DVD rental software (non-commercial for internal usage within company)

[PushPull]

Hey guys,

so the company I work for buy pretty much all new DVDs/blurays that are released, and we have a HUGE database that employees can rent movies from on our internal intranet. In the end of the day the frontdesk people place the movies in everyones mailbox.

The current intranet solution we are using today was developed by a guy who quit years ago. It's heavy and getting very messy with 5000+ titles. So after googeling an hour or so without any results I'm wondering if you guys might have suggestions to existing software we might be able to use ?

The ones I've found are either
-too simple (homeusage, made to borrow a movie to a buddy once a while etc, not export a list of 100 dvds rented the same day)
-too business-oriented (by that I mean 100 % focused on transactions happening in a video store. Our employees are of course able to borrow movies for free)

A few criterias on top of my head
-decent search functionality
-be able to set certain rules (i.e. 2 movies per employee at a time)
-be able to easily export a list of todays "rentals" for the frontdesk people
-check movies in/out through barcode would be great

All suggestions are much appreciated.

PS: Feel free to move the post if there is a more suitable subforum.

[filmboss80]

You say nothing about licensing agreements or terms by which you acquired these movies. If acquired through consumer retail channels, then those movies are licensed for private home use alone.

If you have rental licensing through the studios/distributors, that's one thing. But just renting out private collection films is illegal.

Before you proceed further, please consult with your company's legal counsel.

[PushPull]

We are in Europe, not the US. Besides, everything you mention has been taken into consideration, and our legal department has cleared everything. So wouldn't it be just great if we can stick to the topic then (hence software or solutions).

Thanks for your concern though... I guess

[jagabo]

If you have rental licensing through the studios/distributors, that's one thing. But just renting out private collection films is illegal.

No it's not. Red Box and Netflix, for example, were doing it for quite some time. Hollywood was putting pressure on distributors not to sell to Red Box and Netflix. The two companies were resorting to sending employees to Walmart to buy titles. They eventually caved in to Hollywood to get lower prices and a more consistent supply.

[aedipuss]

sounds like a nice place to work. free popcorn too? consumer software isn't going to work for multiple users accessing database on a network. if it were me i'd look into finding someone else in the company with database programming skills. maybe offer a nice bonus for whoever can update the current software or create a new program. if no one there can do it hire a contractor. you do have over $100,000 worth of movies, there must be some budget available.

[usually_quiet]

We are in Europe, not the US. Besides, everything you mention has been taken into consideration, and our legal department has cleared everything. So wouldn't it be just great if we can stick to the topic then (hence software or solutions).

Thanks for your concern though... I guess

Nobody could determine where you were located because you decided not to include that information in your profile. Although lots of members here wish to keep their location a secret for reasons known only to themselves, location can be relevant information for those providing advice. If you want software with an interface written in the language your country uses, maybe you could be more specific than "Europe"

[PushPull]

All our business, internal and external, is conducted in english. So english/international is fine.

[usually_quiet]

I can't provide a specific recommendation, but if rentals are free, software written for lending libraries might work. They often lend DVDs and Blu-Ray discs as well as well as books.

[Cornucopia]

Actual COMMERCIAL renting solutions are fine, too. All you have to do is set the fee structure (both initial costs & "late fees") as ZERO. So what you have to go through a "transaction". That way, the employee gets a receipt to help them remember when to bring it back.

This does work, as I've done this before.

Scott

[Bjs]

A database with the right knowhow would be all thats needed to manage the problem.

You simply specify the functions / print features needed and supply the list of titles.

A database containing 5000+ titles would take one person a couple of weeks to complete ... been there, done that ... it's mind blowingly brain numbing after the first 80 hours

[epsilonalpha]

Just hire someone with mysql or postgre skill and PHP, exporting the database should be easy with scripting or even excel.

[handyguy]

Search the net for ' DVD rental software' & you can find some.