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'{{refimprove|date=January 2008}} [[Image:Amaray-case.jpg|thumb|Standard black keep case]] A '''keep case''' or '''poly-box''' is a type of [[DVD]] (and sometimes [[Compact Disc|CD]]) packaging. Besides [[DVD-Video]] films, keep cases are very common with most video games since the [[PlayStation 2]] as well as [[Personal computer|PC]] titles and [[MP3]]-CD [[audiobook]]s all use discs that are the same basic dimensions as a DVD. ==Products using keep cases== In the days before video games were released on [[optical]] media, cartridges would rarely come packaged in specially designed plastic keep cases with lugs inside to hold the instruction manual, as opposed to [[pressboard]] boxes. Cartridges and cards for the [[Sega Master System]] platform were the first video games to be packaged in any kind of keep case. The vast majority of [[Sega Genesis]] games would come in a plastic keep case, but were later packaged in pressboard boxes, as a cost-cutting measure. Before the standard, commonly used DVD case was invented, early CD-ROM based video games such as [[Sega CD]] and early [[PlayStation]] titles, would often come in thicker and taller [[jewel case]]. These have been reputed to break very easily. Since the PlayStation 2, most major console-based video game software is packaged in some sort of keep case, including [[Nintendo DS]] cartridge titles, and Sony PSP titles. {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Full size |- ! Product !! Color !! Notes |- | [[DVD]] videos || Majority black, all other colors possible || |- | [[PlayStation 2]] games || Navy blue or black (Blue in PAL regions in later years, Silver for [[Essentials (PlayStation range)|Platinum]] releases) || Most contain a memory card slot |- | [[Nintendo GameCube]] games || Black<ref>Games that have been re-released as [[Nintendo Selects|Player's Choice]] in Europe come in Silver</ref> || North America/Europe<ref>Japanese cases are smaller</ref>. Most contain a memory card slot |- | [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] games || Green || |- | Xbox [[Platinum Hits]] games || Silver (Green for European Regions, Xbox Classics)|| |- | [[Xbox 360]] games || Translucent green || |- | Xbox 360 Platinum Hits games || Translucent gray || |- | Xbox 360 [[Kinect]] games || Translucent purple || |- | [[Wii]] games || White<ref>some games have variant colors such as red ([[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]), yellow ([[Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]) and black ([[Pandora's Tower]])</ref> || |- | [[Wii U]] games || Bright cerulean<ref>some games have variant colors such as red ([[Mario Kart 8]]; the U.S. Version of [[Super Mario Maker]]), green ([[New Super Luigi U]]) and Yellow (the PAL Version of [[Super Mario Maker]])</ref> || |} {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Smaller size |- ! Product !! Color !! Notes |- | [[Blu-Ray]] videos || Blue, often translucent || |- | [[HD DVD]] videos || Red, often translucent || |- | [[PlayStation 3]] games || Clear || Region 1 |- | PlayStation 3 [[Greatest Hits (PlayStation range)|Greatest Hits]] games || Opaque Red || Region 1 |- | [[PlayStation 4]] games || Translucent blue || |- | [[Xbox One]] games || Translucent green || |} {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Proprietary size |- ! Product !! Color !! Size !! Notes |- | Many [[Sega Genesis]] games || Black || {{convert|7+1/4|x|5+1/4|x|7/8|in}} || |- | [[Nintendo GameCube]] games || Clear || 149mm x 107mm x 17mm || Japan |- | [[Nintendo DS]] games || Black || 135mm x 122mm x 15mm || North America/Japan |- | [[Nintendo DS]] games || Clear || 135mm x 122mm x 20mm || Europe |- | [[New Nintendo 3DS|(New)]] [[Nintendo 3DS]] games || White || 135mm x 122mm x 14mm || Regular 3DS Games in all Regions; [[New Nintendo 3DS|New 3DS]] exclusive Games only in Japan and North America |- | [[New Nintendo 3DS]] games || Black || 135mm x 122mm x 14mm || Europe |- | [[PlayStation Portable]] games || Clear || 168mm x 99mm x 14mm || |- | [[PlayStation Vita]] games || Blue || 135mm x 105mm x 12mm || |} ==Structure== ===Materials and features=== [[Image:Keep-case-xbox.jpg|thumb|[[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] Keep case. Lime green version, used for most Xbox games]] [[Image:Wii game disc.jpg|thumb|[[Wii]] keep case]] The cases are made of soft, clear or colored, [[polypropylene]] [[plastic]] with a transparent [[polyethylene]] outer jacket, usually with a printed paper sleeve behind it. A variety of colors are produced, including black, white, red and clear. On the inside are sets of clips that may hold a booklet or additional sheets of paper with extra information. The DVD is held into place with a small protrusion (a "hub") which fits into the hole in the DVD. For console games like the [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Nintendo GameCube]], an extra protrusion is available for storing memory cards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/fishywang/350321581|title=Worms 4 Mayhem for PlayStation 2 |date=8 January 2007 |publisher=Flickr}}</ref> ===Types of hubs=== The structural differences between a CD and a DVD have led many manufacturers to study different hub designs for keeping the DVD (or the DVDs, in multi-disc cases) in place: unlike CDs, which are made from one layer of plastic material, DVDs have two layers, which are thinner (so that together they reach the same thickness of a CD) and not bonded all the way to the center. As a result, a DVD hub is weaker than a CD's, and may be damaged if stored in a case which is designed for CDs only.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} In addition to "pluck hubs" (which are often a simple evolution over the classical "crown of teeth"), "push-to-release" hubs are very common: in this case the hub is made in such a way that simply pushing on it with a finger compresses its component parts, thus shrinking the space it occupies and releasing the disc center; under normal situations the release cannot occur accidentally and requires someone to push on the hub (this is obviously more difficult to obtain in slim and ultra-slim cases, where in fact pluck hubs may be preferred to push-type ones).{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} ===Damage risk=== The larger size of the keep case compared to the CD [[Optical disc packaging#Jewel case|jewel box]] means that if the disc becomes detached from the center hub, it can move around inside the box, and the playable surface can be scratched by the hub. This can be a problem during shipping. The center "Pluck-Hubs" are designed to keep a disc in place while shipping, but can be too tight for normal home use. Because of this, the disc can be damaged upon removal due to excess warping. However, the edges of the center hub can be permanently bent in slightly to allow for a looser fit. Discs are then able to slip out easily, ideal for the home shelf.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1590566,00.asp | work=PC Magazine | first=Don | last=Labriola | title=DVD Rot, or Not? | date=June 22, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://polynewsline.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html|title=polyNEWSline: October 2008|work=polynewsline.blogspot.com|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=25827&st=0&sk=t&sd=a|title=racketboy.com • View topic - PS2 case cracking the game disc|work=racketboy.com|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref> ===Physical dimensions=== ====Case==== The height and width of a (closed) keep case are fixed at 190mm and 135mm, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amaray.com/downloads/AmarayBrochure.pdf |title=Amaray product brochure |publisher=Amaray |format=PDF |accessdate=2010-03-13}}</ref> The thickness may vary to accommodate more discs ("multi" case) or to require less shelf space ("slim" or "thin" case). For a typical single-disc case it is 15mm. A keep case, thus, ''approximates'' the [[Entertainment Merchants Association|Video Software Dealers Association]] recommendation that a single-disc [[DVD-Video]] package have the same height as a VHS tape (187&nbsp;mm) and the same width as a CD jewel case (142&nbsp;mm). ====Paper sleeve==== The printed paper sleeve for a standard DVD case can be printed on a standard A4 sheet of paper which, after cropping, can be slipped into the outer jacket. The paper room on the front and back panels of the case is 129.5mm × 183mm{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}} and spine panels have a width of 14mm or less. This gives 273mm × 183mm as resulting maximum overall dimensions for the printout (which is less than the 297mm × 210mm of an A4 paper sheet). ====Inserts==== Booklet inserts or leaflet material, when folded closed, should measure to a maximum of 120mm × 180mm. Similar, though not identical, packaging is used for commercial [[Blu-ray Disc]] titles and was used for [[HD DVD]] titles. However, the dimensions of the cases are somewhat different, about 19&nbsp;mm shorter. The individual cases are color-coded, with blue being used for Blu-ray and red for HD DVD, and the format displayed prominently on a stripe above the [[cover art]]. ===Empty cases and do-it-yourself=== In addition to the industrial usages reported above, empty keep cases are available at retail stores, which can serve for instance as a replacement for broken cases or for DVDs containing personal video recordings or data. Common brands are [[Hitachi Maxell|Maxell]], [[Memorex]], [[TDK]], [[Verbatim Corporation|Verbatim]], [[NexPak]], [[US Digital Media]] and Amaray. Some vendors, e.g. TDK and [[Infiniti (Medea)|Infiniti]], also sell recordable DVDs individually packed in keep cases. ==See also== * [[Optical disc packaging]] ==References== <references/> {{DEFAULTSORT:Keep Case}} [[Category:DVD]] [[Category:Packaging]] [[Category:Compact disc]]'