Potential to make many people happy... "My Movies" for SageTV?

[popechild]

Originally Posted by vvulture

Ok.
The only way you would be able to see the advantages of MM, is by installing MCE and MM. Start MCE and have a play with the MM interface. That, is what i would like to see in Sage.

What i like about MM is :

- Able to make add and delete Genres & Categories. I could not find a way in DVD Profiler to do this.

- Not only catalog DVD's, but also mpg's, avi's and so on.

- You install it, and it works.

- You can tell MM where the files are stored.

There is no messing around with MCE at all... You install MM, and it works.. end of story.
With Sage however, it's a pain. You have to tell it where your collection.xml is, where DVD profiler is located and so on. And from what i could tell, you are stuck with whatever categories DVD profiler gives you.
On top of that, you then have to scan this and update that...

It took me 3 days to work out how to get a DVD to work in Sage. Not very user friendly if you ask me.

My Movies for Sage would be able to eliminate all the guess work and frustration that comes with setting up a DVD or Media collection.

Anyway, life goes on..

I think the point is, that none of that ease of use stuff that's obviously a big part of why you (and plenty of other people) like My Movies has anything to do with the database side of MM. It's all about the implementation of the UI side of the plugin. MM has aparently done a great job with that. But as a for instance, someone could spend tons of time to develop a MM plugin for Sage using the MM database API that would be created, and it might act/look almost the exact same way as the DVD Profiler plugin acts/looks now. There's nothing specifically about using MM insted of DVDP for the backend that makes the MM UI better.

Almost all of the data that's used to create the slick MM interface/functionality is present w/ DVDP as well. What you're really looking for is for someone to refine/redo the Sage plugin side of a dvd management solution - it really has almost nothing to do with deciding to incorporate the MM backend instead of the DVDP backend...

At least, that's the way I understand it.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by popechild

Almost all of the data that's used to create the slick MM interface/functionality is present w/ DVDP as well. What you're really looking for is for someone to refine/redo the Sage plugin side of a dvd management solution - it really has almost nothing to do with deciding to incorporate the MM backend instead of the DVDP backend...

And in that vein, the ideal solution is to decouple the UI portion from the database/data retrieval portion as much as possible, so that people can use whichever database they prefer.

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by stanger89

And in that vein, the ideal solution is to decouple the UI portion from the database/data retrieval portion as much as possible, so that people can use whichever database they prefer.

AMEN !!! That would be awesome !!

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by popechild

I think the point is, that none of that ease of use stuff that's obviously a big part of why you (and plenty of other people) like My Movies has anything to do with the database side of MM. It's all about the implementation of the UI side of the plugin. MM has aparently done a great job with that. But as a for instance, someone could spend tons of time to develop a MM plugin for Sage using the MM database API that would be created, and it might act/look almost the exact same way as the DVD Profiler plugin acts/looks now. There's nothing specifically about using MM insted of DVDP for the backend that makes the MM UI better.

Almost all of the data that's used to create the slick MM interface/functionality is present w/ DVDP as well. What you're really looking for is for someone to refine/redo the Sage plugin side of a dvd management solution - it really has almost nothing to do with deciding to incorporate the MM backend instead of the DVDP backend...

At least, that's the way I understand it.

Thats a fair comment.

A plugin that looked and acted like MM would be sufficient.
I don't care if i had to re-enter my entire collection into a new database. But if my existing MM database could be used it would be a bonus.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by vvulture

Thats a fair comment.

That was the point I was trying to make, sorry if I failed, I wasn't trying to say DVD Profiler was better than MyMovies, just that, well, no need to repeat it again

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by stanger89

That was the point I was trying to make, sorry if I failed, I wasn't trying to say DVD Profiler was better than MyMovies, just that, well, no need to repeat it again

No problems... so, would you be up to the task ?

[stanger89]

Well, considering DVD Profiler doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and that's what I use and what I know how to interface with, don't count on me to do any integration with the MyMovies database.

As for any STV(i) work to get MyMovies-type functionality in Sage, I'd love to do it, I want to do it, but progress is generally slow, so no promises. First I think I need to update my DVD Profiler code for DVD Profiler 3.

[jettman]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Well, considering DVD Profiler doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and that's what I use and what I know how to interface with, don't count on me to do any integration with the MyMovies database.

DVD Profiler is alive again. Check out the http://www.invelos.com/ website. It seems the case is settled and version 3 will keep moving on.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by jettman

DVD Profiler is alive again. Check out the http://www.invelos.com/ website. It seems the case is settled and version 3 will keep moving on.

I think that's what stanger meant by "considering DVD Profiler doesn't seem to be going anywhere" ...


Dirk

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Well, considering DVD Profiler doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and that's what I use and what I know how to interface with, don't count on me to do any integration with the MyMovies database.

As for any STV(i) work to get MyMovies-type functionality in Sage, I'd love to do it, I want to do it, but progress is generally slow, so no promises. First I think I need to update my DVD Profiler code for DVD Profiler 3.

Stanger89, i would be happy to go with DVD Profiler IF i knew how to sort out my categories and stuff.

For example, here are the categories i use with MM :
Movies
Kids Movies and Cartoons
Documentaries
Baby Shows
TV Series ( this is for DVD Series Box Sets )

I can't for the life of me work out how to assign the above categories to a title in DVD Profiler.
For example, let's use the movie " Elmo in Grouch Land " . How do i a assign to my category called " Kids Movies and Cartoons " ???? There is no option in DVD Profiler. It seems you have to use the categories that are provided with the software.

help me out dude.. :-)

thanks

[MeInMaui]

I don't know if this helps, but in SageMC, you can assign a custom genre/subgenre to any video in your library after importing them in from DVD profiler. If you choose the subgenre 'series', SageMC will automatically generate a full size genre icon (when full size genre icons are enabled) for that genre from one of the cover art images in that group of videos. I believe you hit the options key while in the detailed info screen for the video in question to assign the genre and subgenre.

Aloha,
Mike

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

I don't know if this helps, but in SageMC, you can assign a custom genre/subgenre to any video in your library after importing them in from DVD profiler. If you choose the subgenre 'series', SageMC will automatically generate a full size genre icon (when full size genre icons are enabled) for that genre from one of the cover art images in that group of videos. I believe you hit the options key while in the detailed info screen for the video in question to assign the genre and subgenre.

Aloha,
Mike

Thanks for the tip Mike. Thats was a HUGE help.. i tried it, and worked a treat.
cheers

[pat_smith1969]

A while back someone asked to define what a MM plugin for Sage would do. Here is the list of MM features that kept me useing MCE for the last couple years.

1. List of recently added dvds. I have a couple hundred DVDs now on my system and I always want to watch the ones I just added, and I sometimes forget which ones they are.

2. Search by Genre. I added a whole Genre in MM for my wife, called "Crystal's Movies" she just clicks that and she can see all of "her"
movies.

3. If you could copy the interface, I find that interface very friendly and useful. I much preferr it to the standard interface, or even the one with sageMC.

4. Continued use of the My Movies Manager. I like the fact that I have to enter the movies into a database myself. I make sure it is titled what I want, it has the dvd cover I want, and it has the Genre I want. Also I like the way it handles episodes.

5. Keep the Database. I like the fact the data is kept in a .mdb. I use that .mdb on my personal web page. I open that .mdb using .asp script and display a coplete list of my dvds.


I really feel that somekind of plugin for MM would really help those moving over from MCE (like myself). There are a lot of us that don't want to give up MM and don't want to pickup DVDprofiler or some other new app.

This is just my 2 cents.

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by pat_smith1969

I really feel that somekind of plugin for MM would really help those moving over from MCE (like myself). There are a lot of us that don't want to give up MM and don't want to pickup DVDprofiler or some other new app.

This is just my 2 cents.

It's worth more than 2 cents if you ask me...

But i think we're hitting a brick wall here. Others have tried to get this done in the past and got nowhere.. Even if people are willing to pay for it.

I just wish i knew how to do it myself, or at least have time to learn.

cheers

[vvulture]

No interested parties ???

Oh well... it was worth a shot.

[PGPfan]

I'm not very good with Studio yet, but I'd gladly pony up some cash for an interested developer! For me, a 50-100 dollar donation wouldn't be out of the question.

-PGPfan

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by PGPfan

I'm not very good with Studio yet, but I'd gladly pony up some cash for an interested developer! For me, a 50-100 dollar donation wouldn't be out of the question.

-PGPfan

I hear you PGP.. I am willing to cough up too.

[riekl]

Why do you think dvd profiler dead ? V3 was just released ?

Originally Posted by stanger89

Yeah, it's really a shame. DVD Profiler isn't/wasn't perfect, but it was one of the best options out there.

If DVD Profiler is truely dead, and it's certainly beginning to look like it (last I look it appeared the "community" moved to Invelos, but no Invelos is MIA, and the IVS database wasn't being kept up well), then I'd definitely be interested in another data source.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by riekl

Why do you think dvd profiler dead ? V3 was just released ?

I think you missed a good chunk of discussion in this thread, that was posted in Invelos (DVD Profiler 3) and IVS (DVD Profiler 2) were in a legal dispute about DVD Profiler and it's future was not looking promising.

Since then, the legal issues were settled and:

Originally Posted by stanger89

Well, considering DVD Profiler doesn't seem to be going anywhere...

[jim22]

OK, apologies if I've missed something here, but I've just switched from MCE to Sage and miss MyMovies quite badly.

All this talk about using the backend and building a new frontend shouldn't be needed should it?

MyMovies frontend is a html app running under media centre, the offline part of mymovies doesn't integrate at all with media centre, I realise that the online part (iso/video playback etc) does though.

I wouldn't have thought it would be too difficult to port at least the offline dvd browser and just display it via a java implemented web browser. I would probably need the source code for the html part of the app though (*edit shouldn't need this, it's already there in html/js files)

A menu item could be added in sage using dynamic menu to launch this browser.

I'm happy to give this a go, is anybody still in contact with Brian or should I try and contact him directly?

I'm open to thoughts / suggestions on this, I've only just thought about this in the last hour or so.