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[benn600]

I'm using the VIDEO_TS DVD ripping method and want to know if there are any solutions for viewing episodes on each DVD?  I would be willing to enter the data manually by viewing the DVD menu as long as it can be preserved and kept for my other computers/MC databases.  I don't want to have to enter it on every database.

But then what would the interface look like?  I thought about just adding a list of episodes on keywords and then searching on it so searching for a show title would bring up the related show disc but that would be a lot of typing by a directional remote!  A scrollable list would be much nicer.

Hope someone can help!

[jmone]

FYI - I break my up into individual mpg files (each file = one chapter on the DVD = 1 epsd)

[benn600]

uhhhh..

I know.  Everyone but me uses individual files for episodes....but I don't want to go through that path.  I'll live without an episode list if I have to to keep my full DVD rips.  Do you have episode commentary in your files?  Do you have subtitles (on/off)?  Do you have the menu and creator of the show special features?

When I used to use files I was gradually adding special features but then I ended up with long lists of stuff.

I think J River could add some special functionality for files or especially DVDs that would allow an item to list items.  IN FACT: is there a special field I could add?!?!  Isn't there a custom field that allows a list of items?  HMMM.

See, I think this is possible with the power of MC but it just needs to be thought out a bit.

The only problem with a custom field is that it probably wouldn't be stored in the DVD files so I'd have to add the data every time I start a new MC database.

[benn600]

After a little test run--my idea did work.  I simply created a new field called "Episodes" with the "List" type and Default Search field enabled.  Now, by searching for a show name, a DVD where I entered the show name will appear.  I can almost see simply using the built-in Keywords field and then adding episodes or full movie/show quick summaries.  With quick summaries on movies and shows, people could search for a lot of different types of things to get stuff.

But is there a way to preserve the Episodes of Keywords field in the tags?  Can ANY tags be written to DVD files?  If not, can J River please add this ability?  Writing directly to the files would not be a great method because that's a lot of data to edit (1GB on each file) and each DVD consists of a lot of files.

Could you add some XML file that would store field info?

Lastly, now I wonder if there is a way to view the Episodes field for instance.  Can view schemes help here?  Ideally, after selecting a show name it would list episodes or if a user clicks All, then it would go to the discs.  The episodes would SIMPLY point to the DVD disc.  I doubt it could be setup to point to the correct title in the DVD...but that would be amazing.

[benn600]

Media Center is amazing!  It works JUST as I would have hoped!  When I added an Episodes category, now selecting a show will filter out just that show's episodes and list them!  So selecting a show will then immediately list its shows!  Amazing!  Now I just have to go add show titles to our 150 television DVDs, lol.  But it's worth it.

Of course that brings me back to preserving/saving this hard work.  Any ideas on saving the tag names with the DVD content and not JUST in the MC database?  As much as I like MC, I don't like relying on its database.  I'd like to have nothing forcing me to stay with MC (not that I'll ever switch).  I just want all my efforts preserved in the actual data files.  Then there isn't a single point of failure--which would be the MC database vs. each and every file I have.