What are you using to keep track of your movies, music, etcetera?

[Burke Strickland]

I've been using a home-made Access data base for several years now to keep track of movies on BluRay, DVD and Laser Disk (which shows how far back this goes). It works well if I keep up with the data entry close to "real time", but gets tedious if I let a pile of disks stack up before getting around to keying in the information.

In addition to keeping up with all those video disks, I'd also like to start cataloging my CD, SACD, DVD-Audio and LP collection. I'm not about to type in all that information from scratch.

So I'm looking for another solution -- perhaps one of the off-the-shelf data bases designed to organize information about these kinds of collections that incorporates effective barcode scanning to take over the data entry chores.

Any member here have any recent experience -- good or bad -- with products that do what I'm looking for? I've done the Google search and I know how to read ads. Please let me know about your personal experience with any of these kind of cataloging products, or other solutions that incorporate bar code scanning.

Here are some of the things I am looking for:

Effective barcode scanning of the identifying data complemented by an automated online search for additional details about the item being cataloged would be a real boon. In fact, I would consider it a mandatory feature -- if the scanner really works and doesn't lead to manually typing in the barcode after a half dozen attempts to scan it, which is what happened a few years ago when I tried a commercial cataloging product that used the "Cue Cat" scanner that Radio Shack used to give away.

I'd also like to be able to organize and print the data (perhaps to a .pdf file) or export it to Excel based on parameters I would specify.

I know that some cataloging products are web-based including storage of the database -- I'd prefer something on my local PC that does not depend on a connection to the vendor "mother ship" to work except to glean and download details about each disk being cataloged. In other words, I am not looking to store my collection information on line to "share" with anyone else and I want to be able to look up things my copy of the data base even when I am off line.

It should be able to handle a very large number of entries -- thousands of items of each type -- preferably in an open standard data base format (not some encrypted proprietary format that dies if the vendor of this specific product goes out of business/loses interest in making updates).

I'm open to suggestion regarding other features you have found useful in your own experience using one or more of the products or other solutions that might be available.

Thanks,
Burke

[Ovation]

There is an iPhone (or iPod/iPad) app called iBookshelf that appears to do what you want (mostly) with books. I use it and it is pretty good. There is supposed to be another app by the same provider that includes other media (CDs, DVDs, etc.) that works the same way. I've not tried it, though. If it is as good as the book one, it might be worth considering (though I guess you'd need an iPhone or iPod Touch w/camera to use the barcode scanner feature--the ISBN lookup feature is also easy (just type a few numbers per item rather than all the information and it loads up).

[chrispy35]

Are you just cataloging or are you planning on moving your audio to a server? If the later, I'd suggest Mediamonkey for handling a large library.

http://www.mediamonkey.com/

Chris P.

[Glen B]

For several years now I've been using CATraxx and CATVids to catalog my music and DVDs. Both programs are the most versatile and user friendly of the ones I have tried. You can select what information you want to see and how it is displayed. CATraxx will also catalog digital music files by scanning your hard drive, and automatically populating the program fields with the information. This can save hours of data entry.

With CATraxx you just load a CD and click an icon, upon which the program will scan the CD, search the Internet for data and cover image, and download that information into the fields. If you have vinyl, you just enter the album and artist's name and the program will search Discogs or another site you select in the setup menu, and download album information. Similarly, with CATVids, you just enter the movie title and the program will locate and download information and cover image.

Once in a while there may be an album for which no information can be found, and you will have to enter data manually, but those occasions are few and far between. Its not a shortcoming of the program but rather that there is just no information on the Internet.

The developer Fredrik of FNProgramvare, is always making improvements to the applications, and he issues regular free updates several times a year. He is also very responsive to customer questions and suggestions. There is also a substantial user support forum. Other add-ons that come with CATraxx include separate CD and digital audio players. You can create playlists for your digital music files with the audio player.

http://www.fnprg.com/

http://www.fnprg.com/forum/index.php

[David Meek]

Burke, I'm using Movie Collector Pro from Collectorz. Scanning? Check. Manual UPC entry? Check. Resident on PC? Check. Large library of titles including international? Check. Custom query builder? Check. Support? Check - a very consistent upgrade/fix cycle as the worldwide user community finds issues. Lots of other features? Check. Am I happy with it? Yes, very.

They also have a Music Collector and others if you are interested. Actually I'm looking at the Music Collector right now to see if it will accept vinyl.

[Hammie]

I only catalog my movies and use DVD Profiler.

[George Bellefontaine]

I've been using a home-made Access data base for several years now to keep track of movies on BluRay, DVD and Laser Disk (which shows how far back this goes). It works well if I keep up with the data entry close to "real time", but gets tedious if I let a pile of disks stack up before getting around to keying in the information.

I also use a home-made system and have been doing so since dvds hit the market. Two or three years ago I did consider some kind of a software program but everything I looked into seemed too complicated for this computer-challenged fellow. I still use my old system and don't have much trouble keeping up with things because my buying is sporadic now and is limited primarily to blu-ray. Sorry, Burke, but I forget those programs I was looking at.

[Hdale85]

There was a software for the computer that let you scan the bar-code with a webcam, then it auto filled in everything.

[impala454]

I also use DVD Profiler. Have used it for years and is great. It uses barcode scanning, though I have not tried it.

http://www.invelos.com

[impala454]

Also just to add on DVD Profiler, it has lots of great options for outputting the data in various formats (like XML or CSV, etc). The only drawback I'd see with your requirement is it doesn't do music as far as I know.

[Lex]

I have 2 catalogs called "Shelves" This floor to ceiling rack I rigged up holds the majority of my DVd collection, there is some overflow to my DVD rotating bookshelf. I got my redbook DVD and BD/HDDVD rack. I sort them be genre, and call it a day. I used to enter them online, and a lot of my DVD collection may still be sitting on the online site, was it DVD profiler? oh gosh I have let time go by on this.

If I start buying BD movies much, I will have to expand BD storage at some point.

I have transitioned to buying less movies, watching what I have some, and watching movie channels more when I watch. Time issue for me seems difficult for my movie viewing. Just not the time I used to have for it.

[Burke Strickland]

I have used "Shelves" for years, too, and the cataloging works great when I'm standing in front of the racks, but it is a little cumbersome to drag along to the store when I want to refer to my existing collection to avoid a duplicate purchase. :>) (That's where printed reports from the Access data base have come in handy. But that requires that the data entry be up-to-date.)

I gave up on sorting by genre a long time ago, just going with overall alphabetical arrangement. Speaking of sorting by genre, I had to laugh when I walked into a video retailer a few years ago (before online merchants and, allegedly, pirating basically killed local disk sales) and saw "Annie Hall" positioned in the "Action/Adventure" section. This was not the result of someone picking up a single copy and dropping it off in that section. The title card was there properly alphabetized within the section, with about a half dozen copies of the disk along with it.

A major reason I am interested in cataloging my music collection is because I listen to music about 5 times more than I watch movies, and therefore my music disk collection is growing a lot faster than my movie collection.

[Glen B]

I keep PDF lists of my music and DVD collection on my smartphone so that I can double-check what titles I have, when I am away from home. CATraxx and CATvids allow me to download reports in a variety of file formats.

[David Meek]

Music Collector Pro was on sale for $24.99 so I jumped in. I'll give some feedback after I've put a few titles into it.

[Chris D]

Yes, do tell!

[Burke Strickland]

Ditto on the "yes, do tell!". How does Music Collector look so far?

[David Meek]

So far? I'm pretty happy with it the overall application, but remember that I've been using their Movie Collector app for a couple of years.

Inputting by barcode is simplicity itself. You can key it in (800 CDs? I think not.) or use a scanner. The scanner (they have 3 different ones or you can get your own) is the way to go unless you are just starting out with a few CDs/SACDs. Inputting by artist/title takes a bit longer. When you enter the barcode or barcode list the app will go out to Collectorz' database and pull up any albums that it finds. In some cases it will find two albums for a single barcode - i.e. I have an HDCD of Stephen Stills' self-titled album and the database had it and the standard CD listed for that barcode. You just check the "radio box" next to the one you prefer and move on. If you are inputting by artist/title you will get a large number of choices to pick through based on re-releases and such. Once you are happy with the list and submit it the albums come up in either thumbnails or a list (you choose). At that point you can select on one and the detailed information will come up in a pop-up window. It can then be edited or added to if you want. The you have several choices for a graphical display layout and then further color choices of each.

It will automatically pull in any FLAC (or other) downloads you have on your PC. Just tell it in which directory to look for them and away it goes.

I have found that the database for CDs isn't quite as detailed as the one for DVDs/Blu-Rays. So, there are a lot of empty fields you can put info into if you want. Please keep in mind these comments are based on a 30-album test group without any classical submittals (yet).

I can put a lot more info out there for you if you'd like. I do recommend downloading the free trial version. It's an easy way to see if Music Collector (or Movie Collector, too) meets your expectations.

[Burke Strickland]

Thanks, David, for your report. (And thanks, as well, to everyone else who has offered suggestions.) I've downloaded both Movie Collector and Music Collector. I like that the "demo" versions are the fully featured applications which, for the trial, are just limited to 50 entries, (enough to get a feel for the app), and then assuming the tests go well, the full license allowing unlimited entries can be purchased later, apparently without having to reinstall the application.

With Movie Collector, I tried entering barcodes for 30 DVDs, 3 BluRay disks and one HD-DVD title. When the program did its online search, it recognized 100% of them, including a comedy "concert" that was not actually a movie and a couple of what I thought might be fairly obscure catalog titles. No hiccups at all.

However, I was somewhat non-plussed to come back to the application after restarting my computer a while later (for a Windows update that had nothing to do with the trial of these products) and found that my movie title listing had been fragemented into arbitrary "genre" classifications that I had not entered. The application referred to these as "folders". Fortunately the list is available with "no folders". That would have been a deal killer if using the "genre" folders were mandatory. I much prefer a straight alphabetical list of all titles. Especially when I see that some titles in my list are placed by the program into more than one "genre", but not necessarily the one I would have picked even if I liked this sort of categorization, (which I do not), which illustrates to me how arbitrary and unhelpful these "genre" categories are. Next I plan to try the search and reporting/exporting features.

Music Collector was somewhat less successful in "automatically" (via typed barcodes) finding the CDs and SACDs I tried to enter. All 15 popular titles were found and loaded into my test database file without a hitch. With classical, however, the process was not nearly as smooth. It only recognized three of 15 titles, a miss rate of 80%. In two of the cases where it thought it recognized a title for a classical CD, I had to select from a list to get the right one. Some of the choices on the lists were wildly different from the album in question, in several instances not even being classical. I had thought barcodes would be more specific to a particular product than that.

That makes the total success rate for Music Collector only 60% using barcodes. Also I have not yet been able to get the program to load data from any of the "missed" CDs inserted into the computer drive, an advertised alternative data entry method. Windows Media Player finds the album information with no problem, but Music Collector doesn't seem to know where to look.

Since my CD collection is about 50/50 popular and classical, I'm going to have to decide whether this tool is a big enough help to justify its cost. Actually, if the niumbers from the trial hold up when entering the whole collection, saving data entry chores on 50% - 60% of nearly 1,000 titles would still be a significant help. I just wish it were closer to 80% - 90% overall. Entering 400 titles and other info is still a lot of typing!

So far, it looks like Movie Collector is a winner, while the jury is still out on Music Collector.

[David Meek]

One other thing I do like in both apps is the ability to find more "cover art" and use it instead of the canned images. I replace the covers with larger imagery (around 600x600 for CDs & a similar increase in size for DVD/Blu-Ray) as I like to peruse them as an artform in itself.

That's not a good success rate for the classical albums. I'll go dig some of mine out and enter them to see if I get similar performance. Although, it won't be as serious an issue as my collection is only about 10-15% classical.