FM 2Gig file problem with video files

[soci222]

I want to make a video database and I need that each video is visible through FileMakerPro. I found that per each record a jpg of the poster frame of the video it's stored within the database so it raises 15-20KB for each record.

My first idea was to held up to 150000 records but then I realised that the database would be more than 2 Gigs in size, and this is the limit of FileMaker!

Is there any way to store de movies and make them watchable throug FMPro without having to store a jpg for each movie?

[kenneth2k1]

Hi:

A couple of questions: Is this on Windows or Mac? What type of video format is this?

If this is on Windows, you can insert the video files into container fields using the Insert Object command. Browse for the file to insert and click the Link checkbox. What this does is keep the video stored on the HDD and FM "links" to it so that the video is not stored in the FM file.

What makes this process easier to handle is having a file plug-in so that you can change paths easily and other stuff.

On a Mac, I know you can store images as references, but I am not in front of a Mac right now so I don't know if you can store QT's as a reference. Mac does not have OLE like windows. Perhaps someone else can help you there.

[soci222]

This is on a MAC. And the video is QuickTime .mov

I'm storing the video as references. But seems that the poster frame is stored also in the FM file as it grows 15 KB in size every time I add one record.

[kenneth2k1]

Well, I checked on this on my systems. Inserting the quicktime on MacOS9 does increase the size of my FM file by about 10K.

Inserting a quicktime on windows will increase the size on disk by a few thousand K, but when the file is closed, the size appears to be unaffected.

One other suggestion off the top of my head is to create a relational system so that videos can be put in the db file that matches the genre. Spreading the movie sizes out across a few different files should get rid of this problem (or at least delay it, based on how many movies you plan to have).

Or, you might be able to store the path to the movie files in a text field and have applescript activate the file of that path.

[soci222]

What do you mean by to have applescript activate the file of the path? autoopen a quitcktime window and show the video from the path I already have in a text field? This would be the same as what it does the container field but without the restriction of the 15KB per record.... GREAT!

Are there any examples out there of how to do that?

Thanks for your patience, kenneth2k1

[kenneth2k1]

I haven't really had to deal with applescript, so I couldn't help you there.

I do know that a file plug-in would be able to do this. One I like to use is the Troi File Plugin

If you really want to use applescript, maybe someone else out there can help.

Ken