Intros Backup Support Thread

[Cheesegeezer 3088]

1 hour ago, neik said:

When using NFO do the values get written into the existent NFO next to the actual files?
If so, does Emby pick up the values automatically meanwhile or do I need to use the plugin to restore?

I will be moving my server to new hardware in a week or two and am interested in moving this info (intro/credit) over without rescanning again.

The markers are written into the NFO files at the bottom. Emby doesn’t pick them up. Yes you would have to use the plugin to restore the markers back tothe emby database

[rbjtech 4293]

1 hour ago, neik said:

When using NFO do the values get written into the existent NFO next to the actual files?
If so, does Emby pick up the values automatically meanwhile or do I need to use the plugin to restore?

I will be moving my server to new hardware in a week or two and am interested in moving this info (intro/credit) over without rescanning again.

So be careful here - unless you move over the existing emby database (and thus all it's unique item id's) over onto the new hardware, emby will give them a new unique id - and then need to re-scan them again anyway.  This applies to both the Plugin Introskip and the core Introskip.

[Cheesegeezer 3088]

3 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

So be careful here - unless you move over the existing emby database (and thus all it's unique item id's) over onto the new hardware, emby will give them a new unique id - and then need to re-scan them again anyway.  This applies to both the Plugin Introskip and the core Introskip.

@neikthe nfo restore will search for the matching tmdb id, etc and match and write the intro markers in the chapters. So i would turn off the intros function in your library options. Run the library scan, let it finish and then run the intros restore function. 
 

i hope emby does a check to see if the intro markers are already there and if so skips attempting to detect.

[rbjtech 4293]

15 minutes ago, Cheesegeezer said:

i hope emby does a check to see if the intro markers are already there and if so skips attempting to detect.

If using the Core then no - it checks for the existence of the .fp (fingerprint) file - if that exists, then it will not re-detect the hidden markers.

If using the Plugin - then as long as the detection is turned off (in the schedule) then you can use the backup/restore from the Plugin just fine - as you will simply be writing directly to the emby chapter table in the main emby database.    Be wary of this, because even if you have markers, but accidently turn on the Core 'scan' - it will wipe all the markers.   Ask me how I know ..   Luckily I just deleted all the .fp's, removed it from the schedule (again) and restored the markers again with the Plugin .. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by rbjtech

[neik 837]

On 5/3/2023 at 1:52 PM, Cheesegeezer said:

@neikthe nfo restore will search for the matching tmdb id, etc and match and write the intro markers in the chapters. So i would turn off the intros function in your library options. Run the library scan, let it finish and then run the intros restore function. 

My plan was to:

1. Rescan library using NFO only (done)
2. Add Metadata provider and rescan (done)
3. Backup existent intros in the old setup (WIP)
4. Restore existent intros in the new setup (open)
5. Add the plugin and set it up to work on new added files (open)

Sounds plausible?

On 5/3/2023 at 2:07 PM, rbjtech said:

If using the Plugin - then as long as the detection is turned off (in the schedule) then you can use the backup/restore from the Plugin just fine - as you will simply be writing directly to the emby chapter table in the main emby database.    Be wary of this, because even if you have markers, but accidently turn on the Core 'scan' - it will wipe all the markers.   Ask me how I know ..   Luckily I just deleted all the .fp's, removed it from the schedule (again) and restored the markers again with the Plugin .. 

Using plugin only right now and not planning on moving away for the time being.

That means after restoring the existent markers the plugin will not rescan those files, right?
It would only retry those that don't have a marker and the new ones, right?

[rbjtech 4293]

23 minutes ago, neik said:

Using plugin only right now and not planning on moving away for the time being.

That means after restoring the existent markers the plugin will not rescan those files, right?
It would only retry those that don't have a marker and the new ones, right?

No - so the Plugin uses it's own database - and it records all the detection details in there.  It writes the fingerprint to the local disk, but it keeps the record of what it has scanned in the database (by ItemId).  It does not detect for the existence of the fingerprint (unlike the Core), it simply looks it up in the database.

Therefore, unless you a) keep the same Emby database and b) keep the same Introskip Plugin database - then you are going to have a big mis-match, and the Plugin is going to want to scan it again because it has no record of it being scanned.  I'm not 100%, but I think the Core is the same - if it's a new ItemId, I'm not sure how it knows what fingerprint that is - there is no other unique identifier.. 

The Introskip backup/restore plugin is designed for the CORE Introskip - it copies the Core chapter hidden markers only.    So if you have run the 'Chapters' task in the Plugin - then of course it will now also inherit all those Core chapter hidden markers as well.

So - As you plan to keep the Introskip Plugin - in summary 

a) Restore the emby db (keep the same Item Id's)

b) Restore the Introskip plugin db 

c) Ensure the Introskip Plugin  'Chapters' task is periodically run (presumably like it was before) and it will keep adding the hidden Introskip/credit markers (as it did before).

That's it - you do not need to use the Introskip Backup/Restore plugin - because the markers are already in the main emby db that you have already restored...

Edited May 6, 2023 by rbjtech

[neik 837]

10 hours ago, rbjtech said:

The Introskip backup/restore plugin is designed for the CORE Introskip - it copies the Core chapter hidden markers only.    So if you have run the 'Chapters' task in the Plugin - then of course it will now also inherit all those Core chapter hidden markers as well.

Didn't know it was designed for the core functionality, thought it was for the plugin markers.

10 hours ago, rbjtech said:

a) Restore the emby db (keep the same Item Id's)

That's no option unfortunately I corrupted it by playing with it.
Thought I did make a backup, turned out I didn't.

If I got everything correctly that means even if I backup to NFO and restore the plugin will rescan again as that information (already scanned) is missing in the plugin database, right?
If so, any chance this plugin could check for an existing plugin database and add the information that item x has been scanned?

[rbjtech 4293]

11 hours ago, neik said:

If I got everything correctly that means even if I backup to NFO and restore the plugin will rescan again as that information (already scanned) is missing in the plugin database, right?

Correct - the only option is to EXCLUDE all those shows (in the Plugin), so they are not scanned again.    The Plugin will then not scan them, but the Core will still use the markers if you restore them.

That's probably the best you can do - nobody is realistically going to spend any further Dev time on this Plugin ... 

[neik 837]

I think I will have to bite the bullet then and let the new server redo everything.

rbj, thank you once again for the clarifications.  

[pcwizard7 0]

is there any way to reset this plugin, I lost my backup and I can't get this plugin to rebackup what's on my current emby server?

[rbjtech 4293]

1 hour ago, pcwizard7 said:

is there any way to reset this plugin, I lost my backup and I can't get this plugin to rebackup what's on my current emby server?

What do you mean by lost the backup ?

if you used the introskip backup plugin previously - you either have a series of JSON files held in the folder of your choosing, and/or you have the intro details appended to the NFO files if you use those.

I believe if you just deleted the files in the JSON folder - it would try and back them up again, but I don't use that methid so can't be 100% sure.  

@Cheesegeezer?

 

[pcwizard7 0]

4 hours ago, rbjtech said:

What do you mean by lost the backup ?

if you used the introskip backup plugin previously - you either have a series of JSON files held in the folder of your choosing, and/or you have the intro details appended to the NFO files if you use those.

I believe if you just deleted the files in the JSON folder - it would try and back them up again, but I don't use that methid so can't be 100% sure.  

@Cheesegeezer?

 

1. I had JSDN files that were deleted 

2. I tried again later and it started working again so it fixed itself

with the NFO option does it need an existing NFO Files to add the intros into it or can it create new files? I tried this option in the past and it wouldn't work even with  NFO Saver enabled in the libraries. the only thing I could think of this was during the trial period of using the plugin

[rbjtech 4293]

2 hours ago, pcwizard7 said:

1. I had JSDN files that were deleted 

2. I tried again later and it started working again so it fixed itself

with the NFO option does it need an existing NFO Files to add the intros into it or can it create new files? I tried this option in the past and it wouldn't work even with  NFO Saver enabled in the libraries. the only thing I could think of this was during the trial period of using the plugin

Yes the NFO files need to exist - it just appends the intro times to the end of the NFO file.

[pcwizard7 0]

I m trying to restore a certain series intros but it won't add back in and i ve check the JSON files and made sure all the ids from the 3 sources were correct in all files and still won't work and can't figure it out

example

{"TvdbId":"81797","ImdbId":"tt0388629","TmdbId":"37854","SeriesName":"One Piece","SeasonNumber":1,"EpisodeNumber":255,"EpisodeNumberEnd":null,"IntroStart":0,"IntroEnd":3373290000,"CreditStart":0}

 

[rbjtech 4293]

14 hours ago, pcwizard7 said:

I m trying to restore a certain series intros but it won't add back in and i ve check the JSON files and made sure all the ids from the 3 sources were correct in all files and still won't work and can't figure it out

example

{"TvdbId":"81797","ImdbId":"tt0388629","TmdbId":"37854","SeriesName":"One Piece","SeasonNumber":1,"EpisodeNumber":255,"EpisodeNumberEnd":null,"IntroStart":0,"IntroEnd":3373290000,"CreditStart":0}

 

@Cheesegeezer?

[pcwizard7 0]

@Cheesegeezeremby log is attached but it doesn't say much

also btw I worked out those ids are for the episodes not the title so my previous post is mute

thanks

embyserver.txt

[pcwizard7 0]

just tested on a fresh install and it doesn't make a difference and it seems to be this one title i.e One Piece.

[bakes82 90]

@rbjtech@CheesegeezerI did a quick read thru here and was a little confused.  Lets say you have 2 servers, one you run the intro thing on and it writes the files.  Then server 2 or you know N number of servers, I dont think it would matter, you dont run the intro thing on.  Will this allow importing of the intros?  The base "files" are the same but like on my dev box I dont map all my files.  I might map just a few series, and a few movies.  So the file being played is the same, the TVDB/IMDB is the same.  It "looks" like based on the json its loading/writing based on that info correct?  So you could always have 1 master box, and N slave boxes that read the json and import on xx interval?

[adminExitium 173]

Depends on if you are using the Core or the Plugin. The core requires the fingerprint files which are dependent on the Item IDs being the same (will almost never happen), but the plugin will be able to use the existing markers even with different item IDs.

 

This was discussed earlier above: 

 

[rbjtech 4293]

16 hours ago, bakes82 said:

@rbjtech@CheesegeezerI did a quick read thru here and was a little confused.  Lets say you have 2 servers, one you run the intro thing on and it writes the files.  Then server 2 or you know N number of servers, I dont think it would matter, you dont run the intro thing on.  Will this allow importing of the intros?  The base "files" are the same but like on my dev box I dont map all my files.  I might map just a few series, and a few movies.  So the file being played is the same, the TVDB/IMDB is the same.  It "looks" like based on the json its loading/writing based on that info correct?  So you could always have 1 master box, and N slave boxes that read the json and import on xx interval?

If you never plan on running the actual Intro detection on the N+1 server, then yes, you can absolutely just 'restore' the hidden chapter markers into existing chapter points because the backup/restore function uses the ProviderID as a key.  Clients will then pick them up, and it will all work fine.   

But you cannot just copy/restore the markers from a system running Introskip (Core or the Plugin) on a N+1 system running Introskip (detection) because in both Core and Plugin cases, required elements will be missing as explained by @adminExitiumand me previously above.

Edited September 21, 2023 by rbjtech

[bakes82 90]

14 hours ago, rbjtech said:

If you never plan on running the actual Intro detection on the N+1 server, then yes, you can absolutely just 'restore' the hidden chapter markers into existing chapter points because the backup/restore function uses the ProviderID as a key.  Clients will then pick them up, and it will all work fine.   

But you cannot just copy/restore the markers from a system running Introskip (Core or the Plugin) on a N+1 system running Introskip (detection) because in both Core and Plugin cases, required elements will be missing as explained by @adminExitiumand me previously above.

Yeah Id only run the into detection thing on 1 system, then export them (ideally a sched job to do it every night), then another sched job on the N + 1 boxes to import them, they will never run into but because the "files" are the same source and the import is by provider id they would align.  So it sounds good.

[jaketame 86]

Did anyone happen to figure out if we can migrate Plex Intros into Emby? Cheers

[Luke 37134]

10 minutes ago, jaketame said:

Did anyone happen to figure out if we can migrate Plex Intros into Emby? Cheers

Why not?

[jaketame 86]

21 minutes ago, Luke said:

Why not?

When we last looked at it we were not sure on best method to import the required data

[Luke 37134]

1 minute ago, jaketame said:

When we last looked at it we were not sure on best method to import the required data

Oh sorry I was thinking of Cinema Intros, nevermind.