Metadata settings

[Erik 124]

Hi,

 

What is the preferred image saving convention? Standard or Comparible (standard use to be the default, but I did a fresh install and compatible now is the default).

 

Also, switching between the two and saving doesn't seem to change anything in the services tab for the order or selection of readers and savers.

 

Not sure if I'm just missing the idea,

 

Thanks

[Luke 42079]

it just affects the file names the images get saved to. i would leave it as compatible and not worry about it

[Erik 124]

Ok thanks.

 

Are nfo or xml files preferred now? I'm assuming just default of nfo.

[Luke 42079]

we are moving in the direction of formats that are more broadly supported, so yes, i would suggest nfo

[Erik 124]

Ok thanks again

[Erik 124]

One last question...

 

I tested out my new server install and while MB3 server is running I delete/move all the metadata out of the folder (just leave the movie file), then run a scan. Only the NFO is created. no images are retrieved. however, if I move the whole movie folder out of the watched directory then move it back in, all the metadata is downloaded for it.

 

not sure why? logs attached.

 

Act of valour movie was the move out/movie into watched directory. then did a scan

Avatar movie was the delete/move the data out of the watched directory and just left the movie. then did a scan.

 

http://paste2.org/yVEj2k6j

 

Thanks,

Erik

[Luke 42079]

the purpose of the regular library scan is to import data into the server.

 

once imported, you should use the metadata manager to refresh data from the internet. there is no need to delete files.

[Erik 124]

ok fair enough. I am trying to update all my media to the new compatible standard that uses the extrafanart...to keep all my media exactly the same, so I was hoping to just delete everything that wasn't a media file (.mkv in my case) and have the server fetch everything.

 

so would I just refresh the entire media library from the metadata editor?

 

thanks

 

EDIT: that did the trick. just ran a replace all images under the refresh and voila!

Edited October 23, 2014 by Erik

[gcoupe 63]

we are moving in the direction of formats that are more broadly supported, so yes, i would suggest nfo

I would have thought that xml would be the direction, not back to the old days of nfo...?

[Luke 42079]

it's whatever everybody else is using, and that's nfo

[gcoupe 63]

You mean it's a holdover from XMBC?

 

I'm reminded of a similar situation a few years back in the field of photo metadata. The standard that "everybody else is using" at the time was IPTC IIM. It was limited, but everybody used it. The future-looking standard was XMP (based on XML), and the IPTC then moved to IPTC Core, using XMP. Not many used it at first, but now it is everywhere, and IPTC IIM is rightfully viewed as legacy, and in the process of being forgotten.

 

I see that you have switched the default format for many metadata items from XML to NFO (which my Windows system thinks are system information files). I've switched all my metadata back to XML format. I trust that MediaBrowser will at least continue to honour XML fomat in its metadata?

[Luke 42079]

The default of nfo means xml usage is automatically going to plummet, so at some point we may decide to output to them anymore. it will make testing easier and allow the configuration interface to be simplified.

 

But we'll always support reading xml files that are already existing.

[gcoupe 63]

OK, then that means that I'm less interested in MB for the future. Thanks for the warning.

[Vicpa 611]

Hi

 

Just an opinion...

 

I was afraid this was going to happen. The writing was on the wall, the inclusion of nfo's in the core server, the defaults to nfo since August.

 

I agree with @ @gcoupe , this seems like a step backward. Do a quick search on nfo and file type" Warez Information File" comes up prominently. I realize that now it is basically xml and Kodi uses this format, but my reaction is so what? I am an MB3 user if the cross over users want to use the metadata tools of MB3, resurrect the plugin and hand it off to the Kodi team.

 

As I said I am a MB3 user any time spent by the core team maintaining compatibility with other tools, I view as "luxury". Who decides what the "standards" are. I would much prefer MB3 moving towards universal xml standards. Besides, there are plenty of feature requests, tweaks etc, that I think are better use of time.

 

Just an opinion.

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2014 by Vicpa

[gcoupe 63]

 

Who decides what the "standards" are. I would much prefer MB3 moving towards universal xml standards.

 

 

 

 

I guess that Luke, as System Architect, is the one who decides what the standards are. I would also much prefer MB3 moving towards universal xml standards. However, if it's not, then I'll most likely be getting off the bus.

[Madic 13]

So what is the problem with nfo files?

A bare nfo looks like the following (taken from Kodi/XBMC Wiki):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

   <movie>
        <title>Some title</title>
        <originaltitle>Some title just in case - you most likely dont need this either</originaltitle>
        <sorttitle>It will sort by this title if you include it</sorttitle>
        <genre>HomeMovies</genre>
        <id>-1</id>
   </movie>

 

This is xml format. Just the file ending is nfo and not xml. The file ending alone isn't a reliable source to determine what is inside.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Madic

[ebr 16184]

Yeah, our nfo files are really xml.  It is just the naming convention used by most of the tools in our space is .nfo.