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Collectorz.com... again!

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TucknDar:
One more strange and unpopular decision by this company. There have been issues before, mainly concerning their changed upgrade policy.
See here: https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=8323.msg59808#msg59808
and here: https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=8807.0

This time they're announcing version 6 of their Movie Collector software. So? Well, the main change is that they're gonna stop using multiple sources to search from when adding/updating movies in your collection, and only use their own database. The reason why I'm posting this complaint, is that they don't want to listen to the so-called "vocal minority" and instead only focus on getting trial users to purchase a license. They've already changed the behaviour of Book Collector, even with several complaints.

I suppose they're at least somewhat honest about their intentions.

Too bad their products are the best of the bunch (at least before v6 of Book and Movie Collector), or I'd switch in an instant. Please recommend other collection apps that can search multiple sources, and that listens to the "vocal minority".


Some major edits since trying to be more reasonable about disagreements.

Josh:
The single source should not have come as a surprise. They announced it well over a year ago when they started building and requesting user feedback on the database. I really see this as a step in the right direction as now they have control over the info and can thus control the quality of entries. They can also lessen the amount of time spent on debugging scripts used to retrieve data from the various sources. Am I disappointed with the decision, slightly, but they have done a good job of making the database very robust.

TucknDar:
Actually, for Movie Collector, they didn't announce it. They started a thread requesting feedback, and almost all the feedback was negative, yet they still decided they'd change.

The database is obviously improving, but it's still lightyears away from IMDB in terms of included movies. Also my main complaint with this isn't so much the move to single source as it's the feeling that current customers don't matter as much as new, potential customers. I also don't see what would be so difficult with having the Collectorz database as default and letting "advanced users" choose IMDB, Amazon, etc...

Some major edits since trying to be more reasonable about disagreements.

Rhutobello:
I own both book and movie base, but I stopped on ver 4.....
It is a good product, but there are so may free product that give me almost the same....like Itunes.

As for the search option.
If you have built a big base for your own use, will you then give it free to others who will sell their product under the "claim" that they can use your work as promotion for easy handling of their software?

I think many of the sources will not give collerctorz this "present", because if they do, others will come, bandwith will increase, cost will increase...and for what...for customers of others product shall have an easy life?..No I think building on own base was the only way to go...I am sure they have got more and more pressure to pay for putting in search option on others work....
So yes....they are a company...and as company they only survive by selling...you don't need to take all upgrades...I still get the offer for 50%, so if I can wait 1 or 2 more version...then I might evaluate an upgrade...if not...look elsewhere..that is a way to protest too :)

J-Mac:
I don’t know - mixed feelings about this.

I do understand that it might be more economical for them to use only their own database. I say "might be" because I don’t know that the other databases are indeed charging Collectorz.com to allow their users to access their data. I can see it as a possibility, and even a probability at some point. Witness the Zap2It unannounced cancellation of all free subscriptions to their TV listings database late last year and starting a new paid-only service. But I don’t believe that it is yet a fact or Alwin would no doubt be using that as the prime reason for his elimination of other databases from Movie Collector 6.

On the other hand, the Collectorz.com movie database is woefully incomplete. Virtually all movies in their collection have only the front DVD case cover art and a fair number have no cover art at all. Also, the details of the DVDs are often sparse, especially compared to the DVD Empire database. Last but not least, many DVD movies are not in the Collectorz.com movie database at all. Several posters have posted specifics regarding which are missing - and many appear to be DVDs published for outside the USA. I have a fairly modest DVD collection compared to many users at their forum - 200+ DVD titles - and there have been approximately a dozen or more DVDs that showed no results from their database. Many more were in the database but had very minimal information. Like title and duration in minutes, nothing else. (Three were like that for me).

So I could live with only using the Collectorz.com movie database IF they seriously improve it and bring it up to or better than the quality of the databases they are eliminating.

Of course a big part of the problem is also Alwin himself. Not only doesn’t he mince words - which doesn’t bother me at all - but he can also get pretty abrasive to users in his forum. Personality trait, I guess. That never helps in situations like this!

Jim

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