Expand TVSeries to a sister plugin? My Films? (2 Viewers)

[chambolle]

The problem with automatic features all the time is that you either use the software as a whole, or you don't really use it.

If I couldn't use another player I wouldn't use media portal.

So, maybe you're right about automatic tools and I am wrong but currently:
A tools like mediaPortal is too much complex to be used by any user in the world. You need some skills.
You made a confusion between an automatic creation of a database and an automatic tools.

A database can be automatically created and I repeat that this is almost the case with AMC. At the same time, the database must be clearly accessible and editable. For instance, it is very difficult to access and modify the one of MP.

The advanatge of this approach is shown by MyFilms plugin. If you want you can simulate MyTVSeries plugin, because you can fill in some fields of the database in a specific way. The converse is false.

Don't forget that a big part of MP is a pretty printer of databases and a caller of programs. If everything was done in that way, it would be easier to understand.
I am sorry but some plugin are though and buggy because they want to do too much things (and too much complex).

chambolle

 

[mcbelly]

When you remove the option and when you want to add new episodes or new series and need to redo all the database creation from scratch.

This upsets me for instance.

chambolle

Would upset me aswell. If only it was true ;-)
When you add a new episode or series, without the automatic scan, you just press "info" (or f9) and "Force local scan". It scans for new files, but does not recreate the db.

The things I did not like about My Films/AMC:
1. No automatic import of files (I have over 400 movies on my drives). I read that this is possible with AVIlist ( ? will give it a try)
2. You have to maintain just another programm. So everytime I want to add a new movie, I have to open AMC, import it, export as xml,......

I would prefer having it all in one. Including the TVSeries. And trailers. And Musicvideos.

mcbelly

 

[chambolle]

When you remove the option and when you want to add new episodes or new series and need to redo all the database creation from scratch.

This upsets me for instance.

chambolle

Would upset me aswell. If only it was true ;-)
When you add a new episode or series, without the automatic scan, you just press "info" (or f9) and "Force local scan". It scans for new files, but does not recreate the db.

The things I did not like about My Films/AMC:
1. No automatic import of files (I have over 400 movies on my drives). I read that this is possible with AVIlist ( ? will give it a try)
2. You have to maintain just another programm. So everytime I want to add a new movie, I have to open AMC, import it, export as xml,......

I would prefer having it all in one. Including the TVSeries. And trailers. And Musicvideos.

mcbelly

Thanks for the F9 information. I am going to try.
Note that this is not WAF compliant, not children compliant.
I prefer to manage all the databases from outside because in any case I need to open some programs. I have no problem for doing that but I totally agree that some people don't like to do that.

For AVIlist look at:
http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~ebowden/maps/kdmPrograms.htm

Ok, this needs to use several steps, but this is well explain.
In addition AMC can be interfaced with CSV files (Excel) which is quite pleasant.
I recommend you to search for AVIList in AMC forums.

For the other plugins, you are lucky because you have no problems with english trailers and so on... I need to wait for translations...

chambolle.

 

[fforde]

I would really rather see the MyVideos plugin rather than MyFilms be enhanced with some features from the TVSeries plugin. I think MyFilms is a fantastic plugin, but to me it seems it's real strength is in managing offline media, such as DVDs. It does work fine for media stored locally, but a plugin dedicated to that purpose I think would do a much better job. With locally stored media, the need for the external and manually created database is removed.

So much functionality already exists in MyVideos though, it would require few changes to get it up to par with the TVSeries plugin. It already has IMDB lookup functionality, if this was simply automated for new files added to the watch directories, things would be looking very good.

There is a thread about this over in the MyVideo forum:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/movie_import-t22610.html

 

[scythelt]

At the same time, the database must be clearly accessible and editable. For instance, it is very difficult to access and modify the one of MP.

Why? You're obviously a tinkerer, so the approach taken by myfilms obviously works for you. But I don't see why a database needs to be accessible outside the constructs of the MP application.

I am sorry but some plugin are though and buggy because they want to do too much things (and too much complex).

IMO the MyFilms program is a perfect example of this. For a program that simply needs to store information about films, it is far too complex.

 

[piranha]

IMO the MyFilms program is a perfect example of this. For a program that simply needs to store information about films, it is far too complex.

I completely agree with you.
Besides, the database of TV Series is easily accessible from:
1. Plugin configuration - where you can edit all information that you need.
2. SQLite export and import.

 

[chambolle]

At the same time, the database must be clearly accessible and editable. For instance, it is very difficult to access and modify the one of MP.

Why? You're obviously a tinkerer, so the approach taken by myfilms obviously works for you. But I don't see why a database needs to be accessible outside the constructs of the MP application.

Because MP should be a front end, and because it is not difficult to have a nice access to a database. So you can do whatever you want.

I am sorry but some plugin are though and buggy because they want to do too much things (and too much complex).

IMO the MyFilms program is a perfect example of this. For a program that simply needs to store information about films, it is far too complex.

This kind of plugin is popular, why ? The myVideos part of MP is slow (for the non share mode) and it does not work very well. AMC is working better. Movies are more complex than series, because we can have problems with the title (foreign language, remake etc...)

MyFilms introduces a nice idea: the configurations. You can have several configurations at the same time. You can create your configuration and have as many configurations as you want to, so it is quite open and quite general

I also don't understand why people want to reinvent the wheel all the time

chambolle

 

[chambolle]

IMO the MyFilms program is a perfect example of this. For a program that simply needs to store information about films, it is far too complex.

I completely agree with you.
Besides, the database of TV Series is easily accessible from:
1. Plugin configuration - where you can edit all information that you need.
2. SQLite export and import.

The database of MyTVSeries is a nice database. It is editable because it has been done in a comprehensive way. This is not at all the case for the MP videos database

SQLite is not really a nice editor. People are not ready to make SQL request for doing simple things.

However, you gave me an idea. I can export the database in CSV mode, then import it into AMC, then I could look for french information automatically, then export in CSV then import into SQL.

I just want to say that MP should be provided with a general database editor/reader and so on ... Then all the plugins should be based on that. The concept of configuration could be generalized. In this case, we could do whatever we want for all the plugins. You can image each plugin having a special button which updates the database automatically. It would be very nice and very useful.
Currently, MyTVSeries is mainly only in english. People could easily having it in other languages by using tools like AMC.
Then, people could upload their database for foreign languages.

Currently, we need to understand all the databases, then to do a special trick for every database or modifying by hand a web site for each episode of each language and wait for having the acceptance.

 

[piranha]

Well, what I like about the TV Series, that this database structure (at least it looks like) is dynamic. If any new field is added to www.thetvdb.com, it is added to the database, and you can simply add it to display configuration to be able to see it.
No other plugin has such brillian architecture.

 

[scythelt]

Currently, MyTVSeries is mainly only in english.

Edit the thetvdb website to include french info if that's what you want. Then other users can then benefit from your additions.

Pretty simple really!

Because MP should be a front end, and because it is not difficult to have a nice access to a database.

Mediaportal/Docs/SQLite Database Browser.exe

Edit till your hearts content!