What's the best way to get metadata these days

[heatvent]

I have noticed in the v7 plugins both a Phoenix Core Services and an Ortus Core Services plugins. I believe these both fetch metadata, coverart, etc.. There is also BMT and the separate app MyMovies. What confuses me is do these all do the same things, have different features, one work better than another, etc.? If there is anyone knowledgeable about all of the options, it would be great to see a summary from 10,000 feet.

Thanks!

[Fuzzy]

BMT is really the only thing that is complete at this point (That's the Phoenix API you see). Ortus has a lot of the same capabilities, but I don't believe it is really finished yet. (It's only in the repository because some of the API's are used by other plugins, like the Movie Trailers one).

[PLUCKYHD]

It as all a preference on what you want out of it each has their plus and minuses. Bmt is a good option. Ortus is a good option. Mymovies is a good option. It is really about picking the interfaces you like and using their scraper all 3 have screenshots/videos of what they are offering. Some offer data others don't really tryin each I the best way to decide IMHO .

[heatvent]

So if I want to use MyMovies Collection program to externally manage my coverart/etc. Is there a way to use the same data in Sage? Which plugin would let me do that and do you know where I can find instructions.

[PLUCKYHD]

Yes in the mymovies collection manager you can set it to export the properties files and that will import the data into the default video library.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by heatvent

I have noticed in the v7 plugins both a Phoenix Core Services and an Ortus Core Services plugins. I believe these both fetch metadata, coverart, etc.. There is also BMT and the separate app MyMovies. What confuses me is do these all do the same things, have different features, one work better than another, etc.? If there is anyone knowledgeable about all of the options, it would be great to see a summary from 10,000 feet.

Thanks!

I think the real question would be how hands on you want to be with the metadata/fanart process. If you want something that will manage your collection and allow you to interact with outside of sage, then I think MyMovies would be your best option (although I've never used it personally, so it's just speculation on my part).

If you want something that will automatically fetch metadata and fanart in real time as you add new media to your library, then personally, I think bmt is your best option. BMT supports multiple locations, imdb, mymovies, tvdb, etc, but it's best strength is probably it's scanning/matching engine. BMT uses multiple algorithms to provide matches, and it's not just a simple string match on a title, which results in higher hit rates, BUT it could also result in some false positives

While I wrote bmt to be more of a hands off approach to metadata/fanart, I still built a crude and simple web ui that allows for some manual editing of metadata/fanart, but to be honest, I don't use the web ui very often myself.

[PLUCKYHD]

To be fair mymovies is pretty hands off and automatic as well it auto
Monitors folders and adds and removes movies as the folder structure changes.

Mymovies biggest downside is no tv support so in this aspect it fails. Supposedly tv support is coming.

But as for hands on or off I never rarely have to touch bmt or mymovies or ortus they all have really good algorithms for matching and are automatic.

Cheers

[stuckless]

Sorry Plucky... wasn't trying to dis mymovies

I was more meaning that bmt works directly with the sagetv database to write information in real time. I don't use any 3rd party plugins for displaying metadata/fanart so writing directly to the sagetv database is an import thing for me, and for bmt, since it allows the default stv to utilize the metadata without the need for other stv plugins.

There are lots of metadata/fanart options now, which is good thing. With Ortus and SMM in the mix, it means that I get fewer complaints, and support requests

[PLUCKYHD]

I know you weren't and mymovies is far from perfect believe me. I have yet to find the perfect solution, but like you said options are a good thing.

PS you can have some of my support request if you want some more

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

To be fair mymovies is pretty hands off and automatic as well it auto
Monitors folders and adds and removes movies as the folder structure changes.

Except for when it clobbers your naming

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Except for when it clobbers your naming

That is true of all meta data fetchers that I use Your naming is key.

[Mark SS]

I use both SMM and BMT. BMT covers recorded TV and Movies but more importantly the library of ripped TV series. SMM provides an excellent user interface for both the online and offline movies.

The two together covers all bases, very well. Hats off to both of you!

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

That is true of all meta data fetchers that I use Your naming is key.

Yeah, but MM just seems to hate mine. Even with Strict monitoring, it will take every disc for a season and name it the same

It's kind of surprising/baffling considering everything is "well named" at least 'well' in the sense that it matches what DVD Profiler calls it.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Yeah, but MM just seems to hate mine. Even with Strict monitoring, it will take every disc for a season and name it the same

It's kind of surprising/baffling considering everything is "well named" at least 'well' in the sense that it matches what DVD Profiler calls it.

That is because it isn't made for tv I think this has been said again and again so I don't know why it would suprise you that it doesn't work well with tv it does mine that are full disc rips by putting each season as it's own title and putting the discs under that but you have to have them named right for that or do t manually.

[stanger89]

Mine are full disc rips (I haven't really gone after ripping individual episodes in force yet). Every one of them I found (manually) in the database by UPC (I did have to look a couple up by title). I do give it a pass on a couple because it named discs 2/3 for example of a set that was one SKU. But the ones I'm complaining about are the ones that were say 7 discs, 7 UPCs, I had them named per disc (right volume/disk number per DVD Pro/the disc cover) and MM decided they were all Volume 2. Actually what really bugged me was that it named them wrong even though I had monitoring set to strict. Strick apparently isn't as strict as they let on. It's like having Star Wars I-VI and it decided they were all Episode II, that's basically what happened to me.

[PLUCKYHD]

Did it not put each seasons disc under the one season title? That is what it should have done. The only tv show I have ripped that way is friends but I didn't have any issue with it.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Did it not put each seasons disc under the one season title? That is what it should have done. The only tv show I have ripped that way is friends but I didn't have any issue with it.

Yeah, but I ended up with like 5 "Volume 2"s, weird.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Yeah, but I ended up with like 5 "Volume 2"s, weird.

Yeah that sucks. All the parsing and such is beyond me I am not even going to try to act like I get what any of the metadata fetchers do in their parsing algorithms, none the less I would be bitching at mymovies (CM) if it is matching that bad for sure

[gabe1475]

For someone that does not know alot about metadata. Which programs do I need to download for this to be automatic. I see so many programs on v7 I am not sure which one I need. I see many plugins named here, but some show up in several different plugin titles and again not sure what I need. If there is a forum that gives some direction will be happy with a link. Thanks in advance for any help.

[PLUCKYHD]

If you want to use bmt check out the bmt subforum for wiki links under the old customization forum

If you want to use mymovies check out the subforum under this forum there is also stickies there with wiki links.