Adding personal content to DVD Profiler (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

There are quite a few DVD titles that I
can't believe are not contributed by anyone
via DVD Profiler. These titles include the
This is Your Life DVD collection and
even a low-budget Sam Kinison DVD.

I suppose I have to add them on my own if
I ever want them represented in the software.

I tried adding a title on my own and DVD
profiler made me go through this 5 page multiple
answer questionnaire. Afterwards, I was just
as dumbfounded as to how to enter a DVD into the
database as I was beforehand.

I don't want to scan the coverart. I am guessing
I can just save a box cover image off one of
the on-line etailer sites? As for the description,
well I suppose I can just cut and paste that
information as well.

Really, I need an idiot-proof step-by-step
instruction on how to add a title to the DVD
Profiler database.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Paul McElligott]

I've done it a few times. Generally, I don't even bother with the cover art. They want a 200dpi scan and usually the cover shots on the retailer sites aren't that big.

And the description is usually just the text off the back of the case so if you can cut and paste it from Amazon, you're in good shape.

 

[Brian PB]

The lunatics have taken over the asylum at DVD Profiler with their latest (June 2005) anal-retentive Contribution Guidelines. I used to contribute a large number of new profiles and updates, but I've now stopped entirely to protest the insanity (new contributions are now voted on by the ruling oligarchy, and rejected unless every "i" is dotted and "t" crossed in accordance with the Guidelines).

For example, the contributor is now forced to transcribe each cast and crew credit from the film itself (rather than using a secondary source such as IMDb), listing them in order, and including any misspellings or errors. It has also now been decreed that it's more important to list the production companies of the film than the producer/distributor of the DVD, which now may not appear anywhere in the profile.

What was once a great, cooperative, democratic process has devolved into an oligarchy of self-proclaimed experts intent on brandishing its regulatory power and crushing any dissenting opinions.

Until more people educate themselves about this problem and take a stand (at the Contribution area of the DVD Profiler Forums) on these changes, what was once the best and most versatile DVD cataloguing software will become less useful and user-friendly, and more "perfect" and obsolete.

 

[Arnie G]

I'm sure a lot of this is due to a bunch of morons submitting anything & everything they want regardless of accuracy:frowning:

 

[Dale MA]

Yeah, I to find it damn near impossible to add a new title to the database. I usually end up having to just give up.



I hope not, since it's the best cataloguing software availible, it would be a real shame to see it become obsolete :frowning:

 

[Ray_R]

I've stopped using DVD Profiler over 6 months ago as I found it to be obsolete for my needs. I've now been using DVDSpot ever since and I've contributed 21 titles already and will always submit more. To me, DVDSpot is much more user-friendly and not so distant and foreboding as DVD Profiler.
Just my two cents I guess.

 

[Pete York]

I download their profile when I first get a disc and then edit it myself to the way I want it. Then I 'lock' the disc. What I like about Profiler is that it's fully customizable (especially since I'm one of the 'lunatics' who likes to put the production studio in the profile ). What I didn't like was clicking to see how many Torben Meyer movies I had only to find out he's entered as Torbin Meyer in some other profile. So, problem solved (although I realize it's probably not a realistic option for larger collections to take the mantle of editing upon themselves).

 

[PatWahlquist]

I've been able to add a title by entering the UPC and the title and leaving it at that. My Profiler picks it up as part of my database, but it doesn't submit it.

BTW, Ron, nice car. New?

 

[JohnMor]

I don't know, I've submitted a few new dvds since July and haven't followed those rules, and they've all been approved and released.

I was finding the same problem as Ron on some recent titles (such as my favorite Merchant-Ivory film Slaves of New York), so I just added them & scanned the covers & they got approved. Took about 15 minutes total for each one, but I figured that's part of the price I have to pay for using the database. I'll probably be submitting a couple more this weekend that just came out and haven't been added yet.

 

[Tom_Bechet]

As a regular contributor and user of the IVS forum I have to say that: yes the rules are anal-retentive but with all the bad data that had been contributed lately it was necessary.

There were people submitting made up info, it was unbelievable.

Oh and the use of IMDB was/is a huge discussion hotspot (so to say) there are many reasons why its not used anymore, from what I understand legal ones as well.

TBH its not that difficult. after reading the admittedly long pages of the rules:

http://www.intervocative.com/dvdpro/...ons/Rules.aspx

you understand what is required, even though there are still problems.

I believe that they start to concentrate too much on the Film-part than the DVD-part even though its still DVDprofiler. I know some people feel the same way but unless they let their opinions known to the forum nothing will happen.

 

[Ruz-El]

I have no suggestions, as any titles I've submitted, I basically did what Ron described.

What bugs me now is the way it handles boxsets. They no longer want cast/crew information listed on the "Box Set" entry, but on the individual titles itself. this is fine for movies where the cast and crew can dramatically change per film, but they carry over on to the TV titles as well. I don't know anyone that doesn't catalog their TV titles together on a shelf, and it's annoying for me to have to list each title seperately (example, 6 discs for a season of Homicide) any order to have the cast and crew info to be complete, as the new info on the boxset itself has been wiped out. It also boosts the number of titles in your collection unrealistically, and adds to the amount of titles that shows up when doing an actor search (Richard Belzer would show up on 33 titles, all homicide life in the street, it should be 7, 1 entry for each season, not for each disc in the season set.)

I tried submitting an updated homicide season 3 boxset cast and crew, after reading the rules that state that in the case of boxsets, the cast and crew can remain for TV shows, and it was denied. I've since just locked them, I guess anyone else who would be interested in the info can do it themselves. Because of this ruling, I 'm guessing that none of my entries well past the muster of the elite judging group so I haven't bothered submitting anymore.

 

[TheLongshot]

Actually, I think it makes more sense for TV titles, since there are always guest stars, and it is good to know what disc the guest star is on, if you are looking for it. It does sound like they need better tools to make things easier for the regulars, but I don't have a problem with it conceptually. To be honest, I'm used to it with the anime releases.

Some here wax nostalgic for the "good ol days", but as a contributer back in the day, it wasn't that great. There were no standards for ANYTHING, and often profiles would be swtiched continuously back and forth. Also, cast lists for non-hollywood titles would be a mess, with inconsistant spellings for Japanese names, since the romanji would vary form studio to studio. I spent a lot of times fixing titles and fixing names and contributing it so at least things were consistant enough to look good and be useful.

Standards were needed, even if I don't agree with all of them.

Jason

 

[Ruz-El]

Jason, I agree that standards are needed, I just don't agree that this one is correct. Like I said, I can understand on movie boxsets, as I know alot of people break up the boxes themselves when they put them on their shelves, but I don't know anyone that breaks up TV boxsets when they put them on the shelf. The guest star thing is why I like everything listed under the "box" and not the individual titles, and also because the individual titles are missing information. Also, if you see a guest star name under the "box" listing, you can still find out what episode they are in when yo uactuall take the disc out of the box (unless you have a mechanical/robotic system of disc retreival that allows you to get DVD's without physically touching them*)

I don't understand why you can't have both full listings on Box sets, and on individual titles, and than people like me can have jsut the box information, and people like you can have the individual disc information. That's what it used to be, now they are blanking out the box set info, and I lazilly missed this happening, and lost info on 3-4 sets.

*and if you do have such a system, where did you get it? That would be freakin' sweet!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I wasn't very pleased with the handling of box sets either, especially after an update wiped out the cast/crew info of several movie sets I own. I had to re-enter that info manually and then lock the entire entry.

I still use the program and occasionally contribute an update, but I do not participate in the forums. The discussions have become very nasty.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I took a look at DVDSPOT.

It looks interesting, and since its free, I am
thinking about using it in addition to
DVD PROFILER.

Anyone have any praises or criticisms of DVDSPOT?

Also....

I sthere a way to import all DVD PROFILER titles
over to DVDSPOT?

I have about 2,000 titles, so you can understand
the necessity for me to make this as easy as possible
without having to re-enter my entire collection into
a new database.

Thanks in advance

 

[Paul McElligott]

Probably. Profile can export CSV files and DVDSpot can import text files containing a list of titles and/or UPCs. You would use DVD Profiler to export a CSV file containing just title and UPC and then import that file into DVD Spot.

The possible catches are:

1. DVDSpot uses all twelve digits of the UPC while DVD Profiler ignores the first and last digits. I have successfully searched DVDSpot using the just the 10 digit UPC used by Profiler, so hopefully it's not a problem.

2. DVD Profiler exports text files with all values enclosed in quotes. The example files for DVDSpot's import function shows files without quotes. I assume DVDSpot is smart enough to deal with it, but I haven't tried it.

3. DVDSpot only allows you to import 300 titles at a time. So you have to import about 7 times to do your whole collection. You simply tell DVDSpot to start with line 301 the second time, 601 the third time, etc.

 

[Grant B]

I use profiler to keep track of what's in my 300 & 400 DVD Megachangers. Since I use the 400 to keep my SACDs, I add them by using the 'Add by title' and by unchecking the "Profiler Content' Box.
It doesn't even ask me for contributing that way.
Fast & easy and I spit out a report instead of typing everything in the GUI of the changers.
You can click on my 'DVD Collection' below and see I even have the album art and song lists for most of the SACDs
Grant

 

[TonyD]

i forgot that i signed onto dvdspot back in april.

anyway go to front page then click manage membership button, and a list of instructions appear to put dvds into spot.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

One thing that makes entering profiles in DVD Profiler much, much easier is the DVDFolks utility. It can be obtained at www.dougweb.org and it works great for cast and crew (though not so well for TV series, especially 'best of' like the This is your Life, though I'll be contributing that in the next week or so anyway). It uses the IMDB credits, which is technically against the contribution rules but if you don't ask I won't tell. It's particularly useful for initial contributions of a title, and you can then edit it for compliance with the rules if that's important to you.

 

[RickER]

I keep my DVD Profiler locked too. I have a few Columbia House titles that are not on Profiler, like Perry Mason and Airwolf. I was gonna put them in, but like Ron after i went through the 5 pages of instructions i still didn't have a clue. I hate how some sets are all over the place on Profiler. Like my 40 Volumes of Star Trek didnt have much uniformity. Some would have Vol.1, or Volume 2, or just 3. That made it all a mess. You would end up with Volume 7 before Number 1 just because of how it was entered in the system. So i fix it for myself, and all is good. When i tried to upload it all to the system it just ends up being changed again by someone who didn't like it my way...so its locked now. Anyway, off that rant, id love to have my Perry Mason on Profiler.