Welcome to the Invelos forums. Please read the forum rules before posting.

Read access to our public forums is open to everyone. To post messages, a free registration is required.

If you have an Invelos account, sign in to post.

    Invelos Forums->General: General Discussion Page: 1 2 3  Previous   Next
How do you use DVD Profiler?
Author Message
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
Posted:
PM this userVisit this user's homepageView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Quoting rdodolak:
Quote:
But not every source always has info for every release or more importantly confirmed info.  I wouldn't call myself a case collector but I know I've used DVD Profiler to find this info before purchasing.  I've also used the software, prior to making a purchase, to see if a specific release used a single or dual layer disc.

I wouldn't say that Profiler has info for every release, or that every piece of info is confirmed, but I guess that depends on what kind of titles you're looking for. Layer info, on the other hand, is probably something that's not all that easily available elsewhere. Some review site may have it, but not for every release, so I get why that is something that may be useful - if layer info is really important to you.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorrdodolak
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Superior Rating
United States Posts: 1,598
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
I wouldn't say that Profiler has info for every release, or that every piece of info is confirmed, but I guess that depends on what kind of titles you're looking for. Layer info, on the other hand, is probably something that's not all that easily available elsewhere. Some review site may have it, but not for every release, so I get why that is something that may be useful - if layer info is really important to you.


Yes, DVD Profiler doesn't have info for every release but it sometimes has info for releases that I haven't been able to find on other sites.  With all the resources combined the user can get a good amount of the info necessary.  I also review the contribution notes to see what the contributors have to say about the info they contributed and the source of the info.  There was a time when DVD Profiler always had information on the titles I was interested in and it was rare for the info not to be in the database prior to me receiving new releases.  However, this has changed over time and more and more releases go uncontributed ... sometimes for months or longer.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantJMGuer
Registered: June 1, 2013
Portugal Posts: 217
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
>>How do you use DVD Profiler?<<

To catalog the movies (not discs) I own. To keep accurate filmographies of cast & crew of same.

Most useful aspect of DVDP (for me): cast & crew, film credits fields, 'notes'

Useless (for me): case type, edition, DVD release, SRP, DVD features, Easter eggs, purchase date, purchase price, purchase place, collection number

>>why does case type matter?<<
It doesn't

>>deciding what to watch?<<
No

>>Do you use it for purchase decisions?<<
No

>>Would you select what to view based on case type?<<
No

>>Do you use it for statistical purposes?<<
Other than cast & crew and film credits, no

>>Do you use it as a movie information database<<
In regards to the movies I own, yes

>>this is not a suggestion to change anything, or an attempt to criticize anyone's preferences<<
Yup
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorDoubleDownAgain
I see better with 'em on
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
Canada Posts: 1,272
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
>>How do you use DVD Profiler?<<
To track my movie collection.

>>why does case type matter?<<
Why does any of the fields matter?  It's information about the individual releases.

>>deciding what to watch?<<
Sometimes.  It's a useful to browse by genre, runtime, rating, cast, etc

>>Do you use it for purchase decisions?<<
Only in the aspect to know what I already own.  I don't use the wishlist tab.

>>Would you select what to view based on case type?<<
No, I usually select what movies I watch based on the release date.

>>Do you use it for statistical purposes?<<
Yes, I use the DVDP to Access plugin, and run queries against it.  Also useful in finding issues with my collection.

>>Do you use it as a movie information database<<
Not really.  I'd love to, but it is awkward to try and track movies not in my collection.  Like theatrical, rentals, TV watches etc.  I use Letterboxd to track what I watch.  I wish there was an easy way to import what I've watch from my collection.  I do tag my Letterboxd collection with owned tags, so I can easily see what I've watched from my own collection.
HDTV: 52" Toshiba Regza 52XV545U  AVR: Onkyo TR-707
Speakers: Paradigm Monitor 7 v6, CC-190 & Atom Monitors  Subwoofer: Definitive Technology ProSub 800
BD/DVD: Oppo BDP-93 (Region Free)  HD PVR: Motorola DXC3400 500GB w/ 1TB Expander
BD/DVD/Game: 250GB PS3 Slim DVD/Game: 250GB XBox 360 Elite Special Edition (Black) Game: Wii
Remote: Logitech Harmony One w/ PS3 Adapter WHS: Acer H341 Windows Home Server
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsurfeur51
Since July 3, 2003
Registered: March 29, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
France Posts: 4,479
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Quoting scotthm:
Quote:
Quoting surfeur51:
Quote:
Unfortunately rules oblige us to contribute them.

No one is obliged to contribute anything at all to the database.

---------------

I thought I was clear. So I rewrite what I meant:

If you want to contribute fields of a profile that contains typos (or any other nonsense as T4xi or overview concerning another movie...), rules oblige us to contribute those typos (or any other nonsense as ...).
Images from movies
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorscotthm
Registered: March 20, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
United States Posts: 2,845
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Quoting surfeur51:
Quote:
If you want to contribute fields of a profile that contains typos (or any other nonsense as T4xi or overview concerning another movie...), rules oblige us to contribute those typos

Which makes perfect sense, since the rules intend that the database reflects the product rather than our imaginations.

---------------
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsurfeur51
Since July 3, 2003
Registered: March 29, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
France Posts: 4,479
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Quoting scotthm:
Quote:
.... rather than our imaginations.

  Thank you, I'll laugh all day...
   

corretc spellnig is juts imaginutoin...
Images from movies
 Last edited: by surfeur51
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorDJ Doena
Registered: May 1, 2002
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Germany Posts: 6,737
Posted:
PM this userEmail this userVisit this user's homepageView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
I am and always have been on surfeur51's side on this issue, even though he can be annoying with his repitition.

Here's how I use DVDP.

I profile all the items I've purchased by their UPC/EAN if available, otherwise I use the DiscID.

If I happen to come accross a duplicate (accidental double dip) I'll make a manual profile, noting the actual UPC in the notes.

I'll add the DiscID(s) of the main features in the Discs section. That is always done by myself, no matter what the online DB says. I profile what I have, not what someone else added at some point in the past.

For TV series, I go down to disc level because that's a manageable compromise between seeing what I've actually watched and profile creating effort. I have ~3,000 disc profiles, to create ~12,000 manual episode profiles would be too much effort for me, especially since DVDP doesn't allow "linking" of cover images (i.e. an option to use the covers of the parent profile without actually copying the JPEG files).

I've written myself a tool that is not advertised here for obvious reasons where I use the cast and crew from IMDb because I feel that gives me a much more accurate linkability of cast and crew than the DVDP database will. I just voted yes on a buttload of Star Trek profiles where Michael Dorn suddenly needed a birth year. Michael Dorn has been having a birth year in my database for ages because in lack of a proper person ID I feel that all four fields used (last, first, middle name, birth year) gives me the best chance not to have two different people being mistaken for the same person.
IMDb is not perfect, I know that. But I don't care if it says "Captain Kirk" or just "Kirk" in the actual credits. What I want is being able to click on one young and unknown actor by the name of Mario Girotti and see that he played in most of his movies as Terence Hill.
Just last week I voted on a common name change of a guy called Montara or something (I don't really pay attention to these kinds of contribs; if the contrib notes contain a link to the name thread I am fine and vote yes) and one of my fellow voters voted no. He was outside his rights to do so but I could understand his frustration, because he said (something in the vein of) that this guys common name was only changed a few months ago and now we're changing it again because he had one more movie under name variant two and if in six months (he is a crew guy IIRC) we're going to change it all over again.
With changes like these you will always have a broken link database and I don't want that.
Some of you will ask why I don't use IMDb and be done with it. Because IMDb is a full database. I want to see which movies I have with any one person.

So in essence, all my profiles are cleared from any online DB cast and crew and then locked in these sections.

What I care to know about in a DVD is that it is not censored (i.e. cut) by any "well meaning" age rating agency, that it has an original audio track and optionally a subtitle track in English if it is an English language movie or German if it is any other kind (French, Japanese, ...). My English hearing is quite good IMHO, but some slang movies are just hard to understand for my foreign ears.

What I don't need and care about is a 1:1 representation of the overview text with bells and whistles like italics and bolds and silly stuff like that. I don't see the usefulness for these kinds of formatting at all. So when someone contributes a change to repair a hyphen - to a dash — I just shake my head, vote yes and forget I ever saw it. The overview is one of the sections I don't lock and let in whatever other contributors think must be the correct way.

As for titles, I have a similar stance as with cast and crew. A database lives from order. Without order a database is not a database but a junkyard - you may eventually find what you're looking for but only after turning every heap upon its head.
My titles follow strict library index card rules without any graphic art nonsense some cover designer may have cooked up to make it look more pretty. There is no T-four-xi in my database nor is there a The Complete First Season or a Final Season Five.
That is a personal choice but that is what this topic is all about. All my titles are well-formatted and then locked, so I'll find what I'm looking for when I'm looking for it.

Genres are locked as well, any non-genre like Television is always in the last spot. I don't like them there at all, but they are needed for certain purposes (e.g. phpDVDProfiler statistics).

I've re-purposed the SRP field for my own needs because until now we didn't really have the ability to add custom fields and the actual SRP is of no interest to me.

Well, that's about it. Anything I've not mentioned here is probably due to lack of interest in that section.
Karsten
DVD Collectors Online

 Last edited: by DJ Doena
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 6,396
Posted:
PM this userVisit this user's homepageDirect link to this postReply with quote
DJ, as usual, I find your discussions interesting and thoughtful. Greenie!

BTW that doesn't mean I agree with everything, but I do like to understand other ways of thinking about things that are important to me.
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
 Last edited: by mediadogg
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar Contributormreeder50
I was outta bullets
Registered: March 29, 2007
Reputation: Superior Rating
United States Posts: 2,713
Posted:
PM this userEmail this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
For me, it simple, I love information of any kind...the more the merrier. I like to look up an actor or crew member and see what they were associated with in my collection. I also like disc level profiles especially for TV seasons. This allows me to find the disc that has a particular piece of information I'm looking for.

I get on kicks of sorts based on particular info.
Marty - Registered July 10, 2004, User since 2002.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorNexus the Sixth
Contributor since 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
Sweden Posts: 3,188
Posted:
PM this userView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Nowadays mostly for inventory, when buying and selling. Since I've been selling more stuff than buying lately it's been important to be able to answer questions like "case type" because often the buyer wants to know and for example Steelbooks pays more than regular editions.

Therefor I like the profile to be as accurate a reflection of the PRODUCT as possible. I don't care much for cast and crew here, I use IMDb and other sources if I want to look up stuff like that. It's more important to get the technical data correct imho, such as aspect ratio and sound formats. Also of course special features, language tracks and text options.
First registered: February 15, 2002
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
Posted:
PM this userVisit this user's homepageView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
Quoting DoubleDownAgain:
Quote:
Why does any of the fields matter?  It's information about the individual releases

Well, that was kind of why I asked. It's information, but unless you actually use that information in some way, then it's useless information.

Others, like iPatsa, have provided very good reasons. Reasons I would not have thought of myself, because I don't use Profiler in the same way that they do. So I find that very illuminating.

And - with the risk of derailing my own thread - I must say that I sympathize to some degree with surfeur. I want info about the movie, not misinformation from the cover or the credits. But I grind my teeth and lock the info. Not much point in flogging a dead horse... 
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorSwissFilm
www.filmkino.ch
Registered: May 16, 2010
Reputation: Superior Rating
Switzerland Posts: 516
Posted:
PM this userEmail this userVisit this user's homepageView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
For me DVD Profiler is a database of all my films I own, so I do not buy doubles. With over 6'000 films a double buy is fast made. I love also to have my collection on my iPad and iPhone so I have it with me when on the road and visiting a shop somewhere.

Very important is also to find in over 6'000 films a film fast, to know where I can find it. I have a lot of racks, they are numbered and in DVD Profiler I have for each film the Racknumber and the Rownumber where to find it.

Also Crew and Cast is important, to find the films in which a certain actor acts. Not so important for me are Studios.
*
3D TV Panasonic TX-P65VT30J + Blu-ray Player Panasonic DMP-BDT500
My Filmcollection online: www.filmkino.ch
*
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorDJ Doena
Registered: May 1, 2002
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Germany Posts: 6,737
Posted:
PM this userEmail this userVisit this user's homepageView this user's DVD collectionDirect link to this postReply with quote
To expand on SwissFilm's post:

I also own DVDP Mobile (for classic Windows CE PDAs), DVDP Apple app, DVDP Android app.

I bought them in this order because I bought the devices in that order.

My PDA is still working and is useful to sync my work Outlook appointments so I know on which days I have to be in the office earlier. I have my collection on it so I don't double dip. It still happens when I'm either to lazy to look at the collection or if I'm totally convinced that I don't already have that movie (which then turns out to be wrong. ).

When I got an iPad, I got DVDP Apple app and thought it would replace my Mobile. But I don't take my iPad with me unless I actually travel somewhere. Nowadays I just use it to browse my collection on the sofa and decide what I'm going to watch. So linkability is again an issue for me, because I often decide to watch something by actor or genre.

Last but not least after I got an Android phone I got the app for it. And this actually (mostly) replaced the PDA Mobile version when it comes to shopping.
Karsten
DVD Collectors Online

DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantBlair
Resistance is Futile!
Registered: October 30, 2008
United States Posts: 1,249
Posted:
PM this userDirect link to this postReply with quote
My usage has simplified somewhat over the years, as I am not so concerned about the cast and crew in my wish list as I used to be.

I use DVD Profiler because of all of the additional information it allows. If I only wanted to "catalog my DVDs" I could use a spreadsheet. I do find this a bit of an odd thing to do since I do not keep track of any other products that I have bought over the years. A large part of my collection over the years have been gifts. I did not think of it much at first, but years later I like the fact that I am able to keep track of who gave me what.

One feature that I have never used is the Watched list. I do not care when the last time was that I watched a DVD, but instead I use tags to cover this fact (as "Watched, "Unwatched" or "Uncertain." There was a time recently when I considered starting to use it, but I changed my mind as the very late start made it feel no longer important. I am, however, someone who loves statistics, so Chats & Graphs and Mark's Database Query plugin are my favorite tools.

Even though custom categories exist now, I still use the wish list for the bulk of my non-collection. In it, I store all of the movies and TV shows that I have watched, upcoming releases that I want to watch, alternate versions of DVDs that I already own that have the same plus additional features from my current DVD. This is in case I have a chance to trade up, as I like listening to all of the special feature material.

For shows and movies that I have watched that have not and may never be released on DVD, I create manual profiles and add a poster with basic information so that they too are not forgotten. One show that I had been keeping track of but never noticed a release for was suddenly done so many years later in R2. I stick with R1 but look at the other regions only once or twice a year, and there it was. If I was not tracking in the way that I do, I would have overlooked it.

I write quick reviews for myself to go along with my star rating. This is helpful more for movies that I saw in the theater and are fresh on my mind. I also keep track of taglines in my notes (one of my layouts displays the tagline at the top and trailers off to the side.


The iOS app has been more useful than I originally suspected... sometimes even as "bragging rights" so to speak. While owning 400 movies and TV seasons is peanuts on this site, it is amusing to see a person talk about owning almost 100 DVDs and then being able to quickly pull up my collection to let him scroll through my collection. I then sometimes tell the person about others here: "Oh this is nothing. Many people who I know online own 4,000, 7,000, even 10,000 DVDs." *watches the person's eyes glaze over* 
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving isn't for you.

He who MUST get the last word in on a pointless, endless argument doesn't win. It makes him the bigger jerk.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorRizor
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
United States Posts: 553
Posted:
PM this userDirect link to this postReply with quote
Simply put, I want all the information I can use about the DVD/Blu-ray and the movie/show/game included on it in my database. I'd rather use my own database to figure out where I know an actor from than using Google or IMDB. I'd rather have all the information about multiple versions, disc defects, weird playback quirks within the program than to have to research it later. Luckily, I have much of this information in my head, but I'm liable to forget at some point.

I'd group the main uses into 3 categories. Here are some uses:

The Disc Itself:
- Special features, covers, case type, release date, audio and video specifications
- Keep track of digital copy management - which ones I've redeemed, traded, sold.
- Keep track of the condition I purchased the title in - new, used, rental versions; tracking missing features (missing slip cover, digital copy or bonus discs)
- Keep track of which discs feature their original trailers and which I need to download or obtain the trailers for
- Keep track of missing extras that were not carried over from previous formats.

The Movie/TV Show:
- Information about the movie/show itself including studio, running time, cast & crew
- Tags help me keep track of movies by keywords, plot details, period setting, location, subgenres, awards, and honors, etc.

Personal Information
- Which movies/TV shows I have watched and the dates I've watched them.
- Information regarding the purchase date, price, and place where I obtained it.

Honestly, I've fallen out of love with the program a bit in the past few months as I realize it's never gonna be the program it can be and there's very little interest in improving it.
My DVD/Blu-ray Collection
My Letterboxd Page
 Last edited: by Rizor
    Invelos Forums->General: General Discussion Page: 1 2 3  Previous   Next