In case you’ve ever wished to lookup details about a TV present or film, you seemingly flip to IMDb to take action. However the Amazon-owned app might be irritating to make use of, with prompts to log in, advertisements, and different muddle that may make it tough to search out what you’re in search of. A brand new app referred to as Callsheet, launching right this moment, goals to enhance on the IMDb expertise with a clear design, a number of quality-of-life enhancements, customized components and the choice to subscribe as an alternative of seeing advertisements.
As described by its creator, indie app developer Casey Liss, Callsheet is “much like the IMDB app however… with respect for its customers, he jokes in a weblog put up.
“I like watching reveals and films, and seeing who acted in them, trivia about them, and extra,” Liss instructed TechCrunch. Nevertheless, he continued, “The conventional app that I used for this has gotten so unhealthy, and user-hostile, through the years. This January it occurred to me, ‘I can do that higher.’ So I attempted. And, I prefer to assume, I’ve principally succeeded,” Liss added.
Basically, Callsheet is a “bespoke” model of IMDb that may enchantment to those that desire a clear, trendy, and well-designed expertise, we consider — and are prepared to pay a small payment for the improve.
Like IMDb, you may lookup details about a film or present, together with the solid of characters and actors who play them, crew info, launch date, score, abstract, rating, and extra. This information is pulled from The Film Database. However there are a selection of intelligent touches in Callsheet that enhance upon the default IMDb expertise.
Picture Credit: Callsheet/Casey Liss
As one instance, customers can select to customise a “fast entry” button that seems subsequent to the title and different info, like runtime and score. Developer Liss prefers for his button to supply one-tap entry for present or film trivia. However others could select to customise the button to level towards different assets, like Wikipedia, The place to Watch info, an internet site, or parental steerage info.
Picture Credit: Callsheet/Casey Liss
Underneath the The place to Watch part, powered by JustWatch, you may toggle between the varied choices to see the place you may stream at no cost, buy the title, or what subscription companies supply the present or movie and by which nation.
Picture Credit: Callsheet/Casey Liss
One other distinctive characteristic lets customers toggle on and off numerous info that might result in potential spoilers.
Picture Credit: Callsheet/Casey Liss
As an example, you may select to cover the solid episode counts, episode titles, episode thumbnails, and solid character names — the latter one thing that Liss notes would have been useful after he spoiled himself on IMDb by trying up Watchmen, the place characters had hidden identities.
Hiding solid episode counts would aid you from spoiling your self about doable character deaths, as nicely.
Picture Credit: Callsheet/Casey Liss
You too can pin favourite reveals and films, like these you’re at present watching, to the highest of the app’s house display for simple entry. These pins will sync by way of iCloud throughout units, together with iPhone and iPad.
The app moreover presents a wide range of customization choices past your spoiler preferences and the Fast Entry button, together with the way you need to type a TV present’s seasons, whether or not you need to override your area for the The place to Watch part (useful for those who stream by way of a VPN to entry companies outdoors your nation), and your language settings for brand spanking new and well-liked media.
In attempting out the app, Callsheet is simpler to make use of than IMDb, we discovered. Partly, that’s as a result of The Film Database’s API for builders is pretty speedy, as Liss notes, but additionally as a result of the app isn’t crammed with a lot muddle. That makes it faster to get to the data you wished to see, with out a lot looking round and tapping.
As a result of the app is ad-free, it’s supported by way of subscription funds. These are fairly priced at both $1 per thirty days or $9 per yr by default, however Liss presents non-obligatory tiers for many who need to help his work additional, together with a $20 and $50 per yr buy possibility.
Liss, additionally a co-host at The Unintended Tech podcast, has beforehand launched different helpful apps just like the (since deprecated) Vignette app to replace contact images and different single-purpose utilities akin to Maskeraid for including emoji to cowl somebody’s face in a photograph and Peek-a-View that permits you to safely hand your telephone to somebody to take a look at your images with out them encountering these they shouldn’t.
Callsheet is on the market right this moment for obtain on the App Retailer and presents your first 20 searches at no cost. Whereas an iPad model is on the market, Liss notes that improved iPad help goes to come back ASAP.
