Barcode lookup misses movies not in UPCitemdb free tier

[mforce]

Problem

Barcode scanning works but many movie barcodes return no results. The lookup chain is:

barcode → UPCitemdb free API → product title → TMDB search

UPCitemdb's free trial endpoint has patchy coverage. When a barcode isn't found, the whole chain returns empty — even though TMDB would find the movie if searched by title.

Current behaviour

• Scanner detects barcode ✓
• /api/lookup/movies/by-barcode/{code} returns { configured: true, results: [] }
• Frontend shows "No match for {code}" with fallback button
• User must manually type the title to find it

Proposed improvements

Short-term (low effort)

• Make the fallback more prominent — e.g. "Barcode not found. Enter the title to search instead."
• Consider a secondary UPC database (e.g. BarcodeLookup.io, UPC Database API) as a fallback when UPCitemdb returns null
• Log missed barcodes so users can report which ones are missing

Long-term (Phase 5)

• Photo-snap visual lookup: capture cover image → reverse-image search → import
• Would bypass UPC databases entirely for physical media

Acceptance criteria

• Barcode lookup finds more movies (higher hit rate)
• When barcode isn't found, the fallback path is clear and easy
• Users know why a barcode failed and what to do next

Notes

This is a limitation of the free UPCitemdb tier (~100 lookups/day, limited database). The paid tier may have better coverage but requires an API key.