Xbmc
The current version of Media Center Master is 2.14.
Version 1.32 has been used for many the examples in the wiki, so beware that some of the options may be expanded or look different than various screen shots.
Official/Unofficial Wiki Pages Most of the content on the wiki was written by fans and users like yourself. If a page is marked as Official, then the content was written with official information (usually by the software author).
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Media Center Master |
| A Free Meta-Data and Media Organization Solution |
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Contents
There are four (4) common issues that will come up during a set-up of XBMC by users who also use Media Center Master.
- The first issue is to use the XBMC settings tab in Media Center Master. These settings should be set according to your folder/file structure and the skin chosen for visualization, and Media Center Master should be used to scan your collection before it is added into XBMC.
- The second issue will come about after setting the scan folders for your collection. Here it is required to set the contents of the folder by selecting a meta-data fetcher. In that Media Center Master has already fetched meta-data and images, simply disconnect the internet from your computer during the initial set-up/scanning of collection folders. This will force XBMC to use the .nfo files and image files you acquired with Media Center Master. After the collection is scanned into XBMC, reconnect the internet connection for Add-ons/scripts, weather data, and other stuff.
- The third issue is using the actors/crew member images collected with Media Center Master. XBMC wants them in the individual movie/tv show folders. Media Center Master has a setting for all of the images to be downloaded into one folder. This has been addressed through the forums and is, already, listed in the Issue Tracker, Issue 780: Ability to use existing Actor images from MCM/MB with XBMC. Should you, also, wish to have a feature like this in Media Center Master, please visit the link and star it for priority consideration (sign in and click on the star next to the issue tracking number).
- The fourth issue is XBMC has a feature to click an icon and view Movie Theatrical Trailers from a movie title page. The trailer can be viewed from an on line source or from locally stored trailers. XBMC requires locally stored trailer files to be named in a specific manner and be saved in the movie folder. A "Premium Version" of Media Center Master is required for downloading, renaming and parsing trailer files for use in XBMC.
Preparing to Practice Installing XBMC
A few practice set-ups of XBMC should be preformed with scan/source folders only containing a few titles of movies and/or tv series episodes. This is suggested for three reasons:
- Because one of the Settings & Preferences "XBMC" tab options deals with skin selection. There are several to choose from, and each one has it's own special characteristics. Be aware that some add-ons are skin specific, will only work in certain skins. The BackRow and Transparency! skins are favored over the others, by this writer. Pete uses the BackRow skin. When a user is setting up XBMC for the first time, the user does not know what skin he/she will be using. After a skin is chosen that satisfies the users preferences, then the user is able to determine whether or not to use this one option. Not until after determining the setting of this option can Media Center Master process and prepare a complete media collection for XBMC.
- Just to get started, leaving room for error correction, less time consumption for the learn process, by reducing the rescanning time of scan/source folders. XBMC is not designed to be user friendly, right out of the package for a new comer. There is no doubt in this writer's mind, it is a given, a known fact by every XBMC main household user/installer, that a new user will be redoing settings, installing/disabling/uninstalling skins, installing/disabling/uninstalling add-ons and scripts. Ultimately in time uninstalling and re-installing XBMC more than one, two, three, four... or, maybe, more times. Thank you, Team XBMC, for a fast installer, and uninstaller.
- Attempting to avoid a big mess going into more, and more, and more information, deeper subject matter than just a quick set-up by involving additional options available in Media Center Master to change, re-do, or un-do XBMC settings after media titles have been processed by Media Center Master.
Media Center Master's "XBMC" Tab Settings
These settings are set according to your folder/file structure and for the skin chosen.
- "Create XBMC-compatible movie.nfo meta data"
- Enable this option if your movie files are in separate folders. You will, also, need to enable the "Use folder names for lookups" option when you set-up your movie scan/source folder in XBMC. This is not a concern with tv series in that they are required to be in separate folders.
- This option will create a movie.nfo file for movies and a tvshow.nfo file for tv series from the default .xml file Media Center Master creates with the scrapped meta-data acquired from it's fetchers.
- "Resize posters to banner size for T.V. shows (some XBMC skins need this; a backup will be made)"
- Pay attention to your skin's images to determine selection.
- "Create movie.tbn artwork from poster.jpg"
- This option is set enabled as a default during Media Center Master installation. The .tbn extension is required for images in XBMC.
- "Use [video filename].nfo/.tbn modern style naming"
- Enable this option if your movie files are all in one folder. There is no need to enable the "Use folder names for lookups" option when you set-up your movie scan/source folder in XBMC with this option.
- This option will create video filename.nfo/.tbn files for movies from the default .xml file mcm creates with the scrapped meta-data acquired from the fetchers.
- Tvshow.nfo for tv series will be created automatically in that they are required to be in separate folders.
XBMC Quick Start Guide
Use the quick set-up instructions on the XBMC website to configure XBMC v10.1.
Basics of How XBMC Works With Media Center Master's Meta-Data and Image Files
XBMC is designed to uses an .nfo file, if found, first, if not, then XBMC uses it's fetcher sources. For some unknown reason, to this writer, a large collection on the first scan can take what seems to be forever, even if you have the required .nfo files while connected to the internet.
During the initial first scan/s with out the internet,
XBMC will acquire meta-data from your .nfo files. This data will be entered into XBMC's database along with thumbnails of any images. XBMC will not create any extra files or folders in the movie and/or tv series scan/source folders.
xbmc is suppose to uses an .nfo file, if found, first. if xbmc does not find an .nfo, it then uses the fetchers. for some reason, of which i do not know, with large collections (i have over 4,200 movies, 265 tv series with over 12,000 episodes ) the first scan takes forever, even if you have .nfo files while connected to the internet. i have just avoided the problem by disconnecting the internet before i do my first scans.
Scan for New Content/Update Library
"Scan for new content" and "Update library" do the same things just in a different manner. In that Media Center Maste was used for scraping before adding media to XBMC, "Scan for new content" and "Update library" should bring new content into your library whether you are connected to the internet or not, if mcm is set correctly to provided it.
Users can refresh the XBMC's database several different ways. Here are a few methods to get started:
Update Library Runs through the complete collection and compares it's finding with the database. Checks for any new video, image, and meta-data files that have been added and rescans those folders.
Update Library on Startup does the same as update library, just does it automatically at startup.
Scan for New Content Scans source folders (located through Home page>Video>TV Series and/or Movies - whatever you named them), or individual tv series, that you have highlighted for a scan for new content (i.e. the same as "Update Library" but it is restricted to this one folder/source).
the above two options are found through the context menu (right click, or "c" on keyboard).