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Quoting GSyren:
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"My Dinner with Andre" is similar to "King Kong"? 
André the Giant?  | Posted: Topic Replies: 43, Topic Views: 5533 |
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| VLC Player (free) plays ISOs directly. Cyberlink PowerDVD (cheap) also plays ISOs and has a nice user interface. Oh, and then there is DVDFab. Kind of pricey, but their software can do almost anything with media. | Posted: Topic Replies: 13, Topic Views: 695 |
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Does MakeMKV preserve menus. features, etc.?
What is the advantage over ripping to ISO? | Posted: Topic Replies: 13, Topic Views: 695 |
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Quoting movie_madness:
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Managing an NAS is just like managing a PC, with software & hardware maintenance, security, backup, etc. I would only use an NAS if I ran a business. That's what NAS was originally for. It was never meant for home use -- unless you want to run your business at home. And movie-watching shouldn't feel like a "business." It needs to be as simple as possible, for yourself and your family. That's why Windows Media Center is gone. That's why the entire industry of PC movie-watching (PowerDVD, WinDVD, SageTV, PC tuner card, etc.) is basically gone. Sooner or later Plex will be gone too.
I agree. Cheap alternative if you are already using DVD Profiler and organizing movies that way. Add the LoadDVD or LoadDVD Pro plugin and you have a "Plex Lite" using DVD Profiler collections to launch media from anywhere in your network. | Posted: Topic Replies: 13, Topic Views: 695 |
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This is definitely a must have tool!
Edit: Oh, this is a totally yummy thing. A dream come true. I could spend all day, just browsing around my favorite actors from my favorite movies.
Many thanks! 
Another edit:
Clicked on Alicia Vikander. Heart still pounding. All her pics and info. Astounding work of art! Perhaps a minor request someday: ability to widen the info tab horizontally for a bit easier reading of long text. Whoa, having so much fun with this one! | Posted: Topic Replies: 43, Topic Views: 5533 |
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Quoting nanoron:
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I can also upload, export, backup and check for item updates with no problem. Everthing seems to be working properly.
You are a true hero! | Posted: Topic Replies: 16, Topic Views: 1250 |
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Quoting nanoron:
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Unfortunately,I don't know if this is a Mac OS, Windows 11 or VMware problem. Have people had success using Windows 11 to sync with iPads? Syncing is done over a simple TCP/IP port. The application needs only the IP address and port, and should be OS independent. Again, I would check to make sure that the required IP address and port can be forwarded through the firewalls on all three machines. Does the VMware machine have a separate IP address from the host machine? Is it on the same subnet? Is the firewall setup to pass traffic between the iPad and virtual machine? | Posted: Topic Replies: 16, Topic Views: 1250 |
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Quoting nanoron:
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While DVD profiler seems to be working fine, I can't get it to sync to my iPad. I've tried all the usual tricks but no luck. BUMMER!
I'll keep trying and will report back here if I succeed in getting it to work.
It might have to do with port forwarding and firewall settings. They probably need to be setup on both the host computer and the virtual one. Of course you know this. Just maybe something to double check. | Posted: Topic Replies: 16, Topic Views: 1250 |
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| DVDFab has a range of solutions. I have no affiliation. | Posted: Topic Replies: 13, Topic Views: 695 |
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Quoting nanoron:
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OK. While I am not totally sure about what I am doing, I seem to have successfully loaded DVD Profiler onto my new M4 iMac using VMware Fusion and Windows 11 Home. It took about an hour. I'll now test things out to see if everything is working properly. I'm sure I missed some things during the install and will get back to you. Anyone else giving it a try?
I am waiting for you, our valiant pioneer! We are all cheering for you! | Posted: Topic Replies: 16, Topic Views: 1250 |
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Quoting WoJe:
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I want to convert CSV of my old app to XML format of DVD Profiler.
Here is one pissibility:
(1) Create a new clean database using DVD Profiler for Windows
(2) Install the BulkEdit plugin
(3) Use the Generic CSV Import of BulkEdit to load your data. You are given a way to map any input field to the corresponding DVD Profiler field.
(4) I believe that BulkEdit will try to synthesize a profile ID, for any records that are missing a UPC. If you try this and have issues, I will help you.
(5) Once you have created DVD Profiler profiles, then you can export the database in XML format.
Of course you need a license for DVD Profiler to use plugins. Then you can participate in the main forum, in the BulkEdit thread. This is the best way I can help you. | Posted: Topic Replies: 16, Topic Views: 1740 |
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Quoting mediadogg:
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Quoting GSyren:
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Quoting mediadogg:
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Ummm ... unless it has been broken, BulkEdit can import everything. Hundreds of hours of work, it should be able to import Mark-style CSV and official DVD Profiler XML exports. But I haven't tested for awhile. And the CSV import has a mapping function to allow for non Profiler headers.
Yeah, but Mark's CSV Export doesn't include cast and crew. It does export Directors, but only full name and no birth year. Not sure how one would export full cast and crew to CSV. So I stand by my statement that it's iffy.
Oh, we have both called it iffy. I didn't remember that Mark's does not include cast and crew. I wonder if that same limitation is in the BulkEdit version. I'll check just for grins.
Well, ha ha, BulkEdit does not export CSV - only XML!  | Posted: Topic Replies: 11, Topic Views: 2235 |
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Quoting rdodolak:
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The custom backup shows 9 main things to backup, one of which is for cover scans. 8/9 is 88.88% so it's possible it's based on that.
Perfect example. | Posted: Topic Replies: 9, Topic Views: 1621 |
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I guess he should have tested using your collection. 
Semi-seriously, it is possible that "way back when", the ratio was a bit different, and his progress was based more on percentage of tasks completed, not time. | Posted: Topic Replies: 9, Topic Views: 1621 |
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Having developed a bunch of plugins that crawl through masses of data with unknown content, yet still trying to give the user an idea of expected completion, I have sympathy for what Ken must have faced.
- Do you simply report on the number of completed items?
- Do you take past progress into account when estimating time to complete?
- Do you report on the basis of bytes processed?
I usually try to do all of the above, and usually arrange for the task bar to move to a specific point at the completion of each task. For example, for 4 tasks, at 25, 50, 75, 100. It seems from your observation that Ken has done something similar, so that when he starts that last task, he has completed 88% of the tasks, but having an indeterminate amount of processing required to complete the final 12%.
I have one plugin that keeps track of bytes processed and adjusts the progress based on a prediction of the processing needed for remaining tasks. That has the odd result of the progress bar sometimes going backwards! 
(Actually I'm not sure about that - I think what happens is that each task segment's progress moves at a different speed) | Posted: Topic Replies: 9, Topic Views: 1621 |
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Quoting GSyren:
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Quoting mediadogg:
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Ummm ... unless it has been broken, BulkEdit can import everything. Hundreds of hours of work, it should be able to import Mark-style CSV and official DVD Profiler XML exports. But I haven't tested for awhile. And the CSV import has a mapping function to allow for non Profiler headers.
Yeah, but Mark's CSV Export doesn't include cast and crew. It does export Directors, but only full name and no birth year. Not sure how one would export full cast and crew to CSV. So I stand by my statement that it's iffy.
Oh, we have both called it iffy. I didn't remember that Mark's does not include cast and crew. I wonder if that same limitation is in the BulkEdit version. I'll check just for grins. | Posted: Topic Replies: 11, Topic Views: 2235 |
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Quoting GSyren:
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I agree with mediadogg. Exporting everything to CSV is iffy. Cast and crew especially, but also Overview and Other Features. Not ideal for transferring to another program. XML is better for that purpose, but I haven’t seen any program that can import everything.
Ummm ... unless it has been broken, BulkEdit can import everything. Hundreds of hours of work, it should be able to import Mark-style CSV and official DVD Profiler XML exports. But I haven't tested for awhile. And the CSV import has a mapping function to allow for non Profiler headers. | Posted: Topic Replies: 11, Topic Views: 2235 |
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Quoting nanoron:
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For what it's worth, I've tried a number of XML to CSV conversion apps with only limited success. My best results came from working directly with the MyMovies developer on importing the XML file. They seem responsive.
Agreed. And if needed, you can also manually edit the xml and try to meet the other guy in the middle, as they say. | Posted: Topic Replies: 11, Topic Views: 2235 |
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The safest method of all, is to use a double conversion. First export to XML, using the built-in one, or any plugin that supports that feature. Then you get a well-defined, easy to parse and repeatable output.
Next, there are various tools that allow you to make a script to parse the XML and create the CSV output of choice. Again, FYI for awareness of your options. | Posted: Topic Replies: 11, Topic Views: 2235 |
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Parsing CSV can be very tricky for a database schema as complex as used in DVD Profiler. You have to be sure that the Export and Import formats match, or you will get garbage and / or errors.
I would suggest doing a test export from both plugins, using the most complex filter you need, and compare results. See which one most closely matches the specifications for the application you are using for import.
When I wrote the CSV tools within BulkEdit, I modelled my Export on Mark's plugin. BulkEdit Import can be tailored somewhat. So far as I know, BulkEdit is the only tool that can build a DVD Profiler database from scratch, using CSV or XML. You might not need that, just FYI as awareness of the complexity.
Microsoft Excel can import CSV, and has the ability to create a corresponding schema. This might be a good way to compare the results of different export tools. One big caveat when using excel, is to make sure that you protect numeric fields such as profile ID. Excel will treat the text as a number, and if you save it, you will have a mess of large numbers in scientific format. You need to either format the column as text or perfex a "'" before each number to force Excel to treat as text. I believe BuilkEdit CSV export does this automatically. Not sure.
If I were you, I would lean towards ProfilerQuery becuase you are more likely to get a tweak or additional feature or bug fix more quickly from Gunnar than anybody else. | Posted: Topic Replies: 11, Topic Views: 2235 |
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| One reason I like your posts is that they help explain and demonstrate to some of the non technical users why DVD Profiler is so powerful, and so hard to duplicate. It is far more than a spreadsheet with screenshots. Not often, be sometimes we get comments that suggest that it should be so easy to duplicate, or to "simply" add this or that feature. Well, you are helping us understand why it is not, and thanks for that. | Posted: Topic Replies: 99, Topic Views: 38256 |
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Quoting Marcccc:
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Certainly there must be someone out there who wishes to keep this software going? I don’t understand the plan here.
FYI, a couple of years ago I emailed Ken and proposed the idea of pursuing a collaboration of users that wanted to invest and own the company. Never got an answer to the email, but I always did in the past. | Posted: Topic Replies: 4, Topic Views: 1638 |
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Quoting TheMadMartian:
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Quoting Marcccc:
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Certainly there must be someone out there who wishes to keep this software going? I don’t understand the plan here.
I honestly don't see the upside for someone to buy and maintain the software. As far as I can tell, without a huge overhaul to the business model, it's a money pit. I don't maintain my own servers but maintenance and bandwidth have to be costing Ken something and, without new revenue streams, it's a money pit.
Or am I wrong? 
I think you are absolutely correct. That is the reason I get so annoyed with people who are constantly complaining about things - even that they "paid" and "how much could it cost to run a website anyway".
It is enormously expensive for whomever is supporting the ongoing availability of the website, the database and the contributions process. Whatever is preventing the involvement of Ken Cole and program updates must be super serious. I for one am so grateful and terribly sad that an industry genius and pioneer is for whatever reason, no longer able to participate on this stage. | Posted: Topic Replies: 4, Topic Views: 1638 |
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Quoting scotthm:
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Quoting mediadogg:
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If that is meant to be some sort of retort, your point escapes me. You could quote the entire forum as reminders. The only thing that embodies our legal entitlement is the license agreement.
It was meant as an addendum to this thread.
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Ah, sorry I misunderstood. You are wise and patient with the old man. | Posted: Topic Replies: 62, Topic Views: 24135 |