I was in my local dive shop a few weeks ago and saw some of the new PADI merchandise. Among them was the DVD for a specialty course, I think it was Underwater Photography.

The noteworthy thing was that the DVD was the slim size---half the width of a standard DVD case. Now this doesn't sound like a big deal, but sure is nice for those of us who have a unwieldy collection of PADI DVDs. In fact, I'm about to put all of mine in a single disc holder and trash the plastic cases. Chucking all that plastic makes me a little sad.

It was a bit strange because none of the other new DVDs were in slim cases, only this one (that I saw). Is PADI planning a switch over to these compact cases and testing the waters first?

I, for one, would be glad. All that casing seems unnecessary for a tiny little DVD. I'd even be happy if they were just shipped in a paper envelope, although I understand customers often want something that feels a little more substantial for their money.