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Deprecated
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VideoLibUsersGuide
Table Of Contents
The VideoLib UI
Video files used by VideoFE on the PiBox Media System or PiBox Player System must be stored on USB media sticks to be viewed using the Media System. The following file formats are currently supported.
There are multiple ways to get videos in this format. Purchasing them from places like Amazon or iTunes is the easiest. If you have a large collection of DVDs you can try ripping the videos using tools like HandBrake or MakeMKV. Describing the process for creating videos in these formats is beyond the scope of this documentation. Please see the appropriate documentation for the tools used for creating videos.
Creating media sticks with VideoLib
A collection of videos must be scanned with the VideoLib tool to create a database that can be used by the VideoFE app on the Media System. VideoLib is a Java application that scans a directory tree, queries TheMovieDB or The TVDB for metadata about each file and creates a database for use by VideoFE. VideoLib is very easy to use. First you need API keys from the MovieDB.org and the TVDB.org. Every use must get their own API key. Once those are acquired, set the video file formats you will be using in the File Extensions field. Files with these suffixes will be processed by VideoLib. The last basic setup is to select the data type, either Movies or TV episodes. This determines which Internet archive is searched for video metadata. Next, select a directory that contains the collection of video files. Filenames should match the naming conventions defined by the Plex Media Server for movies or tv episodes. The user-friendly version of the filename will be displayed for all files with one of the specified suffices. The database will be created within the selected directory. The Scan New button is used to scan the directory the first time. If a scan has already been run but changes have been made to a file, choose Rescan for a specific file. Scanning will download movie, TV series and episode images. If these are excessively large they can be compressed using the Compress button. Each file scanned will have a primary match displayed at the top of the middle column of the display. Alternative matches are shown in the Alternatives window below the primary match. If the primary match is incorrect, click on one of the alternatives. This can be done for each file scanned. Once all scanned files have been reviewed and any alternatives selected the database should be saved using the File->Save menu option. A scan button will generate a db and any changes made to individual titles, such as titles or choosing alternatives, are updated in the database immediately. The scan may take quite some time to complete depending on your network connection speed and the number of video files. As each file's metadata is retrieved it will be displayed in the Details column. While this process is running the Scan button will be grayed out. When this process is complete the button will change to its normal state and the first entry in the list will automatically be selected with its new metadata displayed in the Details column. Getting VideoLib
The VideoLib application is available as source code from GitLab. The command to use in the source tree is ant videolib.run Requirements
A MovieDB API Key is required to use VideoLib. Each user will need to acquire their own key. A free MovieDB user account is required to acquire an API key. VideoLib requires Java 7 or later, Ant and an Internet connection. A directory of videos to process. Separate directories for movies and TV shows is highly recommended. All video filenames should use the same basic (and most simplified) naming scheme as used by the Plex Media Server. For example, movies should be named Title [ptX].[suffix] where Title is the name of the movie and [ptX] is the part for multiple file movies and [suffix] is the file format. Movies should not include the year released in the filename nor any additional metadata. All metadata for movies is retrieved by VideoLib from TheMovieDB.org and stored in a JSON database. For TV shows, create a directory for the show and then place the episodes under them, as in this example Emma
Emma - S01E01 - EpisodeTitle.mkv
Each TV show should have its own directory. No additional metadata should be used in the episode filename and each episode should be in its own file. Media Scans
After all files are properly named they can be scanned by VideoLib. Start the application. ant videolib.run Choose which database type to create: Movies or TV. Use the Select button to choose the directory to scan. This will load the filenames into the list below the Scan/Rescan All/Compress buttons without their filename extensions. Click on Rescan All to start scanning the files. Each file is searched on TheMovieDB.org and its metadata downloaded. The Details and Poster areas are updated for each scan. Scanning is moderately fast but can take a while for a large collection of videos, especially if there are problems with matching filenames to metadata on TheMovieDB.org. Media Edits
After the scan completes the individual entries can be edited. At the bottom of the middle column there are alternative matches to the default match. Click on any alternative match to chose it for the current video entry. Changes are not saved until the File->Save option is used. Movies vs TV
Movie scans collect a single poster artwork based on the selected match. TV scans provide a series poster and an episode poster. Other than that, scans of movies and TV episodes are the same. Compressing Poster Art
After saving the scans and edits the poster art can be compressed to save room on the storage device. Choose the Compress button on the left, next to the Rescan All button. The method used for compression can be edited by choosing the Config->Compression menu option. Adding media sticks to a PiBox System
Once the videos and VideoLib database are copied to a media stick, the media stick can be inserted into any available USB port on either the Media System or Player System. These devices are designed to automatically make the newly inserted media sticks available to the systems and to also make them available to any other PiBox Media or Player System on the local network. If the Video Player is currently running you may need to exit and restart the Video Player to see the newly inserted media sticks. |
