All,
I have been looking for quite sometime for a tool that will automatically fill in the relevant TV episode data for all the television programs I have acquired. Every several months or so I dig around for a tool to do it - figuring this desire will be a common one (not exactly a high priority on my list of things to do). When I came across the TV series database, I was excited. As I am testing out Media Portal, I fired up the TV-Series plugin and scanned my shows.
However, I was back to the same problem I've had every time I've tried this. I don't have exact series information. My structure (as my data comes from schedules direct / TitanTV) is
[folder]%seriesname% --
|-- [file]%seriesname% - %episodetitle%
However, each tool I've come across wants explicit series data. What I can't figure out or find, is the way to use the two points of data that I have (which are pretty explicit - Show / Episode Title - ie Family Guy - Saving Private Brian) to resolve the show data. With the TV-Series tool, I have to manually use the drop down box and navigate to the exact data that is in the filename.
Am I missing a switch - using the wrong vernacular in my googling / forum searching. I feel pretty silly as I manually pull down a dropdown with the criteria OF EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE ... browse to series .... browse to episode title and select it. I'm prety much doing exactly what a SQL query would do. Unfortunately for me - I am a programmer - but not a DBa / up to speed on databases.
Of course - the catch all answer is "write it if you want it" - and I'm fine with that. However, as I mentioned, I can't believe that this isn't a VERY common desire for PVR fans around the world.
Another note - I am working on finding the series data to stuff in at recording time, which is turning out to be elusive in implementing as well. If I am able to do so, that won't help me with my many hundred already recorded shows.
I would greatly appreciate any input on if the ability to acquire series and episode data from where series name and episode title exists. Or, if there isn't a way - perhaps there is a concrete reason? The only reason I can figure is that there aren't hard and fast rules on episode naming - but it seems that fuzzy logic could at least narrow it down and give you selections. On that topic, I am seeing only the tiniest differences in about 5% of the episode names I am working with - enough to easily resolve or prompt the user to determine a match.
So, can I get the info S##E## from something like Family Guy - Saving Private Brian? If so, what tool on what platform is recommended?
Thanks to anyone who has an answer for me. If I've simply been using the wrong web queries or missed a simple switch somewhere - please take pity on me
(I am posting this in a couple forums as I'm not quite sure where best to put it)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Update - here is additional information from the TVDB site - postings of mine
entire thread at
Online TV Database • View topic - Reverse Lookup by episode name
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thank you for the responses - I figured it had something to do with logistics (server load - etc). What I can't wrap my head around is this.
When using MP TV Series plugin - once ONE episode from a series is entered, the entire series info is brought down to the local machine (from what I am seeing with my configuration).
So, based on that - it doesn't seem that there would be any load on the TVDB server except for the original data exchange that happens when I enter a series. Once the series data has been brought to my local machine's database, the cross check could occur there - at the local machine.
The reason this seems so easy to do is what I mentioned in my org post. Here are the steps I take now.
(In MP TVSeries plugin)
1. Having added a simple parsing rule of my format (<series>\<series> - <episode title>) I ....
2. Add one Family Guy episode - Family Guy - Prick up your Ears
3. Run the Import
4. Upon completion of the import .....
5. Dig into the manual import - select a family guy episode (which the importer sees the proper series and episode name)
6. When the drop down selection menu comes up - I can select Family Guy and all episode names are local to my machine. eg. If I have 16 family guy episodes I, I have to drop down select Family Guy (then every single family guy episode name is populated into the drop down selection - where I have to navigate down to the very exact name of the episode I am importing.)
Based on the routine I go through, I can see no less load on the TVDB by my process than it being automated.
So, at this point - I am manually inputting exactly what my local machine already has for data. I don't have to go out to the web, have any connection at all and the information for all the series seasons is there.
As this is the case - and again, I realize I can implement what I want with my own coding. But, I'm pointing this out since the mantra of the TVSeries plugin is 'minimizing user interaction and simplifying management of TV series' - one simple addition to the code would eliminate a lot of user time that seemingly could be easily handled by some simple programming in the TVSeries plugin.
I would suggest for anyone who hasn't seen this issue, just grab a couple of shows, move them into a new folder area, strip out there episode and series information and run a scan on it. When you step through the process I think you will say to yourself, "why am I having to click through what is already 'known' to the local machine."
As I mentioned - these are two valid, and unique datapoints that can identify the show. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the behavior of the MPTVSeries plugin. But the once an import is executed I am just walking through the motions with all data already known locally.
If I'm offbase here, can someone suggest how I can get episode data into my shows that are scheduled to record using MediaPortal. I am a comcast user, I get the majority of my channels on ATSC and have to manually map them using XMLTV with a schedules direct account. The EPG grabber doesn't work for my situation and I can't figure out how to get any series / episode data into recordings.
Any tips here would be appreciated. Currently if I set up the naming convention in MP to include series and episode data I just end up with empty fields.
Thanks again for the information - any more information is appreciated. Sorry if this is wordy, I like to try to be thorough.
I have been looking for quite sometime for a tool that will automatically fill in the relevant TV episode data for all the television programs I have acquired. Every several months or so I dig around for a tool to do it - figuring this desire will be a common one (not exactly a high priority on my list of things to do). When I came across the TV series database, I was excited. As I am testing out Media Portal, I fired up the TV-Series plugin and scanned my shows.
However, I was back to the same problem I've had every time I've tried this. I don't have exact series information. My structure (as my data comes from schedules direct / TitanTV) is
[folder]%seriesname% --
|-- [file]%seriesname% - %episodetitle%
However, each tool I've come across wants explicit series data. What I can't figure out or find, is the way to use the two points of data that I have (which are pretty explicit - Show / Episode Title - ie Family Guy - Saving Private Brian) to resolve the show data. With the TV-Series tool, I have to manually use the drop down box and navigate to the exact data that is in the filename.
Am I missing a switch - using the wrong vernacular in my googling / forum searching. I feel pretty silly as I manually pull down a dropdown with the criteria OF EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE ... browse to series .... browse to episode title and select it. I'm prety much doing exactly what a SQL query would do. Unfortunately for me - I am a programmer - but not a DBa / up to speed on databases.
Of course - the catch all answer is "write it if you want it" - and I'm fine with that. However, as I mentioned, I can't believe that this isn't a VERY common desire for PVR fans around the world.
Another note - I am working on finding the series data to stuff in at recording time, which is turning out to be elusive in implementing as well. If I am able to do so, that won't help me with my many hundred already recorded shows.
I would greatly appreciate any input on if the ability to acquire series and episode data from where series name and episode title exists. Or, if there isn't a way - perhaps there is a concrete reason? The only reason I can figure is that there aren't hard and fast rules on episode naming - but it seems that fuzzy logic could at least narrow it down and give you selections. On that topic, I am seeing only the tiniest differences in about 5% of the episode names I am working with - enough to easily resolve or prompt the user to determine a match.
So, can I get the info S##E## from something like Family Guy - Saving Private Brian? If so, what tool on what platform is recommended?
Thanks to anyone who has an answer for me. If I've simply been using the wrong web queries or missed a simple switch somewhere - please take pity on me
(I am posting this in a couple forums as I'm not quite sure where best to put it)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Update - here is additional information from the TVDB site - postings of mine
entire thread at
Online TV Database • View topic - Reverse Lookup by episode name
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thank you for the responses - I figured it had something to do with logistics (server load - etc). What I can't wrap my head around is this.
When using MP TV Series plugin - once ONE episode from a series is entered, the entire series info is brought down to the local machine (from what I am seeing with my configuration).
So, based on that - it doesn't seem that there would be any load on the TVDB server except for the original data exchange that happens when I enter a series. Once the series data has been brought to my local machine's database, the cross check could occur there - at the local machine.
The reason this seems so easy to do is what I mentioned in my org post. Here are the steps I take now.
(In MP TVSeries plugin)
1. Having added a simple parsing rule of my format (<series>\<series> - <episode title>) I ....
2. Add one Family Guy episode - Family Guy - Prick up your Ears
3. Run the Import
4. Upon completion of the import .....
5. Dig into the manual import - select a family guy episode (which the importer sees the proper series and episode name)
6. When the drop down selection menu comes up - I can select Family Guy and all episode names are local to my machine. eg. If I have 16 family guy episodes I, I have to drop down select Family Guy (then every single family guy episode name is populated into the drop down selection - where I have to navigate down to the very exact name of the episode I am importing.)
Based on the routine I go through, I can see no less load on the TVDB by my process than it being automated.
So, at this point - I am manually inputting exactly what my local machine already has for data. I don't have to go out to the web, have any connection at all and the information for all the series seasons is there.
As this is the case - and again, I realize I can implement what I want with my own coding. But, I'm pointing this out since the mantra of the TVSeries plugin is 'minimizing user interaction and simplifying management of TV series' - one simple addition to the code would eliminate a lot of user time that seemingly could be easily handled by some simple programming in the TVSeries plugin.
I would suggest for anyone who hasn't seen this issue, just grab a couple of shows, move them into a new folder area, strip out there episode and series information and run a scan on it. When you step through the process I think you will say to yourself, "why am I having to click through what is already 'known' to the local machine."
As I mentioned - these are two valid, and unique datapoints that can identify the show. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the behavior of the MPTVSeries plugin. But the once an import is executed I am just walking through the motions with all data already known locally.
If I'm offbase here, can someone suggest how I can get episode data into my shows that are scheduled to record using MediaPortal. I am a comcast user, I get the majority of my channels on ATSC and have to manually map them using XMLTV with a schedules direct account. The EPG grabber doesn't work for my situation and I can't figure out how to get any series / episode data into recordings.
Any tips here would be appreciated. Currently if I set up the naming convention in MP to include series and episode data I just end up with empty fields.
Thanks again for the information - any more information is appreciated. Sorry if this is wordy, I like to try to be thorough.
United States of America