I hope everyone answers this poll. I really need some accurate feedback on this.

This poll seeks to discover the aproximate number of video files you have on your computer(s).

The poll answer should ony include mainstream content, stuff like TV shows of all kinds, sporting events and movies primarily. I'm not asking wheree they came from, whether you pull them off your own PVR, friends' PVR, rip your own or others' DVDs, or even download stuff from P2P, etc... - for the purpose of this poll I don't care. In any file format and at any resolution, whether it be mpeg1, mpeg2, vob, avi, divx, xvid, mpeg4, whatever.

Please do NOT include home movies nor stuff made exclusively for the web (like Red vs. Blue) or commercials and spoofs (the stuff that gets passed around the office).

I've got at least a couple of hundred for example. I have a growing collection of TV shows on my PVR that I can move around to any computer on my network as well as a bunch of archived DVDs. I'll eventually archive all my DVDs so I can play them without having to go fetch the disc off the shelf.

After completing the poll please post a reply to the thread with the number of non-mainstream video files you have. This can include home movies, those small video clips you download from your favorite internet sites, funny commercials, whatever else you have that is not included in the poll. A simple number will be enough, you don't have to explain or detail what you have.

Anyway, this is pretty important and your feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Bruno

Where does porn fall in these categories?

This is a follow-up poll. I know a lot of people are now using multiple operating systems, so I'd like to get a better idea which ones currently account for the lion's share with respect to the poll above.

What OS would you say you primarily use to access the media mentioned in the first post? This poll can include multiple selections if you find you use more than one OS. If you primarily use ONE right now but would like to use another, please include that as well. For example: Currently use Windows, but would love to use Mac OS in the future (check box Windows and Mac OS).

Yes! Porn falls right in the poll category. I should have mentioned that. Those can be considered "Movies" if they're not just small clips (otherwise they go in the other category with home movies. )

Bruno

I entered zero into the poll. I am not really that much of a video person, do not own a DVR (although I am slowly starting to think about a really basic one). I do have a few small spoof videos (commercials, "Knights Of The Round Table" done in Lego, that kind of thing), but not very much.

I used the over 1000 option but I really need the over 10000 files option. I watch a lot of fan sub Anime and just started watching J-Dramas.

I also only use a windows box to play my files and my DVD's. with WinDVD and Theater Tek. Zoomplayer with Defilerpak is used for playing just about everything else.

I only keep a small amount of shows on my machine. I don't feel like coughing up the dough for the storage of such shows, and with they way things are going, they'll be out on DVD soon anyway.

Big zero here. Just music on my machines.

Three questions:

1) do music videos count? if so, then I'm with Attack, there needs to be one more option
2) do you count video files that have been backed up onto DVD and placed into a CD folder dedicated for such files?
3) getting any funds from the RIAA?

Basically I have as many video files as my storage space will allow, then I have a 200 CD folder full of burned DVDs with nice CW50 labels on them. I recently added to 300GB drives for the express purpose of storing more video onto them. In the future, I plan on backing up every DVD I own onto my computer. With my networked DVD player, I can just browse my movies and video files, and play them complete with surround sound. If I want extras, I'll go get the DVD, but for just the movies, I like having them all in one place and selecting them with a remote.

Right now I am between 50-100. But with non-mainstream I probably have 100-200. I try to archive my stuff to DVD pretty quickly. Home videos that after being captured are 14GB though is where I get stuck in archiving.

I suppose music videos count in part 2, the same category as home movies.

Backed up/offline movies can be included in number 1, but a third category is probbaly mre accurate. Since these need intervention to be played.

No, I'm not working for the RIAA nor MPAA. This is personal research for a project I'm evaluating.

Bruno

I've saved several TV shows to watch again. I also have some older TV coverage of the World Series of Poker. I watch them on my Windoze PC, or watch them with my GF on her Powerbook. I have a couple of movies, but that's just because I haven't written them to DVD yet.

This isn't for ATI. Thankfully.

Bruno

About all I can add is a me, too. Until recently (a few weeks ago), I didn't have the hardware capable of playing video files, and I have no TV or DVR. I've been very tempted to get a helmet cam for biking/kayaking, though, so the number may grow in the future.

I have under 50 and almost all are short clips or home movies.

I never really have time to watch films - most days are 12 hours plus at work, then getting the kids ready for bed, so after that I tend to grab a beer and play a bit of guitar before falling unconscious.

I have about 75, and 50 of those is Spongebob.

I would probably have more if I cound find a simple device like the empeg to play movies on the telly. Installing a 'puter or something with more than 4 buttons wouldn't fly with the wife and kids.

Something simple to hook up to the telly.... What if it was a small/simple computer with no buttons and looked nothing like a "computer" when it displayed on your TV and operated with a remote?

There are a few such devices available already, most of them require you connect them to "another" real computer acting as a server though (including the a TiVo with Home Media Option).

Bruno

Not sure exactly how many I have... so I'm estimating. I have every single episode of babylon 5 including the B5 movies, every episode of the first 8 seasons of Stargate SG-1, seven seasons of Buffy, the first season of the new BSG, all of the firefly episodes, the prisoner series, a couple of seasons of family guy, the sopranos, probably a couple hundred feature movies, and quite a few other television series episodes that are scattered around (such as several episodes of the muppets, lots of stuff from nick at night and tv land, etc).

Basically, all of my DVD's are archived and put in storage, plus I converted a lot of VHS stuff as well as new recordings. I think I only have a handful of non-mainstream stuff (my wedding, my baptism, etc).

I have a dedicated PC with a RAID 5 array exporting just under a terabyte of storage to my network. It also streams my music collection via mt-daapd. I have a dedicated HTPC running mythtv under Ubuntu linux that mounts my video storage remotely and that's how I watch everything. I rarely put a DVD in my DVD player. It gets ripped, added to the server, and the DVD goes into storage before I watch it as a general rule.

I'm sure I have more in there, I am doing this from memory.

HTH.

-- Gary F.

Out of curiousity, how are you ripping your DVDs?