Melissa L. Jones : DVDpedia, Movie Collector programs assist flick fans in getting organized
Posted on Monday, May 22, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/155457/
Organization is a great thing to have, but a darn difficult thing to achieve.
Part of the problem is that if you aren’t organized, it’s hard to get started. It’s even harder to stay that way.
Luckily, there are tools available to help with this daunting task. I happened upon two programs that make DVD organization a heck of a lot easier: Bruji’s DVDpedia and Bitz & Pixelz’s Movie Collector Pro.
First, let me confess, I took the easy way out with both of these programs. I happen to have a USB-powered, handheld barcode scanner. One click and boom, the UPC code is in the program, the search begins and the listing pops up. It saves a ton of time from having to type in all those titles. I added 160 DVDs in about an hour. Luckily, both programs worked beautifully with the barcode scanner.
Those without barcode scanners need only type the title into the Add window of each program. Both search online sites and retrieve information on the DVD that’s then added to the program’s library.
I expected to really like one program over another, but they equally impressed me. Both programs allow for title or barcode searches. Both programs search an array of online databases, from Amazon. com to Internet Movie Database. Both provide a variety of information on each DVD, from actor and director to release dates and user ratings. Both programs allow for detailed input of information, either as a result of searches or by adding it manually. They also offer the ability to list films loaned to or by the user, so it’s easy to keep track of each film in your library.
DVDpedia seemed instantly familiar to me thanks to its iTunes-like interface. The program has categories on the left, the list of movies on the right and detailed information on each DVD along the bottom. Buttons across the top allow users to quickly add, delete or export files. The program not only exports the library list to text, but it also exports to. Mac, Apple’s Internet service, and to the iPod.
DVDpedia displays the number of files at the bottom of the window, and even shows how much the DVD collection is worth in retail value. (I won’t say how much mine is worth, but let’s just say I could get a couple of new computers if I sold them all. Ouch. )
Movie Collector offers as many features as DVDpedia. The format is slightly different, with the information on the right and lists on the left. But it’s just as easy to navigate, and there are numerous ways to customize the display to show exactly the information you need. One extra feature I like about this is that it not only downloads and displays the front of the DVD cases, but also the back when available.
The latest Movie Collector also can export the library list to the iPod, but only on the Windows version. It’s not yet available on the Mac version, which seems strange, since we’re talking about the iPod, made by the makers of Macintosh products. Oh, well.
There’s one other thing I really like about Movie Collector. According to the Web site, the onetime payment provides access to updates and new versions for life — no paying for upgrades.
Both programs had its pros and cons. I preferred DVDpedia’s method for adding movies over Movie Collector. With DVDpedia, the search brings up the file, you click the Add button and you’re ready for another search. Movie Collector adds items through a wizard, so it took a couple more clicks to get ready for the next search.
DVDpedia’s HTML export also was a bit faster, and the index was simple yet professional-looking. Movie Collector’s export to the Web-page format produced a very basic index of DVDs, but individual movie pages looked like the details window in the program itself. It provide a lot more details — provided the right options were checked on the export window.
Movie Collector has one more advantage over DVDpedia, but it’s a big one — it works with Windows. Unfortunately, DVDpedia is for Macs only.
A couple minor wish-list items aside, I would recommend Movie Collector Pro for Windows users who need to get their DVD collection straight. Mac users also should find Movie Collector useful, but if I had to choose, I’d probably pick DVDpedia for the Mac. It’s iTunes-like interface is familiar and easy to navigate, and the ability to export to. Mac accounts and the iPod is a great bonus. Plus, the price is right on this one — only $ 18.
Now for the good news: You can choose for yourself which program is best. Both companies offer free demos of the software. DVDpedia is fully functional up to 10 DVDs. Movie Collector is functional for up to 50 DVDs.
There is even better news. Both companies offer similar programs for organizing other media, including CDs, books and games. Just imagine how much you could organize.
It might get the ball rolling on other areas needing organization. Well, one can only hope. Melissa L. Jones may be reached at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 515 Enterprise Drive, Suite 106, Lowell, Ark. 72745, or by e-mail at mjones@arkansasonline. com. Where it’s @
Movie Collector Pro from Bitz & Pixelz requires Windows 98 or later or Mac OS 10. 3 or later and an Internet connection. The product retails for $ 39. 95. Bruji’s DVDpedia requires Mac OS 10. 3 or later and an Internet connection. There is no Windows version available. The product retails for $ 18. More information, the free demo and purchase of Movie Collector is available at www. collectorz. com. More information, the free demo and purchase of DVDpedia is available at www. bruji. com.