Death

Okay, now I tested the waters here a couple of days ago and found that there was some interest in a downloadable CDDB.DAT file, so I thought I would request formally that people send me their CDDB.DAT file, why?

My plan is to eventually have a file that everyone can download to minimise typing of the album information. You can find the CDDB file in your Exact Audio Copy folder and it is the file which remembers track names, album title, genre etc.

You can send the CDDB.DAT file to this address:
CDDB@gilesdj.com

Once I recieve the file I will import it into my CDDB database and offer the updated file for download here: http://www.gilesdj.com (via the misc section in downloads).

The benefits of using my file rather than the empty file is that when you put in a CD like "Dark side of the Moon" by pink floyd it will already recognize the CD and enter in the information automatically. The file is currently 26k and has around 50 CD's (alot of pink floyd, some jethro tull, static X, Led Zeppelin etc)

Now if people send me their CDDB file I will be able to make the database alot more useful to alot more people and it at least allows the option for people to download a useful database for EAC.

As everyone probably knows I am not a mod of this forum, so I couldn't make this a sticky or announcement, however I would like this to be a constant project so if a mod could edit this and make it an announcement it would help get the project off the ground...

Also as it's a .dat file you may need to allow the "Show all files" option in windows... Any comments, suggestions etc would be appreciated.

Regards

Giles aka Death of Thought
http://www.gilesdj.com

Sikkek

What's wrong with the freedb functionality (I rarely have to type in cd information, freedb recognizes a lot...)

Death

The major reason's are:

1.) you can't connect to freedb whilst offline...

2.) a local freedb takes up alot of space and can be difficult to configure.

Even if you don't get use out of it Ide ask you to send me the file, simply so the people (like me) who can't always access the freedb can still benefit from other people typing in the album info.

that's it, I use the freedb function however when I didn't have access to the internet I would import my mates db's to mine and alot of the need for a freedb was removed... and this was done without an internet connection.

It also means that if you are charged a usage rate for internet like an hourly rate you can download the cddb file and even if only a couple of your CD's are in the DB it minimizes the time wasted changing CD and constantly reconnecting to the DB...

Sikkek

Well, I will start ripping my complete collection soon. (I want to compress everything losslessly, no more mp3) My old cddb.dat file is no more (new computer, old one is gone). When I'm done, I'll send you the file.

Death

Thanks, I appreciate it, when I originally switched from audiograbber to EAC I searched for a file exactly like the one Im trying to create, I never found one so I recently decided that ide do it myself... so any support is helpful.

Andre Wiethoff

Please make sure to append the database by the menu "Import Database"...

cu, Andre

Death

Will do, Im also going to make plenty of backups, something Ive learnt the hard way after changing my site too nuke php.

Again I would request somebody makes this a sticky if possible so that the project is constantly underway, whilst bumping posts is a great hobby... actually it's not come to think of it...

Anyway thanks for the support the address is:
CDDB@gilesdj.com

Death

I recieved that comment on my site, very valid. the response I gave was like this:

The reason is simple: whilst I agree that the freedb project is better, not everyone has access to it all the time. Before I had unlimited access to the internet the use of my internet was charged by the hours, and thus the inefficiencies in doing this with a large CD collection can be large... also this is meant as a "starter" not a replacement for the freedb project so that new users can download this file before they start using the freedb.
Again it is mostly useful for those who:
1) have a limited or disjointed connection to the internet
2) those charged by the hour for internet
3) those who have a modem like myself who cannot download a local freedb.
I will agree that the freedb project is better, however not for all situations.
Another example is whilst I was at school (a long time ago) I only had access to the freedb maybe once every so often so the freedb project meant nothing to me unless I had internet access, however what I could do is import my friends CDDB files into mine and this minimized the need for the internet connection.
The freedb is better, but for us modem users it's not possible this project allows modem users to have the opportunity to have a smaller version which they can download.
In the future I will also be likely to list the albums so people only download the file if they need to.
Also note that If people of a similar musical taste uses my file, they don't download linking park and blink 182 entries...
Freedb is usually better, but sometimes isn't feasible (we don't all have unlimited broadband)

I think Ive repeated myself several times, but the major thing to understand is that we don't all have broadband... or even modems which connect at a reasonable speed.

the idea behind it is as a starter not a replacement, if it was meant to be a replacement it would be a poor one at that as a CDDB is not universal...

If I didn't feel the need for such a project I wouldn't start it, admining gilesdj.com is enough to keep me busy

Regards -Death of thought

Death

BTW there is another way to use the freedb project which is more efficient thanks to the forward thinking creator of EAC.

You can Queue CD's for batch freedb requests, this pretty much removes the need for the CDDB project... this can be done by:

There still are some reasons for the CDDB project, but less so with this... I thought ide mention it.

The only reason I started this project was due to the fact I have had the need for it in the past, so I decided recently to do it myself... there is only a very small amount of people who would benefit from it.. but I was once one of them... so Ill keep running the project (which is basically just me being used as a central database holder) just for those small amount of people who have use for the CDDB project.

Death

There is a new version of the CDDB file thanks to the many people who have contributed this one contains many a beatles CD and more.

download it here:
http://www.gilesdj.com/modules.php?n...download&cid=1

Death

yet another update, again thanks to the many people who have been sending me their CDDB files, this update has increased in size yet again, new albums, new artists... you can download it here:
http://www.gilesdj.com/modules.php?n...download&cid=1

Death

gilesdj.com has moved to http://www.deathofthought.com so if you are looking for the CDDB file then go here:

http://www.deathofthought.com and check out the downloads and look in the "misc" category...

or you can brave this link here:

http://deathofthought.com/modules.ph...download&cid=1

The email address for sending the CDDB file to has also changed to cddb@deathofthought.com

cheers

Death

The newest version of the CDDB file is out, version meh.75 (im running out of numbers) thanks to all those who have contributed.

You can download it here:
http://deathofthought.com/modules.ph...download&cid=1

please remember to make backups and always use the "import" function of EAC.

happy extracting.

Death

to anyone who's waiting for a new version of the file I apologize for any inconvenience my internet connection won't currently allow me to upload.

Im trying to update the file ASAP.

sorry and cheers to all the people who have been sending me their cddb.dat files ^^

limer

Death,

I like your idea and think it would be useful, but not in the way you're going about it now. What might be a better idea is to attempt to get the top 2500 albums for the past 50 or 60 years. I'm sure there must be some sort of relatively unbiased polling (exclude billboard -- marketing tool) you could draw results from.

Take this compiled data (various sources) and then setup a freedb locally on your own machine. Find a way to extract those albums to it's own db. You now have a smaller, more generalized "freedb". I can't imagine I'm the only one who has thought of this. Of course, I can't tell you "how" to do all this.

Just some thoughts.

Limer