This post contains suggestions which could be implemented in steps.
The main ideas are to let MC:
(i) Categorize current media even if there is no instance on disk. For example I have seen a movie in the cinema. I should be able to rate it in MC without actually having a copy on disk.
(ii) Act as a library for *all* kinds of media (or things), not just "stuff that resides on your hard disk".
(iii) Aid in supplying, choosing and entering metadata for this media
(iv) Supply recommendation information which operates cross media, "collaborative filtering".
In other words: Take organization one more step further into meta organization, much like what has been done in music. But also between .. . anything possible!
More details:
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(i) Categorize stuff that doesn't reside on the hard disk:
I frequently go to the movies and would like to keep track of what I've seen. One should be able to keep track of ratings, notes, ++ even if there is no copy on disk. TV: Lost, Southpark, watched but not saved
[rjm:] Introduce a "re-rip" feature. I.e. you can attach data on disk to an entry in MC, this entry previously had no data on disk.
This should be expanded to all current media. Let's say I deleted a music album from disk because it sucks. Currently, the rating info goes away when the file goes away.
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(ii) Library for all kinds of things:
Expand the idea from (i) to include "anything" to which you may have some preference. For example your previous cars, the paperbacks you've read, you name it.
I can see two uses for this:
o Keeping track of stuff. For example: a friend of mine keeps a log (log, ratings) of all the books he has read,
o Use it for collaborative filtering between different media (see iv). For example, there may be a correlation between watching the "Lost" TV series and .. listening to Aqua, the swedish popband from the early nineties. You may not know this and be positively surprised.
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(iii) Aid in supplying, choosing, entering metadata for this media:
There has to be an online metadatabase which accepts many types of media and "stuff" ("regular digital media", paper books, movies viewed in cinema, your car, your favorite coffee, you name it). The content of this metadatabase must to a great extent be user driven.
o How to qualify a new metadatabase "Object"? Similar voting system as that of cover art selection
o How to determine if a new object exist fits existing objects? Weighed "Lehvenstein distances" between strings in tags, manual browsing
o How to qualify the tag scheme for new object types? Moderator, Online discussion fora.
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(iv) Recommendation system:
Use a collaborative filtering system which works cross media and "stuff". It is important that the database in (iii) is well formulated for this to work.
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[Edit:] Suggestions from other users are added after brackets with username inside...