XML/cvs Import from DVD Profiler

[christoph]

Hello

i use on my Tablet PC (nothing from Apple ) DVD Profiller.
but dvdpedia can´t import the .xml or the .cvs file from DVD pro.
is there a trick to import the files ?

[Nora]

Rename the .csv file to .txt and then you should be able to open it in DVDpedia. PC don't know how to set the file type so DVDpedia can't tell it's a text file.

[christoph]

thanks for your quick help on the cvs case

The cvs file have a limited Info about my dvds, in the xml File are a lot more Infos about my dvds (i have 400 DVDs and a barcodescanner to handle this amount of dvds)
is there a trick to import the xml file

or off topic i can use the scanner with dvdp ????

[Conor]

You can use the scanner with DVDpedia if you are a U.S. user; the foreign databases don't look up the UPC code. Just scan into the search web window, and after adding the DVD you can return with the keyboard shortcut command-D. you can also scan a list of UPC or titles from your previous collection into the add multiple menu command. (But this won't allow you to check each DVD as it's added. You can go through afterwards and clean up any errors.)

I haven't seen the XML for DVDprofiler, but it differs from program to program this is why DVDpedia does not import it. Anybody that knows programming can build a plug-in for importing DVDProfiler XML. Although you should be able to get all the information from a CSV file as from the XML file, there is no reason for DVDProfiler to leave fields out of the CSV.

The only thing you will need to import are the images. You can download the images using DVDpedia, if you have the ASIN it will download the correct image; otherwise it searches using the title and director, it almost always gets the right cover. But if you find some mistakes you can drag and drop your covers from DVDProfiler. (In this case drag and drop a cover image file, as DVDProfiler is a PC program.)

[Joe_S]

If you create a plugin or other manner to import from dvdprofiler .xml then you have a sale.

As a DVD Collector for 8 years, I have 1500+ titles in my DVDProfiler library. The .xml and associated coverart allows me on Windows to set up for graphical browsing and instant media playback with Meedio and other media frontends.

With the coming Centerstage Project/Mac Media Center we need a way to have our libraries available on Macs.

DVDProfiler is the clear winner in cataloging because it has tens of thousands of users updating a global DB of almost every DVD released. I want to catalog with DVDProfiler still, but I would like to have a copy on my Mac without VirtualPC.

I know Delicious Monster is a complete failure dependent entirely on Amazon and will never offer what DVDPedia offers for mac or the massive db of DVDProfiler, please give us something we can use.

I can provide a sample of the .xml if needed.

There are many more like myself that are looking for ways to get their DVDProfiler DB on their mac. Please provide us a solution.

[Conor]

Hi Joe,

Email me a XML file from DVDProfiler and I will add it to the todo list. All I need are about three DVDs in the export with as much info as they can possible have. So that I know what fields are present in the XML.

DVDpedia will launch your built in player, but you should check out he Movie player plug-in for DVDpedia on our extras page. Very neat extension built by an owner of a whole Media system, using new Mac Minis and an XServe for file storage. He can launch any movie on any TV from DVDpedia.

We thought about having our own database and are still considering it. But there is the whole legal nasty side, that we like to avoid. We can't monitor every entry in the database for the data entered by users that might come from copyrighted sources.

[Joe_S]

Thanks.

I sent the files to your support address in a zip archive.

[Joe_S]

Thank you very much. I see it works in the latest beta, images and all. You have a sale. Only issue is it uses the thumbnail image versus the hires cover.

[Conor]

It should be using the high resolution images in the IMAGES folder it never goes into the thumbnail folders. You might be seeing them small because of the size of your cover view in DVDpedia. Click on the cover view on the bottom left to open a full size version of the image (or at least as big as the screen if the image is bigger.)

[Joe_S]

Yeah, you're right it is using the regular front covers. Thanks again.

[Supergirl]

hello everyone,

I'm quite new to dvdpedia. Can you tell me how to import the images/covers from dvdprofiler. They are not included in the xml file.

Thanks

[Joe_S]

I just took the whole folder from DVDProfiler called "IMAGES" and copied it to my Mac. I'm not sure if I dropped the .xml in the "IMAGES" folder too or had it outside. Probably, outside.

[Conor]

You need to have the XML file and the IMAGES folder in the same location/folder. That way when you select to import the XML file DVDpedia will see there is an IMAGES folder in the same directory and import those. Inside the IMAGES folder there should be a bunch of jpg files, with numbers on them.

[z0mbi3]

I tried importing my XML DVDProfiler exported collection, and it did not import some fields that I consider that should be imported, in order of "importance":
- Collection ID (this is MORE than necessary, since all my DVDs are labeled with the Collection ID);
- Price Paid
- Subtitles
- Type of audio (Dolby Digital, languages, etc)
- Type of collection (Owned, Wish List)

And some other stuff that is impossible to know (like the Locality of the DVD, I hvae DVDs from England, Switzerland, USA and of course, Portugal).

Could you "better" it ?

I bought the 3 ~Pedias today (since I'll be using only Macs from now on...) and I really wish that I could keep VPC out of my computer...it's hard enough not to have the DVDProfiler online database ...

[Conor]

Can you send me a small export file with varied entries. The export we have here doesn't have a collection ID or subtitle information. So we don't know what we are looking for. Like good Mac people we don't have a PC. The only PC in the house is the XBox.