Unified Media Manager (a Team Project), who here wants to help code this new project? (1 Viewer)

[Gamester17]

There is a few folks that make some of the current desktop media management software tools for XBMC Media Center that have expressed an interest in doing a unified media manager tool for desktop use that would be available as a new larger open source project with many contributing developers attached to it, coded in .NET framework using Mono to be cross-platform so that it can be used on Mac, Linux, and Windows, (to compete with commercial offerings like My Movies 2 and DVD Profiler). This "Unified Media Manager" would be compatible with not only XBMC but Boxee and Plex as well, and possible also MeediOS and MediaPortal if any coders join who use those join this project.

Overview of what I think would be good requirements:
Visual Studio (.NET 2.0) and [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MonoDevelop"]MonoDevelop (GTK# has also been mentioned)
Mono[/URL] compatible for cross-platform
Modular code/library design
Separating the 'core' from the interface(s) with a well documented API so that also others can write third-party interfaces for the 'core'
Multiple Interfaces Views available from the main GUI (Basic, Advanced, Everything)
Re-using XBMC scraper code and RegEx/XML scraper files 'as is' by default
Coded from scratch (although a lot of functions can be re-written based off current apps)
Direct tie in to XBMC's SQLite database
Dynamic media reading (once a path is entered the app takes care of the rest, without or with minimal user intervention to add/update/remove/change any parts)

Media Types:
Movies
TV Shows
Home Videos
Music Videos
Music
Games
Emulators (Arcade ROMS)

Cool Ideas:
ASP.NET would be awesome for a WebGUI that is cross-platform

List of developers who volunteered to possibly help out with for this project so far:
fekker (original developer of Media Info Plus media manager)
mafis90 (original developer of iMedia media manager)
Nicezia (XML scraper framework and API)
Montellese
redtapemedia (graphics, photoshop, logos, GUI mockups, etc. non-programmer)

If you are a .NET developer that might be interested in contributing to this joint venture then checkout:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50388

"Unified Media Manager" - one media manager to rule them all

 

[tourettes]

500 - Internal Server Error

Seems that XBMC guys have something against me

Idea is pretty nice one, but "Direct tie in to XBMC's SQLite database" sounds like a artificial limitation to me, or is it the business idea behind the application? i.e. to allow other applications to benefit as good features as XBMC is able to benefit.

For example Meedio & MeediOS have really customizable media library (with custom tags etc.), how would the Unified Media Manager work on such situation where user wants to add what ever extra metadata to the media items? Would using XBMC's limitations block this? If yes then it would be much more beneficial to other open source projects if Unified Media Manager's database wouldn't use XBMC style database, but much more flexible approach (maybe even borrow the code directly from MeediOS project, after all it is open source ) and then write adapters to push the data to MediaPortal, MeediOS, Meedio & XBMC direction. Those adapters would then take care of the "target platform" limitations in media handling.

As we all know, Meedio / MeediOS is miles ahead in the Media Library side (but lacking on many other aspects ) when it comes to XBMC (or even MediaPortal). MPII will close the Media Library gap between Meedio / MeediOS and MediaPortal so that's why I'm really interested in the limitations that XBMC's media management might bring to such project.

 

[ryan20021982]

Not a programmer or anything but wanted to say if this is truly going to be totally open to all media center type programs then awesome, I hope it works out and you find some more help. But like as said above if its going to be limited by a specific program what you can do then not to sure about it.

Good luck though

 

[Gamester17]

500 - Internal Server Error

Seems that XBMC guys have something against me

We just release XBMC Meda Center 9.04 point release so the server is a bit overloaded at the moment.

Idea is pretty nice one, but "Direct tie in to XBMC's SQLite database" sounds like a artificial limitation to me, or is it the business idea behind the application? i.e. to allow other applications to benefit as good features as XBMC is able to benefit.

That is just one idea but not the main function nor something that is likely to be added first. Their idea is that this media manager will foremost be a standalone desktop application to manage your media files, meaning renaming them, tagging them with metadata, and adding posters and other artwork for them, all and all sorting and presenting your files/folder while giving you easy access to edit that metadata, ...managing your files properly then could be of benefit any media center application, (whether it be XBMC, MediaPortal, MeediOS, Elisa, MythTV, and even appliance boxes such Popcorn Hour and Tvix).

For example Meedio & MeediOS have really customizable media library (with custom tags etc.), how would the Unified Media Manager work on such situation where user wants to add what ever extra metadata to the media items?

XBMc does too, and others, including Team-XBMC's own developers, have already asked and answered all those question in the forum topic thread that I linked to, see => Unified Media Manager (a Team Project), who here wants to help code this new project? - XBMC Community Forum

...but to sum up; XBMC, MediaPortal, MeediOS are all designed with a 10-feet user interface which is meant to be controlled with a remote from the couch/sofa in your living-room, so manually editing tags and metadata of your media library with a remote from the couch when sitting 10-feet away from the display is not ideas. This "Unified Media Manager is designed to be a desktop application that is meant to be used with keyboard and mouse 2-feet away from your computer monitor and thus have an interface to suit those needs, making it very easy to comfortably edit the metadata of your media collection library with keyboard and mouse from a computer, then sharing/transfering that metadata to your media center that sits in the living-room.

You also have to understand that a desktop media management tool is not for all; XBMC/MediaPortal/MeediOS are all design to try to automatically collect as much metadata and artwork without the interaction of the user, ...so a desktop media management tool is really meant for those who are very picky about the presentation of their media collection library and for those who easily want to edit the metadata and artwork that got download, as well as for those who want to add metadata and artwork to files such as home movies and other media that XBMC/MediaPortal/MeediOS will not be able to automatically download such things from the internet.

Note! This "Unified Media Manager" project is not from Team-XBMC nor even official an XBMC endorsed project, it is a third-party project by people who have a common goal of perfecting their metadata/artwork and making it easier for others to manage their media files, ...the only reason that XBMC is mentioned so much is that the people who first initiated the discussion about creating a "Unified Media Manager" project are XBMC users as well as developers of third-party media management software tools designed to be compatible with XBMC. If people who are developers and also MediaPortal/MeediOS users also join this project (or even just join in the discussion about the project concept) then this application could truly be made into a unified media manager that is compatible with not only XBMC but MediaPortal/MeediOS as well, or even other media center software or appliances out there. So far this project is only a paper theory exercise but it might turn into something big if enough developers join, ...so if you want to have an input and make your voice heard on this concept then now is the time.

PS! Please try to refrain from continuing this discussion here, instead go to => Unified Media Manager (a Team Project), who here wants to help code this new project? - XBMC Community Forum

Thanks for listening!