Rating
// source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2134504/what-is-the-best-algorithm-to-calculate-the-most-scored-item
# Weighted voting for 5-star systems with lots of voters
You can use Bayesian estimates to calculate weighted voting.
IMDb (Internet Movie Database) uses this calculation to determine its IMDb Top 250.
(Note: IMDb uses 10 stars but the formulas are identical using 5 stars).
The formula for calculating the Top Rated 250 Titles gives a true Bayesian estimate:
weighted rating (WR) = (v ÷ (v+m)) × R + (m ÷ (v+m)) × C
where:
R = average for the movie (mean) = (Rating)
v = number of votes for the movie = (votes)
m = minimum votes required to be listed in the Top 250 (currently 3000)
C = the mean vote across the whole report (currently 6.9)
References
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/chart/top
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Movie_Database#User_ratings_of_films