Single DVD cases. These hold one disc, and are what most DVD movies come in these days. The best brand is AlphaPak. The can get bulky and stack up quickly. The discs normally sit on a ring and groove that prevent the bottom from touching the plastic, preventing scratches.
	Double DVD cases. As the name suggests, these hold two discs. The are similar to a single case, but with holsters on both sides or a middle flap. Memorex makes really nice double cases that are sold in retail stores.
	Triple DVD and larger cases. These are almost like single cases on steroids. The cases are normally much thicker and have several flaps or "pages" for DVD storage. Be careful, as the cheap ones (Alphapak) often bend discs and the circular storage area is not circular, but oval-shaped. Most of these have a track for the disc to rest on, preventing it from scratching against the case. Some of them are like mini-spindles. The best cases are made by Nexpak,  multi-disc cases with narrow spines.
	Slim DVD cases. These are fairly new, and DVD sets like the Twilight Zone and Family Guy come in slims. It holds one disc and the disc touches the plastic case. It's slim and convenient, but may results in scratches, as the discs are sometimes difficult to remove.
	Sleeves or slip cases. These come in plastic, wallet-style felt and paper varieties. Some can be put in notebooks, others made to be put into old-fashioned 5¼ floppy disk trays. These provide no protection to the disc, merely storage. Be careful of plastic and paper, as they often scratch the discs.
	Wallets. Most wallets are bad. Wallets hold many discs, but are often constructed poorly. Ideally, you want to find a wallet that (1) can be opened easily and not always try to close up while you browse the pages, (2) has a soft felt-like surface that is not so rough as to cause scratching, (3) is not going to allow you to scrape the discs against the zipper, (4) is sturdy enough to accept normal handling, and (5) tight enough to hold discs but loose enough for easy removal.
	Jewel cases. Most people know what these are. They come in traditional and slim varieties. The drawback to jewel cases is that they too, take up space, but unlike the plastic DVD cases, can easily break do to the glass-like plastics. Some traditional-sized ones let the disc touch the bottom of the cases, others do not. Most slims touch. Some traditional-sized ones (like the ones used by Apple, Memorex and Maxell) allow 2-3 discs to be stacked inside in the spindle-like holder.
	Spindles. Bulk discs typically comes on spindles. They allow easy storage for massive amounts of discs, but inconvenient to browse. Contrary to popular belief, the discs should not touch, and are in fact resting on the hub. The cake-box style cases are flimsy and break easily. Better brands like Maxell, TDK and Verbatim often come in high quality spindles.

Where to Purchase DVD Cases

- Effectuality.com: Excellent selection of multi-disc cases, at great prices. Warehouse apparently based in Canada, but ships to both USA and Canada.

- Meritline.com: Good selection of cheap and inexpensive cases. They typically have great deals on media-case combos.

- SuperMediaStore.com: Nice selection of cases, at excellent low prices. Keep an eye out for media/case combo deals for the best possible prices.

- MediaMegaMall.com: Good prices on great selection of cases, including name-brand and generic product. Friendly staff, and the site is easy to navigate and find what you want.

- Shop4tech.com: Decent selection of storage supplies and at a decent price.

- American-Digital.com: Excellent selection of multi-disc cases, such as the M-lock cases, and at great prices.

- Fry's Electronics / Frys.com: Great prices on what they have available, mostly the Meritline brand and some retail brands.

- GenesysDTP.com: Decent selection of cases.

- Staples / Staples.com: Staples carries several retail brand cases, like Memorex, as well as their own Staples brand.

- TapeAndMedia.com: Cheap prices and a great selection. 

- TheTapeCompany.com: Nice selection, only top quality products, no cheap stuff here. This is where I get my AlphaPak singles.

- USPlastics.com: Lots of cases, and at okay prices. Be sure to order more than you need, as USPlastics is known to ship in the smallest boxes possible, and cases can get damaged in transit. 

- Walmart / Walmart.com: Carries a small variety of cases at a decent price. Jewel cases, standard and slim DVD cases, and lots of wallets for cheap. You can often find some of this in the clearance racks.



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Updated January 2010