[Question] Missing movie-covers in webmediaportal (1 Viewer)

[BuzzD]

Hi,
I've installed MPextended on my Server. I also have a client with all the databases (movingpictures, MyTVSeries).
Since the client is not running all the time, I'm copying the entire Folder with the Program Data to the server (with a sync-tool).
I changed the paths in the config of MPExtended to the new location on the server. Everything works fine except the covers for moving pictures. The Movies are shown allright, downloading and streaming works as well. But no covers.
In MyTVSeries I can change the path for fanart etc. But in Moving pictures, there's no such option. I think that's why it doesn't work. Can I change the path in a config file?

 

[Oxan]

Are the thumbnails for MovingPictures on a different location on the server than on the client?

If so, that's not supported. MovingPictures stubbornly puts the full path to the thumbnails in its database, instead of only the path in the thumbs directory like MP-TVSeries does. I'm afraid we can't fix this, but instead the MovingPictures developers need to change it.

 

[BuzzD]

I changed the paths in the settings to the server location. but it still doesn't work.
I changed it to the server path. Maybe changing it to the mapped drive with a drive letter instead of a networkpath will work. I will try that later.
Thankks!

 

[BuzzD]

I see, it is not enough to change the path, all the thumbs have to be reloaded.

 

[Oxan]

Does it work now?

 

[BuzzD]

Kind of. I deleted all thumbs and posters and moving pictures downloaded them to the new destination on the server. So it works. I still seem to keep loosing Posters that lateron reappaer magically. But I think, that has something to do with my sync-settings.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I realize this is an old thread, but I just installed WebMediaPortal last night for the first time and ran into this exact same issue.

Here's a workaround if you are using MediaPortal clients with a "true" server (i.e. no MediaPortal client usage on the server itself): if you are running your server on Windows Vista or later (or Windows Server 2008 or later) you can use a symbolic link to "fool" MovingPictures.

In my setup, I have a dedicated Windows 8.1 x64 server and two dedicated Windows 7 x64 clients. In addition to the recorded TV share (\\TVSERVER\Recorded TV) and timeshift buffer share (\\TVSERVER\Timeshift), my server also exports a data synchronization share (\\TVSERVER\Shared Data). I use the latter along with MPSync to keep databases and fanart in sync amongst my clients and WebMediaPortal. So, for example, there is a \\TVSERVER\Shared Data\Thumbs folder. On the server all of these things are actually stored on drive T: (e.g. T:\Shared Data\Thumbs).

As noted in this thread, there is no way I've found to specify the thumbs folder for MovingPictures, just the database path. But the only place this is an issue for me is for WebMediaPortal on the server, as the thumbs folder is not in it's "normal" C: path because I don't use the MediaPortal client on the server -- it is a dedicated server. Thumbs sharing works properly amongst the clients, and it bothered me to have to copy the thumbs to the "normal" C: path on the server when all of the thumbs were already present on the server on T:.

So on the server (only!), I created a symbolic link on the C: drive that points to the thumbs folder on the T: drive...

• Open a Command Prompt with Run As administrator privilege elevation
  
• C:
• cd "C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal"
• mkdir MediaPortal <---- this did not previously exist because it is a server-only install
• cd MediaPortal
• mklink /d Thumbs "T:\Shared Data\Thumbs"
• restart the WebMediaPortal web services

Unlike traditional Windows shortcuts, symbolic links look like "real" files and folders to applications. So when MovingPictures goes to the hardcoded path "C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\Thumbs", it actually is going to "T:\Shared Data\Thumbs" and it doesn't know the difference.

In the mklink command line, you should obviously substitute the path where you actually store your thumbnails. This can be a filesystem path on the server (as in my example) or even a UNC path if you store your thumbs in a completely different network share (e.g. \\MyNASBox\MPData\Thumbs or some such).


CD