On Sun, 27 May 2007 21:19:07 -0700, "Bob"
wrote:


"JackShephard" wrote in
message ...
On Sun, 27 May 2007 19:54:44 -0700, "Bob"
wrote:


[snip all the argumentative babble]

Have you figured out a way to scan DVDs (and CDs?) with a barcode scanner,
link the scan data to an online database, and have them automatically
entered into your database? That's what I would really like to be able to
do.

I would gladly pay you Tuesday for this type of product today.

Bob

Fry's Electronics (among other sources) sells the bar code scanner
kits, and why refer to an online DB, when you can DL a fully populated DB
with weekly updates?

Then, the only thing you need to do is scan YOUR discs to put them in
the "Purchasing" sheet, and then DL the disc image, which very well may
be DLable soon (it is for other, purchased DBs)

So, yes, there are a few out there that you have to pay for. Mine (the
front end, the database is the work of another person) is 100% free, and
constantly updated, and typically carries all of the available info. I am
working on integrating actor and director info into it as well.

You can also type in the UPC to pump data into the purchasing data
table.

So what you have at that point is not only a database of your title, but
a searchable database of ALL titles made, whether still in the channel or
not (even a field for that "status").

Then, you can look up your favorite film that you do not have, and see
ALL the discs currently made for that film title.

My Forbidden Planet "library" is one example. Even though this database
doesn't have LD titles in it, I have The Forbidden Planet about fives
times over, in various formats. :-[

That way, you don't spend time DLing off of some site that may or may
not exist from year to year.

Of course you can merely look it up on Amazon, and get plenty of info
there.

Or IMDB for that matter, which is run by Amazon, IIRC.

AFAIK, however, what you want costs money, and likely has the Bill Gates
business model of trying to get "update" monies out of your hiney as
well.

I happen to like free databases, and I merely made a front end for a
popular one out there.

Mine requires the new Office product, however, as the limit for cell
ranges in the older Office versions is 65535 rows, and this DB has over
110,000.

The proper thing for me to do would be to make an ACCESS front end, and
ACCESS tables to import this info into. Then, I am quite sure there
would be no limitations on size, and likely no VB Macros in it either.

However, Vista and the new Office products are hot shtuff, and I'll be
happy with mine for years to come.

Wow. I had no idea this 'scan and link-to-db' stuff existed.

Of course it does. Their depth varies though. (just like the folks
here).

Thanks for the info, Jack. I'll run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.


It certainly seems as though it won't be any of the backward dopes in
here.