My Movies for Mac OS X - Spring 2013 Pre Release

Introduction

This spring, we need help from our users on reviewing and testing a Pre Release of My Movies for Mac OS X 1.30 before it is public released in the App Store. If you would like to help us review, it is important that you read this page before you download the application.

The application is provided for download on this page free of charge - you are not required to have purchased the application in the App Store prior to reviewing it, although we mainly would like feedback from existing users of the application, who would like to use the added functionalities of the application.

Notice! The application is time bombed, and will stop to function in the initial version on April 15'th, where the review period either will be extended with a new build for download on this page, or the review period will be ended, and the update have been made available in the App Store.

If you have not already purchased the application in the App Store, you will once the review ends have to either revert to the limited "Free" version, or purchase the application in the App Store.

Pre Release Support and Discussions

Since the Pre Release is public available, discussions and support in relation to the Pre Release will be in the normal "My Movies for Mac OS X" forum area.

Collection Disclaimer

Since the application is a Pre Release, there is always the risk of the application containing errors that renders the internal database invalid. Your collection is with the exception of "Offline titles" and titles marked as "Edited" stored safely on our online service.

Should the event of errors occur, please seek support on our forums, where we might instruct a log out, and log in, or a complete removal of the applications data storage area, which will cause a complete re-sync from the online service. During such sync, all titles marked "Offline" will be removed from the collection, and all titles marked "Edited" will loose their editations.

It is strongly recommend that you make a backup of the internal database before installing the new version, in case of the event of errors. This can be done from the "File", "Backup database" menu item.

What's new

The update contains various of new additions and bug fixes, however the most important ones are:

• Support for box sets.
  
• Storage of meta-data for XBMC Frodo.
  
• Storage of meta-data for Mede8er devices.
  
• Storage of meta-data for Dvico TViX devices.
  
• Storage of embedded meta-data in MP4 files.
  
• Option to display covers in list view.
  
• Performance improvements for large collections.
  
• Export of database now contains the option of exporting cover images.
  
• Support for retina displays.
  
• Releases option to add titels by a release calendar.

The most important parts we would like feedback on is the support for box sets, and the meta-data storage options. It is important, especially for meta-data storage that you also let us know if this works well for you.

Why these meta-data storage options?

Due to the fact that the My Movies Collection Management for Windows software includes several additional devices for meta-data storage, the question of why XBMC, Mede8er, TViX and MP4 files was selected as the first devices to store data for is expected. Especially our many users of HDI Dune devices will with good reason ask why the Dune was not prioritized as the first playback device to store meta-data for.

The reason behind this is a combination of time usage, and the fact that we are concerned if Apple will let our implementation pass through to the App Store, due to the sandboxing limitations that you can read a bit more about below.

• The support for XBMC Frodo was prioritized as it consisted of a combination of XML files and graphics files, which time wise is resonably quick to implement.
  
• The support for Mede8er devices was prioritized as it mainly consists of a graphical file for displaying the meta-data, based on a template generate that is used for not only the Mede8er, but also for the Dune and others. Implementing support for this graphical template option therefore made sense overall, and the additional work for meta-data storage for the Mede8er was limited.
  
• The support for the Dvico TViX,, which is no longer a very popular player was prioritized because it used the same common graphical file as mentioned above, as well as a standard folder.jpg image, and the time usage to support it was therefore very minimal.
  
• The support for storing meta-data in MP4 files was prioritized on the Mac as MP4 files are used by many Mac users, due to the fact that this is native format in iTunes. We believed that this would be an option that would be of great interest to the Mac users.

The support for Dune and Popcorn Hour devices is more complicated, and takes much more time to develop. Due to the below described concerns about sandboxing, we would like to see the first implementations being accepted into the App Store before spending more time on development of meta-data storage options.

Meta-Data Storage and Sandboxing

Introduction

Sandboxing is a security mechanism Apple have created to protect users from malware and similar. In short, it allows an application to operate only within it's own closed data storage area, and specifically folders that users open through a file or folder browsing dialog. Sandboxing is required by all applications in the App Store, and is therefore also implemented in the My Movies for Mac OS X software.

Being able to store meta-data into movie folders is in relation to Sandboxing naturally problematic, as the application simply does not have default access to the folders where the titles are located, and the data must be stored. Sandboxing is the main reason that meta-data storage options have not previously been implemented in the My Movies for Mac OS X application.

Due to many developers concerns, Apple have made some changes to Sandboxing that now allows us a workaround. The most important one being that once users have one time opened a folder through a dialog, the access to the path can be retained even after the application was closed and re-opened. This, in combination with the fact that opening a folder also gives access to all folders below it, we can now allow for meta-data storage by allowing users to give the application access to the folders specifically.

The alternative would have been that each time meta-data storage for a title should be added or updated, the user would have to open a folder browser dialog for each folder.

Implementation

In the "Preferences" of the application, under "Metadata" is a list of folders named "Storage path access". This list contains the highest level folder for each location pointed to by titles in your collection. This list of folders is the folders that the application must have access to, in order to store meta-data.

Next to each folder is a red or a green button - red means that the application does not have access to the folder, while green means it does. The folder can be marked green if you have used the folder importer or folder browser on a title to select the folder, in which case the application got the access it needs.

In case of red dots, you must give the application access to the path by clicking "Get access" and then selecting the mentioned folder in the opened folder browser. By doing this, you confirm that the application may store data in this folder and it's subfolders.

This implementation is the only valid workaround on the limitations applied by Sandboxing, and it is at the same time an implementation we are concerned if Apple's reviewers in the App Store will accept, knowing that it historically have been difficult to get various implementations, such as external player launches passed through the review process.

Since there are no alternatives for us, we hope that the implementation is accepted, however, if it is not, we might have to consider distributing our application outside the app store for users who would like meta-data storage options. This is a consideration we really hope we do not have to take, but we hope for your understanding if the release of the 1.30 version gets delayed to the app store due to this situation.

Download

Enough with the details about the Pre Release, and to the download. Click the below icon to download the application.