Open Forum Friday: What is the Best Software for Tracking a DVD Collection?
Last week I was logging into my account at DVD Spot to add a couple of new acquisitions to my online DVD collection when I noticed a bright yellow message informing me that DVD Spot would be closing permanently as of Wednesday October 15th. You’ve got to be kidding me! This is now the second time within the span of a year that I find myself in search of a new service for tracking DVDs. I only stumbled across DVD Spot because DVD Profiler decided to end their free service and start charging for accounts. I ended up liking DVD Spot quite a bit better, but now that it’s gone, there aren’t a ton of other options out there.
So anyway, I thought it was about time I put the question to my fellow Film Junkies. I know there must be a few of you out there who have rather large DVD collections, and I’m curious what solutions you are currently using to organize and track them. Come on, I can’t be the only one anal enough to do this! I’m interested in both online services as well as software applications (I use a PC, but feel free to suggest Mac programs as well). The main features I’m looking for are a decent database of titles, a loan system for keeping of track of things that I’ve lent out, and the ability to import a collection (I refuse to manually re-enter 800 DVDs at this point). Is that so much to ask? If I get enough good suggestions, I may do a follow up article once I test drive a bunch of them. So tell me, what are the best programs for tracking DVDs? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (25)
I use Delicious Library 2 for Mac. You can scan in your DVDs by using the integrated camera on the Mac. It will check out the database at Amazon.com to get the details and input them to your library.
I find it pretty good, it can be a bit tempermental when scanning in some DVDs but on the whole it works. I think it uses the US Amazon.com so sometimes it doesn’t recognise some European DVDs.
It will also scan in books and video games.
Posted by Stephen on October 10th, 2008I share Sean’s dilema so I’m looking forward to some of the other options out there!
Posted by Marina on October 10th, 2008I use DVD Afficionado not great, but at least it hasnt closed up shop on me. http://mr-jinx.dvdaf.com/owned
Posted by Chip Chief on October 10th, 2008I used to use DVD Profiler but for a while the Internet provided me with Collectorz.com program like DVD Collector. They also have programs like Music Collector, Books Collector, MP3 Collector…you get the point!
That makes me think I should really update my dvds and track a few down.
Posted by Julien on October 10th, 2008I use DVD Aficionado as well.
http://www.dvdaf.com/
Posted by Suresh on October 10th, 2008DVD Af does have the loan functionality I want but it doesn’t have an import feature and the interface is pretty damn ugly. It’s a possibility though.
Delicious Library is awesome, I installed it back when I had a Mac for about a week.
I was thinking about taking another look at DVD Collector.
Posted by Sean on October 10th, 2008As an Editor at DVD Spot, I saw the writing on the wall for quite some time (although we didn’t find out the site was closing until the rest of the users, on Oct. 1), so I always kept a “back up” of my DVD collection at DVD Profiler. I’ve tried many other choices, including DVD Aficionado, Movie Collector PLus, Libra, Chasing the Frog, Coolector, etc., and Profiler is really the only option. It’s definitely worth the one-time payment of $30. FYI, a user at Profiler has developed an add-in for the program that will import your DVD’s from DVD Spot…but hurry, because everything goes *poof* on the 15th!
Posted by ottobud on October 10th, 2008“As an Editor at DVD Spot (…) Profiler is really the only option.”
!
Posted by Henrik on October 10th, 2008“the interface is pretty damn ugly”
For reals! I would go with Delicious Library but my Mac doesn’t have a web cam, my friends don’t have Macs, and I don’t wanna spend forty bucks. There has to be something cheap and good looking.
Posted by Ryan M. on October 10th, 2008I created my own database in Access, but I do this to manage lists of all the films I’ve seen as oppose to my DVDs. I decided to do it that way as I could tailor it to my needs (i.e. have a section that has where my notes from the film are), and also allows for querying & sorting the data in anyway I’d like.
Drawback is it’s all manual entry (but I like data entry :), so that wouldn’t really help with importing or future entry
Posted by Shannon the Movie Moxie on October 10th, 2008I just use an elaborate spreadsheet
Posted by TheMovieVampire on October 10th, 2008““As an Editor at DVD Spot (…) Profiler is really the only option.”
!”
?
Posted by ottobud on October 10th, 2008I must be getting senile, because I’ve been buying DVDs I already have. I only buy used DVDs, so it’s not like I’m buying a new release twice. I’m not that senile.
I have two copies of Van Damme’s Hard Target (actually, I gave one to Jay after I realized I already had one), Ringu, Star Wars Trilogy Bonus Disc, Ultimate Fights from the Movies Vol. 2, and Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers (oh, I gave Jay my extra copy of this, too).
So what I really need is a portable device for storing all my DVD titles. I suppose all I would need is a text file in which I would enter all the DVD titles I’ve bought. And then I could do a text search when I’m about to buy a used DVD. Nah.
Posted by Reed Farrington on October 10th, 2008wow. I just have a long list on Word.. and when I loan one to someone, I highlight it yellow and write their name next to the title.
Posted by ivan on October 10th, 2008Similar to ivan, I just keep a Microsoft Excel file with all of my DVDs listed to help me keep track of them.
Posted by Rian on October 11th, 2008Reed: http://www.invelos.com/dvdpromobile/Info.aspx
Posted by ottobud on October 11th, 2008I use DVDAF…
http://docbrowneye.dvdaf.com/owned
Which is useless for me, since my collection is so small at a mere 77 titles. I only own movies from my youth or TOP FAVS…I used to own like 600…but I sold them off because I needed the money.
Posted by Bob The Slob on October 12th, 2008I have been using DVDPedia ( http://www.bruji.com ) for ages & it simply is the best option for tracking your DVD’s.
Posted by Section 31 on October 12th, 2008Check it out immediately!
DVDpedia looks great except it costs $18US and is a program only for mac… from what I understood.
Is there seriously not something like LibraryThing out there for DVDs?
Posted by Aaron on October 12th, 2008Yes, DVDPedia costs $18 and is Mac only, but it’s worth every penny. There are tons of options as far as sorting goes & you can add custom database categories, etc…
Sean, I think you should at least try DVDPedia out. My DVD collection is also around the 800 mark, and this program makes it easy to track all aspects of it.
Posted by Section 31 on October 13th, 2008Oh man…I’m havin’ too much fun with the DVDpedia trial :)(Delicious Library 2 is an OS nazi). I’ll have to buy a program like this.
…
Aagh! I have work to do!
Posted by Ryan M. on October 13th, 2008I used to use an online service called Guzzlefish that would let you catalogue your collection (including CDs and video games, too) as well as gave you an approximate value for your collection, which I thought was neat. They got hacked or something a couple of years ago, which was disappointing.
I currently use Listal (http://www.listal.com/) which is okay but not great (they alphabetize with all films starting with “The” getting filed under T), but for the most part I like it.
Posted by Liz on October 13th, 2008The draw back with programs like DVDpedia or Libra or Delicious Library 2 is that none of them are online sites. I’m looking for a place like LibraryThing that’s for DVD’s instead of literature.
DVD Aficionado is too ugly in the interface department to even be worth considering.
Anyone? Or have people given up hope?
Posted by Aaron on October 17th, 2008I did find another one that has potential:
http://www.dvdloc8.com
They have an import feature and a better interface than DVD Af, the only thing that sucks is there is no loan functionality.
Posted by Sean on October 18th, 2008I use listal
http://www.listal.com/
Posted by Martin on October 30th, 2008Leave a Reply