How to use iTunes on multiple computers with an external hard drive.

I am trying to use two computers, one Macbook and one mac mini, with the same itunes library.  I have searched and found info on doing this, but it was older info and I am pretty sure that what was suggested does not work.  I can not get itunes to recognize the library files on the external drive, it will however recognize the media.  This would be fine, except the mac mini is being used as my media center and I update things on the macbook.  The thing that I am having a lot of trouble with is the home movies section.  Of course all my movies are not "movies"  so I have sorted through the "homemade" tv shows and movies, but when I switch computers, all this info goes away.  Why can't it follow the media?  I have had pretty good luck with keeping the cover art, but when I label the file as a movie or mark it as watched, this info is not transferred.  In some of the other answers people had given about this, they said itunes should ask where to go if the external drive was disconnected.  When I do it this way, itunes will just make a new file when the drive is unplugged.  I have about a thousand movies and I have changed info on these files twice now (thanks for adding home videos apple!), and it looks like I will be doing it for a third time, I just don't want to do it a fourth time on the other computer.  Any help would be great.  To break it down to the basic form, I would like to have an external drive that will sync file info between two or maybe more computers.  Is there a better solution?    

Make sure the copy to iTunes media folder is unchecked.

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