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1995-08-31
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DiscTrak System - Version 8.11
Copyright (c)1995 Blam Entertainment Group, All Rights Reserved
What's New!
Due to the dynamic nature of this program and my uncontrollable
need to tinker, changes are always in the works. Because of these
factors, it was necessary to devise an abridged list documenting
the visual or functional differences from version to version. It
goes back as far as I can possibly remember or try to reconstruct
by looking at old source code. Feel free to pick the excuse you
like better.
GENERAL NOTE:
Version numbering has been revamped. Please don't think you've
been left out in the cold and utterly missed versions 2 thru 7.
Version 8.11
* The spelling of "Matte" has been corrected in the Widescreen
displays.
* A capitalization error on Panavision widescreen films has been
corrected.
* The Multi Audio question has been trimmed up slightly.
* The Widescreen option has been enhanced, slightly. "Total
Video Frame" has been renamed to "Full Frame/Open Matte" for
use on those titles like "Sword in the Stone" and "Dick
Tracy". A new entry of "Super35" has been added to account
for those films, which were shot in Super35 and shown 2.35 in
the theatre and transfered to video in Full Frame. Prime
examples of this are the non-widescreen editions of
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "The Abyss".
* The option for THX Digital Master has been added to the Video
Tape mode. This is to account for the new Star Wars Trilogy
which has been released on VHS tape.
* The option for THX LaserDisc / THX Digital Master now force
Digital Video Transfer to on in both the Laserdisc and Video
Tape modes. The Digital Video Transfer question will be
skipped in these cases.
* If a configuration switch was specified when launching
DiscTrak, that switch would remain in-force. This would cause
what might seem as random mode shifts when coming out of a DOS
shell. This has been corrected.
* A share violation has been corrected in the File Sort routine.
The error would not cause a program crash, but the sort
routine was throwing away the sorted information. No data was
lost due to this error.
* A problem with sorting titles which began with He', such as
"He Said, She Said", has been corrected.
Version 8.10
LaserDisc Mode:
* The option for the new AC-3 Digital Surround audio system has
been added. The option for DTS Coherent Acoustics is also
present. These options are enhancements of the Digital Sound
question.
* The Multi-Audio option has been rebuilt. This allows for the
modifications of AC-3 Digital and DTS Coherent Acoustics, and
for the option of Stereo commentary tracks. This is now
accessed through a Yes/No' question.
* The Multi-Audio section now has an option for Running Audio
Commentary
LaserDisc & Video Tape Modes:
* The Subtitles option has been moved to immediately after the
Closed Caption selection.
* The option for Sepia Tone has been moved to after Color
Selection.
* There has been minor tweaking on the view screens.
* The presence of Magnetic Audio Masters and CDS Digital audio
have been discovered. While we always tracked for both, it
never occurred to us that they might exist together. This has
been fixed.
* The Widescreen naming conventions have been modified slightly.
While the supported ratios are the same, the names have been
changed. For example, Normal Pan & Scan' has been changed to
just Pan & Scan'. It was brought to my attention that there
is, indeed, nothing NORMAL about Pan & Scan. As a result,
Panavision has been changed to CinemaScope/Panavision.' The
entries stating Standard' have been changed to Matt'. (ie,
American Matt, Foreign Matt.)
* The Special Features Fields Generator options have been
regrouped to be better categorized. All Disc specific things
have been grouped together, with all Audio topics are
together. You'll get the idea.
Compact Disc Mode:
* A new field has been added for DTS Coherent Acoustics CDS.
* A new field has been added for 24k Gold CDS.
All Modes:
* Detailed information on Record printouts has been moved down
the page by one line. This includes Episode Information (LD
& VT modes), Chapter Indexes (LD Mode), Story Summary (LD & VT
Modes) and Track Listings (CD & Tape Modes).
* When editing a record, pressing ESC no longer jumps to the
next set questions or screens. It will exit you to the EDIT
MENU.
* When adding a record, if ESC is pressed in any of the screens,
you will be allowed to abort the record. A question will pop
up.
* The Add question has been removed. If you enter the ADD
section on accident (and who hasn't?), leave the line blank to
abort adding the record. If any data is in the line, the add
routine will continue. Of course, you can still abort by
pressing ESC.
* The name shifting routine has been tweaked to correct a
problem where a title contained and' which isn't part of a
name.
* A minor (program crashing) anomaly has been corrected. If,
for some unknown reason, you backup and change the number of
sides/discs (depending on mode) and then progressed on through
the record, the program would crash, spitting out little
pieces of IC chips through the slot on the floppy drive. This
has been corrected. (Just kidding about that spit thing.)
* In version 8.00 the flexible scan ability was removed. I
kicked myself for that. We've added it back in, but this
time, it's a selectable option which can be configured in the
configuration menu. It also is more flexible and will search
for proper names within titles.
* In the EDIT MENU, if the title of a LaserDisc or Video Tape
used the full 80 characters, it would line wrap the last
character to the next line. We've changed this to trim off
the last two characters for the Edit Menu screen. The title
remains unchanged, however.
General:
* We are now specifying the length of the evaluation period.
See the main system documentation for full details.
* The DT.EXE has been tweaked. You cannot use previous versions
of DT.EXE with 8.10 and you cannot use this DT.EXE with older
version of DiscTrak.
* All printer related options have been moved into a new sub-menu off the Configuration screen.
* A new option is available. EJECT PAGE is designed to suppress
the blank page which is present at the end of reports which
are printed on Laser or Ink Jet printers. It defaults to off
and is in the Printer Setup Menu. Please note that some
printers perform a page eject as part of a command reset. You
will still get a blank page if this is the case with your
printer.
* The option for Perforation skip has been modified. It now
reduces lines per page by 3 to compensate for printers which
force specific margins, namely HP LaserJet printers.
* A new option for Currency marks has been added. It will
toggle between the $ (US) and £(UK). If there are other
options required, let us know. This option IS NOT documented
in the user manual as it was added at the last moment.
* An error installing the serial number has been corrected. The
program would remember the number correctly and install it
correctly on the next execution.
* To avoid potential troubles with the Update and Install
routines failing, the .DAT files have been renamed to .BEG.
Version 8.01
* An error in the scanning routine which skipped the testing of
the last record on a disc, if the total records were 5 based
(ie, 5-10-15), has been fixed.
* Blam Entertainment Group has moved again. The program has
been updated.
Version 8.00a
* A nasty little quirk with the Automatic Registration
Transferal has been fixed. This update will REPLACE version
8.00 on your hard drive.
Version 8.00
LaserDisc Mode:
* With the introduction of THX LaserDisc program, a flag has
been added in the Special Fields Generator.
* Side/Chapter orientation has been added. This will include
side numbers when displaying chapter information. The menu
contains several options to compensate for chapter numbering
schemes which vary from studio to studio.
* When editing/viewing chapter information, you can now PAGE-UP
beyond the first page to the previous screen.
* The Replication method (IE, Cold Casting/Injection Molding),
which was displayed in the view screens, has been removed.
* All references to SuperLaser have been removed. This format
never materialized, so tracking for it was kinda ridiculous.
* If updating a LaserDisc record due to a new issue of the disc
becoming available, it was possible for some of the data from
the previous disc to get locked. For example, the Minute Only
Encoding and Manual CX Encoding could become stuck on. This
has been fixed. This fix was included in v1.706.
* Added MegaLD-LaserActive flag to Disc Type in the Special
Feature Fields Generator.
* Enhanced side identification with Short Side CAV. If multiple
sides are CAV, leave out the side number and the program will
simply display both CLV & CAV without any side information.
* Simplified Short Side CAV / Long Side Extended Play question
to Recording Format Deviation.
* Reformatted the Minute Only Encoding and Manual CX view data.
* Changed display of Multi-Channel information to Multi-Audio to
conform with standard LaserDisc naming conventions.
* In the reports, LaserDiscs which had no chapter stops were
displaying '0' chapters. This has been changed back to show
nothing.
Video Tape Mode:
There are no Video Tape mode specific changed in this release.
LaserDisc & Video Tape Modes:
* There has been a general face lift on the view screens. This
was necessary to facilitate specific wording and to try and
minimize screen crowding.
* Dolby Labs new digital sound format, SR*D does not necessarily
have to be SR*D. The use of Dolby Digital audio in motion
picture film does not necessarily mandate Spectral Recording
on the optical soundtrack. In most applications of Dolby
Digital however, the optical audio is SR. For this reason,
the Spectral Recording question has been changed back to a
YES/NO question.
* The Dolby Digital option has been moved to the SPECIAL FIELD
GENERATOR and has been combined with the existing Cinema
Digital Sound flag. In addition, entries for Digital Theatre
Systems (DTS), Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) and
combinations of the three battling systems have been included.
* The widescreen option for Scanned Panavision 1.85:1 has been
removed. Any titles which were marked as Scanned Panavision
in previous versions of the database will be updated to
American Ratio Widescreen 1.85:1.
* The Episode field has been added to the VIEW screens.
* While scanning the Special Features area in the Scan Records
routine, it was possible to tag invalid records and display
them as being valid. While this was originally fixed in
v1.62, we've managed to break it again. With this release, it
has been corrected.
* The episodes data would mysteriously vanish after editing or
entering a record. This trouble was experienced in all
versions starting with v1.703. This has been corrected. This
fix was also included in v1.706.
* The sort key are now larger to better sort similar titles.
* In the Special Feature Fields Generator, the question for
"Brown Tint" has been given its proper name...Sepia Tone.
* Program Summary has been added. This is a 'free-form' text
editor for storing program notes, story summaries and other
handy information. I also use it to list out episode specific
information on those great Star Trek(R) discs.
* The Episode viewer/editor now allows PAGE-UP beyond the first
entry.
* The length of the STARS fields, the CREDITS fields and the
DISC FORMAT fields have been increased, slightly.
* A spelling mistake of the word THEATRICAL has been corrected.
* A spelling mistake of the word MONAURAL has been corrected.
This fix also included in v1.706.
Compact Disc Mode:
* Disc/Track orientation has been added. This will include disc
numbers when displaying track information.
* Fields are now included for individual run times of each disc.
This information can be added up and put into the total time
field if desired.
* A new question has been added to track for CD-Singles (CD-5's)
which are standard CD sized.
* Useless text in the header at the beginning of each report
page has been removed.
Cassette Tape/Record Album Mode:
* Side/Track orientation has been added. This will include side
numbers when displaying track information.
* Fields are now included for individual run times of each side
of a tape/album. This information can be added up and put
into the total time field if desired.
* Added option for 45's, 12" singles & EP's.
Compact Disc & Cassette Tape/Record Album Modes:
* The basic engine is new, sorta. It now resembles the old
LaserDisc/Videotape engine in screen presentation. See the
program documentation for full information.
* The ability to store artist information for various artist
discs has been added. Refer to the system documentation for
details on using this feature.
* Artist searches are now available. This search is similar to
the song search routine. This routine will locate all artist
matches for entire albums and also matches within the new
various artist fields as well. See system documentation for
full details.
* The length of Record Label & Distributor information has been
increased to 35 characters each.
* Manufacturing facility field is has been added.
* When the Track Time Calculator is run, it will automatically
stuff the calculated total into the time field if the field
was left blank.
* Activation of the Time Calculator has been modified. It will
now run when ever the total number of tracks is altered,
regardless of the setting of TIME CALCULATE in the
configuration menu.
* When editing/viewing track information, you can now PAGE-UP
beyond the first page to the previous screen.
* Adding a record will now bring up a record generator screen
similar to that of the LaserDisc mode. You must enter the
Artist information here.
* Record Label display has been added to the EDIT MENU.
* A spacing error in reports created by the REPORT MENU has been
corrected.
* If trying to delete a record, putting a lowercase 'd' in the
library field would not delete the record unless the record
was deleted twice (Doesn't that sound silly to you, too?).
This has been corrected. This fix was also included in
v1.707.
All Modes (except as noted):
* Something we call Name Shifting has been added. In it's
previous incarnations, it simply compensated for THE, AN & A
at the beginning of a title. It now will make a great effort
to compensate for proper names like Phil Collins and
possessive names such as Steven King's IT.
* When adding a record, the default year will now be the current
year, regardless of the date. In past versions, if the
current computer date was after July 1st, the default release
year would be the current year + 1. This was too confusing
and a general pain in the neck.
* A new report format has been added. The Tiny report is a
standard 80 column report. No printer codes will be output
for this report.
* When running reports, and the title/artist requires a line
wrap, the next line is now indented by 2 spaces to properly
isolate the titles when looking at the printed page.
* There was a problem with changes to a specific record getting
lost when altering the number of Chapters / Episodes / Tracks
(depending on the active mode). This error has also caused
loss of data while adding records to the database. This loss
occurred if the <Page Up> key is used to back up to before the
editing of the Chapters, Episodes or Track Titles. A simple
modification has corrected this problem.
* If there was a deep burning desire to leave the catalog field
empty, the program WOULD lock up. The program now will put
some record specific data into the catalog number field to
prevent undesired program crashes. This fix is also included
in v1.707.
* There was a mistake in the SCAN MENU. If the ESC button was
pushed, the FIND TITLE prompt would execute. Only problem is
that FIND TITLE isn't an option from that screen. This has
been corrected.
* The search variable size in the EDIT MENU has been increased.
* The flexible match locator functionality in the FIND section
of the EDIT MENU has been removed.
* When adding a record, the routine is proceeded by a
confirmation question. I hate it when I hit the wrong keys.
General:
* DT.EXE is new. It is no longer just a compiled batch file.
(In case you had figured out that it was a compiled batch
file.) It no longer sets any environment variables, therefore
you should not experience any loading errors due to
insufficient environment memory. In addition, it is expected
that this DT.EXE file will be compatible with all future
releases of DiscTrak System. Here's hoping.
* The install program has been replaced. The new version is a
much more user friendly.
* The Automatic Registration Transferal now will bring the
serial number from all previous loads. Bug fixes loads are
now included in this general statement.
* The Update routine will no longer request your approval before
running, it will just simply do the deed. It is also much
more intelligent in it's determination of which updates need
to be applied to your database.
* There are 4 new indexes which are created. This speeds up
some areas of the program which use catalog numbers.
* Registration now includes registered name display on the
Program Information screen. Users of previous versions will
be allowed to enter their name as desired.
* The references to Master/Slave databases have been removed.
For the sake of political correctness and actual relational
jargon, the references have been changed to Parent/Child.
* When upgrading from version 1.61, the CFG file converter
worked great, provided there was a CFG file. If the file was
missing, the program would crash. This has been corrected.
* The keyboard buffer is now cleared after each option in the
Edit/Match menu has run.
* The UTILITY MENU has a new option. This option, CLEAR DELETED
will purge all records marked for deletion and return to the
main menu.
* The UTILITY MENU has another new option. The VERIFY LINKING
option will scan all children databases for valid parent
files. If there are no parent matches for a child, the child
data will be purged. Any affected indexes will be rebuilt.
* SHARE.EXE users were experiencing a crash during the SCAN MENU
routine. Turns out an illegal access was occurring while
validating matches. This has been corrected.
* A new configuration option is available. PERFORATION SKIP
reduces the number of lines included in each report page by 2
to compensate for printers which cannot have perforation
skipping disabled.
* Pressing ESC now will exit all menus EXCEPT the MAIN MENU.
Version 1.71
NOTE: This release has no new functionality over 1.707.
* Blam Entertainment Group has moved back to the US. As a
result, the new address has been included in the program and
in the docs.
* The new graphic opening screen intended for v8.00 has been
included with this version.
* This release includes an all new DT.EXE program which
eliminates the need for environment variables.
* The installation program is new.
Version 1.707
* If there is a deep burning desire to leave the catalog field
empty, the program WILL lock up. The program now will put
some record specific data into the catalog number field to
prevent undesired program crashes.
* If trying to delete a record in the Compact Disc or Cassette
Tape modes, putting a lowercase 'd' in the library field would
not delete the record unless the record is deleted twice
(Doesn't that sound silly to you, too?). This has been
corrected.
Version 1.706
* If updating a LaserDisc record due to a new issue of the disc
becoming available, it was possible for some of the data from
the previous disc to get locked. For example, the Minute Only
Encoding and Manual CX Encoding could become stuck on. This
has been fixed.
* The episodes on a LaserDisc or Video Tape record would
mysteriously vanish after editing or entering a record. This
trouble was experienced in all versions starting with 1.703.
This has been corrected.
* A spelling mistake of the word MONAURAL has been corrected.
Version 1.705
* The flag for Surround Sound Checks in the LaserDisc and Video
Tape modes was getting lost. This has been corrected.
Version 1.704
* There was a problem with program crashes during the editing of
LaserDisc and Video Tape records. This typically occurred in
limited system memory environments, roughly less than 450k
FREE RAM. This has been corrected.
* The Scan Records routine could miss valid matches while
running in any mode. This problem has been corrected.
* When changing the Multi-Audio flag in the LaserDisc mode, the
screen was not getting updated correctly with the new data.
This has been corrected.
* Jewel Boxes were left out of the LaserDisc Jacket Selection
menu due to an oversight. We've corrected this.
* The Windows icon included with all previous versions of 1.70
tended to be rather bland and has been redrawn. I hope you
like it.
* Pressing ESC at any question will now restore the previous
value (or default) to the question.
* The PAGE UP key has been enhanced. On screens with multiple
questions, pressing PAGE UP will now go backward one question.
In the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes, PAGE UP will also back
up one full screen. For example, from the Special Information
screen back to the Stars/Credits screen.
* Pressing ESC while answering questions in any mode will skip
all remaining questions for that section and proceed to the
next screen. If adding a record, ESC will proceed to the next
question only.
Version 1.703
* Oops. Version 1.702 managed to break the Compact Disc and
Cassette Tape modes completely. Program crashes galore.
Everything is okay now, really.
* When adding a record in the Compact Disc or Cassette Tape /
Album mode, the Time Calculate routine will now run regardless
of the setting in the configuration menu. The switch is only
valid when editing an existing record.
* In the CONFIGURATION MENU, the three toggle switch options
will now show the current state of the option.
Version 1.702
* A truncation problem exists in the LaserDisc and Video Tape
modes in the Category and/or Manufacturer fields. The storage
routines have been modified to combat this problem.
* A Track Time Calculator added to the Compact Disc and Cassette
Tape modes. This routine can be disabled through a switch in
the Configuration Menu.
Version 1.701
* The Match Menu was not clearing properly during the Match
Report creation. This has been corrected.
Version 1.70
* Blam Entertainment Group has moved again, although this time
we stayed in the same country. The program and docs have been
updated with the new address and phone number.
* The four Child databases used by the LaserDisc and Video Tape
modes have been combined into one large database. This is a
further extension of changes made back in version 1.61 to the
song storage in the Compact Disc and Record Album modes. The
update routine is a partial conversion only. Editing old
records will systematically reformat the data into the new
matrix.
* The Child databases are now exclusive to specific modes.
Therefore the Catalog Number Verification routine now only
tests for duplicates in the Parent databases which use the
same Child. For example, the LaserDisc and Videotape modes
uses Child database 1 & 2 and the Compact Disc and Record
Album modes use Child 4. These changes will allow for some
catalog duplication when entering CD-Video discs to be entered
in both the Compact Disc Database and the LaserDisc Database.
* Doubles Verification has been moved in the Compact Disc and
Cassette Tape mode. Doubles are now checked between the Main
screen and the Tracks screen. This as been done to locate
doubles before an attempt is made to extract the song titles
from the child databases.
* New data compression routines have been implemented.
Additional storage space may be deleted when editing existing
records as the data is formatted into the new matrix.
* The LaserDisc and Video Tape modes have had the Edit screens
reworked. The top of the screen will no longer show cryptic
information for you to decode. The screens will show the same
data as the VIEW option. Some screen refreshes will take
place from time to time to keep the correct information
displayed.
* The questions which ask if you would like to edit specific
information have been altered for when adding a new record.
Initially, the only valid answer during an add option was to
answer YES. The question is no longer asked when adding and
the first question is displayed. While editing an existing
record, there are no changes to these questions.
* As the world Compact Disc market continues to grow, It has
become necessary to modify things slightly. We are now
capable of tracking up to 999 titles per disc entry in the
Compact Disc and Record Album modes. I realize that there is
no such thing as a 999 track CD, but 8 disc box sets do exist.
* The ability to track for individual Chapter Index names in the
LaserDisc mode has been added. DiscTrak will track up to 999
individual chapter indexes.
* With the added ability to track so many chapter indexes,
episodes and track titles, it was necessary to install an exit
key to keep from having to step through all the entries if not
necessary. Pressing the "ESC" key will skip the remaining
entries and proceed to the next step of the program in the
EDIT and VIEW screens.
NOTE: If editing a screen of 10 chapters, titles or episodes,
and the "ESC" key is pressed, any changes made to that screen
of 10 will not be saved. Any previous screens which were
changed and any subsequent screens which were not changed will
be stored correctly.
* The ability to track increased numbers of chapter indexes,
song titles and episodes has made it necessary to install a
backup key. Pressing "PAGE UP" will back the screen by one
page of 10 entries in the Chapter Index, Song Titles and
Episode Information screens ONLY. Any changes made to the
current screen prior to pressing either the "PAGE UP" or "PAGE
DOWN" keys will be saved.
* The Scan Records routine has a new option to search for
possible matches in the Index of Chapters within the LaserDisc
Mode.
* The Scan Records routine has a brand new look once the scan
has been completed. A new menu is presented which looks much
like the edit menu screen which allows you to step forward and
backward through all found matches. This menu also adds the
ability to generate a report based on all the matches. The
report can be created at any point in the menu. Reports will
be grouped by catalog number, as this is how the matches are
sorted. This menu is active until Quit is selected.
* The Edit Menu is now active until QUIT MENU is selected.
After a VIEW, PRINT, EDIT or whatever, the EDIT MENU will
return, displaying the current record.
* When editing a record in the Compact Disc and Record Album
modes, you will now be asked if you want to edit the track
information. This question is skipped if you are adding a
record. This will keep you from having to step through all
the songs unnecessarily.
* The catalog number field in the Video Tape mode has been
enhanced. Originally, only the first 9 characters of the
field would be retained. All 12 characters are now used.
* There are several IMAX(R) films which have LaserDisc versions
available. This aspect ratio has been added to the widescreen
format question.
* Widescreen definitions have been reworked. Also, the aspect
ratio of each is displayed on the VIEW Record option from the
EDIT menu. This is valid for the LaserDisc and Video Tapes
modes only.
* The Video Tape mode now has a field for Date of Purchase.
* The Library field in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes has
been changed on the Edit screens to show the actual name of
the library, rather than a single character identification.
The library field in all other modes remains unchanged.
* Super Laser, a fairly new and some-what compatible LaserDisc
enhancement, is now supported.
* The EPISODE INFORMATION has been expanded in the LaserDisc and
Video Tape modes. The total number of episodes which can be
tracked per record is now flexible, in a range from 0 to 99.
The entries are paged in the same manner as the Chapter Index
in the LaserDisc mode and Track Listings in the Compact Disc
mode.
NOTE: Any episode information recorded with a previous
version of DiscTrak will be preserved within this new matrix.
However, it will be assumed there are four (4) episodes
regardless of how many are actually being tracked. If
desired, the record can be edited, changing the Episodes field
to reflect the actual number of episodes on the specified
record. Any old space occupied by the vacant records will be
deleted.
* Due to the expanded screen use in the LaserDisc and Video Tape
modes, the "MORE" message between screens has been moved to
the top of the screen. To make it's presence felt, it will
also flash annoyingly. If you're running DiscTrak inside a
Dos Window (rather than full screen) from inside Windows, the
'MORE' will not flash. It's a quirk with the fonts used
inside Dos Windows.
* Serial numbers have been expanded. Previous versions of
DiscTrak only stored 6 of the characters in the serial number.
The full 8 characters are now saved and previous users will
have the original 8 characters restored to their serial
numbers. The Automatic Registration Transfer Process will
restore your 6 digit serial number to it's original 8 digits.
* Serial numbers are now tested upon program loading to detect
any possible tampering. If tampering is detected, the program
will abort. Contact Blam Entertainment Group for help should
this occur.
* Although references to Video Singles (CD-Video Discs) were
removed back in version 1.21, it has been decided to restore
them in some way. So, there is now a flag for DISC TYPE in
the SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR to track for all currently
available disc types.
* In the LaserDisc mode, the Jacket Select menu has received the
following enhancements:
. Disc Box has been changed to BOX SET
. Digi-Pak has been added.
* The SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR has been given an enhancement
with regards to JAPANESE SUBTITLES. This flag has been
expanded to include ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH and ITALIAN
SUBTITLES.
* The UTILITIES MENU has had the following modifications.
. Program Information screen access is now through this menu.
. Dos Shell access has been moved to this menu.
* A new Library Location has been added to the LaserDisc and
Video Tape modes. This location is called TO BE VIEWED. I
use it for titles I have purchased, but haven't viewed yet.
Once viewed, the titles should be placed in their proper
library.
* The REPORT MENU has a new inclusion option for the TO BE
VIEWED library location. The report will contain only those
titles as being tagged TO BE VIEWED. These titles will also
be included in the OWNED category.
* Back in version 1.62 when the Catalog Number report was added
in the REPORT MENU, the Category option was changed to
Type/category. This has been changed back to Category as the
Type option conflicted with the Title option in the LaserDisc
and Video Tape modes. This conflict was only noticed when
selecting the reports with the key stroke rather than the
light bar.
* Catalog Number grouping in the REPORT MENU has been changed to
NUMBERED CATALOG. A bit cryptic, but unavoidable. This is to
correct for the operational goof made when introducing this
report grouping in version 1.62.
* The Compact Disc and Album/Tape catalog now includes a flag
for Dolby Surround Sound.
* If upgrading from a past version, the last active record in
each mode will not be remembered, for the first running of
this version. This is due to new data storage routines.
* The indicator bar at the top of the screen which displays INS
when in the insert mode is now turned on any time extended
keyboard input is required.
* The ARJ archive program has been added to the list of
supported archive programs.
* All configuration switches and options have been moved to the
CONFIGURATION MENU off the main menu. As a result, the
following changes have been made:
. SELECT ARCHIVE has replaced the old PKZip and LHA switch.
. PRINTER CODES has been renamed to INCLUDE CODES.
. SETUP PRINTER MENU has been renamed to PRINTER SETUP MENU.
* With the introduction of Spectral Recording Dolby Stereo
Digital, or Dolby SR*D, there needed to be a new flag to track
for the process. The Spectral Recording question in the
LaserDisc and Video Tape modes has been enhanced to include
this new process.
* The modification of the title in the LaserDisc and Video tape
modes has been revamped. ANY time the title is visible, it is
reassembled to it's correct format (IE, "The Hunt for Red
October" from "Hunt for Red October, The"). The altered
format (with "THE" at the end) SHOULD never be visible and is
maintained in the database for sorting reasons.
* The maximum length of the production credits fields has been
increased to 29 in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes.
* The maximum allowable song title length is now 60 characters.
* In the Video Tape and LaserDisc modes, the episode number
field has been increased to 5 characters to help accommodate
the very odd episode numbering for programs like "The
Simpsons".
* The option settings for 156 character & 132 Character reports
has been removed. The system incorporates a REPORT FORMAT
MENU which will allow you to pick between the three reports
available. This new menu is under the CONFIGURATION MENU.
The three choices are: Small, Landscape and Portrait. See the
system documentation for details on these reports and what
they offer.
* The PRINTER SETUP MENU has been given two additional sections
to allow for the new Portrait report.
* Under the REPORTS MENU, the report format status line has been
modified to display the new format types.
* In the Compact Disc mode, when selecting the REPORTS MENU, you
were presented with "All Records" and "Quit Menu" in the first
menu. This was a pointless menu, so we now skip directly to
the grouping menu. All other modes remain unaffected.
* In the Compact Disc and Record Album/Tape modes, the order of
the fields being presented has been changed to allow for more
logical program flow.
* The EDIT and VIEW screens have been reformatted in the Compact
Disc and Record Album/Tape modes.
* The ARCHIVE DATA routine now includes the DT.CFG file into the
archive.
* The ARCHIVE DATA routine now runs maintenance before archiving
the databases to insure that no deleted records are stored.
* The update routine will delete all indexes and rebuild them
when upgrading to a new version. This is to correct for some
index corruption during the update routines.
* The .CFG file from version 1.61 could not be read correctly by
version 1.62. This version will configure the .CFG file from
version 1.61 properly.
* After using the SCAN MENU routines and viewing the default
record in the EDIT MENU, the slave data from the last view in
the SCAN routine was being displayed. This has been
corrected.
* In the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes, if an empty report was
chosen, the active record number would be remembered
incorrectly. This has been corrected.
* There was a problem with program crashes during the printing
of reports directly from inside DiscTrak. The program will
now drop to DOS momentarily and initiate the printout.
* Some printers would eject 2 pages after the completion of a
printed report rather than just one. This has been corrected.
* The 156 character report (LANDSCAPE) has been changed to write
only 47 lines per page rather than 48. This was to prevent
problems with blank pages being included between the pages of
the report.
* When changing the Stereo Type from anything other than MONO to
MONO in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes and the Magnetic
Audio field had been previously set in the SPECIAL FIELDS
GENERATOR, the default number of tracks was not getting
updated correctly. This is a carryover I missed in the
modifications made in version 1.62. This has been corrected.
* In the Compact Disc and Record Album/Tape modes, if for some
reason an entire group of five songs and their run times were
left blank (songs 1-5, 6-10, etc.) DiscTrak would cleverly
decide that YOU goofed and left those five titles blank by
mistake. In reality, DiscTrak was goofing. This situation
has been corrected. If you feel the need to have the first 15
songs blank for some reason, we'll maintain the integrity.
NOTE: If the data you have run into this problem, you must
edit the record and correct it manually.
* If lower case letters were used to change a catalog number
while in the Catalog Duplication Check, it was possible to
assign two different entries with the same catalog number.
This has been corrected.
* If a record was set to be deleted in the LaserDisc and Video
Tape modes was reedited, the default answer would be incorrect
for the library location. This has been corrected.
* In some very rare circumstances, it was possible for empty
slaves to get saved in the Compact Disc and Record/Tape modes.
This has been corrected.
* While writing reports in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes,
there were problems with the line wrapping of the second line
of the title, if a third line was necessary. This has been
corrected.
* In the Record Album / Cassette Tape modes, when a report was
run, the top letter of the word FILE was missing in the report
header. This has been corrected.
* While viewing a record, the character of key pressed to step
to the next screen was being displayed on the bottom line next
to the words "DiscTrak System". This has been corrected.
* If in the GROUPING MENU and the QUIT option was selected
rather than running a report, the last active record would be
remembered incorrectly. This has been corrected.
Version 1.62
* Q-Sound, which we have been tracking for some time in the
Compact Disc and Album/Tape modes, has been included on some
films. The SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR has been given a booster.
* When changing the Stereo Type from anything other than MONO to
MONO, the Spectral Recording, Surround Sound and Magnetic
Audio flags were not getting updated. This has been
corrected.
* The menu to select JACKET TYPE on the SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR
in the LaserDisc mode incorrectly displayed TRI-FOLD as GATE-FOLD. This has been fixed.
* Invalid matches were being tagged while performing a scan of
the Special Features field while in the LaserDisc and Video
Tape modes. This has been corrected.
* In the UTILITIES MENU, the option CHARACTERS has been renamed
EXTEND CHR to allow for the new CODES flag. It is now
accessed through "E".
* The new PRINTER MENU has replaced the Printer Setup option.
This menu will allow the modification of the codes one at a
time. In addition, all control codes from DEC 00 through DEC
31 are now supported.
* The environment variable CLIPPER was being set at the program
onset then removed after exiting. However, if you had CLIPPER
in your environment originally, it was removed completely.
DiscTrak will now modify any existing CLIPPER variable for our
specific needs and restore it to it's original value upon
program completion.
* The Utilities Menu has got a new option, CODES. With this
option set to on (Default) the printer codes you specify in
the PRINTER MENU will be added to the printed reports. If you
turn CODES off, they will be omitted from the reports.
* Under the REPORT GROUPING MENU there is a new option to group
the report based on the Catalog Number.
* In the REPORT MENU under GROUPING, the Category option has
been changed to TYPE/Category to accommodate the new Catalog
Number option.
* Report file names have been modified to allow for all the new
report options. Refer to the DT-USER.DOC file for the full
description of this change.
* The REPORT MENU in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes has been
given a new report. Reports can now be run based on all
titles in the Movie and Non-Movie libraries as well as each
library independently.
* Reports written from the Video Tape mode, when grouped by the
Replication field were being presented incorrectly. This has
been corrected.
* Screen colors have been properly reset upon program exit.
* Users manual has been reworked to clear up some minor errors.
* A problem with leaving empty slave records in the Compact Disc
and Record Album / Cassette Tape modes has been corrected.
* Some minor screen writing corrections in the Record View/Print
in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes have been made.
* Version numbers were being remembered wrong in specific cases.
Not very serious, but potentially troublesome.
Version 1.611
* Cinema Digital Sound has appeared on several video releases.
This flag is available under the SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR.
* Changes to the various documentation files as shipped. The
Installation program is also modified.
* If the program were to end unnaturally, but without any
errors, the temporary control file wasn't being deleted. This
has been corrected.
Version 1.61
* Membership in the Association of Shareware Professionals has
been approved. Their logo is under the Program Information
Screen.
* Several discs now include a Surround Sound Check pattern at
the end of the program. In keeping up with the Jones, there
is a question which has been added to the SPECIAL FIELDS
GENERATOR of the Video Tape and LaserDisc Modes. This
question will not be asked if Surround Sound has not been
marked on the disc or tape.
* DiscTrak now writes DT.CFG which holds important configuration
and program information. Please don't delete it.
* The exit routine has been sped up if there is no file
maintenance to be done.
* With color bars being included on numerous discs lately, the
SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR now asks if they are present. As
usual, this is only for the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes.
* The default record number generated when adding a new record
should now be unique. This will attempt to prevent troubles
with mislinking the child databases. Please refer to DT-USER.DOC for full information on the use of the catalog field.
* The Environment Variable set by DT.COM is now cleared from
memory when the program is finished.
* When in the UTILITIES MENU, after an option is selected the
UTILITIES MENU will return rather than exiting back to the
MAIN MENU.
* The song title storage routine has been completely rewritten.
You now have the ability to track ALL 40 CHARACTERS in EVERY
ONE of the 99 song titles without dropping a single character.
This modification has also corrected troubles with title
truncation and screen writing errors.
* DiscTrak now tracks for the run times of each individual song
in the Compact Disc and Album/Tape modes.
* We now allow you to send printer codes directly to the printer
during the report writing routine. You specify the codes to
send in the UTILITIES MENU.
* DiscTrak will not load if the .COM cannot set an environment
variable. If you get an OUT OF ENVIRONMENT message, you may
need to increase your environment size. Check with your DOS
manuals to find out how to do this.
* In the Record Album / Cassette Tape mode, the words "Noise
Reduction" would appear all the time during the edit and view
screens. The words are now displayed when appropriate.
* Program lockups during the indexing within the report writer
have been corrected.
* Crash recovery systems have been implemented.
* The FIND option under the EDIT MENU has been modified. If an
exact match is not found, the system will look for a close
possible match the same way it looks for matches in the SCAN
Records routine.
Version 1.601
* Back in version 1.22b, we increased the Dos Shell environment
space to 400 bytes. There are some instances where even this
wasn't enough. For this release, the environmental space in
the Shell has been increased to 1k.
* While editing a LaserDisc, the Multi-Channel question in the
SPECIAL FIELDS GENERATOR had been made more intelligent. You
will only be presented options for Digital Multi-Channel sound
if you select Digital Sound on the initial screen.
* There are some cosmetic VIEW changes with regards to Multi-Channel Audio in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes.
* Some versions of DOS, when calculating the number of seconds
elapsed since midnight, begin their count from "0" rather than
"00000". With this release, we will always calculate a 5
digit number for individual record printout names.
Version 1.60
* The 35 song title per record limit in the Compact Disc and
Record Album modes has been altered. The new limit is 99
titles per record.
* When editing an existing record in the Compact Disc and
Cassette Tape / Record Album modes, the song titles are not
displayed until the program reads the number of tracks
entered. This is to prevent problems recording information in
titles 6-10 if they don't already exist.
* The loader file has been changed from a .BAT file to a .COM
file. DiscTrak will not create it for you if it is missing
and the program will not load without it.
* Due to overwhelming demands, DiscTrak now writes two different
length reports. The UTILITIES MENU has an option for 132
Character Reports as well as 156 Character reports.
* Report names have been modified to show the format of the
report and extended character setting. The program
documentation gives full details regarding the names of the
reports themselves.
* DiscTrak now supports printing a report direct from within the
program. After a report is run, you will be asked if you wish
to print the report. If yes, the program will tell you how to
set your printer before the printing begins. PRINT.COM,
provided with your DOS files, must be resident for this
functionality.
* In the Compact Disc and Cassette Tape / Record Album modes,
the 156 column report has been altered. The positions of the
Year and Category columns have been reversed. This brings the
reports in line with the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes.
* The light bar menus now wrap from the top to the bottom.
* Selections in the stereo type question in the LaserDisc and
Video Tape modes have changed. The option for "Re-Mix" is now
"Electronically Re-Mixed".
* In the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes, changes have been made
to the Surround Sound selection menu.
* The ADD RECORD option is the only one which will work with an
empty database. All other options, except for of course the
QUIT option, will display an invalid option message.
* Troubles with getting song titles cut off have been addressed.
The modifications made here will not fully correct the
problem, but will give you some extra space in the database.
The full corrections are made available in a later release
(This description was written much later during an abridgement
of the WHATS NEW file.)
* In the UTILITY MENU, LHA (formerly LHARC) is now supported in
addition to PKZip. This setting works the same as the
Character On/Off switch. The option shown is which
compression routine will be active if selected.
* In the UTILITY MENU, the ZIP database option has been renamed
ARCHIVE DATA to allow for the new LHA support.
* In the interest of proper grammar, all references in the
LaserDisc and Video Tape modes to THEATRIC TRAILERS have been
changed to THEATRICAL TRAILERS.
* A closing message has been added when the program exits.
* The Widescreen question has been modified into a much broader
scope.
Version 1.50
* The GATE FOLD question in the SPECIAL FEATURES GENERATOR in
the LaserDisc mode has been changed to SELECT JACKET TYPE.
This will allow for the selection of the usual Single Sleeve,
Gate Fold, Disc Box or the new Tri-Fold Jacket.
* Those guys at Dolby Labs have come up with something called
DOLBY S and as we are always on the cutting edge here, the
Cassette Tape / Record Album mode has been given this new
option.
* A flag for Q-Sound has been added in the Compact Disc and Tape
/ Album modes.
* When using DiscTrak for the first time, all databases are
empty and when entering the EDIT MENU, a null record was
displayed. This has been changed to state that the database
is empty.
* The 25 record per mode limitation for unregistered versions of
this program has been removed.
* In the SCAN RECORDS routine, while in the LaserDisc or Video
Tape modes, once a selection had been made, the screen cleared
the menu of choices, leaving the "Cast" prompt by mistake.
The screen is no longer cleared, displaying the type of search
being done.
* Running the file maintenance routine from any mode except the
LaserDisc mode, if there were records to be deleted and the
current record was not to be deleted, the record could be
remembered incorrectly. This has been corrected.
* During file maintenance, if a record was marked for deletion
and then remarked to another selection and no other records
were marked for deletion in any mode, indexes would be erased
and recreated. This has been corrected.
* There were troubles with marking a record for deletion and the
program not deleting it. Variations on a theme existed as
well, in marking a record for deletion then changing it back
to a normal status and the Child being deleted anyway. These
problems are now corrected.
* Intelligent coding has sped up the record saving routine and
cleaned up some other half-assed ways of doing things.
* If you select "Zip Database" in the Utilities Menu, the
program would zip everything with a ".DBF" extension. With
this version, only DiscTrak System database files will be
included in the .ZIP file.
* Back in version 1.40, the routine which puts the "A", "AN",
and "THE" at the end of the title in the LaserDisc and Video
Tape modes was modified. Somehow, the lower case "A" option
was missed. It's fixed now, really.
Version 1.402
* The Scan Records routine has a new option under the LaserDisc
and Video Tape modes. You can now also search the special
features field for possible matches.
* The program would crash if the ESC key was pressed in the MODE
SELECT MENU. This has been corrected.
* The file "DT.CFG" is no longer written or used.
* The update routine has been completely rewritten to correct
for program crashes when upgrading from very old versions or
running the program after a crash.
* If a report is written during the 10am hour from the REPORT
MENU, the "1" would get cut off, resulting in a time that read
"0:00am". This has been corrected.
* Internal modifications have been made to increase program
execution speed.
Version 1.401
* The routine for adding additional records has been cleaned up
to remove potential internal stack problems.
* The update routine has been modified for future expansion. In
the interests of keeping your sanity and due to it's total
invalid status as of version 8.00, this items complete
description has been removed.
Version 1.40
* ALL NEW!!! All choices are now first letter driven. In
addition, a lighted menu bar can cursor from option to option.
* DiscTrak System now test for the presence of a color monitor.
You know what that means, MONOCHROME is now directly
supported.
* DiscTrak now tests for a parallel printer during the Record
Print routine and the Scan records routine. If the printer is
not found, the information is written directly to disk with a
unique name. Full information can be found in the program
documentation.
* The Video Cassette mode has been renamed Video Tape for
simplicity reasons.
* All references to Stars in this program have been changed to
Cast.
* References to Credits has been expanded to Production Credits
to remove conflicts with the new "Cast" Designation.
* When adding a record in any mode, the system now asks if you
would like to enter another record. Answering yes repeats the
record add routine. No takes you back to the main menu.
* During the VIEW option in the LaserDisc and Video Tape modes,
empty data screens are not displayed.
* Operation in the Scan Record routine has changed. Instead of
the select output question, you will be shown the valid match
and then asked if you want to print it. This is to save paper
and sanity.
* The Scan Record routine has been given a new option. Under
the LaserDisc and Video Tape Modes, you can now search for any
information in the episodes information.
* Dos Shell new remembers the proper drive in use by DiscTrak.
* In the LaserDisc and Video Tape mode, the default selection
for the library classification has been changed from DELETE to
AVAILABLE NOW.
* In the EDIT MENU, if you select either NEXT RECORD or PREVIOUS
RECORD, the system will change that to the default for the
next key press.
* All references to "EXIT" have been changed to "QUIT" and is
now accessed trough "Q".
* With the addition of the UTILITY MENU, the following changes
have been made:
. Archiving the databases with PKZip has been moved to here.
. File Maintenance has been moved to this menu.
* The MAIN MENU has incorporated the following changes:
. Scan Record routine has been moved from the EDIT MENU.
. DOS SHELL and is now accessed through the letter "D".
* The EDIT MENU has incorporated the following modifications:
. Add Record has been moved to this menu.
. Record Print is now accessed with "R".
* Under the REPORT MENU, the following changes have been made:
. Now Available is now accessed with "N".
. All Records is now accessed with "A".
. Option to include only the Tapes OR Records in the Tape Mode
* Under the GROUPING MENU, which is under the REPORT MENU, the
following changes have been made:
. MPAA Rating is now accessed with "M".
. Replication is now accessed with "R".
. Video Label is now accessed with "V".
. Record Label is now accessed with "R".
* The Album/Tape mode has been renamed the Tape/Album mode.
* Under the Tape/Album mode, the option for Dolby HX Pro as a
Noise reduction method has been removed. Instead, it is asked
as a question in addition to the Noise Reduction setting.
* The Tape/Album mode asks a new question. Extended Dynamic
Range cassettes are everywhere. I neglected to notice this
when building the mode initially. The program references this
system by it's trademark call letters XDR.
* In the LaserDisc and Video Tape Modes, a selection has been
added to the Color Type question. Electronically Colorized
movies are out there no matter how much the public hates them.
* Extensive source code rewrites to allow for a more
user-friendly interface and future expansion. Program speed
has also been improved.
* Catalog Duplication checks have been modified to increase
speed when a duplicate is found. Unfortunately, the speed
with which the checks themselves are made can't be sped up any
further.
* The update routines have been sped up. Messages will flash on
the screen very quickly.
* During File Maintenance, DiscTrak now remembers the active
record for all modes when sorting. Previously only the
current mode was remembered.
* Report headers in the Compact Disc and Tape/Album modes have
been updated. In addition, the time stamp on the top of each
page now calculates for 12 hour time more accurately in all
modes.
* Reports in the Compact Disc and Tape/Album mode have a new
grouping option. You can now group your reports by Library
classification.
* After your serial number is installed in the PROGRAM
INFORMATION screen, the registration solicitation message will
no longer be displayed.
* When adding a record to the LaserDisc or Video Tape Catalog,
the program checks for the presence of "The", "An" and "A" in
both UPPER and lower case.
* For those of you out there who's printer can't print the
extended character set, there is now an option in the Utility
Menu to disable the Extended characters on any output to file
or printer.
* In the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR, if you answer YES to Magnetic
Audio Master and you also selected MONO in the Stereo type,
you will not be asked the number of tracks. The number will
default to 1.
* While viewing a record in the Video Tape mode, the top of the
screen displayed "LaserDisc Catalog" rather than "Video Tape
Catalog". This has been corrected.
* In the File Maintenance Routine, the Video Tape database was
being sorted incorrectly. The only drawbacks were delays in
skipping forward and backward record by record in the EDIT
MENU. This has been corrected.
* Isolated troubles with the serial number installation have
been corrected.
* The system would allow you to delete a catalog number and not
put anything in it's place. Since this field is the basis for
Child to Parent linking, this field will never be blank, no
matter what you do to it.
* Troubles in the Catalog Duplication Routine while in the Video
Tape mode have been corrected.
* In any mode, if you marked a record for DELETION and then
undelete it by marking it with another option, the program
would run the extended maintenance routine when exiting. To
correct for anything getting missed, the program will make a
final scan of the database marked with possible deletions and
verify there are records to be deleted. If not, the extended
routine will not be run.
* During the FILE MAINTENANCE routine, if a file contains
deleted records or was sorted, the file was indexed and the
progression bar was not cleared from the screen during the
next database scan mode. This has been corrected.
Version 1.311
* The unprompted option "Z" from the MAIN MENU has been restored
and calls up PKZIP to archive all the .DBF Files. It is up to
you to have PKZIP somewhere on you hard drive. It must be
pathed.
* Program crashes during the File Maintenance routine when
records have been deleted are fixed. The routine now indexes
before exiting.
* If a title is viewed in either the LaserDisc or Video Cassette
mode and there are no stars or credits listed and there is
information in the special field or episode information (next
screen), the colors on that screen are wrong. This has been
corrected.
* The current record is now remembered after running the
reports.
* Intermittent appearance of the progression bar has been
corrected.
* If exiting from the program in either the Compact Disc or
Album/Tape modes with the "X" option from the MAIN MENU, the
last active record number was saved incorrectly. This has
been corrected.
* If in either the Compact Disc or Album/Tape modes and a FILE
SORT is performed, the last active record would be remembered
wrong. This has been corrected.
* Two new report groupings have been added. RELEASING LABEL has
been added to all modes and REPLICATION has been added to the
LaserDisc and Video Cassette modes.
Version 1.31
* Search for Names of Stars and Names in Credits has been added
to the LaserDisc and Video Cassette Modes. This is very much
the same as the song search for the Compact Disc and
Album/Tape modes.
* In the Report Menu, the name of the report being written is
now displayed on the screen. Remember, all reports are
written directly to disk, never to the screen or printer.
* The Dos Shell function wrote a 161 byte file called
"DT-SHELL.MEM" to disk which was used to maintain specific
exit sanity information. This file is no longer written or
used.
* In the Song/Star/Credit search routine, the record number
active when entering the routine is remembered and restored
upon returning to the main menu.
* Mixed recording formats on discs have continued to grow.
Especially where an odd side is in CLV/CAA. I've added an
option for this in the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR.
* The DISC MENU has been renamed the EDIT MENU and is now
accessed with the letter "E".
* The FIND RECORD option under the EDIT MENU is now also
available from the MAIN MENU as well. Press "F", which is
unprompted, to find a specific Disc or Tape.
* FILE SORT access key has changed to "L". This is to
facilitate the Find option from the main menu.
* DiscTrak System now remembers the last active record in all
modes.
* After a FILE SORT, the current record is now remembered,
rather than defaulting back to the first record.
* The update routine for v1.30 tended to update when not
necessary, especially if the update ran again, after the
initial update was applied. This has been corrected.
* The program would crash during the Mode Select Screen if a
program record had been either added or edited at any time
before trying to change the mode. This has been corrected.
* The exit routines have been upgraded. There was a problem
with records which were marked for deletion, not actually
getting deleted. This has been corrected.
* Troubles with recording information on Bilingual Discs in the
LaserDisc mode has been corrected.
* Catalog Duplication checks were not being performed under
specific circumstances when adding records. This has been
corrected.
* During the Song/Star Search routine, the copyright line across
the bottom of the screen used the wrong colors. This is
fixed.
* The Star/Song Search routine would tag a record as invalid for
the match incorrectly. There will still be invalid matches,
but they are indeed invalid.
* After adding a Compact Disc or a Cassette Tape/Album, the
program would check catalog duplication at any subsequent
editing of any record in that mode. This has been corrected.
* During Song Search, the system failed to pause between the
first and second matches, provided both were valid, to allow
you to exit to the main menu. This has been corrected.
* In the view option of the LaserDisc and Video Cassette modes,
the last two characters of the credits fields would wrap
around to the other side of the screen, provided they
contained the full 27 characters. This has been corrected.
* Spacing on the view option in the LaserDisc field has been
corrected on manual CX encoded discs.
Version 1.30
* Non Registered users are now restricted to 25 records per
mode, due to the now dynamic nature of the program.
* Two new modes of operation are available. Albums/Cassettes
and Video Cassettes.
* With the introduction of v1.30, the program must be invoked
with a batch file, called "DT.BAT". This is included within
the PKZIP file. In addition, the trouble with EXPANDED MEMORY
has been addressed. EXTENDED MEMORY is disabled for ALL
CLIPPER COMPILED programs until your computers next reboot.
* The executable file for DiscTrak System is no longer called
"DISCTRAK.EXE". The file is now "DT-xxx.EXE" where xxx is the
version number of the program. (i.e. version 1.30 is called
"DT-130.EXE")
* A new option is available for Compact Disc collectors. The
ability to search the entire database for a specific song has
been added. You can output the information to the Screen or
to the Printer.
* Screen changes to the Compact Disc Mode to make things look a
little bit cleaner.
* In the Compact Disc mode now asks two questions, much like
those at the beginning of the LaserDisc edit and add screens.
The fields for AAD/ADD/DDD and CD3/CDV/CDG are now questions
rather than direct edit fields.
* The Compact Disc mode used to step you through all 35 possible
tracks during a disc add or edit. The number of fields
displayed is now controlled by the number of tracks you
specify. You are still allowed only 35 track titles.
* DiscTrak now remembers the last active record as well as the
active mode. Any time you re-enter DiscTrak System without a
command line switch, the program will automatically go to the
last record active on the system in the appropriate mode.
* Shell to Dos option now removes the program entirely from
memory, allowing you to run any application you wish while in
the shell. When you return to DiscTrak, the program will
remember which mode, record and directory which were active at
the point of exit.
* Program exits have been significantly sped up. The program
now runs very quick maintenance on the files unless you have
tagged a record for deletion during the session.
* Program crashes when an invalid grouping selection was made in
REPORTS MENU has been corrected.
* Program crashes in the Mode Select menu have been corrected.
* The number of Stars the program will track per movie in the
LaserDisc and Video Cassette modes has been increased to 8.
* The number of characters allowed in each of the Stars Fields
in the LaserDisc and Video Cassette modes has been increased
to 32.
* The number of characters allowed in each of the Credits Fields
in the LaserDisc and Video Cassette modes has been increased
to 27.
* The "More" prompt has been moved to the left side of the
screen.
* When files were missing, the program said they were listed on
the right. They've always been on the left.
* There have been several movies, which in their credits
specifically reference being recorded in a LucasFilm THX
equipped theatre. For these pictures, I have added a flag in
the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR.
* Additional footage is something that pops up from time to
time. You are now asked this question during the SPECIAL
FIELD GENERATOR.
* The Default answer for the side number for the Short Side CAV
question in the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR now defaults to the
last side specified for the disc being edited.
* The Special Field on the Episode Screen in both the LaserDisc
and Video Cassette Modes has been increased to 70 characters.
* The DISC MENU is now accessed with the letter "D".
* Under the DISC MENU, the option to LOCATE a specific disc has
been changed. The option is now "FIND DISC", accessed through
the letter "F".
* There were problems with the Automatic Registration
Transferal. From time to time, the program would appear to
work correctly, but upon exiting the program it would be
discovered the .EXE file had somehow shrunk to a very compact
69 bytes. With this version, the A.R.T. has been improved and
should operate correctly.
* In very old discs, the CX Noise Reduction didn't turn on
automatically, even on players equipped with automatic CX
Switching. There is now a option to tag for this in the
SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR, provided the disc was issued prior to
1986.
* In the LaserDisc mode, there are new conditions to being asked
two of the questions in the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR. The
"Table of Contents" question is asked only if the Disc Issued
Date is after 1988. The "Minute only Encoded" question is
only asked if the Disc Issued date is prior to 1986.
* The program no longer allows lower case characters in the
catalog fields. If you put lowercase characters in the
catalog entry, they will be converted to uppercase.
Version 1.22b
* Progression Bars have changed color again.
* The Shell to Dos option could loose characters in the prompt
in limited environments. This is corrected.
* Program crashes in the Catalog Verification mode have been
corrected.
* In the LaserDisc Mode, the "MORE" prompt appeared at every
screen pause, rather than only when there was actually more
information. This has been corrected.
Version 1.22
* To switch between Compact Discs and LaserDiscs, there is now
a menu which appears. Mode select will allow you to move
between LD's and CD's. This is to facilitate future
expansion.
* The Program information screen now totals the number of discs
being tracked by each mode.
* The information in the 5 Child files are only written when
required. Originally they were rewritten every time the
Parent records were updated.
* The empty progression bar routine has been modified.
* DiscTrak now checks for duplicate Catalog Numbers in all modes
of operation to keep the Child's accurately linked to the
Parents.
* The unprompted "Z" option from the MAIN MENU, used to archive
the databases, is no longer available.
* The pop up menus for Disc and Reports no longer appear on the
side of the main menu. Instead, they replace the main menu in
the center of the screen. This is also applicable for the
File Maintenance Routine.
* The Surround Sound mode has a new option. If the Stereo Type
is "Ultra" the Surround Mode is "US" for "Ultra Surround".
* Automatic Registration Transferal is now implemented. If your
version is at least 1.21, DiscTrak will read your serial
number out of the "DISCTRAK.EXE" file and install it in the
new version.
* The "Shell to Dos" option now invokes your original prompt,
rather than writing it's own. However, the prompt will have
the "Type 'EXIT' to Return to DiscTrak" message at the
beginning.
* Reports were being written at only 72 lines per page rather
than 73 as stated in the documentation. With this version,
reports are at the correct 73 line length.
* In Reports, the line separating the header from the report
body was one character too short.
* In the LaserDisc mode, the Surround Sound field was being
generated when it shouldn't have. To correct this, you are
now asked the surround mode if the STEREO TYPE field is
selected as ANALOG or DIGITAL.
* In the LaserDisc mode, the Stereo Type field did not display
in the View Record section. This has been corrected.
Version 1.21
* The SHELL TO DOS option from the MAIN menu no longer requires
the SHEL.BAT file. Feel free to delete it from your drive.
* The file DTSET.MEM is no longer used. You can delete it from
your drive if you wish.
* There is no longer a separate update program. The update is
built into the code and will test the files for update
application the first time you run any new version of
DiscTrak.
* The questions asked at the beginning and end of the LaserDisc
edit screen now only allow the options presented. If an
invalid answer is given, the default or previous answer will
apply.
* The program information screen now includes a registration
encouragement message, as well as your serial number.
* Theatrical Trailers are becoming popular. There is now an
option for this in the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR.
* Gate Fold Jackets are increasing in numbers. There is now an
option for this feature in the SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR.
* There is no longer a specific field for CD-Video Format in the
LaserDisc mode of the program. In addition, the CD-Video
format name has been removed from existence. Everything is
now called LaserDisc, as it should.
* Sample database files (SAMPLE.ZIP) are no longer included.
* The program now supports verifiable serial numbers. Non-registered users will be limited to 50 LaserDisc's and 50
Compact Discs before being forced to register. See the main
documentation on how to register.
* Once again the report names have been modified. See the
program documentation for full information.
* Internal program logic continues to improve program size and
execution speed.
* The SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR has become smarter. Questions
will only be asked if they could possibly be valid.
Version 1.20a
* New title screen added at program loading.
* Main menu screens have been updated.
* Disctrak now creates any index (.NTX) files if they don't
exist.
* Color control has been improved.
* Japanese Subtitle information in the View Record screen of the
LaserDisc mode now appears where the closed caption prompt
appears. This is since both do not usually appear in the same
program.
* There is now a hidden option, "Z", from the main menu. This
will call up PKZIP to archive all the databases.
* The Compact Disc database is now DT7.DBF and the LaserDisc
database has been renamed to DT6.DBF.
* The system will now remember the last active mode and will
return to that mode with the next use of DiscTrak. A command
line switch will override this functionality.
* Report grouping is now available. Reports generated by
DiscTrak can be grouped by things such as Title, Category,
MPAA Rating and Year of release. Due to this change, the
report names now have been modified. Refer to the system
documentation for full information.
* The link for SIDEWAYS has been removed. The system still
creates reports with the same dimensions of 156 x 73 in ASCII.
Use the printing program or printer of your choice capable of
these specifications.
* In the LaserDisc mode, the order in which the CAST/CREDITS
screen and the EPISODE INFORMATION screens are presented have
been reversed.
* There is now a progression bar during File Maintenance and
during Index Creation. The bar also updates during report
generation.
* Internal system logic has been further modified to decrease
program size, reduce memory requirements and increase
execution speed.
Version 1.19
* Report names have changed. The reports now generate a file
with a name related to the report run. See the program
documentation for full information.
* The report writer now looks for "SIDEWAYS.COM" in the current
directory when printing reports.
* There are changes to the "Multi-Channel Audio" field inside
the LaserDisc Mode. Any records you have encoded with
BILINGUAL soundtracks must be updated manually as the update
routine can't pull enough information from the existing data
to make the proper adjustments.
* The add routine now defaults the catalog number.
* All timed screen messages are now based on the system clock,
not an internal counter.
* The LaserDisc View option has been completely rewritten.
Version 1.18b
* The Number of Episodes which can be tracked per record in the
LaserDisc mode has been increased to 4.
* The Add Disc routine in the LaserDisc mode has been automated.
* Screen colors have been significantly altered.
* In the LaserDisc mode, the LIBRARY classifications have been
changed. Main Library and Back Library have been changed to
Movie and Non-Movie respectively.
* The VIEW option under the LaserDisc mode has been restructured
to be faster and more accurate with information.
* The database for the Compact Discs has been renamed from
DT00.DBF to DT6.DBF.
* As DISCTRONICS does not use COLD CAST Replication, nor do they
even press their own LaserDiscs, the internal trap to display
this misinformation has been removed.
* A Program Information screen has been added, displaying
version, compile time and date.
* Command line switches for each mode have been added.
* The Report Menu is now accessed with "R".
* In the LaserDisc mode, only valid library options are allowed.
Version 1.17c
* First issue as shareware.
* An exit message has been added.
* DiscTrak now scans for missing files while loading. All
missing file names are displayed.
* Beginning and End of File bumpers in the Next/Previous
routines inside the DISC MENU are improved.
* Smart programming as allowed greater execution speed.
* References to CD-Video Singles in the LaserDisc mode have been
removed.
* Edit and view screens on the LaserDisc mode now are paged only
on the lower half of the screen, displaying the title, audio,
video and disc information at all times during the edit and
view.
* While recording information into the database, a status
message is now displayed.
* The File Maintenance routine has been completely rewritten for
greater speed and logic.
* Reports now test for the possibility of an empty report before
beginning.
Version 1.06
* In addition to LaserDisc's, DiscTrak now also tracks Compact
Discs in a separate database. The CD mode can track up to 35
individual song titles for each disc and also has tags for CD-Video and CD3 discs.
* Rather than one database as used in the past, we now use
multiple databases. As a result, DiscTrak now is seven
database files.
* Multiple reports are now available through the REPORTS MENU.
* SHELL to Dos is now available.
* The STEPPER MENU has been called the DISC MENU now.
* The SELECT DISC has now been called LOCATE DISC in the Disc
Menu.
* The copyright line across the bottom of the screen is
displayed throughout the program now. The version of the
program is now on this line as well.
* File Maintenance, while not faster in entire process due to
the increase number of databases, is more intelligent and
sorts quicker, per database.
* User variances have been eliminated to a certain extent when
entering data. For example, Stereo Type now offers several
choices, rather than requiring the data be typed in.
* A TAG field has been added to compensate for multiple
locations of a disc throughout your collection. This field
also marks records for deletion.
* The SPECIAL FIELD GENERATOR now includes flags for Minute
Encoding, Japanese Subtitles, Table of Contents, Multi-Channel
Audio, Digital Video Transfer, Supplemental Material, Magnetic
Audio Masters, Sepia Tone Coloring and Short Side CAV rather
than dedicating fields to them directly. This data is written
into a separate field within the database which will not
infringe on the Special Features field as with previous
versions.
* The Multi-Channel audio has been modified to allow for Digital
Sound applications as well as Bilingual and Analog Multi-Channel sound.
* A non-controllable flag is now present during the LaserDisc
View routine stating the replication process used by the
pressing facility. Most of the time, this will state
INJECTION MOLD. Discs pressed at 3M use COLD CAST MOLD which
will be stated as such. In order for this to work, the first
four characters of the pressing field must be "3M M" exactly.
Discs pressed by DISCTRONICS will also state COLD CAST which
was later determined to be incorrect.
* The PRETITLE field, used for sorting of titles beginning with
A, AN & THE, has been removed. DiscTrak will attempt to work
a little magic and assemble titles correctly. In the ADD
routine for the LaserDiscs, type the title exactly as spoken,
such as "An Officer and a Gentleman". The title will be
stored as "Officer and a Gentleman, An", but during the VIEW
and PRINT routines for individual records, the title is
reassembled into back to its proper format. If, for some
bizarre reason, the title should be formatted incorrectly
during VIEW/PRINT, you may edit the title any way you wish.
* We've increased the number of Stars the program can track up
to 7 from 6.
* The number of Episode titles the LaserDisc mode can track has
been upgraded from 2 to 3.
* The Next/Previous options in the DISC MENU now include end of
file and beginning of file bumpers to keep from displaying
null records.
* Report headers are printed in much greater detail than before,
giving date, time, page number, Report name, program version
and other handy data.
* Reports are now internally written rather than calling in
outside .FRM files.
* Ah, the grand experiment. Modular programming has made the
program infinitely faster and really cleaned up lots of code
duplication.
Version 0.90
* Well this could be considered a rebirth. This version looks
nothing like the anything done previously. It can stand alone
(IE, not in a dBASE environment) although I was still writing
in dBASE at the time.
* Everything has been reformatted. All fields are geared toward
actual abbreviations rather than an "X" in a block.
* The STAR report, which was never completed, has been removed.
* Key letter access on all menu choices rather than numbered
access.
* Add, Edit and View screens have been completely reformatted.
* Credits now include Writer and Screenplay Authors.
* SPECIAL FEATURES FIELD GENERATOR has been added to track
things such as Supplemental Material, Short Side CAV, Magnetic
Audio Tracks, Digital Video Transfer and Sepia Tone. The
answers for these questions will be displayed in the Special
Features Field.
* The Stepper Menu now gives full interaction to the database,
allowing you to see which record you're about to view or edit
before you do. Also this will let you step from record to
record, forward or backward through the entire database.
* All program code is now internal except for the report writer
which still requires the .FRM file.
* Printing an individual record is now supported.
* Screen colors are a nice added touch.
* All data, when viewed is displayed in simple English terms
rather than the abbreviated codes used to enter the data.
Version 0.10
* Initial version. If you can call it that.