey, if you are organised, you might find an exciting new way to organise your beloved movie collection!

Oh, and in case you hadn't guessed yet: this post is extremely geeky.


The 'Alphabetical Order' Method

The standard organisational choice: titles are arranged from A-Z, with a few user-specific tweaks (some may place movies in a series together regardless of alphabetical order, for example).

How easy is it to sort?

Do you know the alphabet? There's your answer.

How easy is it to find DVDs?

Very, as long as you don't forget the alphabet (although there's a catchy little song to help you remember if you do).

How easy is it to add new films?

Not very. Adding new films alphabetically means clearing space in the middle of your collection. DVDs have to be shifted down shelves, or even between towers. Before you know it, you've spent an hour re-organising your DVDs.


The 'By Genre' Method

For movie connoisseurs: organise your movies by action, romance, sci-fi and so on.

How easy is it to sort?

It depends.

If you keep your genre classifications simple, you'll be fine.

Sub-genres, however, should be avoided.

Equally, avoid this method if you have a shared DVD collection. The endless arguments over which film fall into what genre aren't worth it.

How easy is it to find DVDs?

Stick to simple genre classifications and label your collection and it's easy. You can pick based on mood too!

How easy is to add new films?

As with alphabetical collections, it can be a pain as you'll need to shift a few existing DVDs.


The 'Newest First, Oldest Last' Method

The equivalent of a websites "˜show results newest to oldest' feature, this method is looked down upon by serious collectors but preferred by many more people who don't have time to worry about such things.

How easy is it to sort? Very. Just pop your newest DVD at the start of your collection.

How easy is it find DVDs? Very… if you can remember when you bought certain DVDs. Otherwise, this is more or less chaos.

How easy is it to add new films? Very. Pop your newest DVD at the start of your collection and you're done.


The "˜Reorganise As You Watch' Method

This is a variant on the newest first method where DVDs are replaced at the start of the collection whenever they've been watched.

How easy is it to sort? Very. There's no real order to it.

How easy is it to find DVDs? Surprisingly, quite easy. The movies you watch most will be at the start of your collection, while the ones you haven't will be nearer the end.

How easy is it to add new films? It depends. As a rule, the newest DVD should be added at the start of the collection, although some would claim it belongs at the end until it's been watched.

This method is great for decluttering too, as the films at the end of your collection will be the ones you don't watch anymore (i.e. those you should sell first).


The 'Personal Favourites' Method

The brave choice: DVDs are organised based on how much you like them.

How easy is it to sort?

It depends. You'll need an efficient rating system to avoid hours of pondering; we recommend something like IMDB's decimal point star rating.

How easy is it to find DVDs?

Very. Everything you like most is at the front.

If you want to be extra efficient, label each section with a relevant rating (i.e. 10/10, 9/10 and so on).

How easy is it to add new films?

It depends. If you use a rating system, you can assign each new DVD a rating and place it accordingly. If you don't, you'll spend hours debating whether to place it before or after Bean: The Movie.

Again, this is a good method to use for decluttering. The DVDs you like least sit at the end of your collection, where you can pick them out and sell them easily.


How do you organise your DVDs? Have you got a method we haven't included in this post? Let us know in the comments.

If you'd like to add some new movies to your newly organised collection, check out the musicMagpie Store. We've got 1000s of DVDs and Blu-Rays from just £1.19 and some amazing offers too, including 2 for £3, 2 for £5 and Buy One Get One FREE.

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Alternatively, you can also sell DVDs with us if your collection is getting out of control. It's fast, FREE and easy; just click below to get an instant price for your DVDs!

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