apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Being honest, I would love to have the media cabinet above. Maybe then I could store movies there instead of under the bed - LOL.

There's not a lot of media towers/cabinets that offer that much storage - it all depends on exactly how much you need. The best bet is using a buffet or something as one unless you like open shelving and staring at your stuff.

WOW. To ask the obvious question, where did the pictured unit come from?

The best media cabinet out there is a large hard drive. Rip all your cds and dvds to the hard drive, then hook up your computer to your television via Apple TV/Boxee (insert 3rd party peripheral here).

The days of large media cabinets and collections of dvds/cds are over. It's just another piece of furniture that needs dusting (and contents that need alphabetizing).

And if you still have VHS, just throw them out.

Unless, of course, you have a sweet record collection, then by all means, find yourself a good shelving unit and a stand for your player.

Not trying to sound harsh, but there's just better use of your space/money.

You're right, there are no attractive media cabinets out there (that are affordable). They're usually bulky and lack any interest.

I just purchased a mid-century dresser that's 5' long x 18" deep x 42" tall, with 9 drawers that I might use to store my DVD's. If I don't do that, then I'm going to store them in a CD wallet, tuck it away, and recycle/donate the DVD boxes.

I'm sick of my ugly open DVD shelf.

I want to know the same! And if anyone has suggestions for storing 7" records (45s)!

We use an expedit shelf for our LPs, our DVD cases are under the couch with the discs stored in binders for easy access, but our 7" records are in little boxes all over the place because have yet to find a good storage solution.

Megnez and I have the same idea. As soon as I replace my CRT TV with a flat panel TV, I plan on getting a MCM credenza/dresser with 9 drawers to store all of my media and set my TV on. That way I all of my media will be hidden away so that I can focus on the TV and the beautiful piece of furniture it sits on and I won't have to get down on my hands and knees to find the DVD I'm looking for as I do now with a shelf system.

I recently found a MCM credenza that was used in an office. It has sliding doors so they don't open into the room when you are using something inside. I put the DVD player and TIVO/satellite receiver on one shelf and that left tons of space for DVDs and CDs. It took searching for months on Craigslist to find exactly what I wanted, but because the people that were selling couldn't think of a purpose for the credenza, they were selling it for $75 just to get it out of their garage. Then when I told them what we were using it for, I think they kind of wanted to keep it and use it for the same thing!

ErikTheRed - I completely disagree with you. I have hundreds of VHS tapes and hundreds of DVDs. They matter to me. Most of what I have on VHS never made it to DVD (and transfering them is against the law).

I hate this idea that keeping Records are hip and worthy of display, but those who value our movies are reduced to second class citizens of decor.

I keep my VHS tapes on a book shelf behind my bed (my really, really old tapes are kept in the walk-in with my beat max and it's tapes) and my DVDs on two mission style bookcases.

Maybe it's just me, but I do not understand why I am supposed to hide something I love....

As for the cabinet above, it's a simple construction. I would see if a more handy friend could a) help you turn that cabinet into something that would fit your tastes, like a coat of paint, changing out the hardware or b) build you something that is more your scene.

We keep our DVDs and CDs compactly stored in massive books. Much more space efficient, but I know its not for everyone.

I would look into getting a low (low low) dresser unit. Or getting something custom built - very expensive, but you would get exactly what you want, right?

I would to do that Erikthered, but as a point of law, if you got rid of the hard copy of the film/music you bought (keeping only a virtual version), you have no proof that you legally purchased it. See unclutterer.com for more info.

I'd also buy more media over the internet, if it weren't for the fact that it's usually the same price or cheaper than getting the hard copy (it makes no sense!!!).

And then, it is actually quite useful to be able to browse your hard-copy collection.

The credenza sounds like a good idea!

@DrRubyDoomsday

Transferring from VHS to DVD is not illegal. It's your property, you own it, you can do whatever you want with it. As long as you're not redistributing it for sale or showing in public, you're fine.

Secondly, the VHS tapes degrade every time you watch them. When they're transferred to DVD, you can watch them thousands of times with no visible loss in quality (aside from how they may have already been affected).

Third, VHS tapes are FAR more susceptible to temperature changes than DVDs, CDs or even records. If you live in a small apartment in New York City like I do, and you go away for a week in the summer and don't have an AC running, then your VHS tapes are susceptible.

I'm not trying to be harsh, but at the end of the day, VHS is a dead/dying format. You can still easily purchase record player components, and nothing beats the sound of that needle on vinyl.

Again, I stand behind digitizing your entire collection to your computer. Saves space, saves time (once you've loaded everything) and saves your sanity when your 50-disc Blu-Ray collection becomes obsolete in four years when everything is streamed over the Internet.

Eric is right: It's no more against the law to burn VHS tapes to DVD or a hard drive for personal use than it is to pull the "Do Not Remove" tags off pillows and sofas. I mean think about it - Who's going to investigate and prosecute???

And he's right - Buying a cabinet to keep all that stuff in is just a waste of money and space for those of us who live in small apartments and/or have limited funds. Let the guys w/ the $6MM Home Theatres keep all that stuff.

I would start by consolidating your collection, thinning the herd. Take a look at the movies that you own and ask yourself "Will I ever watch this?" If the answer is no, sell it! You could use your profits towards buying a lovely piece of furniture that will house the remaining collection.

I store my DVD and CD collection in cloth boxes from the container store. I have one small box that holds favorites that stays out, and 4 larger ones that store everything else. They fit nicely into my credenza, and I didn't have to settle for furniture relegated to the electronics section - never attractive.

ErikTheRed- I agree with your sentiments about DVDs and entertainment centers taking up too much space. I got rid of cd and dvd cases and just moved the disks to binders. My bookshelf now has space for books! Its great!

There's nothing wrong with people hanging on to their old VHS tapes (I have a few myself). To me its all about prioritizing what's important to you and making the space for it. I think it only becomes a problem when people begin to hoard multiple collections and their space becomes overwhelming and crowded.

As far as the legal issues of copying VHS to DVD, or DVD to hard drive this is what I think: As long as your copying your own property for private use who cares? I mean really, what are the odds that officials are going to raid your home and convict you?

And for the record- Record collections are cooler than VHS collections. There doesn't have to be an explanation. They just are.

Yikes. I am with the original poster and DrRubyDoomsday on this. I have a collection of DVDs that I love. I also have a lot of books and records and routinely let people borrow them. Why is it bad to surround yourself with these items if you have the space?

Also, to those that back up their movies... I hope you also backup your backups. It would be a shame to lose everything. (I am in no way against people that chose to keep their movies digital. I wish they could have the same respect for those of us that don't do that!)

It would be nice if every media storage post on AT could actually contain links for attractive media storage.

Since no one had an answer as to where the pictured unit came from, I managed to hunt it down: http://www.racksandstands.com/Venture-Horizon-2368-VHZ1024.html

The Venture Horizon 2368 - Media Cabinet w/ Drawers.
Capacity: holds up to 825 CD’s or 440 DVD’s
Overall dimensions: 37.25" H x 48.5" W x 13" D
Price: $279.95 with FREE SHIPPING (not sure if that is a limited time offer or not...)

Greetings all,

I submitted the question above and wanted to answer some comments/questions.

The media cabinet listed above I found here: http://www.storeyourmedia.com/825-cd-media-cabinet-tv-stand-with-top-drawers.aspx

Not bad, I do like it, but my father and I have more of an older wood look in our house, more natural and definitely less conventional.

To answer questions about condensing movies and/or converting to DVD...condensing is definitely possible, but only to a point. The biggest issue is my father lives with me because he's on disability, and unfortunately he's your atypical old-school farmer and doesn't know how to work a dvd player and has never used a computer.

He has TONS of old westerns and elvis movies and it would not only take me forever to convert them to DVD, but he would be less able to watch the movies he wants while I'm at work. So VHS is still in the future I'm afraid :D

We have the space for them, I just want a more suitable method of storing them :) I do like the idea of painting and maybe changing the hardware on the above item, if I do that I will submit any changes as an update.

I wonder when we'll have the same nostalgia for vhs, cds, and so forth as we currently feel for (lo-fi) records, lps, polaroids, film photography. Sorry for the non sequitur.

Have one custom made, if you know what you want, you'll probably be very happy with the end result.

You were looking for bench style, but I've been thinking about getting this while it's on sale:
http://www.target.com/Oak-Media-Storage-Cabinet-Dark/dp/B0007IN52A/sr=1-2/qid=1242933939/ref=sr_1_2/186-7337569-3812329
I think it's the same as the Leslie Dame one on the Racks & Stands website.

my partner and i did away with dvd/cd cases and store all of our media paraphernalia in several wallets. they are easy to organize...and they take up about 1/30th of the space. i would definitely recommend this option! we have close to 1000 cds and dvds and they all fit (with room to spare) in a stylish credenza. yay!

@SpanishOlives

Unfortunately my dad's collection is mainly VHS, but I do keep a wallet around for our DVD's :) Helps immensely with those!

We bought several of these in various colors that I keep mixed in my bookshelves.
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=226&PRODID=10022886
They also carry an over the door media shelving system that would be a nice option for the inside of a closet.
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=226&PRODID=10016631

We have a large coffee table with a shelf underneath the top. We store our DVDs in wicker baskets on the shelf (you can only see the edges of the baskets; the top of the table blocks you from seeing that the baskets are full of DVDs). It is the best looking solution we have come up with so far.