Adding a disc by barcode
For a shelf of DVDs and Blu-rays this is the fastest way there is: no typing, no disc changes, a few seconds per box. Every commercial disc has a barcode on the back, and that number identifies the release.
Open the window with F6, or
Three ways to get the number in
| A barcode scanner | A USB scanner behaves like a keyboard: point, click, and the digits appear in the field followed by Enter. Nothing to configure. |
| A webcam | Tick Use webcam and hold the box up to the camera. The picture appears in the window and the code is recognized as soon as it is readable. |
| By hand | Type the digits under the bars. Paste takes a list of numbers from the clipboard. |
Webcams without autofocus struggle with barcodes: at the distance where the bars are big enough, a fixed-focus lens cannot focus. The program says which kind it found next to the camera name. If yours has no autofocus, hold the box further away and let the camera see the whole label, or use a phone-style scanner app instead.
One at a time, or a batch
With Batch Mode off, each code is looked up immediately: the movie card opens filled in and you confirm it.
With Batch Mode on, scanning just adds numbers to a list. Work through the whole shelf, then press Next and the program looks all of them up in one run. This is the mode to use for a real collection — you scan at your own pace and the network waiting happens once.
How the lookup works
The number goes to our barcode server, which knows the title and year for a large number of releases. With those in hand the program queries your usual online database for the full details, so what lands in the card is a normal movie card — cast, plot, poster and all — not just a title.
When the barcode is wrong or unknown
Barcode databases are built from what people submit, so they are not perfect. If the title that comes back is not what is in your hands, use the Submit the correct title and year button: you type the right title and year, and the correction goes back to the server. The next person to scan that box gets it right, and so do you the next time you rebuild the catalog.
If the number is not known at all, add the disc another way — from the drive, or by typing the title.
Finding a movie by barcode later
F9, , does the opposite job: scan a box and the program finds that disc in your collection instead of adding it. That is the answer to “do I already have this?” in a shop, and to finding the card for a disc you are holding.
Free to try. Catalog up to 100 movies at no cost, forever.