keeping track of cartoons you have

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keeping track of cartoons you have

Post by mailman641 » November 17th, 2008, 7:30 pm

how does everyone keep track or their cartoon library so you don't accidentially buy duplicate copies of something you already have?

I ask this because I just bought some Cartoon Craze dvds from the dollar store today(some were only $.50 though!) and some, but not all, of the cartoons I already have on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection series, which are better quality imo.

I was thinking of making text files of each dvd/collection I have or making a database of what cartoons are on what dvd. for example, if I searched for "Parrotville Post Office" it would bring up both Digiview "Cartoon Craze vol 10" and Millcreek "150 Cartoon Classics disc 2". I googled for "cartoon database" and found bcdb.com but it doesn't tell what dvd a particular cartoon is located on. If anyone knows of another database where you can lookup what cartoon is on what dvd and vice versa I'd like to know about it so I don't go trying to reinvent the wheel so to speak.

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Post by Ben » November 17th, 2008, 8:30 pm

I <I>used</I> to keep very stringent and up to date database, but since writing for this site it's all slipped away!

I was even developing a DVD database website with a friend once, because the ones out there didn't have the specific information I wanted to itemize my collection under, including certain keywords.

I nearly came home with a Felix DVD recently, which I was sure I had but couldn't find. Happily I found it before laying out again for it!

As for individual <I>cartoons</I>...that <I>is</I> a toughie. Keywords are the best option, though I've taken to keeping as updated as possible lists on what I have.

However, the differences between a Digiview disc and what WB put out are no contest...if you can get official releases of even PD content you're looking at a better product. The Digiviews are good for those rarities, though, but at 50c a pop it's hardly worth wondering if you have a cartoon - just keep a list of the actual title of the overall disc, maybe?

One day, I may well get back to the old database I was working on...it was shaping up pretty good and flexibly customizable too...

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Post by mailman641 » November 17th, 2008, 9:06 pm

I just started making some text files(one file per dvd) and uploading them to google sites. It probably wont take as long as I thought since I can find a list elsewhere on the web then copy/paste. google's built in search works pretty good so I think that's the route I'll go.

It would be cool though to have a real database complete with fields for production studio, director, main characters, color/bw, up to 6 location fields which would contain the UPC code of the dvd/vhs that cartoon is located on which would link to another table with info about that dvd title(ie name, production company, etc). You could search for "Famous Studios" and bring up a list of dvds with Famous Studios cartoons, or find a list of Tex Avery cartoons no matter what dvd they're on.

well as much as I'd like to catalog my entire collection in a db I'd rather spend hours watching it rather than doing data entry about it(especially since I'm not getting paid to do either :lol: ).

what Felix dvd were you refering to? was it by Trans Lux/Joe Oriolo?

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Post by Ben » November 17th, 2008, 9:27 pm

Felix was the Sony one.

With 2500 titles, I needed something quicker and more specific, hence the database. Someone has to do it! ;)

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » November 17th, 2008, 10:55 pm

Probably be better to use something like a spreadsheet or database. Any word processing program worth its salt has those features in them and you don't have to buy it again if you have a PC. MS Office comes with every Windows machine. For Macs, there is a freeware program called NeoOffice (OS X only, sorry!) that has spreadsheet and database built-in, too, in case you don't have AppleWorks or don't want to buy software.

I'm still using a text file myself but I'm also WAY behind.

It didn't help that the most up-to-date list I had was on my last computer's HD and that died over two years ago!

I also have to recompile the list for my laserdiscs which WAS COMPLETE (I bought my last LD in 1999) but sadly lost on the old HD, too.

You just have to buckle down and take a month or two to compile things. It's easier to fix the problem than you think. People just don't like cleaning up after themselves!

In the meantime, what you do is automatically enter new titles in after you buy them.

BTW, as nice as all the stuff in the first post is, you still have to pay for all that information unless you do it yourself. Nobody as far as I know has a site like that (maybe you could be the first and make some real money at it?) and all that information should be on your DVD's packaging and within the credits of the film...

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Post by James » November 17th, 2008, 10:59 pm

OpenOffice works for Mac/PC/Linux

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » November 18th, 2008, 12:49 am

NeoOffice is based on OpenOffice.

The advice that I got was that NeoOffice was better for Macs. One of the guys who worked on NeoOffice did coding for OpenOffice, too.

At any rate, the only reason I got NeoOffice in the first place was to be able to read PowerPoint presentations. I was perfectly happy with AppleWorks.

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