STRM files

[Carlo 4561]

But still download for STRM however!

[crusher11 1101]

STRM needs to be completely overhauled TBH. If it's linking to a local file it should be able to use that file's subs, chapters, etc. But that's a whole other feature request really.

 

[Carlo 4561]

You don't understand what STRM files.  It's a place holder for a single video stream and that's it, nothing more.

It's like a SUBSTITUTE that fills in for ONLY the video file.

Fanart, banners, subtitles need to sit in the folder with the STRM file.

STRM functionality needs to work the same in Emby as other clients/media products and not break that functionality.  For example if you have kodi pointed to the same media it needs to function the same way.

[crusher11 1101]

But there's no reason, if a STRM file is pointing to something that's on my media server locally, that Emby couldn't go there and grab subtitle and chapter information or whatever.

For example, I use a STRM file so I can have Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in both the Twin Peaks Specials and in my Movies library, without having to have two full MKV files.

 

[Carlo 4561]

The reason is that the functionality of STRM files is well known and it would be foolish for Emby to try to rewrite the rules of how they are used.  That would break things for a lot of people and be confusing for anyone that's used them in the past expecting a specific outcome with them.

STRM files are generally used to bring an internet based video into your local environment without hosting the content.

Example file name: Scarlet Letter, The (1934).strm

link inside strm: https://archive.org/download/MajesticPicturesPublicDomainTheScarletLetter/TheScarletLetter.mp4

So with that you could have emby add The Scarlet Letter to your movie library and it would pull the movie as needed from archive.org.  But in Emby you have full control over download subs, fanart, posters etc and they are not pulled from the remote location, nor could they be as they don't exist there.

Also keep in mind strm files can be used for other things beside a movie.  As an example

if you had the movie:

Hard Kill (2020).mp4 in it's folder Hard Kill (2020) you could do this:

Hard Kill (2020)-trailer.strm

link inside strm file: https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/independent/hard-kill/hard-kill-trailer-1_h1080p.mov

Emby would then treat that trailer as local instead of opening up youtube but of course would fetch the trailler from the Internet.

 

You're using STRM files in a weird kind of way (but will work). What you are doing is actually the perfect job of using a symbolic link.  That way all the data is available in both places so your subs, trailers, artwork, extras, etc all stay together.  That's the preferred way to handle this locally.

[crusher11 1101]

7 hours ago, cayars said:

What you are doing is actually the perfect job of using a symbolic link.  That way all the data is available in both places so your subs, trailers, artwork, extras, etc all stay together.  That's the preferred way to handle this locally.

I've never heard of a symbolic link.

[Carlo 4561]

https://www.google.com/search?q=symbolic+link

On Windows you use the mklink command from a DOS windows with administrator access.

Here's an example

Create a working folder off the root

md c:\workingfolder

now lets change to the directory we just made

cd c:\workingfolder

Now let's make another directory at this location called media

md media

so now we have c:\workingfolder\media

now lets make a symbolic link to the nested media folder and we'll create this at the root level and call it VirtualMedia

mklink /d c:\VirtualMedia c:\workingfolder\media

DONE

now move any file or files to c:\workingfolder\media which is the real or original location of the data and it will appear in \VirtualMedia as well and look to programs as it's own data.

So instead of using the strm files you just create a symbolic link or junction as we did above and all your movies, subtitles, graphics all work.

Edited July 28, 2020 by cayars

[crusher11 1101]

I've got it installed on my Synology NAS, not on Windows. Can't find anything about doing it within DSM that's not waaaay above my knowledge level and it only seems to apply to folders, not files, which wouldn't help much.

 

[Carlo 4561]

Well if you follow Emby Best Practices and our Knowledge base articles you would put each movie in it's own folder so this would be perfect.

But symlinks work on basically every major server OS and can be used with files or folders.

First result on a google search "Synology symbolic link" with many others.

https://www.albertogonzalez.net/how-to-create-a-symbolic-link-to-a-folder-on-a-synology-nas/

pretty much as easy as windows but you use the mount command vs mklink command.

Just drop to terminal and it's one simple command.

[crusher11 1101]

Yeah, that's the article I found. And it requires editing something in vi or...something. And only does a folder.

My movies all have their own folders, sure, but FWWM is an episode within the TV show library, not a movie.

 

[Carlo 4561]

It's pretty flexible and can mount many files or folder.  But that's not the point.

For every STRM you make by hand you could do a symbolic link mount easier and gain more functionality, speed, flexibility at the OS level plus Emby can actually scan the files and provide metadata for it which it can't do for STRM files unless you actually have played them.  So you can't use filters for h.264 to find media buried behind and STRM file.

No vi needed to do this but if you plan on using anything based on linux/unix you need to stop fighting the learning curve and learn vi and at least the basics.  You'll need it.

NAS boxes can be simple and hide the OS from the operator and do almost everything with a GUI but if you start running programs on the NAS box and not just use them for storage then you're working on a Linux platform or similar and will need to learn things like this.

[crusher11 1101]

The article says vi is needed or it'll reset everything when the NAS restarts. And it only talks about linking folders, not files. 

[crusher11 1101]

Well I tried the vi thing and it doesn't show up in Windows. 

[Carlo 4561]

OK I'll be honest.  I didn't read the article but just skimmed it and saw the command that the article used to mount the symbolic links.

So in a nutshell, the style they are showing are good for one session use.  By that I mean it's good until the NAS is rebooted and then it's gone.  The way in that article they show to make it permanent is to modify the /etc/rc.local file

If you do that on startup the command(s) are  processed again and you have new mount point(s).  There are other ways to do it (hard links ie permanent) , but I actually like this because it's "traceable" and you can see what's applied during startup and it can be done roughly the same way on any Linux/Unix type system.

The article does use vi to edit a file. There are other tools you can use or even edit the file from windows or linux GUIs using tools similar to notepad.  BUT using a command line editor is good for the sole.   By that I mean it's not a bad idea to learn the basics of vi.  Move lines, edit lines. add lines. save file.  You don't need to learn how to use it to write a book but to edit a file and add or modify a line.  It's likely different from what you are used to and primitive but vi is on any linux/unix system so it's a good reference for adding a line to a file.

HOWEVER, knowing the  change won't be permanent until you add it to the file is good for testing.   So try the sudo mount command and see if you grasp it and might prefer it to the STRM approach since everything including NFO, graphics. index/bif files, media file are instantly available to Emby.  So the STRM approach will allow Emby to use the "external" media file, but Emby won't know anything about it vs the mount approach where Emby thinks its a local file and will have the meta data for it after "probing it".

IMHO it's worth learning how to use mount points or symbolic links as they can be quite powerful but if it doesn't work for you (yet) then don't fret it and do what you understand and are comfortable with and use the STRM approach.  I'm not trying to make you do things a different way but just expose you to another way of doing something that from experience make more sense (when you understand it).

Hope that makes sense.

[crusher11 1101]

As I said, I tried editing the file in vi but there's no sign of anything being different. 

[Carlo 4561]

Did you save it?  vi doesn't save unless you tell it to.

[crusher11 1101]

I managed to find the rc.local file in WinSCP and open it in Notepad and the text is there:

sudo mount --bind /volume1/Emby Libraries/Movies/T/Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me (1992).mkv /volume1/Emby Libraries/TV/Twin Peaks/Specials/Twin Peaks - s00e01 - Fire Walk with Me.mkv

 

[crusher11 1101]

@cayars? 

[pwhodges 2012]

I'm wondering, is that the right rc file to use if Emby is running as a server (I don't know the Synology options, I'm afraid).

Paul

[crusher11 1101]

I'm not sure what you mean? 

[pwhodges 2012]

There are multiple rc files which initialise different environments,  You need to find the one which will apply to the environment in which your Emby server is running.  That depends how you are starting it, and the names of the different rc files vary between Linux systems - so we can't just tell you which to use...

A Linux expert (which I am not, though I was officially in 1999!) could talk you through it better than me, but this article gives some background, though frankly it isn't all that edifying...

Sorry if this doesn't give you enough to work with, but my hope was that it would prompt someone with better knowledge than I to pop up and put us right!

Paul

[crusher11 1101]

Even @cayars seems to have lost interest... 

[Carlo 4561]

Haven't lost interest but it's not really an Emby thing as it is understanding the basics of the OS you're using and knowing how to use it.

I don't own a Synology NAS so I can't help.  But you know the name of the file to modify so just search to see how many of those you have and test.

[crusher11 1101]

How many of what?

 

[Carlo 4561]

the file name you didn't know to edit.