Amazon doesn't return results

[kloune]

Hi,

I have been using DVDPedia for quite a while now and for some reason, today it stopped returning results from any amazon sites. I don't know if this is a problem on Amazon's side or with DVDPedia.

Does someone else have the same problem currently ?

Thanks

[Nora]

Yeah, Amazon has struck again unfortunately. We're in the process of releasing an update for the Pedias because they have once again killed our access keys and forced us to pull Pocketpedia2 from the App Store. Sorry for the inconvenience but the new version should be out in the next hour or so.

More updates on our blog in a little while.

[kloune]

Thank you for the responsiveness.

[georgr]

Hi,

same problem with Bookpedia and amazon.de

Bookpedia 4100 ...

Thanks for solving the problem!!

George

[Nora]

The problem affects all the Amazon searches in all four Pedia programs.

[Nora]

Download version 4.5.5 of the Pedias and you'll find the problem with the Amazon search fixed. Bookpedia, CDpedia, DVDpedia and Gamepedia.

[georgr]

Thank you!

[kbarnes70]

Yeah, Amazon has struck again unfortunately. We're in the process of releasing an update for the Pedias because they have once again killed our access keys and forced us to pull Pocketpedia2 from the App Store. Sorry for the inconvenience but the new version should be out in the next hour or so.

More updates on our blog in a little while.

Hi Nora,

Sorry to hear you are having problems with Amazon yet again. What I'm not clear on is why you persist with trying to integrate Amazon into DVDpedia (I can't speak for the other Pedias as I don't use them)? I find that the IMDb data is much more useful than anything Amazon can provide. I dislike almost everything about the Amazon info and routinely delete it all in favour of the data from IMDb. I don't even use the cover shots from Amazon as I prefer to download poster art from http://www.movieposterdb.com. And as for using the Amazon link button to go directly to the Amazon page, yes, I can see that makes an easy way to purchase - but I wouldn't ever buy without checking the net for the best price before I do buy, and usually it isn't Amazon! I use a neat search engine like http://www.find-dvd.co.uk for locating the best prices - there's sure to be a similar site in the US. It seems to me you are doing Amazon a huge favour by linking directly to their sales site in the way you do, yet all you get in return is no cooperation and no responses even when you query their decisions.

The one thing I find that is useful for me with Amazon and DVDpedia, is that when I get new DVDs, I use iSight to add them by reading the barcode and this uses the Amazon database to recover the information relevant to that particular DVD. IMDb, AFAIK, doesn't have the DVD barcodes. I then delete all the Amazon information *entirely*, other than the title and then do an Advanced IMDb Search to populate the fields. But surely there are other ways to accomplish this without having to rely on Amazon? Incidentally, I assume that Amazon do not own the copyright to the barcode (or to the cover art) so it's a good job that whoever does own that IP doesn't take the same attitude with Amazon that Amazon is taking with you! One could also consider that userr reviews' rights are actually held by the people who authored them but that's another can of worms

I wrote to Amazon the last time all this flared up. Like you, I never received a response. I will email them again today about their attitude and how they are alienating potential customers, not to mention possibly losing revenue if people like me, who spend thousands of dollars on DVDs and Blurays, are boycotting them over this.

I hope you don't mind me putting in my 10 cents worth (or two pence worth as we say here in England) and I realise that it is a personal viewpoint and that not everyone uses DVDpedia the way I do. I just hope Amazon begin to see how stupid their position is on this.

With best wishes and kind regards.

Keith

[wyerdragon]

Hi Nora,

I'm having the same problem with Amazon not returning results. I've tried updating to the newest version but that has not fixed the problem. Any suggestions? Thanks

[Nora]

If you are already running version 4.5.5 yet the Amazon search doesn't return any results, make sure your time zone setting is correct in the System Preferences/Date & Time. (Amazon requires all requests to their webservices to be time-stamped. If this time stamp doesn't match the time zone set on your computer, it automatically refuses the request.)

[wyerdragon]

Thanks, that did the trick.I'm back up and running again. Appreciate the help.
Thank you
David

[luinil]

Hello

I updated today to the 4.6.1 version of Bookpedia, and the search tool to add new books is not working anymore. (even with isbn.nu)
And for me the Amazon search hasn't been working for a long time (one year? it's long enough for me to not remember ).

I'm on SN, last update, on a old macbook Core Duo 1.83Ghz

Thanks for your help.

[Alex]

There were a couple of versions that had a problem linking to Amazon (the whole pocketpedia issue, etc). However we fixed those right away. Bookpedia has not gone more than couple of hours not linking to Amazon to my knowledge.

Please download bookpedia again and give it a try:

http://bruji.com/bookpedia/bookpedia.dmg

If it still doesn't work, check Nora's post above for setting the Time Zone to see if it might be that. If it still doesn't work let us know.

[luinil]

Downloaded the version pointed by your link, didn't change anything. Bookpedia still passes quickly all the search sites (amazon, isbn, etc..) and tells me that my book's ISBN doesn't exists.

And I check the timezone, but it's correctly seted, so I guess the problem is somewhere else.

[Nora]

Is this happening only with ISBNs? What happens when you put in a really generic search term such as "Harry Potter", does the search not return any information either?
Could you please have a look at your console log, see if there are any messages from Bookpedia? You can access the console log via the application 'Console', located inside your Applications/Utilities. The newer messages are towards the end of the log.