Book vs. Digibook

MusicBrainz
1

For me it’s mot clear at all what the difference between “Book” and “Digibook” is.

As described on https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Release/Packaging it’s very similar to me.

In difference to “Digipak” (compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_packaging#Digipak_/_Digipack) I think there is no trademark on “Digibook”.
BTW: “Digipak” will be used more in a generic Digipack here, I’ll guess.

Back to Book/Digibook.
Book: “A book with a sleeve containing a medium (usually a CD).”
Digibook: “A bounded booklet usually in hardcover with a sleeve bound to the spine of the book that houses a CD.”
What is the difference between a book and a bounded booklet? For me it’s more or less the same (or it could be more or less the same).
Also the picture for Book (https://wiki.musicbrainz.org/-/images/a/a5/Packaging-Book2CD.jpg) fits to Book and Digibook to me.

An example: The packaging for release https://www.discogs.com/Cecilia-Bartoli-Les-Musiciens-Du-Louvre-Marc-Minkowski-Opera-Proibita/release/1108192 (Cecilia Bartoli - Opera Proibita: “Housed in a 64-page digibook”) is often called a Digibook. I would also use rather Digibook but it looks very similar to the picture used for book (CD in hands).
If the format is not around 142 x 125 mm I would typically use Book.

Maybe the picture used for Book is not the best. Maybe it would be fine to have also a picture for Digibook.

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I think a bounded booklet might be around the same size as usual CD cases whereas book could be of any (bigger) size. :thinking:

We should move the book picture to digibook, maybe, indeed.

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3

“Book” is for… books. The picture currently listed for Book seems to be a Digibook and not a book at all. E.g., Absolute Beginner’s Bodhrán Tutor and Rivstart A1+A2 are (soft-cover) books. They’re books that come with a CD.

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A couple of random examples of Books I have in my collection https://musicbrainz.org/release/2d46a116-bba8-45a2-b43f-23ecc0ef4266/cover-art and https://musicbrainz.org/release/fc4b6d0e-18f5-42b1-8435-2f37667aed62

The main difference to me is these are proper hard back books with a CD tucked into them.

A digipak \ digibook has a plastic doodah to hold the CD in a clip.

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No, unlike digipaks, digibook has sleeves for holding CD.

So the problem is just the wrong picture.

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Here is an example of a digibook with a plastic holder instead of a sleeve:
https://new-era-productions.nl/shop/home/5940-ygg-ygg-digibook-cd.html

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Oh no, I never saw this… :weary: Why did they do this…
I would have called this one almost a digipak.

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In my understanding, that’s what a “digibook” is… almost a digipak…

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9

Can I point at this very handy Wikipedia page? Optical disc packaging - Wikipedia

Digipak / Digipack

A Digipak® (trademarked term) or digipack (generic term) consists of a rectangular cardboard package with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a disc attached to the inside. There are variations where the discs sit on a hub or spindle inside and come in various sizes.

Digibook

A digibook (a.k.a. mediabook) is a type of packaging that has a hard cover (like a hardbound book) and comes in various sizes. The disc can either slide into the package or sit on a spindle, hub or tray inside.

Artbook

An artbook is a type of packaging that has a hard cover (like a hardbound book) and is normally around 11 1/4" to 11 1/2" square and contains a several-page booklet inside. Basically, it’s an oversize deluxe digibook/mediabook.

Their definition of Digibook includes different ways of holding the CD. Though their Artbook is much bigger than the Book definition at MB. I would say the Radiohead example I posted earlier is certainly a Book.

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10

It is quite blurry to me now the difference between digipak and digibook (I had no doubts before but I was maybe wrong).
Is it like following?

digipak

There is either a regular jewel case booklet sliding in one of digipak’s panes or no booklets at all.

digibook

There are pages directly attached to package, like books.

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11

Yep - the booklet is separate with a “Digipak”.

Whereas a “Digibook” is a book with multiple pages glued in that also has a CD attached to it in some manner.

The “Digibook” is still basically roughly the same dimensions as a classic CD Jewel Case and slots into my CD rack alongside my CDs.

A “Book” or “Artbook” has to sit to the side of my CD rack as it is a different size and shape.

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