Eclectic Electronics » Steelbooks

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Free SteelBook case at Best Buy (with pre-order)

blued888 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:30:31 +0000

Here’s something new for DVD and Blu-ray collectors: pre-order Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at BestBuy.com and get a free, snazzy looking SteelBook case which houses all three discs included in the Blu-ray release. Yes, you get the SteelBook case first (without any discs) and then get the Blu-ray or DVD edition in standard packaging when they are officially released.

Should you decide to go with the DVD version of the film, there will be one empty disc hub because the DVD edition only spans across two discs.

The Blu-ray edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be released earlier than the DVD edition. Blu-ray release date is pegged at October 6, 2009 while the DVD release is set for November 24, 2009. Disney is giving the Blu-ray edition a heads up to entice consumers to go high definition.

You can pre-order either the Blu-ray or DVD version of the Disney animated movie at BestBuy.com; Both have the same pre-order price of $25.99.

[via PinoyDVD | Image credits: doctorthodt @ Blu-ray.com Forum]

Live Free or Die Hard (aka Die Hard 4.0) Best Buy exclusive SteelBook™

blued888 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:35:46 +0000

Previously, I have discussed the differences and similarities between SteelBook™ packaging and conventional DVD packaging. This time around I’m going to show some photos of how SteelBooks look like, both inside and out.

The movie is Live Free or Die Hard -Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition). The SteelBook™ edition is exclusive to Best Buy stores. I purchased it for around $25.

Since I have totally no control over how Wordpress showcases its gallery feature, I will describe the photos from the first row, left to right, and so on.

The outside appearance of the SteelBook™. Notice that the cover art is imprinted onto the metal itself and it does not use paper that is normally found with conventionally packaged DVDs.
An angled photo of the SteelBook™, showing the front and its side/spine. Notice that the side/spine sort of looks like that of CD jewel cases.
The inside appearance of the SteelBook™. Notice the plastic area where the discs rest. Normally, there is artwork behind those plastic areas but there are some rare cases wherein there is no artwork.
Again, the inside appearance of the SteelBook™. Notice that even behind the plastic area where the discs rest, there is also artwork.
The outside appearance of the SteelBook™. Notice that the artwork on the back does not include any movie or sound information. The back is simply the imprinted artwork along with the barcode, for identification. Where are those information that is supposedly on the back?
Again, the outside appearance of the SteelBook™. It is shown with a paper attached (via a weak adhesive that can be easily removed or reattached) which contains movie, sound information along with special feature content listings and other information normally found on the outer back part of conventional DVDs.

The included DVDs are the same with the standard two-disc Live Free or Die Hard (Unrated).

What is a SteelBook™?

blued888 — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:17:31 +0000

Are you into DVD or Blu-ray collecting? You may have heard of certain titles that come in SteelBook™ packaging. Believe it or not, there are some DVD/Blu-ray collectors out there which buy multiple copies of the same movie just because they come in different packaging.

SteelBook™ packaging brings DVD and Blu-ray collecting into a whole different perspective. SteelBooks are made with metal, which definitely give the packaging a more classy look compared to conventional DVD cases.

SteelBooks have the same dimensions as a regular DVD Amaray-type case. A single DVD case width SteelBook can hold up to four discs (two on each side). The cover art is usually different from the general release, and there are times when they get creative with the design of the SteelBook packaging, such as embossing the titles.

Surely you’d say “It can’t be all that good! There must be some downside to it!“, and certainly you are right.

SteelBooks are made from metal, which means they are susceptible to scratches, dings and dents. It is much more complicated to ship SteelBooks from one place to another since there is a big chance of it getting damaged along transit.
SteelBook packaging simply cannot be replaced if you happen to damage it somehow. The cover art is printed onto the metal casing and not inserted through a clear plastic cover as with a conventional plastic DVD case.
SteelBook packaged films usually cost more than their regular-cased counterparts. The discs contained in both the SteelBook and non-SteelBook releases are identical, so you are paying a premium when you choose to get the SteelBook version. There are certain rare cases wherein the SteelBook versions of films have an additional disc.
Did I mention it is susceptible to scratches, dings and dents?

Not all titles come in SteelBook packaging. Blockbuster films are usually the ones who get the SteelBook packaging treatment.

In the United States, Best Buy and Trans World Entertainment Corporation are usually the ones which get SteelBook exclusives. In Canada, Future Shop has a lot of SteelBook exclusives.

I have some SteelBooks but I am not exactly looking to expand it much further. Yes, it does look rather nice when you put it on the shelf, but I would rather stick to the regular DVD case ones because I am pretty anal about having those scratches, dings and dents.

I have not yet gotten the time to take a picture of what the internals of a SteelBook looks like. I will post some photos soon.

How about you? Do you collect DVD/Blu-ray SteelBooks?