Plugin: Phoenix Fanart for SageTV

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Sage's writing to .properties files on metadata changes is also configurable in sage.properties.

update_external_properties_files_on_metadata_changes=false

The problem with turning that off is that at some stage during the 7.1 beta cycle it appears that SageTV implemented a periodic refresh of metadata. If you don't have a .properties file that contains the metadata changes that have occurred since the file was written then the metadata gets reset to it's original values.

Here's the response I got when I queried about the metadata being reset.

Don't disable the option to generate the .properties files; that's the reason this problem is occurring. I'm not surprised at all your metadata is getting reset if you have that option disabled.

John

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

The problem with turning that off is that at some stage during the 7.1 beta cycle it appears that SageTV implemented a periodic refresh of metadata. If you don't have a .properties file that contains the metadata changes that have occurred since the file was written then the metadata gets reset to it's original values.

Here's the response I got when I queried about the metadata being reset.
John

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. I thought that when you're saving metadata via the Sage APIs the metadata are saved automatically into the Wiz.bin (like Web BMT does, I guess, which BTW doesn't generates any .properties file this way) and enabling the Make .properties file is a convenient way to export the metadata just written, so that if you have to move the media into a different drive/directory, for instance, you don't loose the metadata after a Sage media scan.

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by routerunner

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. I thought that when you're saving metadata via the Sage APIs the metadata are saved automatically into the Wiz.bin (like Web BMT does, I guess, which BTW doesn't generates any .properties file this way) and enabling the Make .properties file is a convenient way to export the metadata just written, so that if you have to move the media into a different drive/directory, for instance, you don't loose the metadata after a Sage media scan.

Both BMT and CMT use the same Sage APIs to write metadata changes to the wiz.bin. A side effect of using this api is that a properties file is created that contains any changed metadata if update_external_properties_files_on_metadata_changes=true (which is the default setting) in sage.properties.

As I previously stated, if Make .properties files is enabled, then the plugin will do a full dump of all the metadata to the .properties file. You're right, this does provide a way to export the metadata, so that if you have to move the media into a different drive/directory, or if you edit the file, you don't lose the metadata after a Sage media scan. If you don't have a .properties file then only the metadata that is stored in the media file gets loaded.

John

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Both BMT and CMT use the same Sage APIs to write metadata changes to the wiz.bin. A side effect of using this api is that a properties file is created that contains any changed metadata if

Thank you for the explanation, so if both BMT and CMT uses the same Sage APIs that means that BMT is "secretely" deleting the .properties file after any changes...

[routerunner]

I just tried to enable the IMDB save option to save the retrieved metadata from IMDB and unfortunately for me it screwed up completely my Wiz.bin even the backup one

Metadata for more that 500 movies are lost...my only hope is to go back to 7.0.23 and try to generate all the .properties from the wiz.bin I saved before moving to 7.1.9...

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by routerunner

Thank you for the explanation, so if both BMT and CMT uses the same Sage APIs that means that BMT is "secretely" deleting the .properties file after any changes...

BMT isn't secretly deleting properties files. There is a BMT setting "Update .properties when changed" which enables/disables "update_external_properties_files_on_metadata_changes" in sage.properties.

Originally Posted by routerunner

I just tried to enable the IMDB save option to save the retrieved metadata from IMDB and unfortunately for me it screwed up completely my Wiz.bin even the backup one

Metadata for more that 500 movies are lost...my only hope is to go back to 7.0.23 and try to generate all the .properties from the wiz.bin I saved before moving to 7.1.9...

That's not good. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with wiz.bin being corrupted since 7.1.4, and I suffered it then. Recovering the metadata for your 500+ movies is probably the easy part. Recordings should have embedded basic metadata and you can get BMT to fetch the additional metadata for them and any imports. It's was the favourites, watched status etc that I needed an old wiz.bin for. Fortunately I'd not done many changes in that area since my last backup.

Good luck.

John

[JREkiwi]

Not really the thread for a discussion about corrupted wiz.bin, but just to clarify my previous post, just in case anyone reads it as suggesting wiz.bin corruption is an expected side effect of manipulating metadata.

I have never had a wiz.bin that has been corrupted by adding/editing/saving metadata and I have done a lot of that over the years. The only times I have had a corrupted wiz.bin have been due to a hardware failure or during a beta cycle when SageTV have been changing the wiz.bin format and there has been a bug, which of course was subsequently fixed.

However, that said, I do know of people who have had corrupted wiz.bin in the past when saving extremely large amounts of metadata for an airing. On the occasion that happened SageTV increased the size available for metadata, but I think that was resolved way back in V6. I haven't heard of anyone running into an issue with metadata corrupting a wiz.bin since then.

John

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Not really the thread for a discussion about corrupted wiz.bin, but just to clarify my previous post, just in case anyone reads it as suggesting wiz.bin corruption is an expected side effect of manipulating metadata.

I have never had a wiz.bin that has been corrupted by adding/editing/saving metadata and I have done a lot of that over the years. The only times I have had a corrupted wiz.bin have been due to a hardware failure or during a beta cycle when SageTV have been changing the wiz.bin format and there has been a bug, which of course was subsequently fixed.

However, that said, I do know of people who have had corrupted wiz.bin in the past when saving extremely large amounts of metadata for an airing. On the occasion that happened SageTV increased the size available for metadata, but I think that was resolved way back in V6. I haven't heard of anyone running into an issue with metadata corrupting a wiz.bin since then.

John

I completely understand your point, however this is exactly what happened to me. These are the steps I followed:

- Enabled the IMDB save option
- Made a search for metadata of a movie
- Data on screen looked correct
- Save
- Did a detailed info on the movie to check the data and the description was missing (this is a known bug in BMT which was fixed several months ago when IMDB website was redesigned)
- Went back to "Videos by DVD/BD" and all metadata disappeared.
- Went back to "Videos by Categories" and all categories gone/messed up.

I still have to find the time to try to recover the metadata from a Wiz.bin v7.0.23...

[routerunner]

I finally managed to re-do all the metadata for my movie collection

I'm not sure whether is your plugin (v1.0.4) or the Phoenix Core Service API v2.3.37, but since upgrading to those versions the posters in the Video Details are only displayed when the media is HD (Blue Ray), for DVDs there is a small black square instead.

thanks...

[JREkiwi]

There were a couple of interesting side effects that were introduced in Phoenix Core Service API v2.3.37. There is a new version, 2.3.40 available.

I also have an update to my plugin in which I've reworked a lot of that code that I will test with that new version.

You are talking about the posters in the bottom right of the Video Detail panel right?

John

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

You are talking about the posters in the bottom right of the Video Detail panel right?

John

Yes you're right and perfect timing too I was browsing my movie collection tonight when I spotted you're plug-in update and WOW you fixed the issue already, well done , however being a very picky person (sorry, I can't help it) I noticed that the small black square is still there (very obvious with bright backgrounds)...

I really appreciate the increase in speed whilst browsing the posters a real plus with the extenders...

Finally, it is a minor thing, but with the previous fanart plug-in implementation (for Sage v7.0 I mean) whilst playing a DVD pressing the play button again to show the progress bar the relevant movie poster was shown in the top left corner as well, now is just the bland silver DVD disk instead.

many thanks and keep up the good work

[JREkiwi]

Your'e not getting the posters, on DVDs, but there's a black square displaying?

I'll have a look at the DVD info popup.

John

[JREkiwi]

I can see the black square issue. I'll have it fixed in the next version.

John

[JREkiwi]

I think I've got everything that's been mentioned fixed in the 1.0.6 version.

While I was at it, I've added a similar function to "Fuzzy's Malore Tweaks" plugin with control of banners and the addition of banners in the show item area in the malore menus.

For anyone using the "Fuzzy's Malore Tweaks" plugin, it's probably best to disable it and the Phoenix Fanart for Malore Menus plugin, that gets enabled automatically when using the "Fuzzy's Malore Tweaks" plugin.

John

[routerunner]

Thanks for the 1.0.6 update, however I don't know whether is because of my configuration, but I cannot see the DVD posters on DVD info popup, not even the silver disk as before...

I've also noticed (see jpg in attachment) that sometimes two backgrounds for the same movie gets automatically generated. I discovered this by trying to understand why the DVD posters on DVD info popup didn't show up, so I manually cleared the cache and by hovering on some titles (leaving the cache folder opened as shown in the picture), the two "Alien" backgrounds appeared.

many thanks...

[JREkiwi]

Is there 2 backgrounds that look the same in the Fanart directory for the movie?

Options, Manage Metadata, View/Edit Fan Art

John

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by routerunner

... however I don't know whether is because of my configuration, but I cannot see the DVD posters on DVD info popup, not even the silver disk as before...

Can you try temporarily disabling any other UI mods and see if that changes anything.

Also, there may be something in the logs to indicate what's happening

John

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Is there 2 backgrounds that look the same in the Fanart directory for the movie?

Options, Manage Metadata, View/Edit Fan Art

John

Gosh! You're absolutely right, there were two backgrounds exactly the same, one named "folder.jpg" and oddly the other one without any name I really don't understand how did it get there...uhm... I just delete it from the Windows file manager, it must had it an hidden name visible only from the command line.

Sorry about that.

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Can you try temporarily disabling any other UI mods and see if that changes anything.

Also, there may be something in the logs to indicate what's happening

John

The only UI mods I've got installed is the MiniGuide, tried without it but no difference. When you say the logs, are you talking about the "phoenix" log in "C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\logs" or the SageTV log (which I have disabled)? I had a look at the Phoenix's log, but just [INFO] not errors.

Please advice

[JREkiwi]

I was thinking of the SageTV logs.

John