Personal Video Database

Hi buah,

I'm not sure what feature set you want to get from top250 search and what for.

Do you want new editions to top 250 that aren't in your database (ie movies that you haven't seen so that you can go and see them)
or movies that are in PVD that have moved out of top250 so you can update PVD (I couldn't think of reason why you would care about movies moving out of top250 -sorry)

Not exactly what you are after,
but have a look at http://next-flick.net/

I use this to track movies I am interested in. Also "whats hot" button to see what others are interested in.

The problem is with the highlighting.

Strange that it doesn't happen with "shift select"
suspect it is a buglet too (nice term btw)

Thanks Nostra - you're ace!  

Hi Deazo,
I'd hazard a guess your file path is too long:

C:\Documents and Settings\Tachillaume\My Documents\Personal Video Database\Posters\Another Demonstration of the Cliff-Guibert Fire Horse Reel, Showing a Young Girl Coming from an Office, Detaching Hose, Running with It 60 Feet, and Playing a Stream, All Inside of 30 Seconds_1101.jpg"
try skipping that one or renaming something shorter.
also try exporting closer to root drive eg c:\1\postername.jpg.

doh - beaten to the gun
btw - this is limitation in windoze

 16
   

Individual components of a filename (i.e. each subdirectory along the path, and the final filename) are limited to 255 characters, and the total path length is limited to approximately 32,000 characters. However, you should generally try to limit path lengths to below 260 characters (MAX_PATH) when possible. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365247.aspx for full details.

While it is true in could be added to several other record fields, they are only going to be visible after I have selected a record.

How about using "group by" and or "sort by"
You could group them by HD and DVD etc.

You can add custom groups via tools/preferences/Movies/Tree view Nodes

I think the only way to get the view that you want is to wait for "GRID VIEW" in version 1.

If he'd give a chance to PVD just for a week, he'd forgot any other software. And he wouldn't become totally relied on, but totally addicted to PVD Grin. I'm sure of it, just as I'm sure my nick is buah. Please, tell him that. Wink

He did try it.
Converted his entire collection (4K) to PVD and tried it for a week.
Said he could see the power (lots of options) but missing fundamental features (grid view).
Also did everything he needed so why change.
I will try and convert him again when PVD-v1 makes an appearance:)

Quote
If he wants something from a certain genre, he needs to fire up collectorz, sort by genre (say comedy)
then scan and select a movie. Go to box and pull it out.
Ask him. Is it because he's dependent on collectorz, or because he has a looot of movies, and this is the only way to decide which one to watch?
And that is the answer on a question above. When you have a lot of movies will you go to the shelf and pick up one? That's how I see it, and what my experience says.

My friend has PC turned on 24 x 7 - easy to fire up collectorz to choose a movie. Filter in grid view and select.

On which criteria, and how exactly you choose particular comedy now?

More like going to video store.
If you know what movie you want - you go in ask kid behind desk and they get it for you.
If you don't have particular movie - then you browse the shelf until one that grabs your fancy pops out.

You could do this with PVD, for me I would more than likely have to fire pc first then start pvd, then select movie, then find movie.
Most of these issues will go away with storage on Hard drive.
 

 
   

Hi All,
reading with interest different thoughts

buah
I think I understand your system.
Similar to a friend of mine.
He catalouges his disks by BOX and ID. ( he uses collectorz - I tried to converts him, but to no avail)
Each DVD box he owns hold 500 DVD's.
He uses ID no to locate the title he wants.
1-500 - box 1
501 -1000 - box 2 etc.
He can search a title in collectorz - look at the id and instantly know where it is located.
Unless you know the "system" you are stuffed.

This is like any system - you have to know how it works. If the system suits your needs great....

Any thoughts on managing movies automatic updates of movies across multiple discs where the content may change or be moved.
I am still undecided on how to store movies and would like some experiences.
For example how does "Scan folders for new movies" affect the database for offline harddrives.
Also how does deleting movies from HD affect automatic updating.

I am asking because I often do updates in clumps. (when storing on DVD) I'll get a bunch of movies. 50 or so, enter them into PVD, and  then categorise them into genre (comedy/ sci fi etc). These are then stored in DVD boxes of each category in alphabetical order.

I have my hard drives volume label set to "Movie001" When it fills up the next one will be "Movie002" etc
I noticed that PVD automatically populates the "Media Label" field with the volume
Is there a way for PVD to check the volume label and only update database with that "media label"
ie search for changed paths /added /deleted titles for that disk only.

My long term plan (when i have some $$ ) is to have a NAS of some sort. This will hold current movies /tv series etc that I plan to watch. When I have finished watching them /series are complete, I will move them to offline storage (Hard drive).
PVD (or my methodology) will need to be able to cope content changing location.

It seems to me the most efficient way to do that is to record the Media Label in PVD. And isn't that done automatically when a disk is scanned?

Are you sure?? This has been populated for me! Sorry - I am at work so can't check right now, but I am sure "media label" was being populated with HD volume name. I will verify when I get home


 

Very simple on the hard disks. If you are any thing like me your collection will grow out of what ever storage you start with.
So I use a simple and unambiguous initial classification on my hard disk (some of which span more than one disk)
Animated movie
HD movie
Movie (ie standard def none animated)
TV series

Thanks patch - so you create sub directories for each genre? or Disk per Genre?

I am using scan /folders for changed paths to add new media.
How does this affect the database if you have swapped hard drives??

Sorry, this (xbox) unfortunately I have no experiences.

xbmc will recurse subdirectories, and I can sort on genre /watched /not watched etc.
So it makes no difference to the systems that I use, whether they are laid out in flat format or sub-directories.
But it matters to my brain when I look at the folders and I see a flat format.
So I wonder if there are any advantages to putting them into sub-directories? (apart from appeasing my brain)  or leaving them in flat format.

When disk is full - put in a new disk. How does this affect adding and removing movies from PVD?

With me, the media database
Code:
to an external hard disk arranged by category.
Example:
    Action
    Comedy
    Western
and
     Rest..

In PVD, I have the custom section done custom field Movie Categories and manually confirmed one of the categories of films that I have an external disk.
Arrangements may also be in the File Information.

OK I do similar with DVD media. I don't import the category from imdb and use this as a custom field.
My movies are then stored in boxes alphabetically by Comedy, Sci Fi etc.

But when storing media on HD, I am streaming to xbox, so I think this way may not work.
I am thinking of having movies in one directory and a total reliance on PVD for managing them.