Sync user favorites to SD Card

[cmittle09 2]

We purchased and are using a wireless travel router (specifically https://www.ravpower.com/products/rp-wd009-filehub ) to download and bring movies with on long car trips.  This device has an on board SD card and a simple file browser to access content on the card.  Currently I'm copying the full size movie file (.mp4 or .m4v) to the sd card and saving the cover image with the same file name but .jpg extension in the same folder.  I wrote a simply html page showing the thumbnail and hyperlinked it to the video file so when my kids click on the picture it launches the movie.

This is a very manual process which I'd prefer to automate. Some downsides are:

• Manual copying of a long list of files from server to SD card
• Manual saving of screenshot from server to SD card
• Manual comparison of "favorites" of this travel user on Emby account at home to the current list of files on SD card

Is there a tool or tools currently built in to Emby that would help me simplify this?  I was thinking a best case would be the ability to sync my travel user favorites list to an SD card "device".  I could plug in the SD card to my server and click a "sync" button that would compare the current server favorites list of this travel user and add/delete files (video and thumbnail) accordingly.

 

[rbjtech 4218]

Take a look at the Folder Sync Plugin - this effective allow you to create a folder (your SD card) that you can use as a 'Download To' destination from within Emby.

You can copy the original, or even convert to a more storage optimised version.

You can batch the copy, so just select your 'Favorites from the Opening Menu' - select them all, then use the 'Download To' function to download them all at once. 

Once copied, them remove the SD Card and use it in your travel router - the file structure will be the same as Emby.  So TV shows saved in TV for example.

I'm not sure if it copies the metadata or not - I haven't used it in a while.

https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001162190-folder-sync

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by rbjtech

[Luke 36992]

Hi, yes the folder sync plugin could help with this. Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

[cmittle09 2]

On 8/1/2021 at 4:46 PM, rbjtech said:

Take a look at the Folder Sync Plugin - this effective allow you to create a folder (your SD card) that you can use as a 'Download To' destination from within Emby.

You can copy the original, or even convert to a more storage optimised version.

You can batch the copy, so just select your 'Favorites from the Opening Menu' - select them all, then use the 'Download To' function to download them all at once. 

Once copied, them remove the SD Card and use it in your travel router - the file structure will be the same as Emby.  So TV shows saved in TV for example.

I'm not sure if it copies the metadata or not - I haven't used it in a while.

https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001162190-folder-sync

 

Thank you for this.  I finally found time to work on this project.  This seems like the right thing, but I can't seem to connect a couple of dots.  

After installing the "Folder Sync" plugin I've added the sd card directory and am able to "download to" it from each movie with the benefit of choosing quality.  I can even choose multiple and select "download to" which adds it to a queue to convert and download.

I made a dummy user and added all of the movies and tv shows that I want on the SD card to the favorites of this user.  Ideally I can sync all items in favorites to the SD card by clicking a sync button when the sd card is installed.  Meaning deleting certain items when no longer on favorites list, as well as automatically detecting new favorites to transcode and download.  

Reading through the guides here and here I find it seems like this feature in intended, but it looks like there may have been software changes since the screenshots shown as I don't see a "sync" button in any location at all.  Not in user permissions, not in pulldown menu, not in server dashboard at all.

Am i over looking something?

[Luke 36992]

14 minutes ago, cmittle09 said:

Thank you for this.  I finally found time to work on this project.  This seems like the right thing, but I can't seem to connect a couple of dots.  

After installing the "Folder Sync" plugin I've added the sd card directory and am able to "download to" it from each movie with the benefit of choosing quality.  I can even choose multiple and select "download to" which adds it to a queue to convert and download.

I made a dummy user and added all of the movies and tv shows that I want on the SD card to the favorites of this user.  Ideally I can sync all items in favorites to the SD card by clicking a sync button when the sd card is installed.  Meaning deleting certain items when no longer on favorites list, as well as automatically detecting new favorites to transcode and download.  

Reading through the guides here and here I find it seems like this feature in intended, but it looks like there may have been software changes since the screenshots shown as I don't see a "sync" button in any location at all.  Not in user permissions, not in pulldown menu, not in server dashboard at all.

Am i over looking something?

The feature is the same as it's always been, it's just located under the download to menu rather than sync.

It doesn't have any automated features related to favorites but that's something that can easily be added.

[rbjtech 4218]

@cmittle09

Hi - Steps below -

1. Create the Sync/Download Folder on your USB device -

2. Mark all your favorites in Emby as you would do normally (the Heart button)

3. Then on the first screen, select 'Favourites' 

4. Multi-select any that you want to Sync

5. Top right, select 'Download To' .. 

6. Select your USB sync/download location ..

7. Emby will transfer the items - progress will be shown on the 'Scheduled Tasks' menu ..

8. When finished - structure will match the Emby folder structure.

Each item will be in it's own folder (even TV) 

9. You can also see the downloads in the 'Downloads' section in the menu

10. It also downloads a suitable subtitle for that item BUT it does not download the original artwork.  There is however a workaround for this

11. If you create a new Mixed Content library (if you have both TV/Movies) - or just Movies if that's all you have - select your USB service as the source.

The important part is to store the images with the Media folders - ie

Once the 'library' has synched (force it if you like) then it will then save a 'poster.jpg' in each folder.

It is unfortunately not the same filename as the media item - but it's the closest you are going to get to your original requirements.

 

I hope this helps.

[cmittle09 2]

12 hours ago, Luke said:

The feature is the same as it's always been, it's just located under the download to menu rather than sync.

It doesn't have any automated features related to favorites but that's something that can easily be added.

Thanks for the response Luke.  We have 2 of these portable router devices in our family.  If you're willing to look at this as an addition here is how I think I'd use:

• 1 user favorite list per SD card --> me as user
• Some dashboard to update sync on these SD cards --> implemented in emby
  • Sync will have to be manually initiated depending on card installed and user selected  --> me as user
  • automatically check files on SD card against current favorites list (addition and subtraction) --> implemented in emby
  • put a copy of thumbnail with same file name (different extension) in the same folder next to the video file --> implemented in emby
• build html page to show thumbnail and hyperlink video file to simplify interface for kids to "touch and play" --> implemented in emby ideally
  • When emby sync's it may be easier to have it build an index.html page with the file names/paths during creation.  This file will be in the top level folder above Movie and TV subdirectory.
  • Currently I'm doing this manually file by file, but won't auto-update with syncs.  I'm a novice at web programming, I may be able to find a way to have javascript probe the folder paths for ".jpg, .mp4, or .m4v" and build, to make dynamically, but this is not something I know how to do today.  seems easiest to compile that array during the sync process.

Then family members can add/remove favorites and I would just have to plug in sd card periodically, pull up sync dashboard, say which user profile should be synced to the card installed and wait for transcoding/updating, etc...

 

4 hours ago, rbjtech said:

@cmittle09

Hi - Steps below -

1. Create the Sync/Download Folder on your USB device -

2. Mark all your favorites in Emby as you would do normally (the Heart button)

3. Then on the first screen, select 'Favourites' 

4. Multi-select any that you want to Sync

5. Top right, select 'Download To' .. 

6. Select your USB sync/download location ..

7. Emby will transfer the items - progress will be shown on the 'Scheduled Tasks' menu ..

8. When finished - structure will match the Emby folder structure.

Each item will be in it's own folder (even TV) 

9. You can also see the downloads in the 'Downloads' section in the menu

10. It also downloads a suitable subtitle for that item BUT it does not download the original artwork.  There is however a workaround for this

11. If you create a new Mixed Content library (if you have both TV/Movies) - or just Movies if that's all you have - select your USB service as the source.

The important part is to store the images with the Media folders - ie

Once the 'library' has synched (force it if you like) then it will then save a 'poster.jpg' in each folder.

It is unfortunately not the same filename as the media item - but it's the closest you are going to get to your original requirements.

 

I hope this helps.

Thank you @rbjtech for the comprehensive instructions.  This helped this morning as I made some more changes.  Unfortunately checking the "save artwork into media folders" isn't an option for me as the rsync script that provides me updates would remove them.  I don't have control over that script so i'd probably be downloading and re-deleting these media files like every day if i did that.