Question about updating actors in nfo files

[Grimmer 15]

41 minutes ago, podonnell said:

Also, .NFO files are an additional backup of the information, is that right? Normally the metadata would be stored with the DB, but in case of DB corruption, NFO files are there to help rebuild?

I also have this question.  I have manually added actor information to the NFO (copy pasted from another NFO).  However, Emby doesn't assimilate the update.  If I run a metadata refresh it removes the added actor information.  So, I'm also wondering if the NFO is only a backup copy, or is there a way to have the database be updated by scanning the NFO file?

[Luke 42078]

@Grimmer hi, what makes you think it doesn’t assimilate the update?

[Grimmer 15]

Because the new actor information never appeared in the Emby page after a metadata refresh, and when I go to the media folder and open the NFO, it has reverted back to what it was before I updated and saved it (and has a more recent file date).

[Grimmer 15]

For example, I added "The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)" to my library a long time ago.  It was originally imported with only the Director and no actors.  I checked the current entries on both thetvdb and tmbd.  They both had additional actors info, so I manually refreshed the metadata (replace all, keep existing images).  The new actor information didn't appear.  I verified that the TMDB was the top of the metadata search list in the library and refreshed again. (Tried this with thetvdb, open movie database, and TMBD at the top of the fetcher lists and had the same result - no update using metadata refresh).  So I manually copied one of the actors from "The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989)" into the NFO of the first movie.  Emby didn't automatically update, so I manually refreshed the metadata again.  Emby reverted the NFO to its previous state.

I removed the media folder from the library and allowed Emby to recognize the change, deleted the NFO, and then moved the media folder back into the library.  Emby picked it up and populated the actor information as found in the corresponding "top of the list" fetcher.  However, it had a new "added date" which was not today's date. (Maybe pulled it from an old duplicate DB entry?).  I.e., the original added date was 2014, the new one was 2021 (mp4 file date is 2014).  And even stranger, when I manually refreshed the metadata, the actor info reverted back to the original one with the Director only and the NFO file was also reverted.  I had to remove it from the library and repeat to get the actor info back.

Edited April 16, 2025 by Grimmer