Migrating from WMC (1 Viewer)

Lehmden

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  • December 17, 2010
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    Where does WMC acquire the ID numbers from and where are they then stored?
    Most likely as all those tools with an online lookup while importing the files. And stored are the ID as always inside the database of the HTPC program (WMC or now MP2)... Maybe the content of the XML files is different on your system but here there definitely is no ID number stored in those XML files. And no, there is nothing wrong in adding season and episodes numbers to the file, nothing at all...

    Also the genre identification is occasionally bizarre!
    Oh yes, this is very true and most often in most sources. That's why I never use genre myself...

    obtains this information and appends it to the program description
    Sadly most EPG sources are using non specific numbering schemes here. There are extra data fields for season and episodes number even inside the xml file. And my other tool, EPG-Buddy is filling those numbers as good as possible also non of the supported EPG data sources are delivering them in a clean way... So I have those numbers for most series episodes I ever record...

    Here is such a xml file generated by MP2 on my system:
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <tags>
    <tag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>TITLE</name>
    <value>Bezaubernde Jeannie</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>COMMENT</name>
    <value>Endlich darf Jeannie auch einmal selbst Auto fahren. Sicherheitshalber tut sie das erst einmal in unsichtbarem Zustand – und Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke) sieht fassungslos ein fahrerloses Fahrzeug im Straßenverkehr. Kurz darauf wird Jeannie – jetzt wieder sichtbar – von einem Polizisten angehalten. Da sie keinen gültigen Führerschein vorweisen kann, wird der Wagen abgeschleppt, aber damit geht es eigentlich erst los: Dr. Bellows sorgt dafür, dass der "fahrerlose Testwagen" wieder freigegeben wird – und kurz darauf wird Jeannie von dem gleichen Polizisten ein zweites Mal angehalten...</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>GENRE</name>
    <value>Comedyserie</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>CHANNEL_NAME</name>
    <value>ONE HD</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>EPISODENAME</name>
    <value>Liebe geht durch den Wagen</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>SERIESNUM</name>
    <value>2</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>EPISODENUM</name>
    <value>19</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>EPISODEPART</name>
    <value>
    </value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>STARTTIME</name>
    <value>2020-02-06 16:20</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    <SimpleTag>
    <name>ENDTIME</name>
    <value>2020-02-06 16:55</value>
    </SimpleTag>
    </tag>
    </tags>
    EPISODENUM and SERIESNUM are filled properly here (it's S02E19 from "I dream of Jeannie") but the TVDB- ID (77388 in this case) is nowhere written inside the xml or inside the EPG data... But it is inside the .nfo files generated by Media-Buddy so every program (excerpt of MP1 due to missing support for .nfo) exactly knows which series it is. "I dream of Jeannie" maybe is no big deal to identify, but think about "Doctor Who" or, even worse, "The Flash" or "Buck Rodgers"...

    The matching .nfo file for S02E19 of "I dream of Jeannie" looks like this:
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
    <!--created on 2018-08-11 22:54:01 - nfo4MPv3 v0.110.111 (22.04.2018)-->
    <episodedetails>
    <id>77388</id>
    <title>Liebe geht durch den Wagen</title>
    <showtitle>Bezaubernde Jeannie</showtitle>
    <plot>Ein lang gehegter Wunsch von Jeannie geht in Erfüllung: Sie darf endlich selbst am Steuer eines Wagens sitzen. Damit nichts schief gehen kann, macht sie sich aber erst einmal unsichtbar – zum Entsetzen von Dr. Bellows, der ein fahrerloses Auto durch die Straßen des Ortes flitzen sieht. Kurz darauf wird Jeannie, die sich mittlerweile wieder sehen lässt – im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes – von einem Polizisten angehalten. Natürlich kann sie keinen Führerschein vorweisen...</plot>
    <season>2</season>
    <episode>19</episode>
    <dvd_season>2</dvd_season>
    <dvd_episode>19.0</dvd_episode>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/episodes/77388/239985.jpg</thumb>
    <year>1965</year>
    <rating>7,8</rating>
    <votes>15</votes>
    <tvdbid>77388</tvdbid>
    <imdbid>tt0058815</imdbid>
    <runtime>24</runtime>
    <language>|</language>
    <status>Ended</status>
    <genre>Comedy</genre>
    <genre>Fantasy</genre>
    <studio>NBC</studio>
    <actor>
    <name>Barbara Eden</name>
    <role>Jeannie</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55154.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    <actor>
    <name>Larry Hagman</name>
    <role>Major Anthony Nelson</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55153.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    <actor>
    <name>Bill Daily</name>
    <role>Major Roger Healey</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55157.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    <actor>
    <name>Emmaline Henry</name>
    <role>Amanda Bellows</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55158.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    <actor>
    <name>Barton MacLane</name>
    <role>General Peterson</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55156.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    <actor>
    <name>Vinton Hayworth</name>
    <role>Gen. Winfield Schaeffer</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55155.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    <actor>
    <name>Hayden Rorke</name>
    <role>Dr. Alfred Bellows</role>
    <thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/actors/55152.jpg</thumb>
    </actor>
    </episodedetails>

    As you easily can see, there is much more information stored. Various external ID (TVDB, IMDB) production -year and -studio (not the channel where you have recorded the file that is not relevant) information about cast and crew, status ("ended" for sure as it is a very old series), genre,...

    If such a nfo file exists, MP or Kodi or Plex or Emby or,... don't look online for information about the file to be imported. Instead the data from the .nfo file is used. So no matter if you have a fast internet connection or no internet at all, this movie/episode is imported in no time and exactly the way it is written in the .nfo. As you have control about what's written in the .nfo everything is exactly as you want it to be without any further work and independent from the used program...
     

    nhm

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    February 3, 2020
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    Hi Lehmden! Well now you have introduced me to yet another data storing system - .nfo files - this time created by your Media-Buddy and I'm trying to understand how these might impact the 6 step process I described. Essentially for my purposes all I need to end up with is one recording with the audio and video streams and a program description which I can display. Series and episode I will have added within the file name and there is nothing else I particularly want to see. So where are the .nfo files generated and if they are redundant once the .mkv's are generated do I have to delete them by hand or does the software do that?
     

    Lehmden

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  • December 17, 2010
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    now you have introduced me to yet another data storing system - .nfo files
    Not really now, see here:

    .nfo files are similar to the XML files from TV recording but are widely used in nearly all HTPC programs to store metadata locally. They are the base of any well shaped media library... Only for mkv they are not essential as you also can store those info inside the mkv file itself. And the program need to support mkv tags, as explained earlier. As soon as you have a single video file that is no mkv and/or has no .nfo your collection is no longer in a really good shape.
    Media-Buddy (or other metadata tools) are generating those .nfo automatically while grabbing online information. After generating those .nfo file the data stored inside this .nfo are used to tag the mkv (if the user want Media-Buddy to do so). Aside this it's possible to attach the .nfo file itself to the mkv, similar as with poster, backdrop or any other fanart graphics you may have chosen to download... If you want, you can delete the .nfo after that, but it's highly recommended to keep the .nfo files as you most likely will need them in future again and again and again and...

    Personally I prefer to have my collection looking like this:
    Zwischenablage-8.jpg Zwischenablage-7.jpg

    and don't want to re-build all this stuff over and over again... That's why I prefer to have all metadata and graphics stored next to the videos... Ok, the screenshots are from Kodi (had no MP screenshots handy), but MP can look nearly the same and uses the same .nfo and graphics.
     

    TVWatcher

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    January 9, 2020
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    From the perspective of a WMC user, a possible killer feature of MP2 is its WMC-like skin, which gives you the impression of using the former Windows MediaCenter itself.
    It was a great relief to discover this as it enabled me to use (nearly) all of MP2's features with the mouse, which couldn't be done with the native skin.
    The one, annoying, thing that can't be done with the mouse is to scroll the program guide horizontally. I can page it forward and backwards by 24 hours using the buttons above the guide but the only way I've found to scroll the guide is to come out of full-screen mode, fire up an on-screen keyboard, get it to point at the guide (which sometimes takes a bit of fiddling) and then use the left and right arrow keys. This is a right pain. Will the ability to scroll the guide be in a very imminent release?
     

    HTPCSourcer

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    The one, annoying, thing that can't be done with the mouse is to scroll the program guide horizontally.
    Indeed! I just looked at it and was surprised that moving the mouse to the right border in the guide would not scroll the content in WMC. @ge2301 may be able to fix this.
     

    ge2301

    Lead Design MP2
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  • January 11, 2014
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    Indeed! I just looked at it and was surprised that moving the mouse to the right border in the guide would not scroll the content in WMC. @ge2301 may be able to fix this.
    This would demand major changes in the SlimTVModel behind, it's not something that can be achieved in in skin (in xaml language). I actually wanted it with navigation arrows as in WMC, but nobody took the challenge, so I guess it's still the same ;)
     

    henso

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  • February 16, 2012
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    I actually wanted it with navigation arrows as in WMC, but nobody took the challenge, so I guess it's still the same
    Can't you just create a button that calls the command like the key binding does?
    Code:
    <KeyBinding Key="Fwd" Command="{Command Path=ScrollForward1Screen}"/>
    Or do you need a smaller interval? That could be easily added with a few lines of code.
     

    ge2301

    Lead Design MP2
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  • January 11, 2014
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    Can't you just create a button that calls the command like the key binding does?
    Code:
    <KeyBinding Key="Fwd" Command="{Command Path=ScrollForward1Screen}"/>
    Or do you need a smaller interval? That could be easily added with a few lines of code.
    It’s more complicated, it would need the same behaviour as if you scroll with the right/left arrows. The scrolling is based on content focused, means if a larger EPG cell is going to receive the focus it scrolls further than in case of a small EPG cell. It’s not scrolling just with a fix offset.
     

    ge2301

    Lead Design MP2
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  • January 11, 2014
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    But wouldn't a fixed offset be enough for @TVWatcher?
    Could you by default set it to an increment (e.g. half of the regular increment in settings). You could also add it for a full increment and see. Currently I do not use TV and have no feeling about it.
     

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