The Readerware Newsletter

Introducing ReaderwareVW

Readerware is proud to announce the release of ReaderwareVW, the VW stands for Videoware. All the great features of Readerware, now for video libraries too!

ReaderwareVW is a new standalone product. Looking forward I plan on introducing a plugin architecture that will enable support for various media types, in one product. But right now you must run ReaderwareVW as a separate product, and your videos are cataloged into a separate database.

ReaderwareVW uses the UPC bar code found on DVDs, Laserdiscs and video tapes to look up the video on the internet. You can enter this UPC bar code manually by typing in the numbers that appear under the bar code, or of course you can scan it in with a bar code reader.

All the great features you are used to in Readerware are also available in ReaderwareVW, including auto-catalog, manual imports from the Readerware browser, wizards, image support, multiple table, tree and fish eye views, import, export etc.

ReaderwareVW scans the internet and extracts as much information as possible about the video including the actors, director, screenwriter, format, widescreen, color and sound information, even track listings for music videos.

You can find a closer look at ReaderwareVW on the web site.

The standard Readerware distribution now includes both Readerware and ReaderwareVW, so go and download the latest version, either the upgrade or the full install, and checkout ReaderwareVW for yourself. Just run the install or upgrade as normal and install into your Readerware directory. Your start menu will then contain both Readerware and ReaderwareVW.

ReaderwareVW is a separate product and requires a separate license. As always you can take ReaderwareVW for a test drive, try it out with your own video collection. Then take advantage of the special Readerware to ReaderwareVW license upgrade. A flat upgrade price that will give you the same level of ReaderwareVW as you currently have for Readerware. More information is available on the web site.

ReaderwareVW and Auto-Catalog

There are not as many sites offering a UPC search for videos as there are sites that offer an ISBN search for books. So the choice of auto-catalog sites is smaller than with Readerware. For now at least, they are limited to US sites.

The burning question is how effective will ReaderwareVW be in cataloging your video collection? A lot will of course depend on the kind of videos you collect, the more mainstream your tastes, the newer the titles, the better the hit rate will be.

In my testing I found that the DVD hit rate was 100%, not surprising DVDs are relatively new. VHS video tapes came in at about 85%, and that is not mainstream titles. Laserdiscs were a big surprise, I expected a 0% hit rate, but they are out there too. As Laserdiscs make up the largest group in my collection, I don't have the final tally yet, I am still cataloging.

For those Laserdiscs you cannot find, chances are you will find a VHS tape match, by searching manually using the Readerware browser. Import those and change the format.

Download ReaderwareVW today and start cataloging your video collection.

What's Playing Tonight?

Plus ReaderwareVW lets you add you own rating and comments, keep track of which videos you have watched and add your own reviews. Bar code reader support means it's a snap to bring up a particular video in the ReaderwareVW database and add your review when the show is over.

ReaderwareVW Client/Server Edition could be a couch potatoes dream come true. Store your ReaderwareVW database on your beefy desktop machine, and park that networked laptop near the couch so that you can easily pick a show, no more digging through the video tapes to find something to watch. Far fetched you say, well I know of at least one such setup.

Readerware 2.05

Both products are built form the same code base, changes and fixes will be applied to both products at the same time. Just one download will upgrade both products.

What's Next?

Fortunately you won't have to wait that long to find out.

Offsite Backups

It is often too big for a floppy, if you have a CD-R drive, that's a perfect solution. But if not, you might think your only choice is keeping it on your hard drive. Unfortunately hard drives do crash. You can always download the Readerware program again from the web site, but that doesn't restore your data.

Another option is using the internet to store a backup copy of your Readerware database. Services like iDrive offer you up to 50MB of free storage space. You can find out more information at iDrive. As always you should read the privacy policies and conditions.

Readerware is not affiliated in anyway with iDrive, it is just something you might find useful. It can offer you an easy way to save your Readerware databases. Your data is safe even after a hard drive crash, a stolen laptop etc.

Your Feedback

Your feedback is always welcome. Please send in your comments. E-Mail feedback@readerware.com.

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