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    Invelos Forums->DVD Profiler: Desktop Technical Support Page: 1  Previous   Next
Feature request when adding DVDs by UPC
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DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantdrewincanada
Registered: March 16, 2007
Posts: 28
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I love most things about DVD Profiler, and for my money it's by far the best cataloging solution on the market.

I understand the benefits of developing a user-generated database of titles, but I also think it easily leads to mistakes, duplicate (and triplicate and quadruplicate!) entries, etc.

I have always wondered why DVD Profiler doesn't tap into existing DVD databases such as amazon. One of the features I love about "Delicious Library" (a Mac app) is that it doesn't rely on users to create new records. You can search by UPC, title, etc., and the application taps into a wide range of online retail sites to find your title (including amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, adult dvd sites, etc.)

I think that DVD Profiler should still maintained its own independent database, but that it should use online retail resources to do the initial VERIFICATION of a title's UPC and to grab the basic title information.  Users would still be encouraged to edit and refine entries once they're in the database.

I think this would (a) streamline the entry of new titles and (b) cut way down on user error (intentional or not!).

Any reason why this hasn't been done?
 Last edited: by drewincanada
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorpompel9
Registered: March 13, 2007
Norway Posts: 467
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You will still get errors. I think the way DVD Profiler is the best way to do it.
This so-called "initial VERIFICATION of a title's UPC and to grab the basic title information" from amazon and other will not clear the errors.
It's up to us users to do a good job, and get rid of the the errors 

Edit:
If you don't like it, why do you use it anyway? Or do you use it?
The concept with DVD Profiler is to have a user defined DB. I don't see any problem with it.
But I do see a lot of problems with the thing you are suggesting.
 Last edited: by pompel9
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantdrewincanada
Registered: March 16, 2007
Posts: 28
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Quoting pompel9:
Quote:
If you don't like it, why do you use it anyway? Or do you use it?
The concept with DVD Profiler is to have a user defined DB. I don't see any problem with it.
But I do see a lot of problems with the thing you are suggesting.


Not sure what you mean by "it".  Are you referring to DVD Profiler or Delicious Library?  I said that I DO love DVD Profiler, and it's by far the best solution on the market. So I hope it's clear that I use it, and WHY I use it.

I think the problems with the user-defined database are apparent, based on the number of people in this forum who complain about the bloated and incorrect data in v2.4.

One of the main problems is the lack of attention to detail. It's not uncommon to see half a dozen entries for the same title, with slight variations in the UPC (e.g. one digit is different) because someone didn't pay attention to what they were typing.

The 'amazon' solution would simply help to catch some of these errors.

I agree that it's still up to the users to maintain a clean database, so let's hope that the current group of 3.0 users are inspired by the possibilities of this new, empty, pristine 3.0 database, and make every effort to keep it clean! 
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorSquirrelecto
Registered: March 13, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 793
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Quoting drewincanada2:
Quote:

One of the main problems is the lack of attention to detail. It's not uncommon to see half a dozen entries for the same title, with slight variations in the UPC (e.g. one digit is different) because someone didn't pay attention to what they were typing.

Now we use the full UPC with the check digit, you'll find that if you try to create a profile with an invalid UPC, DVD Profiler will complain. I haven't tried submitting a bad UPC yet to see if the contribution system complains... Perhaps Ken or Gerri can answer that one



Quoting drewincanada2:
Quote:

The 'amazon' solution would simply help to catch some of these errors.

Amazon don't even list UPCs do they? Just catalogue numbers last time I checked.
 Last edited: by Squirrelecto
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantMark Harrison
I like IMDB
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
United States Posts: 3,321
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Quoting drewincanada2:
Quote:
One of the main problems is the lack of attention to detail. It's not uncommon to see half a dozen entries for the same title, with slight variations in the UPC (e.g. one digit is different) because someone didn't pay attention to what they were typing.


You are aware that sometimes the exact same movie will be sold with multiple UPCs are you?  That's not to say that there aren't bad ones out there (in the 2.4 database at least).  Some are bad.  But some are also legitimate duplicates.

I don't think building the initial profile from Amazon or any other site will greatly improve our data accuracy.  In fact I'd guess most times the opposite would be true.
Get the CSVExport and Database Query plug-ins here.
Create fake parent profiles to organize your collection.
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantnuoyaxin
prev. known as ya_shin
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
Taiwan, Province of China Posts: 3,436
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Quoting Squirrel.God:
Quote:
Now we use the full UPC with the check digit, you'll find that if you try to create a profile with an invalid UPC, DVD Profiler will complain. I haven't tried submitting a bad UPC yet to see if the contribution system complains... Perhaps Ken or Gerri can answer that one

I accidentally contibuted a bad one (did not get properly converted, but wasn't marked as such). When checking something else I realized that the UPC only had 10 digits, where is should have had 11. IIRC it did not get declined by the bots, but it was ultimately rejected anyway.
Achim [諾亞信; Ya-Shin//Nuo], a German in Taiwan.
Registered: May 29, 2000 (at InterVocative)
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21,610
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Quoting Mark Harrison:
Quote:
Quoting drewincanada2:
Quote:
One of the main problems is the lack of attention to detail. It's not uncommon to see half a dozen entries for the same title, with slight variations in the UPC (e.g. one digit is different) because someone didn't pay attention to what they were typing.


You are aware that sometimes the exact same movie will be sold with multiple UPCs are you?  That's not to say that there aren't bad ones out there (in the 2.4 database at least).  Some are bad.  But some are also legitimate duplicates.

I don't think building the initial profile from Amazon or any other site will greatly improve our data accuracy.  In fact I'd guess most times the opposite would be true.


To expand some on what Mark said, drew. Multiple UPC's are very common. Many, if not most resellers today use some form of security system and the systems are not compatible with each other. So how  would a distributor make sure that Circuit City gets copies compatible with their syetm, Best Buy theirs and so on, you do it via UPC #. There are three different systems of which I am aware plus for those stores that do not use any system, making a typical total of FOUR possible UPC#'s for a single title.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantjdwall179
Road Trip
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21
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Four or 5 years ago or so the feds mandated that if vendors changed a product in any way they had to use a new UPC for the product.  If one day you bought a 6-ounce bag of something, it had a unique UPC.  If the vendor changed the size to 5.9 ounces the next day, they had to assign a new UPC to the product.  The first six digits of a product are vendor specific (assigned to that vendor only).  Any product that has, for example, starting UPCs of 0-28400 are for one particular vendor only.  Anything put out by Universal Pictures should start with 0-25192.  Each variation of a particular UP movie will therefore have the same first 6 UPCs, but the last six will have to be different.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantpauls42
Reg: 31/01/2003
Registered: March 13, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 2,692
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Quoting jdwall179:
Quote:
Each variation of a particular UP movie will therefore have the same first 6 UPCs, but the last six will have to be different.


so does this mean that Universal pictures can only release 99,999 films on DVD? (the 6th char being a check digit).

I suppose they could form a new company if they get to that limit..
Paul
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantjdwall179
Road Trip
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21
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Just wait - "you ain't seen nothing yet".  The entire UPC classification system is being overhauled and redone.  Retailers, suppliers, etc. will have to be upgrading their hardware and/or software because of this upgrade or their systems will not be able to scan the new UPCs once this process is finished over the next few years.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantjdwall179
Road Trip
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21
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A little more general info on UPCs.  I don't know who initiated the request/requirement for new UPCs on changed products - the feds or the manufacturers themselves.  In the past, an item would keep the same UPC when the price changed.  Of course, that was very obvious to the consumer.  Then the requirement to change UPCs when the price changed came into being.  This is where the manufacturers could become sneaky.  Instead of changing the price, they could now decrease the size of a product and keep the same price.  In effect, you had a price increase that was not so obvious to the consumer, since most consumers don't pay as close attention to the size of an item as they do the price.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorVoltaire53
Missed again!
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
United Kingdom Posts: 2,293
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Quoting pauls42:
Quote:

so does this mean that Universal pictures can only release 99,999 films on DVD? (the 6th char being a check digit).


AIUI large companies can have more than one company code assigned to them, in the same way Lebanon (a small place) has all its codes beging 528, UK (bigger) start 50 and Gernany (bigger still) has 40-44...

USA and Canada has 0 (since EAN-13 = UPC-A with a 0 on the front) plus 10, 11, 12 and 13!
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorpompel9
Registered: March 13, 2007
Norway Posts: 467
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Quoting Squirrel.God:
Quote:
Quoting drewincanada2:
Quote:

One of the main problems is the lack of attention to detail. It's not uncommon to see half a dozen entries for the same title, with slight variations in the UPC (e.g. one digit is different) because someone didn't pay attention to what they were typing.

Now we use the full UPC with the check digit, you'll find that if you try to create a profile with an invalid UPC, DVD Profiler will complain. I haven't tried submitting a bad UPC yet to see if the contribution system complains... Perhaps Ken or Gerri can answer that one



I have tried. It's not posible. Atleast in my region (2) Don't know about the other regions.
Sorry about the bold, but I can't get my text away from the quote.
 Last edited: by pompel9
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantnuoyaxin
prev. known as ya_shin
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
Taiwan, Province of China Posts: 3,436
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Quoting pompel9:
Quote:
I have tried. It's not posible. Atleast in my region (2) Don't know about the other regions.
Sorry about the bold, but I can't get my text away from the quote.

When you write/edit the message, just make sure your text comes after the last (/blockquote) <- imagine this with square brackets...
Achim [諾亞信; Ya-Shin//Nuo], a German in Taiwan.
Registered: May 29, 2000 (at InterVocative)
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorpompel9
Registered: March 13, 2007
Norway Posts: 467
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ah ok. I must have removed that when I quoted. Since I didn't wanna quote all of the post.
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