Eco case discussion

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

I think it's safe to say that nobody actually believes this has anything to do with the environment.

And note the first two "benefits" listed:"...significant reduction in materials, transportation costs"

In other words, BD producers don't have to buy as much plastic and these flimsy things are so light weight that you can save a buck when shipping a case lot.

Be honest; "reduction in materials and transportation costs" is not a consumer benefit. It makes it cheaper for Blu-ray producers and you KNOW those savings aren't passed on to you.

Claiming these things are environmentally friendly is just politcally correct spin so that companies don't have to publicly confess to the fact they are downgrading products to save themselves a penny. "ECO case" sounds better than the truth: " CHEAPO case".

Yup. I buy cases and replace the ECO Cases. They break often compared to other kinds of cases.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

I think it's safe to say that nobody actually believes this has anything to do with the environment.

And note the first two "benefits" listed:"...significant reduction in materials, transportation costs"

In other words, BD producers don't have to buy as much plastic and these flimsy things are so light weight that you can save a buck when shipping a case lot.

Be honest; "reduction in materials and transportation costs" is not a consumer benefit. It makes it cheaper for Blu-ray producers and you KNOW those savings aren't passed on to you.

Claiming these things are environmentally friendly is just politcally correct spin so that companies don't have to publicly confess to the fact they are downgrading products to save themselves a penny. "ECO case" sounds better than the truth: " CHEAPO case".

I think we're in agreement as I never thought Viva did this for the environment. They just market them under the guise of being environmental friendly while they laugh all the way to the bank.

[ElliesDad]

I'm sure this has been posted ad nauseum in the ninety pages of this thread that have accumulated over the past six years, but I'm having a really slow afternoon.

I've just never understood the thinking behind eco-cases. Basic market strategy starts with packaging~ displaying your product in a way that will entice a buyer to make the purchase. If the product was indispensable this would be less of an issue but the blu-ray format is not, and it has struggled since it's inception to find a footing. Why then would the studios and manufacturers continue to package their product in a way that clearly antagonizes most of their potential customer base? Especially when the product is designed to become part of a collection that the buyer will want to be proud of owning (see Criterion...) and will want to 'archive', for whatever reason. What then, would go into the decision to put the product in a cheap, shoddy, disposable package?

To save a few cents in manufacturing costs? When the suggested cost of a blu-ray purchase is largely an artificial construct in any event (look at how the Amazon prices bounce around) a decision to add five cents to the purchase price and forego the mutilation of the protective case would seem a no-brainer, especially if that might prevent another DVD user from foregoing a switch to the blu-ray format, or prevent a blu-ray collecter from considering stamps instead.

Out of concern for 'the ecology'? There are many more constructive things that people and corporations can do to feel good about themselves. The fact remains that the planetary population is increasing by some two hundred million people, if the current stats are correct, every three years. That's two hundred million new resource consumers and waste producers every three years. Perhaps that's an issue that should be addressed. Trying instead to 'save the earth' by cutting a few holes in blu-ray cases just seems silly and rather ingenuous.

As I said, slow afternoon...

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by Dick Deckard

This craze these last few years if why I quit collecting movies and games. I hate that everything now it seems comes in a flimsy eco case, has no booklet, grey or blank disc art, and basically just seems like it was produced as cheaply as it could have been. Which I guess it was.

There is absolutely no pride in owning a lot of these blu-rays anymore.

I rest my case.

[Blu Titan]

Eco cases are a waste .

[Bubba_Hotep]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

I think we're in agreement as I never thought Viva did this for the environment. They just market them under the guise of being environmental friendly while they laugh all the way to the bank.

And then they laugh even more when we buy replacement cases and they make even more money!

[xXFloydianXx]

Originally Posted by Dick Deckard

This craze these last few years if why I quit collecting movies and games. I hate that everything now it seems comes in a flimsy eco case, has no booklet, grey or blank disc art, and basically just seems like it was produced as cheaply as it could have been. Which I guess it was.

There is absolutely no pride in owning a lot of these blu-rays anymore.

I can live without disc art, but yeah, the eco-cases themselves are just terrible. They definitely increase the chances of you getting ruined cover art.

Out of all 3 main video game console manufacturers, Nintendo is the only one still sticking with these things--but only in the NA and AUS regions. Europe and Japan is smart enough to stand up against idiotic practices like this that the EPA spew out.

FWIW, if you're in NA or AUS and have a Wii U, open up one of the blue game cases, take out the booklet or insert, and look carefully underneath the recylce cut-out symbol. There's a message there that states that the cases contain no recycled materials, and may not be recyclable in your area. I contacted Nintendo of America on the issue, and they didn't budge.

[Midnight Rambler]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

In other words, BD producers don't have to buy as much plastic and these flimsy things are so light weight that you can save a buck when shipping a case lot.

Be honest; "reduction in materials and transportation costs" is not a consumer benefit. It makes it cheaper for Blu-ray producers and you KNOW those savings aren't passed on to you.

Claiming these things are environmentally friendly is just politcally correct spin so that companies don't have to publicly confess to the fact they are downgrading products to save themselves a penny. "ECO case" sounds better than the truth: " CHEAPO case".

Funny thing is, it costs the manufacturer more up front in tooling costs to produce these "eco cases" ... at least (6) additional inserts are required for each mold cavity to create the voids in material. Who knows how many mold cavities there are ... 32, 64, 128 ... And more complicated mold tooling = increased maintenance costs. As little plastic as they are actually saving, I can't see a reasonable payback time for the investment.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by Midnight Rambler

Funny thing is, it costs the manufacturer more up front in tooling costs to produce these "eco cases" ... at least (6) additional inserts are required for each mold cavity to create the voids in material. Who knows how many mold cavities there are ... 32, 64, 128 ... And more complicated mold tooling = increased maintenance costs. As little plastic as they are actually saving, I can't see a reasonable payback time for the investment.

Agreed - I hate eco-cases with a passion, and because of them I've had to go out & buy replacement non-Eco Blu cases...something I never had to do with regular DVD cases....

[Zillamon51]

All you people who replace and dispose off eco cases could at least toss them in the recycle bin, NOT the garbage / trash that is always mentioned.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by Zillamon51

All you people who replace and dispose off eco cases could at least toss them in the recycle bin, NOT the garbage / trash that is always mentioned.

Yes - I always recycle my unused eco-cases...

[philip74]

Do these studios even release that many blurays are sold through online shipping???
The danger of receiving damaged merchandise through transport are high
enough, these flimsy eco cases increase that by tenfold!!
I don`t mind purchasing eco cases in stores, as I can pick the best copy, but
honestly I don`t think that whoever had the brilliant eco case idea factored in that a lot of extra damage comes from shipping!!

[Midnight Rambler]

Originally Posted by philip74

Do these studios even release that many blurays are sold through online shipping???

Sad, but true, esp. with the demise of so many B&M stores and the dwindling inventories at BB, WM, etc.

[Steelguy]

I noticed that some companies do not use these horrible, cheap made Eco cases, is there a list of companies that do not use them?

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Steelguy

I noticed that some companies do not use these horrible, cheap made Eco cases, is there a list of companies that do not use them?

List of Companies that Do Use them:

All The Major Companies that (usually) don't care what Fans have to Say.

List of Companies that Do Not Use Them:

All the smaller studios that license out content and are actually interested in fan comments. (Usually)

I'm obviously being facetious, but this is a pretty safe rule of thumb.

[Monterey Jack]

Universal rarely uses eco cases these days.

[horrorfan73]

Cd cases, blu-ray cases and game cases are designed to do one thing, protect the disc inside! I would say at least 60 percent of the movies I buy brand new from amazon factory sealed with viva elite eco cases have artwork that has either major dents in them, sometimes rips in the artwork and sometimes even scratches on the playing side of the disc from the strips that hold the case together. The vortex eco friendly ones I receive don't have many with damaged artwork but I have had scratches on some of those discs as well. When I get an occasional standard viva elite case say from universal studio it is free of scratches and the worst I ever see is maybe a little ding where the booklet holder is that's it. That tells me the eco cases do not do the job of protecting what is inside.

[veritas]

You know eco cases don't really bug me very much at all. Now hubs that are so tight I feel like I will break the disc getting the disc out or stacked discs, those I mind a ton. Or sleeves for discs I hate sleeves i want a hub to hold my disc etc but eco cases are not much of a worry because I am kind of ocd when handling my movies anyway.

In terms of things that annoy me:

stacked discs> discs in sleeves>hard to remove from hub>weird smell on case/slip>no slip cover>broken latch or superficial crack to case (this one is hard to place since it really depends on how noticable it is)> eco cases.

[Slayer Essence]

I don't normally mind Eco Cases if I have a slipcover with that movie, since the slip is providing some extra protection but my biggest gripe about them is that in some cases, the disc does not sit level. There is a pretty large slant with one side of the disc up in the air and the other side of the disc sitting on the cutout pattern. Does anyone else notice that problem?