Where to Keep Your CDs and DVDs

Once you've recorded on them, then what? Here are some intriguing storage options for your discs.

Look around your office. That's right, look over there, at that leaning pile of jewel cases filled with discs. You know the one--the pile that you don't have a clue what to do with, so it continues to grow and is rapidly beginning to resemble the famed Tower of Pisa.

Chances are that if you don't recognize the aforementioned scenario now, you will soon: Between burning CDs and DVDs, it's easy to amass a sizable collection of discs--discs that need to be stored. Somewhere. Anywhere. Ideally, in a neat and orderly fashion.

While at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, I took note of several interesting options for storing and managing burgeoning collections of CDs and DVDs. What follows is my roundup of practical, smart, and capacious storage solutions--ones that can work in homes of most any shape or size. I live in a cramped one-bedroom apartment, and I found things that would work for me, too.

Before I start, here's an important tip: Once you've burned a disc, you should keep it in a standard or slim-line jewel case like the ones that come with your blank CDs or DVDs, or a jumbo-size jewel case such as Verbatim's CD/DVD Super Jewel Box, or a DVD movie style case, either the usual size (the case you get Hollywood movies in) or a slimmer version like Verbatim's DVD Video Trimcases.

Please keep in mind that in describing shelving capacity, I'll be using vendor figures, which count CDs as being stored in standard-size cases, and DVDs in movie-style cases. Contact the vendors for unit availability and pricing, as some of the products I profile here may not be shipping just yet.

If you've got the room for a large bookcase, you have several options.

Wood Technology's MM-600 Wall Unit looks promising. This freestanding bookcase has nine adjustable shelves, so you can use it for multiple media formats. Its shelves seem cleverly spaced to minimize the gap you'll get between different media cases (DVD cases or CD jewel cases) and the next shelf up. The unit has a base for added stability, but the base doesn't stick out enough to be obtrusive in your living environment. The Wall Unit is available in oak and ebony finishes, holds up to 600 CDs and 300 DVDs, and measures 64.75 inches high, 28.9 inches wide, and 8 inches deep.

You get nearly double the capacity, or more, of the MM-600 Wall Unit with Leslie Dame Enterprises' gargantuan high-capacity multimedia storage shelving. For example, the smart-looking, well-designed CDV-1000 holds 1000 CDs and 640 DVDs, in a natural-oak-finished-unit that measures a whopping 63.75 by 44.8 by 9.5 inches. Or go for the gold with the CDV-1500, which holds up to 1500 CDs and 960 DVDs. Both models have a center support (the 1500 has two sectionalized center supports); and both have fully adjustable, well-fitted shelves.

Space-challenged readers will appreciate LDE's CD-280, a narrow unit with adjustable shelves that can accommodate a combination of media types, even though the company's literature states the CD capacity only, which is up to 280. This one measures 63.75 by 15 by 9.5 inches.

Atlantic had a slew of multimedia storage options that caught my eye, including two freestanding units. The Oskar-544 CD (model 38435183) has straight, utilitarian lines and a sharp, practical design that's tailored to efficiently house DVD and CD cases. The unit has a fixed support bar running down the middle, with six independently adjustable shelves on either side: You can store movie cases on one side, and jewel cases on the other. This maple-colored shelf unit holds up to 544 CDs and 276 DVDs; its dimensions are 54.1 by 30 by 7.4 inches.

Another model from Atlantic, the classic, maple-finished Radius-280CD (model 72335184), is much narrower than the Oskar-544 CD. It holds nearly half as many discs as the Oskar--280 CDs and 112 DVDs--and measures 42 by 19.75 by 8 inches.

For a more modern look, Atlantic offers the flexible and stackable Elf MM. The base unit (model 35335009) holds 232 CDs and 120 DVDs on titanium- or blue-colored metal racks. The cases' spines tilt slightly upward, making titles easier to read. And though some space between the shelves is wasted (the design appears optimized for taller objects), it's not a bad trade-off for something so stylish. The base unit measures 29 by 27 and 10.75 inches.

Most intriguing to me of all, though, is Atlantic's Vision-DLS 490CD (model 72335191). This new design is the first shelving unit I've seen with a special file cabinet to hold discs that are housed in sleeves rather than jewel cases--a major boon to anyone who buys a spindle of CD-R or DVD±R media and doesn't have a jewel case for each disc. The Vision-DLS 490CD has a flip-up file cabinet located at the top of the unit; this cabinet is designed to accommodate 240 discs in up to 120 specially made hanging file folders. This unusual design is quite clever and practical, as it accommodates either a copious collection of burned discs or instruction manuals that you want to file away with your discs. The 37.5-inch-high, 21.25-inch-wide, and 7.5-inch-deep unit has four adjustable shelves that accommodate up to 250 CDs or 102 DVDs in cases.

LaserLine has several interesting storage offerings on display. The first two, the wood-and-wire-framed MM172WM and MM76WM, are best for use with DVD movie cases or super-sized jewel cases. The MM172WM holds 124 DVDs and measures just 19.25 by 6.5 by 35.75 inches; the narrower MM76WM (perfect for that unused corner in your home) holds 52 DVDs and measures just 9.81 by 6.6 by 35.75 inches. Both units can hold CDs, too; but since the shelves are fixed, you'll have to stack the CDs horizontally. Also best for use with DVDs is the sleek, maple-and-black-wood DVD80TSS, an efficient unit that holds 80 DVDs and measures just 13.5 by 6 by 42 inches.

Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

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