movie database: better import and 'scene-picture' support

[chefkoch]

hello mp-lovers

In this topic i want to discuss some ideas for the "MyMovies"-plugin and the movie-database-import. I hope that some of these ideas will be implemented in MediaPortal after the 0.2.0.0 final release.

Feel free to say what you think about some ideas or the hole post. If you are interested in some of these features vote and post it here :!: Only if these things are interested for a more than one MP-user they will be implemented I think.
If you have new ideas :idea: for the import, please post them, too.


Which import-sources could be used?

• tags in the movie-file
  Using tags in movie-files for the import of information about this movie is possible with Matroska files.
  This movie container also supports embedded image-files which could be the cover-picture or some scene-pictures.
  
• seperate info-file
  A seperated info-file is a simple text file which contains information about one movie. This text file can be simply and fast edited.
  The info-file could be written in [s]the ini-file-format or[/s] the xml-file-format which is better i think.
  The info-file contain all text information about the movie and also infos where to find the cover-picture or some scene-pictures.
  
  The relation from the info-file, the cover and scene pictures to the movie-file could be made through the following ways:[list:a5a95236d3]
• The info-file and image-files are named like the movie-file and they are in the same folder:
  

  'titanic.avi','titanic.xml','titanic.png',
  'titanic-1.png','titanic-2.png','titanic-3.png','titanic-4.png'
  

  pro: There is no need to set any paths for movie or image files. If the directory structure is changed you don't have change any strings in the info-files.
  
• The info-file and image-files are named like the movie-file, but they are in a special folder only for info and image-files. (This folder could be set in MP-config.)
  pro: The movies are alone in their folder and they are not mixed with other files.
  
• An entry in the info-file contains the path to the movie-file.
  contra: If the directory structure is changed, you have to set the new paths.

[*]local movie-database
The local movie-database is a xml-file created by Ant Movie Catalog for example. This is already possible with using the plugin MyFilms, but it would be great if the information could be imported in the movie-db and not using two plugins for the same work.
[*]online-lookup
This is the currently used method to search online for movie informations in the IMDb or OFDb for example.[/list:u:a5a95236d3]


How the import-sources could be used?
Now MP-movie-import could search in many sources for movie-information. MP should search these sources in a special order. For example:

1. tags in the movie-file
2. seperate info-file
3. local movie-database
4. online-lookup

Also it should be configurable which sources are used and which not. Why?

• If the computer running MP is not connected to the internet, i want to disable the online lookup.
• If I don't have a local database, MP can't search for this once.

Why using so many image files?
MP already supports image-files which are named like the movie-file and the extension '.tbn'. ('titanic.tbn')
MP should also accepts other extensions for the cover/thumbnail. ('titanic.png','titanic.jpg') Why?
Some picture viewer () have thome problems with '.tbn'-files. (navigation next/back failures in Windows Picture Viewer)

It would also be great if MP could show scene-pictures ('titanic-1.png','titanic-2.png','titanic-3.png','titanic-4.png'). So MP show the cover for a while and then switched these pictures like a small slideshow at the movie-info-screen.

additional suggestions
'kuehnch', a user at the german forum thought about the support for DVD-directory-structure.

 - Movies
     |- Titanic
     |    |- AUDIO_TS
     |    |- VIDEO_TS
     |    |- titanic.xml
     |    |- titanic.png
     |    |- titanic-1.png
     |    |- titanic-2.png
     |    |- titanic-3.png
     |    |- titanic-4.png
     |
     |
     |-... more DVD-directories
     |-... oder Video-files ....

If MP finds a folder (Titanic) which contains the subfolders 'AUDIO_TS' and 'VIDEO_TS', MP accept this folder as a DVD-structure. So now MP could also import informations about this DVD, because in the folder 'Titanic' are the info-file, the cover and scene-pictures.


Waiting for feedback. :wink:

regards
chefkoch

[balance07]

another solution to this (and in my opinion a better one) would be the ability for MP to import metadata from tagged matroska (.mkv) files. i have recently started using mkv for all my movies. matroska supports multiple streams (audio and subtitle), chapters, and extensive tags (xml files can be muxed into the single file).

if MP could import data from MKV like it does with MP3... well that would be an awesome feature.

[trosty]

Originally Posted by chefkoch

so my idea is:

• *to edit the movie infos by hand how i do it with my music
  *to import this information into mediaportal
  *to disable the movie-internet-update for my movies which i tyoed by hand.

Did you check the MyDVDs-Plugin? That is kind of similar to what you want to do.

If you organize your DVDs/Movies with one of the free tools like DVD Profiler, ANT Movie Database or other supported ones (which are really easy to handle) you can simply import the (edited, if you like) information from that programs as xml-files to MP.

And there are some easy workarounds to start the movies directly from that Plugin, so that solution might work for you as well.

[Molokoids]

Since MP is still in heavy dev it's really a pain to rebuild the movie database now and then, so I think this idea is really nice.

[chefkoch]

i have found the MesFilms-plugin
here's the topic: http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/viewtopic.php?t=14251

this is really what i have searched for.
it is always up to date.
it is very easy to handle.

i hope this could be implemented in the officicial MyMovies-plguin after the 0.2.0.0 release.
because it would be better if there is only one movie item in mp.

MyMovies also have a better layout and more features like the filmstrip.

i only testet MesFilms quickly, so it could be that somthing is also in MesFlms.

happy testing
chefkoch

[chefkoch]

Originally Posted by balance07

another solution to this (and in my opinion a better one) would be the ability for MP to import metadata from tagged matroska (.mkv) files. i have recently started using mkv for all my movies. matroska supports multiple streams (audio and subtitle), chapters, and extensive tags (xml files can be muxed into the single file).

if MP could import data from MKV like it does with MP3... well that would be an awesome feature.

I took a look at matroska. That's really nice way to include all-in-one file.

http://www.matroska.org/index.html.de

This container format supports also tags like some other so the database import should search for those tags and use them for movie infos.

another suggestion is to search for different sources of information.
mp should try to import informations in the following order to the moviedatabase:

1. tags in movie file (test.mkv)
2. info file (test.xml)
3. xml-movie database (movies.xml)
4. online lookup at imdb or so

this should also be configurable, that means you can disable and enable each source,
for example an offline pc it should be possible to disable online lookup or the import from tags in movie file.

greez
chefkoch
*waiting for 0.2.0.0 final release and future development*
*thumbs up for the dev which is done*

[Bram]

I would realy appriciate this option. It's a pain in the *** to have to update every movie again after a fresh install or new version of MP. Alternatively a tool to backup the moviedatabase would work to. But (I'm guessing here) that could be difficult because it probebly won't work if the directorystructure of the mivies directory is changed or the moviedirectory is on a different drive (name).

As far as I can comprehend the programming behind the IMDB lookup in MP it doesn't seem to be too difficult to check if the moviedirectory is writeble, if yes.... format the movie info into a ini or xml file (xml will be preferrable I think) and write it to the directory together with the selected coverfile.

[chefkoch]

Originally Posted by Bram

I would realy appriciate this option. It's a pain in the *** to have to update every movie again after a fresh install or new version of MP. Alternatively a tool to backup the moviedatabase would work to. But (I'm guessing here) that could be difficult because it probebly won't work if the directorystructure of the mivies directory is changed or the moviedirectory is on a different drive (name).

I think so, too. If the structure is changed, you only have to click on import and all information are loaded from the sources you have choosen, the info-file for example. So i think this is the best backup strategy.

By the way: My first post is now rewritten. Better layout and more ideas. Waiting for replies and feedback. :wink:

greez
chefkoch

[chefkoch]

Hello

'kuehnch', a user at the german forum thought about the support for DVD-directory-structure.

 - Movies
     |- Titanic
     |    |- AUDIO_TS
     |    |- VIDEO_TS
     |    |- titanic.xml
     |    |- titanic.png
     |    |- titanic-1.png
     |    |- titanic-2.png
     |    |- titanic-3.png
     |    |- titanic-4.png
     |
     |
     |-... more DVD-directories
     |-... oder Video-files ....

If MP finds a folder (Titanic) which contains the subfolders 'AUDIO_TS' and 'VIDEO_TS', MP accept this folder as a DVD-structure. So now MP could also import informations about this DVD, because in the folder 'Titanic' are the info-file, the cover and scene-pictures.

regards
chefkoch

[mzemina]

I'm not sure if this thread only applies to commercial movies (Air Force One, Apollo 13, Bandits, etc.) But I would like to see support for our own home movies which we create - I think this is growing area which need to take a look at.