Video database? IMDb?

[ZvezdanD]

I don't care about new video support of MM 4.0 if MM developers have implemented just video player. Actually, I don't use MM as audio player either. I doubt that their video player could replace KMplayer, BSplayer or similar software. I don't need a possibility to synchronize video files with some hardware player as well. Actually, I need only a decent video database capable to take technical data from video discs/files (resolution, fps, used video/audio codecs, number of disc/files, ...) as well as possibility to take information about movies from IMDb site (release year, genre, actors, directors, producers, ...). Could I forget about Ant Movie Catalog and use MM instead? If MM 4.0 didn't add that then it is just bloated with something which I really don't need.

Did I say that I don't need/like a new tabbed interface as well?

[nohitter151]

Don't know if the devs are planning on implementing imdb search or not (it's not in the alpha at this stage) but even if not I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for a scripting pro like yourself to make your own search addon:
http://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index.p ... ch_scripts

[Lowlander]

Also getting ahead of things. IMDB access can be scripted, it's how programs like Meedios do it.

[ZvezdanD]

Yeah, I agree that IMDb support could/should be implemented as a script. Ant Movie Catalog which I am using right now have implemented IMDb (and other sites) through scripts. In that way when IMDb change something with their Web layout it is much easier for users to update corresponding scripts, even if author of software stopped with its development (as it is a case with AMC).

However, all of this about scripting is empty talk if MM developers didn't change the database structure with added necessary fields to store mentioned data (resolution, fps, actors, directors, ...). So, this is not getting ahead of things since it should be the first step which you need to do when you want to add something like video database.

[malachisecretspy]

im not sure i need the video support either.i like music.im plkeased that theyre addin it so if i need to i can use a player i trust,but doesnt anyone else think that a standard version of mm without the vid support be available too?i dunno,i just dont see myself using it alot,would it use more resources just being there if its not used?will it make the program alot bigger?cheers for any replies

[Dreadlau]

im not sure i need the video support either.i like music.im plkeased that theyre addin it so if i need to i can use a player i trust,but doesnt anyone else think that a standard version of mm without the vid support be available too?i dunno,i just dont see myself using it alot,would it use more resources just being there if its not used?will it make the program alot bigger?cheers for any replies

According to: http://www.jirihajek.net/MMwiki/index.php/MM_4.0_UI

Before continuing, it's worth mentioning that with the addition of Video support, there's a danger of MM becoming a bloated application that no longer meets the needs of 'serious music listeners'. Thus, one of the overarching objectives of this release _must_ be to further _improve_ the performance of MediaMonkey--the changes being made should not slow it down whether it be from a DB perspective OR a UI perspective.

[rusty]

From my perspective, MM is first and foremost, a Media Manager. It's priority is to help organize media collections, but an organizer should also have the ability to play the content that it organizes.

Until MM 3.x, the only supported Media was audio files. With MM 4.0, we'll add video. And hopefully in the not too distant future, photos.

You'll see when the alpha comes out, but hopefully none of this additional functionality will impact you if you don't want it. i.e. MediaMonkey will continue to be a great music organizer, and won't force changes to the way you use it to manage your music.

-Rusty

[ZvezdanD]

From my perspective, MM is first and foremost, a Media Manager.

Maybe you didn't understand me. From my perspective, MM is first and foremost a media manager as well. I don't mind to have a possibility to organize video collections. Actually, I really would like to replace the mentioned video database with MediaMonkey.

However, I cannot use MM as a video organizer if it doesn't have necessary fields for such task. For example, how about video bitrate? I want to know which bitrate have my video files, but your Songs table from MM database has only audio bitrate field. I would like to know audio and video codecs used in video file as well. How about all other fields which we movie lovers would like to have? As I wrote in Mantis (http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=6739), it is not only about Actors/Directors/Producers. Beside of the technical data that I mentioned in the first post, I would like also to have fields for Storyline, Translated Title, Country, Spoken Language, Languages of all related Subtitles and maybe some more. Have you covered all such things?

[pietzke]

Since I got my Audio library quite well organised with MM, I was looking for something similar for my videos as well. With the implemention of video functionality in MM I'm really looking forward to a mighty database for both. To realize that, I agree, that it is absolutely neccessary to implement tagging ability from imdb (which should include Ratings). If MM gets as mighty for the video stuff as it is with audio, you'll make another customer very happy for the little money i once payed for my lice

Edit: I'd also love to use new fields like:
Country, Language(s) as Original Language(s) and Dubbed Language(s), Audio- and Video-Codecs, Source (like DVD, BD, etc)

[Lowlander]

Apparently IMdb might be a problem as it requires licensing.

[pietzke]

As far as I know, there's a few freeware programs, that use IMDB informatin. Not many, and none of them is really good, like MyMDB, Eax Movie Catalog or the Ant Movie Catalog. Do they use imdb illegally? I'd get another lifetimelicense if that pays IMDB

[ZvezdanD]

OK folks, please forget that IMDb thing which I have mentioned. MediaMonkey is not true freeware and there could be some licensing issues with IMDb. I don't know about others, but Ant Movie Catalog has not the IMDb importer integrated internally, but as add-on, so its author cannot be sued because of its use. We should not request from MM developers to integrate something like that into program, but this doesn't mean that someone could not write some add-on to import some fields from that site.

Anyway, we have much bigger problem because MM developers didn't add necessary video fields which I have mentioned several times. You cannot write some add-on which would get some data from some Internet site if you don't have fields in database where you could store such data. It is not practical to store all wanted data into Custom fields which are already too limited for music. If you ask me, it is also without sense if you have some video database which cannot detect video/audio codecs from some file automatically (FourCC anyone?), but you are forced to enter those data into some Custom field manually. I still think that video database which has not dedicated fields for video/audio codecs, audio/video bitrate (stored independently) and all other that I have mentioned really cannot be called "video database".

Here is My first impressions about new v4.0 video database entered in Mantis.

[pietzke]

dedicated fields for video/audio codecs, audio/video bitrate (stored independently) and all other that I have mentioned

Let's see. I just summed it up to get a bit of an overview... I refer to 1345

fps - implemented as Framerate
number of disc/files - always been there. just type cd2/3 into Disk# Field
Directors - implemented
resolution - implemented as Dimensions. I agree to rename that field to Resolution.
actors - implemented as Properties but not yet availible as nodes and columns - reported here: http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=7195
Storyline - I'd be happy to use the Comments field. But as Lyricy still got an own tab for Video file Properties (which in my opinion is not usable) it could be replaced with Storyline.
Translated Title - I'd prefer the extra field "Original Title" and use Title for the ones in dubbed language
Spoken Language - One "Language" field for the availible languages in the file and one "Original language" field for the languages spoken non dubbed would be perfect.
Languages of all related Subtitles - Would require a field called "Subtitles"
Video Bitrate - Should be added and "Bitrate" be renamed to "Audio Bitrate"
video codecs - missing
audio codecs - missing
Country - definetely missing!

[ZvezdanD]

actors - implemented as Properties but not yet availible as nodes and columns

How about this:
Marlon Brando - Don Vito Corleone
Al Pacino - Michael Corleone
James Caan - Santino 'Sonny' Corleone
Richard S. Castellano - Peter Clemenza (as Richard Castellano)
...

I want to know what is a name of Marlon Brando in Godfather, I want to search database by artist's names in movies.

I don't want to comment other your suggestions like Storyline or number of disc/files since they are just a hack and not standard way to store some information into database - using such approach you could use just one field for all wanted data. Well, using that approach I don't need MediaMonkey, I could use Notepad and .txt file. I don't want to force myself to some MM limitations if I already could use some another program which has better approach for video database then MM.

[Lowlander]

I'd like MM to use all fields the HTPC softwares like XMBC, Meedios, Moovidia and Boxee use. I'd like it saved to tags for portability of the data and more secure as it's stored in the file as well as in the XML format these different HTPC softwares use so MediaMonkey can serve as backend for these HTPC softwares. The more data the better.

Of course ultimately it would be nice that MediaMonkey would also provide a nice and shiny HTPC frontend, but I do wonder on the business sense as more dedicated boxes are entering the livingroom kicking out the HTPC (Microsoft seems to be going this way as well).

Actor issues has been noted here: http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=7195