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[Lot of ideas for future versions] Limiting export to some shares

How-To and general support for the CMC Metadata Exporter (CME) which exports My Movies data via the My Movies API.
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Manni
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[Lot of ideas for future versions] Limiting export to some shares

Post by Manni » Sat May 25, 2019 3:51 am

Hi Paul,

I thought I'd post these questions here, feel free to move these elsewhere if it's not the right place.

I've looked at the new CME in 2.2, and I have a few questions.

1) I thought initially that it would only export data for the shares selected in the CMC config, but I guess that's difficult to do. However I don't want to generate that many files for all my shares. Is there a way to restrict the metadata exporting to some network shares and ignore others?

2) I don't really feel comfortable generating that many files everywhere in my folder structures, including within the disc structure itself (I use BD folders to rip my titles). The structured option helps, but it still stores a lot of data in the disc structure itself, which I prefer to avoid. Would it be possible to have an option to store all the info in the series/seasons folder, and nothing in the disc structure itself?

3) It's a shame that the direct API approach was too slow. I guess that your approach makes more sense if one isn't using the MCE/MM plugin at all, but for a user who still does, it's a lot of unnecessary files.

4) Some titles are detected as TV Series when they aren't. For example, a collection of Wallace and Grommit short films. All my TV Series are in dedicated TV Series shares. That's why I'd like the ability to restrict the metadata exporting to some shares.

5) Some metadata is exported even if a series isn't present. For example, if a Season 0 exists in the series, metadata for it will be exported in the Series 1 folder, but there is no need as it's not present/ripped in the collection.

Thanks,

Manni

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Pauven
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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Pauven » Sun May 26, 2019 9:16 am

Manni wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 3:51 am 1) I thought initially that it would only export data for the shares selected in the CMC config, but I guess that's difficult to do. However I don't want to generate that many files for all my shares. Is there a way to restrict the metadata exporting to some network shares and ignore others?
You're not alone in your expectation that the export would work similarly to the CMC scanning, but it really is a totally different animal. The export is essentially a full dump of all metadata from My Movies, regardless of where it lives, and the API doesn't have the concept of CMC sync folders.

That said, I believe I can help. I will add a setting to restrict the export to only paths that are listed in the "mmMovieID.txt & Watched/Unwatched Status Sync" section (lower left of Settings screen). That should give you the control you desire.

In the mean time, if you want to do a little testing, you can use the "Only Export Titles with Name containing" field (in the Export Testing Tools), to filter on a single title - i.e. "game of thrones" will get you just a single series. That way you can see the benefit of all the metadata being exported.

Manni wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 3:51 am 2) I don't really feel comfortable generating that many files everywhere in my folder structures, including within the disc structure itself (I use BD folders to rip my titles). The structured option helps, but it still stores a lot of data in the disc structure itself, which I prefer to avoid. Would it be possible to have an option to store all the info in the series/seasons folder, and nothing in the disc structure itself?
I'm not really sure what to say to this. Binnerup already writes many of these files to those locations, so if you have concerns about metadata files being written there, maybe you shouldn't be using My Movies.

I do include the "Metadata Cleanup" tool (lower-right on the Settings screen) that will easily delete all of the XML files that CME creates. The only exception is that I haven't added an option to delete jpg files, though I suppose I can add that if someone really wants it. So if you try it and decide you don't like it, removing the XML files is super easy.

And while CMC doesn't care if it finds the mmSeries.xml and Season artwork in the disc structure folder or the Series/Season folders, the mmTitle.xml and mmEpisode.xml files have to stay where the content is located for it to work properly. Notice that the mmTitle.xml is written to the same location that the mymovies.xml file is written by Binnerup.

Manni wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 3:51 am 3) It's a shame that the direct API approach was too slow. I guess that your approach makes more sense if one isn't using the MCE/MM plugin at all, but for a user who still does, it's a lot of unnecessary files.
While I can't prove it, I'm fairly confident that WMC/MM plugin does not use the API. There are some features, like the ability to see cast & crew details, that just don't exist at all in the API. So if they don't use the API, how do they do it? My guess is direct DB access, something Binnerup would never give to an external company. Or perhaps they use a hybrid approach, part API and part direct DB.

I can't argue with the fact that WMC doesn't require any of these files. But for all other media browsers, Plex/Emby/XBMC/<other 4 letter names here>, you have to have metadata files in order to have a rich browsing experience.

And here is what sets CMC Metadata Exporter apart - the metadata exported by My Movies suuuuuucks by comparison to what CME is able to export, especially for TV Series. What CME is exporting is exactly what Binnerup should have been doing with My Movies all along. So if you want a nice TV Series browser for your My Movies collection, without using WMC, this is really the only option.

Now, all that said, this is most likely not the only solution I will be providing. It makes sense to me that, at some point in the future, I could have the Metadata Exporter write directly to the CMC Movie DB file, instead of to individual metadata files. Think of it as more of a true background sync solution. It would query the API, export changes directly to CMC_MovieDB.xml, and export artwork directly to the CMC artwork caching folder. Nothing would be written to your shares, they wouldn't even have to be online, and the next time you start CMC, it loads the CMC_MovieDB.xml file with all of the current titles - no sync required. I think this type of solution would be well suited to a user like you, since you have a lot of media stored on sleeping servers, and also are hesitant to have metadata written to your media folders.

Manni wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 3:51 am 4) Some titles are detected as TV Series when they aren't. For example, a collection of Wallace and Grommit short films. All my TV Series are in dedicated TV Series shares. That's why I'd like the ability to restrict the metadata exporting to some shares.
Look again in My Movies Collection Management, you should find that the title is misconfigured there.

Manni wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 3:51 am 5) Some metadata is exported even if a series isn't present. For example, if a Season 0 exists in the series, metadata for it will be exported in the Series 1 folder, but there is no need as it's not present/ripped in the collection.
CME only exports what is configured in My Movies. If you are getting Season 0 titles, it is because you or someone else mapped an episode on a disc to Season 0.
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Jamie
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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Jamie » Sun May 26, 2019 4:32 pm

Pauven wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 9:16 am It makes sense to me that, at some point in the future, I could have the Metadata Exporter write directly to the CMC Movie DB file, instead of to individual metadata files. Think of it as more of a true background sync solution. It would query the API, export changes directly to CMC_MovieDB.xml, and export artwork directly to the CMC artwork caching folder. Nothing would be written to your shares, they wouldn't even have to be online, and the next time you start CMC, it loads the CMC_MovieDB.xml file with all of the current titles - no sync required.
Paul, that would be awesome!!! I have a feeling that it would be an extensive upgrade like 2.2 but it would make a cleaner CMC.

Manni, I agree with Paul that the MM plugin for WMC has to be using direct DB access.

1. AS Paul noted in his CME documentation there are a lot of holes and bugs in the API that the plugin does not have.

2. My James Bond Collection takes over a minute for the API to collect the data. The plugin does not have that issue. If you were Binnerup who has direct access to the DB would you use a slow and buggy API or go directly to the data? Binnerup has been inquired by other MM forum members in the past to give them access and he totally refuses to give up DB access. The only way to get access to the data if you're a third party developer is through the MM metadata which Kodi, Jriver, and others including Paul have done, or use the API. It seems Paul is the only person to try to use the API in order to get more robust movie data especially TV series data. If you try to set up a TV series using the metadata method it is quite a lot of effort that you have to go through compared to using the CME.

Paul has approached Brian to try to get him to improve the API and fix the bugs and provide missing crew and cast member data, but Brian has been slow to respond.

Paul should be commended for his efforts. He has made great hurdles in improving CMC in the last 1 1/2 years since he first advertised MM_Browser in the MM forum. MM_Browser was the original name of CMC. During that time Brian's crew at MM has yet to complete a new version of fixes to Mymovies for Windows. What Brian has currently released is a beta version of MM for windows and that beta has not been updated since February.

Paul has released a large number of big updates to the original MM_Browser and now CMC during the last 1 1/2 years. Paul is much more responsive to his user's needs and I bet he will employ a lot of features that you have requested too. He does this for practically nothing and all the license fees for CMC are spent keeping his servers running and paying for the software licenses he has to pay for in order to develop CMC.

Manni, please don't think I am calling you out in this post. I am just trying to give you some background on where CMC came from and some of the hassles Paul has had to overcome to get this product out. It just takes a little time and some patience.

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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Pauven » Sun May 26, 2019 6:12 pm

Jamie wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 4:32 pm
Pauven wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 9:16 am It makes sense to me that, at some point in the future, I could have the Metadata Exporter write directly to the CMC Movie DB file, instead of to individual metadata files. Think of it as more of a true background sync solution. It would query the API, export changes directly to CMC_MovieDB.xml, and export artwork directly to the CMC artwork caching folder. Nothing would be written to your shares, they wouldn't even have to be online, and the next time you start CMC, it loads the CMC_MovieDB.xml file with all of the current titles - no sync required.
Paul, that would be awesome!!! I have a feeling that it would be an extensive upgrade like 2.2 but it would make a cleaner CMC.

Technically I don't think I would even have to touch CMC. All the logic would be in the Metadata Exporter. CMC would simply load the database file not knowing that it was updated by another program.

All of the XML parsing code already exists in CMC, I would just have to port it over to CME, do the parsing there, then save the DB.

It won't work for everybody or every use case. For example, I have a user that copies movies onto a portable hard drive that his daughter takes to college. Every time she comes home, he swaps out the movies for new stuff for her to watch. He's got thousands of movies, but might only put a couple dozen movies on the HD at a time, and CMC creates the local DB based upon the movies currently on the HD. Having CME create a full DB file with thousands of movies won't work when you only have a couple dozen available. So that user still needs the metadata files in the movie folders, so that CMC can adapt to the content on the drive.

But yeah, if I modify CME to update the DB directly, then you get the absolute best of both worlds - elimination of the CMC Sync, while maintaining lightning fast CMC response.
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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Manni » Mon May 27, 2019 4:55 am

Thanks Paul.

I don't like MyMovies writing in my disc structure either, which is why I'd like to limit this, but I understand it's not necessarily possible. The big difference is that MyMovies only writes in the BDMV folder. My understanding is that CME writes files in other places too, but as I haven't run a real test yet I haven't been able to check for this. It's not a dealbreaker, it's only more files in my disc structure.

If you could at some point export directly to a CMC database, that would be great.

Thanks for allowing to restrict export to specific shares in a future version in the meantime, looking forward to it. I don't mind trying this export with a few titles, I don't want to write all these files in all my servers for that many titles (even limiting to TV Series only).

Jamie, you might have missed my other thread in the main forum, there is absolutely no need to defend Paul (or attack Brian).

I am very aware of the work Paul does, and I appreciate how he listens to his users.

I also have a close relationship with Brian, with whom I recently worked on bridge support for the Oppo 203 in 5.25. So I might have contributed to the delay in getting 5.25 out of beta. Apologies for that!

I understand that there are technical limitations with the API, and that MM has an edge regarding accessing its own data. It's Brian's prerogative to decide how he wants to protect his IP. MyMovies for Windows isn't the main revenue source for Binnerup, so the development time they dedicate to MyMovies for Windows reflect that. It's frustrating to us users, especially compared to a few years ago, but the market has changed a lot. Very few people are still ripping physical discs and using a HTPC to access them. Unless Binnerup move to a subscription model (something I've suggested to Brian, I'd be happy to pay a yearly fee for MyMovies for Windows), it's not likely to change.

Anyway, I don't see the products as competing with each other, but as complementing each other, so I don't see the need to pick a side. CMC is replacing MCE, not MyMovies. Without MyMovies CM, CMC is nothing.

MCE+MyMovies still works great for me, and does more than CMC currently, so I'm only trying to provide feedback to Paul and see if the software progresses to a point where a switch from MCE becomes possible, which isn't the case yet due to my current needs (especially regarding how offline shares are handled, but Paul is thinking of a way around that).

I'm aware that my needs might be untypical, so this doesn't take anything away from the product or Paul's work. I think Paul understands the spirit of my comments/feedback here, as we've discussed this previously. :)

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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Pauven » Mon May 27, 2019 11:07 am

Manni wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 4:55 am I don't like MyMovies writing in my disc structure either, which is why I'd like to limit this, but I understand it's not necessarily possible. The big difference is that MyMovies only writes in the BDMV folder. My understanding is that CME writes files in other places too, but as I haven't run a real test yet I haven't been able to check for this. It's not a dealbreaker, it's only more files in my disc structure.

CME writing to places that My Movies doesn't write to should not be the case. If you run in a "Test Only" mode, CME tells you where it will write, and you can double-check those locations and verify that mymovies.xml and artwork files have already been written to those same spots. If you see CME writing to a different place, please let me know. The biggest difference is that I've prevented an issue that My Movies has, where it sometimes writes the Series/Season metadata to the wrong folders based upon whether you have an ISO or DVD Folder. CME writes to the correct folders (in Structured mode), as long as you've correctly followed Binnerup's TV Series folder structure guidelines.


Manni wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 4:55 am If you could at some point export directly to a CMC database, that would be great.

I'm picking up on a trend.

So, serious question here: Am I making a mistake releasing CME with only the option to write meta-data files? Do I need to hold off and do more development work to add the option to direct-write to the DB? You know what they say, first impressions are everything, and I'm starting to get the impression CME is making a bad first impression (another user has been emailing me with their troubles using it). Jamie was involved in Alpha testing, and both he and I have had spectacular results with CME. I wasn't expecting the public response I'm seeing (though obviously it's a very small group).

One of my goals with CME was to minimize/eliminate my support of users who struggle to export My Movies metadata. Over the past year and a half, I have spent significantly more time supporting My Movies meta-data export issues than supporting CMC. I hoped by creating my own tool that uses the API and eliminates the common challenges with the My Movies metadata export, that I would minimize my time spent supporting another company's product, leaving me more time to devote to CMC improvements. I know that CME is v1.0 and perhaps a little rough around the edges, but I'm now concerned I might be going in the wrong direction.


Manni wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 4:55 am MCE+MyMovies still works great for me, and does more than CMC currently, so I'm only trying to provide feedback to Paul and see if the software progresses to a point where a switch from MCE becomes possible, which isn't the case yet due to my current needs (especially regarding how offline shares are handled, but Paul is thinking of a way around that).

I know you've probably spelled out everything for me in other posts, but I would find it helpful to have in one spot a bulleted list of missing features that would make CMC a viable WMC replacement for you. I think (hope?) that there is still a significant percentage of My Movies users that are unwilling to adopt CMC and that with the right changes they will start to use CMC. I think metadata headaches has been one of the biggest deterrents, though in general users haven't told me all the reasons why CMC isn't right for them, so I see your feedback as very valuable in understanding what I can do better.
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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Jamie » Mon May 27, 2019 12:20 pm

Manni wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 4:55 am
Unless Binnerup move to a subscription model (something I've suggested to Brian, I'd be happy to pay a yearly fee for MyMovies for Windows), it's not likely to change.

Anyway, I don't see the products as competing with each other, but as complementing each other, so I don't see the need to pick a side. CMC is replacing MCE, not MyMovies. Without MyMovies CM, CMC is nothing.
Hi Manni,

I would not have minded Brian moving to a subscription model several years ago if he had provided something like CMC to replace WMC. Now that I just use the CM, I would be less likely to pay for a subscription unless the price is right. I would not mind a properly priced subscription model which provides support and minor enhancements to the CM.

I have also been a bug in Paul's ear from time to time trying to get him to move to a subscription model. Knowing Paul now and the way he feels about CMC, I don't see that happening though

I mentioned to Brian in an email a few months ago, maybe 6, that he and Paul should corroborate and make a better product for both companies. I know that Brian has many different avenues that he has to support. Android, IOS, Mac... It just seems that windows has fallen by the wayside since MS abandoned WMC. If Brian could only address some of Paul's questions, issues, regarding the API, I think it would be less frustrating to Paul and his CMC users.

Maybe you could be a bug in Brian's ear regarding some of these things??

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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Manni » Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am

Pauven wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 11:07 am CME writing to places that My Movies doesn't write to should not be the case. If you run in a "Test Only" mode, CME tells you where it will write, and you can double-check those locations and verify that mymovies.xml and artwork files have already been written to those same spots. If you see CME writing to a different place, please let me know. The biggest difference is that I've prevented an issue that My Movies has, where it sometimes writes the Series/Season metadata to the wrong folders based upon whether you have an ISO or DVD Folder. CME writes to the correct folders (in Structured mode), as long as you've correctly followed Binnerup's TV Series folder structure guidelines.
There are bugs in MyMovies with file support, especially with ISO and .mkv. Even when using single files, it's recommended to use folder, otherwise the metadata files aren't generated. Maybe that's part of the issue you experienced.

Even if CMC files are in the same location as MyMovies, a big turn off is the sheer number of files.

With MyMovies, you have 4-5 files, most of them in the BDMV folder, and that's it. CMC seems to be generating many files as there are episodes related files as far as I can see. Maybe it's just me, but it starts to look messy, especially when I don't need them with MyMovies/MCE.
Pauven wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 11:07 am So, serious question here: Am I making a mistake releasing CME with only the option to write meta-data files? Do I need to hold off and do more development work to add the option to direct-write to the DB? You know what they say, first impressions are everything, and I'm starting to get the impression CME is making a bad first impression (another user has been emailing me with their troubles using it). Jamie was involved in Alpha testing, and both he and I have had spectacular results with CME. I wasn't expecting the public response I'm seeing (though obviously it's a very small group).

One of my goals with CME was to minimize/eliminate my support of users who struggle to export My Movies metadata. Over the past year and a half, I have spent significantly more time supporting My Movies meta-data export issues than supporting CMC. I hoped by creating my own tool that uses the API and eliminates the common challenges with the My Movies metadata export, that I would minimize my time spent supporting another company's product, leaving me more time to devote to CMC improvements. I know that CME is v1.0 and perhaps a little rough around the edges, but I'm now concerned I might be going in the wrong direction.
Only you can answer this question, I don't know your user base.

To me, it looks like to existing users, like Jamie, who have already left MCE/MM plugin behind, the current implementation is clearly a step in the right direction, so I would release for them, even if it's not the final destination. As you've said, you can easily delete these extra files if you move to a "cleaner" implementation later down the line.

For users like me, who are still using MCE/MM but know there is a ticking clock, I'm not sure it's a positive because it does look complex, with all the extra files and the background sync. Plus it only works if you have all your servers online, which is a dealbreaker for me.
Pauven wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 11:07 am I know you've probably spelled out everything for me in other posts, but I would find it helpful to have in one spot a bulleted list of missing features that would make CMC a viable WMC replacement for you. I think (hope?) that there is still a significant percentage of My Movies users that are unwilling to adopt CMC and that with the right changes they will start to use CMC. I think metadata headaches has been one of the biggest deterrents, though in general users haven't told me all the reasons why CMC isn't right for them, so I see your feedback as very valuable in understanding what I can do better.
I'll try to summarize by order of importance:

A) Dealbreakers:
1) The way offline files are handled in syncs. Titles are deleted when a server/NAS is switched off. That simply kills it for me.
2) TV/Series Episode mapping relying on a background sync with the MM database and generating myriads of unnecessary files. I was expecting the API to access the MyMovies database as and when needed. I understand that the performance issue is not within your control, but having syncs in the background and having to keep all my NASes on isn't an option. It's already a pain to keep MyMovies database clean and up to date with CM, if I have to double this with another utility, it becomes worse. I also don't like having background processes than run scans at times I can't control, because it increases the chances of getting dropped frames and other performances issues, even on a powerful PC. A fast sync when I launch CMC is acceptable if it doesn't take too long, but ideally I'd want a fast, on-demand API access to the existing MM database, or failing this to a centralized CMC database.

B) Things that MCE/MM do and that I'm not willing to give up, hence why I'm still using MCE/MM as a primary front end:
1) MiCasaVerde support for lights control
2) WOL support so that necessary servers can be switched on individually, when needed, on playback of individual titles. I can already use iRule to switch on servers manually, so it's automatic WOL that is needed.
3) Showing TV Series separately from Movies. AFAIK CMC only makes a difference between Movies and Music in the browser.

C) Minor things
1) A title is shown as "watched" even if it has only been played for a few seconds.
2) The browser menu doesn't cycle (if you want to go from far left to far right, you have to press "right" many times, vs a single left)
3) Minor exception errors (for example when pressing "ESC" from the main menu, which is the usual substitute for "EXIT").
4) Lack of mouse support.

With jRiver (my main candidate for MCE replacement until I found out about CMC thanks to Jamie), I already have:
- Support for BD/UHD BD Menus with a very good internal player that supports LAV/madVR (that's a big plus) and emulates perfectly a standalone bluray/UHD Bluray player. This provides support for forced subtitles without having to guess which track is supposed to be correct during ripping, which is a big plus for me.
- Offline titles (as in NAS offline, not on disc) are handled better, they are shown as "offline" with an icon and I only have to switch the NAS on manually (I use iRule and click on a button on my iPad). When the NAS is back online, the title is shown as online (the offline icon disappears) and I can play it. But all my titles remain in the collection unless I delete them, which is the key here.
- The TV Series episodes are not accessible individually, but the BD/ UHD BD Menus mean that I can access them, as well as bonuses etc, very easily. The main thing I lose vs MCE/MM is that jRiver doesn't remember which episode has been played and which hasn't.
- TV Series are called "shows" and movies "videos", similar to "Movies" and "TV Series" in MCE/MM. I like being able to browse these separately.
- There might be WOL support on playback, I haven't had the time to test for this, but that's what I was told by support.

Again, I'm aware that my needs might be specific and not representative of the average user, but as you asked...

The fact that I'm already semi-committed to an MCE replacement with jRiver makes it also more difficult for me to make the jump to CMC if it doesn't bring me features that jRiver doesn't support, especially as I'd lose the big one, which is BD/UHD BD menus support.

Hope this helps! :)

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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Pauven » Tue May 28, 2019 11:03 am

Thank you Manni, it most definitely helps. I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective.

The good news is that nothing on your list sounds unreasonable. With some time and effort, I think all are doable.

I do have some thoughts to share on a few of your items.


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am There are bugs in MyMovies with file support, especially with ISO and .mkv. Even when using single files, it's recommended to use folder, otherwise the metadata files aren't generated. Maybe that's part of the issue you experienced.

Even if CMC files are in the same location as MyMovies, a big turn off is the sheer number of files.

With MyMovies, you have 4-5 files, most of them in the BDMV folder, and that's it. CMC seems to be generating many files as there are episodes related files as far as I can see. Maybe it's just me, but it starts to look messy, especially when I don't need them with MyMovies/MCE.

Yes, that is the bug I was thinking of, with online file vs. online folder.

To be fair, when properly configured, MyMovies will generate a lot more than 4-5 files. It will actually create every one of those episode files, but only if you map the file location on the episode in MMCM, and will generate the Series and Season files if you click the export metadata button while selecting a TV Series or Season in CCMC.

This is something we discovered last year, and I had devised manual methods to force MMCM to export most of these files, which contain all the episode metadata that is otherwise not exported.

Not counting artwork, CME creates the exact same number of files that MMCM creates, but the difference is that CME does it easily, while in MMCM you had to jump through hoops to make it happen. CME will also export all the artwork, most of which isn't exported by MMCM at all, so if you factor in artwork, yes CME produces more files, but these all provide for a richer browsing experience.

And no, I'm not missing your point that you don't want any files, so in that respect MMCM is better because it creates less of what you don't want, which is fine for WMC since it doesn't use the files anyway. And I agree that it looks messy (though I thought I did a real nice job on filenaming/organization). But for users who want to see full TV Series info in CMC, these files are a goldmine of data, a luxury.

And many would ask why you are busy looking up the Audi's sooty exhaust pipe when the leather-clad interior is so nice and inviting... :D And yes, I anticipate your response that "Teslas don't have exhaust pipes..." :lol:


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am 2) TV/Series Episode mapping relying on a background sync with the MM database and generating myriads of unnecessary files. I was expecting the API to access the MyMovies database as and when needed. I understand that the performance issue is not within your control, but having syncs in the background and having to keep all my NASes on isn't an option. It's already a pain to keep MyMovies database clean and up to date with CM, if I have to double this with another utility, it becomes worse. I also don't like having background processes than run scans at times I can't control, because it increases the chances of getting dropped frames and other performances issues, even on a powerful PC. A fast sync when I launch CMC is acceptable if it doesn't take too long, but ideally I'd want a fast, on-demand API access to the existing MM database, or failing this to a centralized CMC database.

Wow, you bundled a lot into that one ;) let me try to cover it all. The files are only unnecessary with WMC. All other external browsers that can leverage your My Movies collection require files, JRiver too. The extra Series and Episode metadata files allow CMC to provide a superior TV Series browsing solution, far better than any other GUI frontend. Yes, I understand the expectation that if CMC used the API, it would be 'just like WMC' and there wouldn't be files at all, but the aforementioned API performance issues derail that possibility. You can thank Microsoft and Binnerup for the way things are going...

Regarding doubling the maintenance effort, I think this is misguided. You still maintain your collection with CCMC. Once you set up CME, it should run automatically in the background, and you shouldn't have to do anything with it. There's no maintenance there, and all those settings are so you can tweak it to your preferences - set them once then forget it. Regarding having background processes that run at times that you can't control... I provide control right in the settings so you can set when this runs. If you would like additional ways to control the schedule - just ask.

Besides, the main scans you are talking about are scans that are against the My Movies API/DB, not your directories. For example, lets say you wake up all your servers, run a full export, then put your archive servers back to sleep, and set CME to run in a Changes Only since the last run. CME will ping the My Movies API on the frequency that you define (i.e. every minute, once a day, etc...) to see if there were any changes to your collection. If there were none, it goes back to sleep until the next set interval. If there was a change, it will export only that change, and requires only the server holding that title to be awake. And once I add in the ability to restrict the API export to only selected shares (should be today), then you can prevent it from trying to write to shares/servers that you like to sleep.

Regarding dropped frames from background syncs at times you can't control, I think you are theorizing a bit too much, and you need more hands on experience with the solution before having these types of concerns. When you start CMC, you don't even have to do a sync. If you do a sync, you can choose either a "SmartSync" or a "Full Sync". On my machine, a Full Sync takes only about 70 seconds for my 1300+ titles. The SmartSync (changes only) takes about 10 seconds. That's it. Even if you have CME running on your My Movies PC, scanning for changes every 1 minute (the fastest possible), that creates zero network traffic unless a change is detected.

Obviously your sleeping servers is a scenario that isn't currently handled correct by CMC, but I will fix that.

A centralized CMC database would actually result in a worse browsing experience, as you would be adding network latency into the equation. CMC is very fast, especially when run from a fast SSD and with Artwork Caching enabled. I've worked extremely hard to make CMC extremely fast, even the Sync. It seems like you are looking for flaws based upon a spec-sheet, and trying to re-engineer CMC based upon your personal ideals, without having fully experienced CMC in day to day operation for an extended period of time.

Sorry if it seems like I am coming off defensive or dismissive - I don't intend to be either of those, but I feel that some of your statements and concerns don't ring true to anyone that's used CMC for more than a few days. I really don't know how you've reached some of your conclusions, but I do challenge you to spend more time with CMC, and see if some of the perceived pain-points don't dissolve into the background.


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am 3) Showing TV Series separately from Movies. AFAIK CMC only makes a difference between Movies and Music in the browser.

I personally don't like how the WMC solution makes you completely change modes just to see TV series. How archaic. Perhaps you have missed the Media Type Filter on the top IconBar, the TV Series only view you are looking for is only a click away. You can also control in the Settings the default Media Type Filter applied upon CMC startup, so if you want to only show Movies or only show TV Series when you start CMC, that is possible.

Media Type Filter.jpg
Media Type Filter.jpg (135.01 KiB) Viewed 37155 times


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am 1) A title is shown as "watched" even if it has only been played for a few seconds.

This can happen if the Runtime for the title is missing or incorrect. By default, CMC requires you to have watched (technically, been away from CMC in the external player, presumably watching...) 85% of the Movie or Episode's runtime. But if that runtime is wrong in MMCM (i.e. 0), then yes CMC will mark the title as watched after only a few seconds.

If you find an instance of CMC marking a title watched after only a few seconds, and the title's runtime is correct (i.e. 19+ minutes for an episode or 80-180 minutes for a movie), then please let me know, that would be a bug.


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am 2) The browser menu doesn't cycle (if you want to go from far left to far right, you have to press "right" many times, vs a single left)

Which one is the browser menu? Is that the top IconBar with the Settings gear icon on the left and the Exit X on the right? If so, personally I like that it doesn't wrap. For example, I can just hold down the Right button and get to Exit without much trouble. But I suppose I could make this an option if that's what you want.


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am 3) Minor exception errors (for example when pressing "ESC" from the main menu, which is the usual substitute for "EXIT").

Okay, you lost me a bit on this one. By "exception errors", do you mean inconveniences? Or are you actually getting an "Exception!" error message? What is the main menu, is it the top IconBar? Are you suggesting that you want the ability to press "Back" while on the IconBar and have it jump to the Exit icon? Or is there a different behavior you would like.

Please be specific - almost anything's possible in code, but I require my users to tell me what they want so I can get it right for them. My mind goes a thousand miles an hour, and can turn your simple statement into twenty different possibilities - it's a weakness of mine that I don't always understand what people are communicating, so I need your help.


Manni wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 7:08 am 4) Lack of mouse support.

Yes, I hear you, and this is coming. When I first wrote MM Browser, I only intended for it to be used with a remote control, as that is how I would use it. My users have made clear my shortsightedness, and I'm working on fixing it. v2.2 addresses most of this, though I've yet to implement touch support for the covers themselves. That will be coming in a future version, but I didn't want to further hold up v2.2 which already has a ton of improvements including touch support for about 90% of the GUI, as adding touch to the covers themselves is going to be a big programming challenge.


Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate the constructive criticism and guidance, and hope you don't take any offense at any of my responses - I'm a matter of fact type of guy and that sometimes (often?) comes off as brash. I try to do better these days, but I often fail with my social skills.

Paul
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Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

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Pauven
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Re: Limiting export to some shares

Post by Pauven » Tue May 28, 2019 11:17 am

I should also say that I've already started brainstorming how to enhance CME to do direct DB writing, completely eliminating the writing of metadata files and scanning of folders to do a sync.

The existing solutions will remain available for those that prefer metadata files and folder scans (which still have many benefits), and direct DB writing will be an optional feature.

This will take some time to program, probably a few months, but it is now on my to-do list. Direct DB writing was actually one of the options I contemplated when looking at how to best implement the My Movies API, and while it was a strong contender, writing metadata files just worked for more users and proved the best possible option for me to go with this first version of CME.
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