Server - Ongoing Syncing With Metadata Providors

[ginjaninja 533]

I noticed today that much of my movie metadata was very out of date with TMDB.

It was as if MB had synced once on initial library ingestion, but then never synced again.

 

Hitting the refresh button ensured that those films which had no community rating or parental guidance value or overview, now did so, (presumably this metadata had been completed on the master providers after initial library ingestion)

 

Personally I would like all metadata synced with the providors* except folder.jpgs and backdrop.jpgs (unless mine are currently blank).

 

I would like to designate those aspects that i dont want to hand over responsibility to the online providors to change (ie dont sync).

but i would like everything else to match the providors, album overviews, artist overview, all movie metadata, all tv metadata, everything.

 

MB3 already instances the concept of "metadata the user does not want overwritten". so users can protect metadata they do not wish to be overwritten.

 

Could MB3 implement an ongoing sync option, with a set of stated exceptions - (Sync Criteria)

Users would have to positive choose to sync and only if their set of required exceptions were currently supported.

If the user's case for required exceptions was not currently supported, then the user wouldnt enable sync and "no harm no foul". (but they might add a feature request)..ie to keep the option safe.

 

Perhaps

there could be a set of object types enabled/disabled for syncing (Episode, Season, Series, Movie, Collection, Album Artist etc)

there could be a full set of metadata types in the ui.or more simply in the first instance just Primary Images, Backdrops, All other metadata

For each metadata type for each object type there could be synchronise criteria = Never Syncronise, Only if Im blank, Always, Always except if provider is blank [don't overwrite metadata i have added locally but is not populated on the provider), Respect current granular setting

For each object of object type (Episode, Season, Series, Movie, Collection, Album Artist etc) MB could instance a 'Last Synced' timestamp in the database along with an "empty" event flag (data was empty eg. no backdrop, no episode image). MB could stipulate a schedule for re-syncing per object type, or allow the user to stipulate a schedule. But a mandated schedule in first instance would probably suffice...eg

 

The task might be scheduled to run daily.

For each object in enabled objects for syncing

If - is <10 days and emptyflag=true, then sync according to the sync criteria

(The most common use case for these is episode images which are not in place on day 1 but tend to be posted fairly quickly, or episode names which have changed)

if - is >30 days then sync according to the sync criteria

 

In this way, the user is handing over responsibility to, MB3 and the providers, for the set of metadata for which they are comfortable.

 

Would anyone else like to see more metadata syncing, What are the types you would definitely want to see or not want to see synced?

 

thanks for considering.

 

Edit..perhaps other physical filesystem objects can also be included like movie.xml or artist.xml...there have been instances when mb3 looses confidence in owning these files..and taking responsibility for their content..personally i would be happy to let mb3 manage...moreover i want mb3 to manage always..even deleting and recreating if neccessary.

 

Edit

Another potential use case is ibn person info...i regularly used to find that if i cleared out empty folders and rerun person sync task i would get more data downloaded..imo it would be an improvement if mb3 would maintain itself more automatically in this regard.

Edited January 13, 2015 by ginjaninja
Removed trailing whitespace.