Echuir 2 Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 (edited) I would like to know if it is possible to have a TV Series naming convention where I have cross over episodes play in the correct order without having to have all episodes of the other series, just the episodes that cross over? I know I can use file stacking with the pt# but I would like to keep the series name intact so I know where it came from. An example of this is where you have crossover episodes of Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. I would like to be able to save disk space and only have 1 copy of each episode and have them play in the correct order. Edited December 14, 2020 by Echuir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy2Play 8281 Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 These crossovers are problematic as they assume we watch all these shows are being watched. But I would make a collection or playlist for this crossover event. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgamesh_48 943 Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Echuir said: I would like to know if it is possible to have a TV Series naming convention where I have cross over episodes play in the correct order without having to have all episodes of the other series, just the episodes that cross over? I "thought" I had posted this earlier but it is somehow gone. Here is my second try. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I have tried to solve this issue for some time and I have decided to just take the easy way out, I append the "crossover" to the "regular" episode that comes just before it and I augment the metadata if I feel it is needed. By doing it that way I always get the crossovers in the correct place without any extra effort and I am not dependent on what Emby or any agent thinks is the proper order. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy2Play 8281 Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 There are feature requests, but there are other topics out there. Link crossover episodes - Feature Requests - Emby Community Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echuir 2 Posted December 14, 2020 Author Share Posted December 14, 2020 Here is a link to add the feature to thetvdb meta data site. If you upvote it they might add the feature. https://feedback.userreport.com/cdaca6ba-2142-4b27-b04d-26ceaa067824/#idea/318358 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy2Play 8281 Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Echuir said: Here is a link to add the feature to thetvdb meta data site. If you upvote it they might add the feature. https://feedback.userreport.com/cdaca6ba-2142-4b27-b04d-26ceaa067824/#idea/318358 OT: But with tvdb becoming a Subscription site, will they last as a provider in any metadata manager? Will users want to pay for metadata that is provided by users? Edited December 15, 2020 by Happy2Play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwhodges 1529 Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, Happy2Play said: OT: But with tvdb becoming a Subscription site, will they last as a provider in any metadata manager? Will users want to pay for metadata that is provided by users? If it's still cheaper than the alternatives, then yes, they will. And what real alternatives are there? (genuine question, not rhetorical - I only know of IMDB and the other options that Emby links to). Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy2Play 8281 Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 4 minutes ago, pwhodges said: If it's still cheaper than the alternatives, then yes, they will. And what real alternatives are there? (genuine question, not rhetorical - I only know of IMDB and the other options that Emby links to). Paul OT: I see them taking a major hit and Metadata manages finding other Free sources, will they be as robust not likely. But it will be on those Metadata managers to provide plugins allowing the user to use their subscription pin to get from TVDB. TMDB is somewhat the same and offers language. I would assume something like TVMaze will be added or TVDB maintains free old version api and will be restricted from new v4 api requests. But we apparently have until March 2021. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 What we really need is a way to pull and combine the data from several sources to get robust data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Sorry for the thread resurrection but I've been thinking... Could Emby use Shortcut/Alias files as Stubs? A Shortcut file has the pertinent information of where a file is located. In Windows, just right clicking and choosing Properties on a Shortcut will give you the Target File's location. Using that information, EmbyServer would then know where to look for the accompanying *-thumb.jpg, *.srt, and *.nfo files for the linked video. Emby could be made to either display those in the interface or copy them over to which ever folder the Shortcut lies and rename them according to the name of the Shortcut itself. By renaming those Shortcut files to the match the series, season, and episode of another show, that Shortcut could be copied into the new series folder and will act similarly to how Shortcuts would in the OS environments. For example: The Flash and Arrow crossed over, with "Flash 1x8 Flash vs Arrow" being part 1 and "Arrow 3x08 The Brave and the Bold" as part 2. - In the Flash Season 1 directory, I rename the Flash episode to 1x08.1 (or "a", whatever, something that the OS's sort file system will keep in order). I make a Shortcut of that file and rename it to "Arrow 3x08.1 Flash vs Arrow" and copy it to the Arrow Season 3 directory. - Then, in the Arrow Season 3 directory, I rename the Arrow video to 3x08.2 so that the OS will then sort it after the Arrow 3x08.1 Shortcut just copied here. I then make a Shortcut of the newly renamed Arrow 3x08.2 video, but rename it to "Flash 1x08.2 The Brave and the Bold" and copy it over to the Flash Season 1 folder. Drawback: Unless Emby programmers can work it out, the User would have to create the shortcuts, copy them into the proper folders, and rename them. Further, the appropriate thumbnail, xml, and subtitle files would have to already be in the original file folder prior to Emby generating them based on the name of the new Shortcuts, as Shortcuts don't trigger metadata scrobbling (unless, again, Emby programmers work out how to accomplish this). However, this does result in a more intuitive way of integrating crossover episodes without having to make a separate playlist for every series where it happens or wasting disc space with duplicate videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Hi, yes and we call these STRM files. Check out this knowledge base article for more info on them. https://support.emby.media/a/solutions/articles/44001159147 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Okay, I've been playing with STRM files for the past two weeks. They certain do what was intended, and place a video entry in another series' folder. But the problem is metadata scraping. As is, Emby will identify any STRM file as an episode of the same series the folder is named after, regardless if the STRM has a different series title. And since the numbering give to the STRM file most likely matches that of an actual episode of that season already in the folder, they get linked as the same video (Sometimes I've gotten the metadata matching the episode number but a different season). I have to go in and Split the episodes apart manually. The problem with doing it manually then becomes the metadata for the STRM file is just a copy of the previously linked file. Same with the thumbnail. While thumbnails are easier to change by hand, metadata is a laborious process. Could a future feature take the .NFO file from the home directory and alter the contents (Series Title, Season, and Episode number) it to match the name of the STRM file? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Hi, there is nothing special about meta-data matching of strm files vs mp4 or mkv. All the same rules apply to folder and file naming. Just pretend the strm is an actual media file. https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001159102-movie-naminghttps://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001159110-tv-naming Try that and if you still have a problem after renaming the files/folders properly let us know and we can go over a specific example or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 17 hours ago, cayars said: Hi, there is nothing special about meta-data matching of strm files vs mp4 or mkv. All the same rules apply to folder and file naming. Just pretend the strm is an actual media file. https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001159102-movie-naminghttps://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001159110-tv-naming Try that and if you still have a problem after renaming the files/folders properly let us know and we can go over a specific example or two. Okay, after looking through both links, I'm afraid neither tells the user how to direct Emby to find the proper metadata for a STRM file from a series with a different name than the folder it is held in. You are correct that there is nothing special about metadata matching for STRMs. The problem is, there needs to be some special matching if you're going to use STRMs for crossover episodes. In my original example: On 12/30/2020 at 5:58 PM, WJCuffe said: The Flash and Arrow crossed over, with "Flash 1x8 Flash vs Arrow" being part 1 and "Arrow 3x08 The Brave and the Bold" as part 2. That would be "The Flash 1x08 Flash vs Arrow (1).mkv" file in parent folder The Flash and subfolder Season 1. Conversely, "Arrow 3x08 The Brave and the Bold (2).mkv" file is parent folder Arrow and subfolder Season 3. Creating STRM files, I made one linked to "The Flash 1x08 Flash vs Arrow (1).mkv", but renamed it "Arrow 3x08 Flash vs Arrow (2).strm" and moved it into the Arrow Season 3 directory. Then made a STRM file for "Arrow 3x08 The Brave and the Bold (2).mkv", renamed it "The Flash 1x08 Flash vs Arrow (2).strm" and moved it into The Flash Season 1 directory. By Emby's naming convention of TV shows, you can literally name a file "anything_1x08" (or just the episode number) and it will automatically assume that the episode is from the current/parent directory. In the cases above, Emby assumes The Flash episode STRM is episode 3x08 of Arrow and use its metadata, and the Arrow STRM is episode 1x08 of The Flash and use its metadata. If I do not rename the STRM to match the show name directory, then Emby matches the episodes by numerical sorting. In the cases above, the Flash 1x08 STRM will show up at the beginning of Arrow Season 3 (Emby sees 1x08 and assumes season 1 of Arrow) and the Arrow STRM at the end of The Flash Season 1 (3x08), etc. The problem seems to be that Emby will not scrape for metadata about STRMs based on the video file it is linked to, but instead searches based on the directory the STRM is placed in/named. This is so close to solving the repeatedly asked for ability to properly scrape crossover episodes. We're almost there. We just need Emby metadata scraping to trigger based on the STRM contents, not its folder name/location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 First keep in mind what's inside the STRM is irrelevant to meta-data. The metadata will be retrieved just as if it were a normal mp4 or mkv file so you treat the strm file once created as any other media file and must put it in the correct folder structure and named correctly like any other media. So if you had Flash vs Arrow (1) strm you would name it: \The Flash (2014)\Season 1\The Flash (2014) - S01E08 - Flash vs. Arrow (1).strm That tells Emby exactly what episode it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) I don't believe I'm explaining this well. The Flash vs Arrow (1) video is already in \The Flash\Season 1\ directory. Putting the STRM file there doesn't accomplish anything, as the original video file is already there. I want the video file to show up in the Arrow Season 3 episode list as if it were an episode of Arrow, so I copy the STRM file into the \Arrow\Season 3 directory. At this point, Emby naming conventions kick in. Emby doesn't really check for anything other than the episode #, and identifies the STRM as an episode of Arrow in Season 3 because of what directory it is in (Remember, this is a STRM file in the Arrow directory pointing to an episode of the Flash in the Flash directory). The point I'm trying to make is, for your suggestion to use .STRM files for crossover episodes to work, the metadata from the original file (The Flash) needs to be copied over to the Arrow directory (and slightly edited to match the STRM file name). Otherwise, Emby thinks the STRM file is just a different version of the Arrow episode with the same #. And then the same for the Arrow STRM into the Flash directory. I'm trying to point out that using a STRM as an entry in another series' episode list requires Emby to care about the contents of the STRM file. Otherwise it will be misidentified and/or linked as the wrong show episode. Edited January 17, 2021 by WJCuffe Clarification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) But Emby doesn't care about the content of the strm file. It could point to a local file, to a NAS, a file server, internet archive, a good drive account or a VOD listing on some other server. Emby doesn't care what this internal file is called or anything about it other than it's a progressive downloadable file. So My point is that there is no magic with the STRM files when it comes to cross series. By this I mean it will be no different then making a copy of the original file and renaming it for the cross-over. There is no intelligence to them as they are just a redirect. What we really need is a better way to handle cross over episodes. Edited January 17, 2021 by cayars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 I realize Emby doesn't care about the contents of a STRM file. And because it doesn't, Emby misidentifies a STRM file as part of the series whose directory it is located in. Thus Emby will either crosslink it with the wrong episode, or identify it as the episode with the same episode # according to the directory it is in. Putting a STRM file in another show's directory does work. The STRM shows up in the other series' episode list. But Emby won't identify it properly for metadata scraping, and subsequently it messes up episode sorting. The intended function -- recognizing crossover episodes without copying over the episode -- is there; it just needs a little help to polish it! I'm suggesting, as a prospective feature, that whenever Emby scans the library and sees a STRM file, that it should scrape for metadata based on the STRM contents, not the STRM location. Yes, I know this is not how Emby works -- I am asking could Emby be made to work this way? Because if it could, then we have essentially solved the problem... It's not auto-generating, but it would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Emby identifies it however you name it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Emby's identification of STRM files as it works as designed. The heart of the issue here is the use of strm files at all. It won't work, no more than making an actual copy of the cross linked episode and trying to drop this in a foreign show where there is no meta-data for it. That's not going to work either. If you want to watch cross linked series in proper order you need to use a playlist or collection sorted by airdate. You could also use the smart playlist plugin and use tags. For example with the plugin you add one whole series then add ANY OTHER EPISODE (from anywhere) with a special tag you create. This way you can include one whole series but only 2 episode from show B and 4 Episodes from show C using for example CO-Flash tag (ie Cross Over for Flash) Now any time there is a new cross over you go to the other series's episode and add your custom tag for that series and either regenerate the smart playlist if you have it set to MANUAL or let it do it's thing set to Auto. This is the best method I've found thus far for those who want these cross linked files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwhodges 1529 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 TVDB has tvdbid values per episode, I think. If you copy that into the metadata for the crossed-over episode from the source series and then do a refresh, might that work? Or might a way be added to enable the [tvdbid= ] thing to work on episodes? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) Cayars, please step back from the mindset of "This is how Emby works". This is an inquiry "Could Emby be programmed to do this"? The use of STRM actually does technically work, it's just the episodes don't get the proper metadata. I'm asking the software developers on Emby, "Could you add code to Emby to make this work?" by using the contents of the STRM instead of the name? Pwhodges, that doesn't work. I've tried wiping the metadata file, erasing everything except the TheTVDB and IMDB numbers, Replacing All Metadata, Find Missing Metadata. Emby keeps trying to make the STRM metadata match the closest local file metadata. The only thing I've gotten to work is manually entering the data in, locking it all, and never refreshing metadata. Edited January 17, 2021 by WJCuffe Clarification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo 4330 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, pwhodges said: TVDB has tvdbid values per episode, I think. If you copy that into the metadata for the crossed-over episode from the source series and then do a refresh, might that work? Or might a way be added to enable the [tvdbid= ] thing to work on episodes? Paul What we would likely actually need (but could become a mess) is for Emby to recognize episodes from different series and display them mixed in regardless of the parent series it's in. This could break other functionality. 1 hour ago, WJCuffe said: Cayars, please step back from the mindset of "This is how Emby works". This is an inquiry "Could Emby be programmed to do this"? The use of STRM actually does technically work, it's just the episodes don't get the proper metadata. I'm asking the software developers on Emby, "Could you add code to Emby to make this work?" by using the contents of the STRM instead of the name? Pwhodges, that doesn't work. I've tried wiping the metadata file, erasing everything except the TheTVDB and IMDB numbers, Replacing All Metadata, Find Missing Metadata. Emby keeps trying to make the STRM metadata match the closest local file metadata. The only thing I've gotten to work is manually entering the data in, locking it all, and never refreshing metadata. Likely not the way you're thinking because it would break existing functionality people use. This is always something that we have to watch for with changes. I've possibly got an idea for something but I don't really watch series that need the cross over functionality. I want to show something but would like it to be a real example. Can someone give me a simple Season of some show where a cross over episode or two is mixed in from another show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke 37063 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Hi, what do you mean by "contents of the STRM instead of the name" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJCuffe 0 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Just now, Luke said: Hi, what do you mean by "contents of the STRM instead of the name" ? The STRM file is really just a text file with the address of a file. I've suggested that these could be used for crossover episodes, just make STRM files of the episodes and move them to the appropriate directories. Problem arises that Emby looks for metadata dependent on the file name/folder name the STRM is located in. If Emby could instead take the original file name from inside the STRM file and us that to either search online for the proper metadata, or use metadata in the same directory as the original file? Emby would probably need to change some of that metadata to match where the series is located, but I don't think that is beyond the capabilities of software development? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke 37063 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Well you need to name the strm file using support tv naming conventions: https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001159110-tv-naming Have you done that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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