While it’s still got a long way to go to match the 30-year lifespan of the VHS movie format, the DVD is approaching its 20th anniversary of release in the US and UK next year. It may well have taken more than a decade to outsell its predecessor, and it’s currently sharing a shelf with the more progressive Blu-ray, but it’s still the format of choice for many, so we wanted to pay tribute to its genius with our series of DVD movie hacks.
If you’re not sure what to do with any old, unwanted or under-loved DVDs, and you find yourself in a bit of a pickle – e.g. you’re town is attacked by a band of mad seagulls, you discover hitherto undiscovered superpowers, or you find yourself trapped on a desert island with a misshapen rugby ball called Rhys as your only soul mate – you can use our hacks as a desperate last resort.
Inspired by our love of cinema, you can find everything from the practical tip of using a DVD as a cocktail drinks coaster to the more maverick Frisbee distraction potential when you see a slavering hell beast heading your way on a mission from Goza the Gozerian.
Surprisingly, the more we thought about it, the more the DVD came in handy. Need some extra dalmatians? Simply find ordinary white dogs and use the middle as a stencil. Taking on a little trouble in a large Chinese town? A quick Blue Peter-inspired scissors and sticky back plastic job will furnish you with as many throwing stars as you need.
They’re pretty good as an impromptu pocket mirror, which comes in handy when you want to see around a corner without having your snotter blown off, or if you just want to check your bad self out in your new superhero costume. They can deflect laser blasts, as well as light rays for a long-range rescue signal, and they can be used to make all manner of superhero chest insignias, so there’s even more reason to love the little disc faces.
We appreciate downloading things digitally as much as the next movie release aficionado, but for us you need physical formats to be a part of the equation too, which is why the DVD still has such a big presence. Whether it’s just getting to hold something tangerinable, or having something physical to give as a gift, or being able to parade your favourite flicks on a shelf of your choosing, there’s always going to be a big slice of the filmy apple pie for something made of matter in the very least. So long live the DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD or whatever they come up with next.
You can keep up to date on the latest home movies with our DVD release dates and new DVD releases, which should help you to keep a good fresh stock of useful hack utensils in the house for years to come. If you’re like us, you might even have a few old VHSs lying around to double up as house-brick-size projectiles to lob at soppy bandits that try to break into our offices around the Christmas holidays.
