MediaMan: Delicious Library for XP
Anyone that’s used a Mac for even a week will have heard of a fantastic little app called Delicious Library. It lets you catalog all of your DVDs, CDs, Games, Books, whatever and keep track of who borrows them from you. You can type in the name of your media and search for it or type in the ISBN manually or let your iSight scan it in. Up until now, Windows users had no piece of software that could even compare. Now there is an answer. I hate to actually promote MediaMan as it is a blatant rip off of Delicious Library but XP users don’t have anything else. I heard about MediaMan through the Bonsai and you can tell Mike’s got the same attitude towards MediaMan. Just a warning, both these pieces of software cost around $40 but you can try them out before you buy. Anyways, if you’ve got a massive DVD collection and are tied to an XP machine, MediaMan is for you. But please don’t buy it if you don’t have to. Supporting a knock off application is like using Dogpile, no one does it.
To catalog my stuff I use Collectorz softwares, I’ve to say that I like it very much. For my dvds, there is an option to load the dvds information from many different websites, get the picture and everything with just few clicks.
xp users should in any case have a look here:
http://www.intervocative.com/Products.aspx
and this is my DVD collection: http://www.intervocative.com/DVDCollection.aspx/Jan%20Reinhardt
peace out, Mr. Grinch
I’m with Mr Grinch. DVD Profiler (http://www.intervocative.com/dvdpro/Info.aspx) is one of the few apps that made me hesitate on my move to Mac and OS X. I’m saved by the fact that we still have a Windows-based PC in the house that I can use DVD Profiler to catalog my (largely Region 4 and 1, but some 2 as well) DVD collection.
While the interface for Delicious Library is very nice, nothing running on XP or OS X comes within miles of DVD Profiler’s feature set or depth of access to DVD data across the several regions. As good as Delicious Library is, they would do well to take a leaf or ten from the DVD Profiler developers and implement some of its feature set and access to information.
MediaMan is a blatant rip.
I love the UI with delicious library and am using it to catalogue my music, dvd and book collection (although it’s a small one). Haven’t tried MediaMan out but I suppose it works the same, but since I’m “holidaying” (or rather “breaking” - it’s two different things I tell ya) back in M’sia and can’t access my PC rig, i’m just contented staring at my mini-collection of media.
Whats wrong with you guys try collectorz. great software easy to use,excellent looking. I want to try Delicious Library for xp. Enjoy!
Hasn’t Delicious said that they’re not going to make Library for XP? In that case he’s not treading on their toes and more than any other derivative piece of software has, and there are thousands of applications and games that have been knocked off over the years.
If they were competing with Delicious on their own turf then boo to them, but for now that’s not the case.
Is there a version of this type of software that is online — like LibraryThing.com — but for everything? LibraryThing is “the facebook for books” — I’d like to find a social network database for books, CDs, DVDs, etc.
@bhays: I think http://www.listal.com does everything.
CatVids is pretty good, better than Collectorz and Profiler in my opinion - unlike dvdprofiler it downloads the info from IMDB, so you don’t get messed up stats when looking at dvds by cast/crew member etc. Also allows formats other than dvd.
@bhays: try http://www.dvdaficionado.com for an online dvd catalog - has dvds from all regions. They’re working on a version 2 at the moment which looks very good.
I don’t think that supporting “blatant rip-offs” is that bad, AT ALL.
In fact, unless the design and concept has been patented, it’s called competition. (Software patents are a controversial subject anyways.)
If you ONLY support the original, you’re basically supporting the monopolization of that type of software. Competition breeds innovation, lower prices and other benefits for the end users.
Competition should ESPECIALLY be promoted if the “rip-off” is of a piece of software that was explicitly stated WOULDN’T be ported to the other OSes, and Delicious Monster has said it WOULD NOT release a Windows or Linux version, and stated that the Delicious Library would remain Mac only software. Such a narrow, shortsighted view from a software company, IMO, does nothing but STIFLE growth of their own user-base, and opens the door WIDE for other competitors to create alternative products for those intentionally ignored users.
I PERSONALLY hope very much that MediaMan releases Windows, Linux, AND OSX versions to FORCE DeliciousMonster to do the same or else lose to the competition.
(And remember, if you’re going to be boycotting all “rip offs” then you may as well boycott Windows, and Apple OSX, since the “Original” GUI interface was created at the Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) only to be copied by Apple, and then later borrowed by Microsoft. :-/ )
As long as this MediaMan remains outside of OSX, it’s OK.
Oh, and DJDole, Apple bought PARC original graphical interface. Xerox was nearsighted enough to write off the results of PARC’s work and sell it cheap to Apple, which had Jobs and his vision. Not to mention that the original GUI was nothing compared to Mac OS ended up being.
Mozart took an old French folk tune, “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman” and turned it into one of the most popular masterpieces, with 13 variations to the theme which is today most commonly known as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”. I don’t think anyone has ever accused Mozart of stealing somebody else’s song and claiming it as his…
Libra is an excellent program that is almost exactly like media man, except after using both I think that Libra is way better, and its FREE. The only drawback is that, well its no longer in development so I dont think we will see any updates ever. You can DL it at various sites including Cnet.