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?