Freedb.org is to CD as ? is to DVD

[jhisr]

Is there a free Internet service available where I can query a database and extract title, chapter, and track data for a DVD? I can obtain data for CDs automatically with freedb.org and I’m hoping a database for DVDs exists also.

TIA

[srodgers]

Try us.imdb.com

[jhisr]

Thanks for the link srodgers but I didn't see anything regarding programmatically searching the database. I only see searches where you enter the title or genre or whatever for a movie and it will return all matches.

What I'm looking for is a site where I can pass in the TOC (table of contents) for a DVD and the search will tell me what DVD I have. Freedb.org allows me to do that for CDs.

When you pop a CD into a drive, Winamp or whatever player you're using can go to CDDB or Freedb and download the title of the album, artist, and track names with times.

I'm looking for a site where I can do the same with a DVD.

Does such a site exist?

[smee]

DVDProfiler allows you to build a database of your DVDs. It's not exactly what you're looking for but it might be worth looking at.

The database is user-created (like most of the cd databases). You can search based on UPC code (and if you have a cuecat, you can use it to scan the bar codes).

You can write the database out in XML format.

www.dvdprofiler.com

[jhisr]

Thanks smee. I’m well acquainted with DVDProfiler since I use it extensively with the DVD script package that I wrote. DVDProfiler is a great program but unfortunately it doesn’t get me to where I want to go.

[smee]

Joe:

I'm assuming that the reason you want to identify DVDs this way is that there is no other identification (in data) on the disc. Is this true?

I never really looked into it, but I always kind-of assumed that somebody had learned something since CDs came out and would have put some sort of identification data on the disc. Of course, if this were the case then programs like DVDProfiler would probably use that data.

It's always bugged me that the CD databases identify the discs by track length. While that's a pretty ingeneous way to get around a lack of data, I also think it's a really annoying way to handle something that's digital data to begin with.

[jhisr]

smee:

Yes, true....as far as I know there is no other identification. And I agree, you would think there should be.

Speaking of should be, DVDProfiler should credit the screenwriter. How did he/she get left out of the details for a DVD?

[jcterrier]

Joe,

If you wish, DVDProfiler will recognize a disk by disk ID.
Lookup the options for adding a DVD to collection.
Is not this what you are looking for?

Regards,
JCT

[jhisr]

JC,

I’m playing with a Kenwood 403 disc DVD/CD changer which has a serial port and the protocol is available. I want to write my own program to not only do transport control (play, stop, pause, etc.) but also to self discover what CDs and DVDs are in the changer. I’m able to get the TOC from the CDs through the serial port and then I use TCP/IP to pass the info on to freedb.org and in return I get the album, artist, and tracks for the CD. That part of the program works fine.

I would like to do the same for the DVDs. I’m pretty sure there is a service somewhere out there to get the DVD info. I believe that Kaleidescape and Kenwood’s Entre are able to self discover what DVDs are in their systems. Maybe they are using some sort of proprietary database. I don’t know.

For this case, DVDProfiler is of no use to me unless I can find out how DVDProfiler is getting the DVD info via the disc ID. I’m guessing they have their own proprietary database. Again, I don’t know if that’s true.

Bottom line, I would like to write my own program to read the contents of each CD and DVD and then have my program go out to the Internet to see what CDs and DVDs are in the changer.

[JimCirillo]

Take a look at http://www.wensoftware.com/MovieLibrary/

Not exactly what you're asking for, but you might be able to get some ideas from it.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Internet support, retrieve movie information from online movie database IMDB, DVD Empire and AMG - All you need to do is enter a movie title, the program will fill in the rest for you.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[jhisr]

Thanks Jim. From the looks of things it appears what I'm looking for doesn't exist yet.

[Jroberts]

You may also look into Movie Collector it's not as nice as DVD Profiler, but it gathers it's data from Amazon, IMD, All Movie Guide and other sites like that. Which may be helpful to you.

In many cases the movie title is in the disc name, so you may be able to reference it that way. Not all DVDs do this however.


Jim