Entertainment Center DVD Storage Project

One of our specialties here at Closet Factory is building custom Entertainment Centers.  Many of our clients have hundreds of movies that we design storage for. Sure we build in shelves, video drawers, pull-outs and other features to store their collection, but these days most people have multiple TVs and can have a movie collection on a combination of DVD, VHS and Blueray formats.  Being a big movie fan and the owner of several hundred titles, I’m always looking for ways to keep track of my collection. Recently I came across some free movie database software available online for download.

I’m going to introduce you to two very similar programs that will keep your movie collection organized. With this software not only will you be able to note the type of format the movie is on, but also if you loaned out that particular disc! You can even add a wishlist for a new release or that film you keep forgetting to buy! I tested both software programs over the past week and found one easier to use and ideal for the average collector. The other program is more advanced but perfect for someone who is wants tons of movie facts including alternate tiles, film edition and even the exact barcode for their copy! The best feature about this software is the ability to download the genre, plot description, director and even the actor information from the web onto an easily searchable movie collection database!

EMDB – Eric’s Movie Database

Claim: EMDB is a small utility to keep track of your DVD collection. With an automatic import from the database of IMDB, export to csv, text or complete website, thumbnail cover preview, a loan tracker, search function and multi-language user interface. EMDB is written in C++ using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and doesn’t need a .NET framework or any other external libraries. And best of all… it’s free!

This download is avaliable at www.emdb.dk

The database will appear to look blank until you import at least 1 movie.  Go to “Add” at the top right hand corner.  Then you will see blank movie information that needs to be filled in.  Type Then you will see what appears to be a movie book shelf.

Pros:

• Its Free! We all love that. (Although they ask for a nice $5 donation via Paypal if you are so inclined to contribute.)
• It shows movies that you have loaned out to friends. If you are like me, you are a loaner…
• You can sort movies by “watched” or “wishlist”
• You can import movie details via IMDb.com which include: actors, plot outline, the alternative movie title, genres, director name, rating, star rating (1-10), release year, languages, and thumbnail image for DVD or BlueRay.
• You slightly change the colors and fonts of the database to your liking! I am pretty tech savvy so I like to change the themes of anything that can be altered. That is defiantly a plus!
• You can rate the movie yourself or allow the imported rating to stand from IMDb (Internet Movice Database)
• Available in several languages.
• Windows Vista and Windows 7 compatible.
• Once you start adding movies you can easily search for the movie you need by year, title, genre(s), director or even country.

Cons:

• It does not seem to work on a Mac operating system.
• Some movie information does not always download such as the blot or the movie image thumbnail. In those cases you can either download it separately or enter the missing data yourself.

Dvd Collector: Advanced Library Management

Claim: DVD Collector is a Windows program that allows you to manage your DVD collection. Whether you have 5 DVDs or 5000, DVD Collector is the easiest way to manage them. Enter your titles by hand, or do a search of our online database and download disc information. Extensive customization features mean that you can store as little or as much information about your collection as you like, and it’s all stored on your own computer where it’s easy to back up or move to another machine. Password protection, a unique multi-currency purchase manager, and a loan manager are just a few of DVD Collector’s many features.

This download is avaliable at www.crunchymedia.com

This free software or freeware defiantly more advanced and has a database appearance. Once installed it automatically prompts you to create a collection which will house the database information in a separate file on your computer.  First you click the top right “File” then “New.” You are prompted to add a new DVD to you database, create a DVD box set, make a new folder or import data from another file (which you would not need assuming you are brand new to the freeware.)  Click on the Disk Icon to add a new DVD, then in the Title section type your movie title then click then click “Find Online.”

Pros:

• Free to download!
• There is an extensive DVD Collector help section.
• Import the DVD details from online including the actors, director, barcode, release date, studio, distributor, genre, country of origin, plot description, runtime, special features and subtitles available.
• You can search your collection by title or description keyword.
• There is an option to add a wish list.
• You can easily manage the DVDs you have out on loan.
• There is the option to catalog multi-disc DVDs.

Cons:

• The movie image does not automatically download with the movie image.
• If you are not very computer savvy it tends to be a bit too technical, even for me. I got bored with it kind of quickly.

There are quite a few free movie database software avaliable for download online. I still have not found one that works well on a Mac operating system. I think that I prefer Eric’s Movie Database to DVD Collector simply because it is easy to use! But some of you may prefer the large amount of detail that DVD collector can provide for you when cataloging you movie library. If you have a better freeware program let me know and I will review it! Or if you have any interesting free home organizing software please comment and I will be happy to look into it.

By: Nicole L. Tate