How do you catalog your film backups?

[six6]

Please list details about your method (unless it's transparently obvious)! I'm using a database, specifically this one (http://avimanager.sourceforge.net/). It's awesome: free, imdb content based, fully-featured, and my entire database is accessible to anyone in the world with a computer!

Also, it would be interesting to have some data on how many film backups people have! I tried searching for a thread that concerned that topic, but couldn't find one. If you know of one, please link to it. If no one knows where one is, let's create a poll to figure out the number of backups people have also!

[kilivipin]

Could you post your database? I've only started using AutoGK, and I only do it every now and then, seeing as I'm on a pii it takes quite a while.
Here goes:
21 grams
Visitor_Q
Dead or Alive (only 85% of it, pc crashed about 24 hours into the encoding, It was my fault)
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
The Butterfly Effect (Directors Cut)
Down by Law.

[Tuesday]

I've been using a tool called eXtreme Movie Manager, sounds a lot like your database tool though, except not free :S

[Sirber]

Using OO :D

[jernst]

I use Ant Movie Catalog, free, opensource, web importation, avi file parsing and so on.

http://www.antp.be/software/moviecatalog


A port is available on linux too.

[neo75903]

Manually maintain my database. it has been a few year i would go crazy to loose all those data.

[six6]

As far as posting databases, hmm, that's tough for me. I have a bit over 200 movies. That's why I use aviManager I guess, I could never remember all of the movies.

Lately I've undertaken the project to backup my backups to hard drive. Considering most are divx flavor, it'll weigh in @ a little over 200 GB (I think? a few of 2 or 3 disc movies) of disc space. Wow, it's annoying to put a cd in the drive, copy it over, eject and repeat 200 times. At least I won't have to worry about CD rot though.

Oh yes, I am destroying my CD backups, so I still have just one backup per movie. Hopefully that's legal.

[neo75903]

@six6:
You also better perform a read test afterwards. I had few times the disc played fine on the same pc but it didnt play on others. As backup i prefer it to run everywhere without a hitch.
As one measure i never burn on max speed, ussually on 16x or lower. Early CD writers had high errors when burning cds. Ofcoz those were not fatal cow the error correction kicks in. But you better wish for the best when it comes down to backup.

I Calculated the price and opt for 2 200gb hd. Didnt want to play for dj and DVDs were more expensive when it comes down to bucks/gig.
I think that backup solutions are currently lagging behind the current trend of high volume hds and and that is what Iomega fails to see again with the introduction of there REV disks. Try that on a 1 tera hd array whiwh ara btw soon just to be a common thing.

[Piaf]

uses oixx/omd :D

[Mac Sidewinder]

I use a plain database file. But I also use "a little black book", phone directory type to write down all my movies alphabetically. That way if I am in a store and see a sale on dvds I know which I currently own. The book I use is only 2x3 inches so it fits in a pocket easily.

Mac

[neo75903]

@mac:
idd, i should that too, then i dont have to return my movies which i have bought twice. Sometimes the sales are to exceiting and i forget which movie i already have :)

[unmei]

I'm too lazy (and probably don't like that kind of work enough) :D

[six6]

@Mac

I was thinking that'd be a good idea. Too many times I've rented a movie and found out later I have it! Maybe I'll get a little book and slap a big "I LOVE the DMCA" sticker on the cover.

@Neo

I've heard mixed ideas about burning CDs (re: max speed vs slower speed and reading on other computers), but couldn't find any references to articles, etc. Do you (or anyone) have any good ones talking about it? Also, having 2 200 GB hdds is a lot... how many movies are you backing up?

While copying my movies over to hdd, I've had two bad discs (holes in the reflective substrate from rot) out of 80 so far, and the discs are 2-4 years old, all written @ max speed (various burners, always at or above 16x). I don't know if that's normal or not, but it's scary that they've already gone bad.

[neo75903]

Havent look for references, but all i am saying is from personal experiences and also from friends who work in ICT. At the end we agreed it is safer to burn on lower speeds for max. guarantee. Specially for backups 2 out of 80 is not acceptable. Ok we are talking about movies here, but for my friends, they are talking about a company's records which i dont think they would be to happy to hear they lost a part of their data.

I have media directory in which i store everythings from movie, music and picture files. Per subject like \media\friends which contains all materials about friends. I am currently trying to cross link my data for example things related to friends can me referenced to. But that is for something for the future coz i have other priorities in life.
To give you an idea, the library currently counts about 3500 files, audio and video only, and are currently 180gig on data.
i know it is not a lot but after the friends season i will start backing up my DVDs.

[Mug Funky]

my backups are all "filed" on top of my DVD player, on my speaker boxes, next to my computer and in the general vicinity. most aren't even in cases :)

i do more tinkering than actual backing-up, so i've got to using the same DVD+RW disc for everything. if it works i burn it to something permanent, if it doesn't work, then the source has to sit on my hard disk until i can get a transfer i'm happy with.

i usually just do SVCD backups, but i've got a DVD burner now (and it works! yatta!) so i think my backup collection is going to start getting bigger.

i really should organize. i keep loaning DVDs to friends (these are originals, and i consider this fair use. stuff what it says on the disc), and losing track of them. in a few months time i'll be like "i haven't seen this movie in a while" and then can't find it in the bookshelf :(

my house is a big mess :)

[ukb007]

aviManager requires these:

A working copy of Perl 5
(tested with 5.6.1 and 5.8.2).
A BASIC understanding of both Perl and CGI.
An installed LWP module. This module (like most) can be retrieved from CPAN at: http://www.perl.com/CPAN/modules/by-module/LWP/
Recommended: String::Approx for much faster fuzzy search

It may not be suitable for mortals (read non-programmers), what?
Additionally, they'd not know what are meant by memory, flat-file and database.

Regards.

[voy1d]

Having been irritated by the crap that comes in some of the php frontends for movie archiving I'm doing it myself, and writing one that backs onto a mysql back end.

All it does is give a neat, clean low clutter webpage, where you can click on the movie to get further details. Oh it also populates data from imdb quite easily.

Still in very early stages of development, however on hold until I have time and can receover the disk that the data was on...
=\

[six6]

@ukb007

Either I can't find anywhere on the site/documentation for aviManager where it says "It may not be suitable for mortals (read non-programmers), what?" (if you found it somewhere, can you point me to it please?), or else it's just a viewpoint people may have about aviManager.

In any case, either from the programmers of aviManager themseleves or from others, I feel it's an unmerited viewpoint. If one doesn't have the inclination to install the free software on their own computer, one can easily put it on a webserver somewhere that does have these options (one free option is this (http://www.1800-web-hosting.com/free-web-hosting.php)). Even if one wants to set up aviManager on their home computer, the instructions are clear and easy to follow (I did it in an hour or so, and I'm computer inept. I just followed the directions).

Concerning memory, flatfile, database, hmm... I'll try to be more clear next time I write a poll. I appreciate your suggestion on this :)

[Soulhunter]

I simply store the "approximately position" in my mind !!!

Ok, printing a cover for each backup helps as well... :D


Bye

[ukb007]

I apologise if I was in any way offensive in my post. I have only admiration for programmers. I was slightly put off by the requirement

a basic understanding of both Pearl and CGI.

And now, you write this about installing it:

I did it in an hour or so, and I'm computer inept. I just followed the directions.

I am slightly agape at the fact that one might need an hour or so to set it up.

But yes, indeed, I'll download and try aviManager.

Regards.

[japouleripeur]

This one: MovieCollection (http://babidyxp.free.fr/)
Free, easy to use, french/english, fully-featured, very powerful...

[ukb007]

Merci, beaucoup.

Regarde.

[shevegen]

I am using an XML file for the info and php for the output.

I wont rely on a database for such a simple task, with a simple XML file you can even view at it without the need for php, and CSS style makes it a nicely displayed xml file.

Via the php you can then put the options like list alphabetically, sort by production year etc... i.e. all the info that has been stored into the XML file.

[six6]

@ukb007

Don't worry, I wasn't offended, I was replying in hopes to help everyone see that it isn't that bad to install. Anyway, I should also mention that installing aviManager and configuring it will probably take an inexperienced user a little longer. I did it, but I have full/root access to my computer, and it's on a linux system (so installation results may be different for others). Also, since this program is potentially available to all people networked to your computer (or to all people on the web, if setup that way), it is a potential security risk. I spent some time reading (a little) on securing linux webservers before installing the database.

If you're interested in my movie collection, by the way, you can access it here (http://70.57.156.15/cgi-bin/aviman/aviman_outside.pl), though that link won't work if

a) I shut off my computer

but, at least you can see how it operates. Obviously, if it's abused I'll take access off, but you can login with username pleasedonot and password crashthis. Feel free to look around, etc, just don't change your password or others won't have access until I reset the password.

Edit: I've got a static IP now!

[neo75903]

Looks very nice.

User comments: That plot summary above is horrible.
*no comments*
i swear i didnt do it :)

Nice Collection as well. A bit slow, maybe there were to many ppl atm when visited your archive.

[ukb007]

six6:

Thank you.

japouleripeur:

Movie Collection is very good, and an English interface can be pried out from it. The Help file is in French, though.

English users can try MovieDatabase Archiver at about one-third the file-size. It's available from this (http://www.DVD.BOX.SK) site.

Regards.