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Author Topic: Media Sub Type Guessing  (Read 6549 times)

Matt

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Media Sub Type Guessing
« on: April 30, 2011, 12:09:08 am »

If you've followed the experimental builds, you may have seen that we're trying to do a better job of automatically deciding if a video file is a movie, a television show, a home video, or something else.

Duration is one of the main things we're looking at currently.  File type can also be a clue (i.e. IFO is a movie).

I'm wondering if using some pattern matching rules to detect home video based on frequently used file naming would be good.  In my library, I have these templates:
Canon camera: MVI_####.mov
Panasonic camera: P#######.mov
Android phone: VID_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.3gp

What other common templates are there?

Any other tricks we could consider for guessing automatically?
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park

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2011, 09:20:21 am »

Commendable that you are trying it this way, but who's to say what format is going to come along next  throw all your guessing out. Who knew mkv would gain this much traction? I think it would be a huge bonus for a very small amount of user effort if there were just a simple wizard asking you what your root folders were for certain media sub types. I guarantee that most users already have at least that much file organization.

All of my home video is mov or mts/m2ts. movs have the same MVI naming as you. mts are just numbers or dates.
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jmone

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2011, 04:32:04 pm »

Similar to the Andriod phone, my raw camcorder footage is in the format (Pan AVC CAM) YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.m2ts.  Footage captured from Tape based Cams tend to reflect the naming convention used by the application that captured them.  Most tend to use some reverse date format, eg YYYY_MM_DD-HH_MM_SS or uvsYYMMDD-004-73.  Then again many TV Recording packages also use such file titling.

As a case in point to needing an "Other" tag (or more tags) for Media Sub Type, I may want to track these in MC but I would never want them to be guessed and included in Home Video.  I would tag them as "Other" then maybe "To Be Editied" as what I want to end up in Home Video is the edited versions that I have named for years using the format "YYYY MM- Title"

Other things you may want to "guess" on are:
* File Type "ISO" - Currently automatically treated as "Data" but is most frequently "Video" / "Movie" (unless you want to parse the file to see what media type it is?)

The guessing is a good idea but it will always miss file some stuff.... so one item you may want to add to TheaterView is a simple "Change Category" button where a user can assign the correct Media Sub Type when it is wrong.

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leezer3

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2011, 04:46:38 pm »

Most cheap camcorders and recording type things will produce a datestamp in the filename.
Other filename conventions:
* dvdrip- Assume to be a film.
* s01e01 or closely related- Assume to be TV Series.

I'd also look at codecs, FWIW:
* Any xvid or h264 of 20- 40 minutes can probably be assumed to be a TV series episode.
* Any xvid or h264 of 40 minutes plus can probably be assumed to be a film.
* MJPEG encoded files are almost certainly from a phone or cheap camcorder.

-Leezer-
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jmone

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2011, 05:11:41 pm »

Ok - I just sorted my entire Video Library (1493 files) by Duration and found while there are groupings, they tend to overlap and each has flyers that make exceptions:
* Home Videos 0 to 62 Mins (seems there are two types, short clips, sub 3 mins that my daugter has made, and then lots in the 5 - 20 min segment)
* Music Videos 3 to 10 Mins
* TV Shows 18min to 90 Mins (most eps are are in the 18min to 50min range but end of seaon, specials tend to be twice as long)
* Movies 67 - 250 mins
* TV Recordings 30 mins to 3hours+ (the most variable, eg sport recordings etc)

Given the above I would suggest that if you want to do duration, that it would be 90% correct as follows:
* 0-3 Minutes = Home Video
* 3-6 Minutes = Music Video (but will also mix in alot of Home Video)
* 6-18 Minutes = Home Video
* 18-70Minutes = TV Shows
* 70 Mins = Movies

Excpetions were my
- Utilities test files etc
- Miss reported Items (eg I have some TV Eps Rips that are being reported as 38 seconds long)
- Items in ISO (no reported time)
- bdmv (no reported time)
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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2011, 08:10:57 pm »

The guessing is a good idea but it will always miss file some stuff.... so one item you may want to add to TheaterView is a simple "Change Category" button where a user can assign the correct Media Sub Type when it is wrong.



I started three responses and scrapped them all to reread this thread.  After some thought on how my files are arranged, I have to agree with jmone's comment above.  The threes other solutions I started to write about all had exceptions that would not always work.  Being able to change this category on the fly will help with those exceptions. 
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darichman

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2011, 03:37:34 am »

I think smart guessing is nice. It won't always work and as long as users have some awareness of this I guess that's okay. If it's going to be done, I think file location is probably the best way. I've said once or twice before that I think an import wizard for new files (a simple 'what type of file is this?' on import) would solve a lot of problems, go a long way towards consistency throughout the program and encourage good organisation.

My video categories are:
  • Film
  • Television
  • Shorts
  • Anime
  • Documentary
  • Sport
  • Advertising
  • Comedy (stand-up etc)
  • Theatre
  • Musicals
  • Dance/Ballet
  • Concerts
  • Music Videos
  • Web Media
  • Stock
  • General Interest (this is what I use for clips etc)
  • Personal (home videos etc)
  • Projects (my creations etc)

These are stored in a custom list field so videos can belong to more than one (ie an Anime feature film can be [Anime];[Film] and appear in both). I use all of them in Standard view but don't have views for all of them in Theatre View yet.

I use a theatre view layout of:
  Main screen: Video > (rollers for each of the above categories)
  Different views under each roller category (and then customised views like 'Timeline' , 'Genres' , 'IMDb Top 250'

PS I posted this a while ago - I think a lot of what what was suggested still stands.
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MrHaugen

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2011, 03:05:24 am »

I salute you for trying to work this out. BUT, I do believe that there will be some problems though. You'll never get a 100% match to this rules, and there will be manual tagging for users. Some might not have to, but in most cases you'd have to bring out the mouse and keyboard anyway. So, I really do support the other users when they say that the most permanent and bulletproof method is to add this sort of options in the import wizard.
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park

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2011, 06:46:05 am »

Please add "shorts" or "Short film" as a matter of urgency. It doesnt fit into any other category. It's more important than "Music Video" imo.
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Lasse_Lus

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2011, 02:06:45 pm »

So, I really do support the other users when they say that the most permanent and bulletproof method is to add this sort of options in the import wizard.

that would be something  ;D , maybe confishys code can be a start ?
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MrHaugen

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #10 on: May 04, 2011, 04:10:36 pm »

It's not that this is a waste though. It will probably work for many normal users. But for people who have a lot of different media, there will be manual tagging no matter what I think. So, an easy way of setting each media sub type on each folder would be a good thing in addition. The best would be to specify the Library Field to use, and then the value. I'm using "Video Sub Type" field my self, as you can't edit the normal Media Sub Type field.

I will however see how well this system works for my media, as soon as I start using the newer build on my "production" computers. I'm pretty picky as to what formats and types of media I download and rip, so this might do the job for me as well.
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Matt

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #11 on: May 04, 2011, 05:04:09 pm »

If you want to talk about assigning tags automatically to auto-import folders, feel free to start a thread.

We've got our plate full right now, but I think this would be a reasonable thing to add someday.

Thanks.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

MrHaugen

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2011, 02:20:09 am »

Totally understandable. We can bring some ideas to the table after we've tested more of the automatic tagging system you've implemented.
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Matt

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #13 on: May 05, 2011, 09:12:29 am »

This feature is part of Media Center 16.0.81 (and newer).

Theater View relies heavily upon it to categorize videos.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #14 on: May 05, 2011, 10:44:05 am »

darichman  so from what im reading we can have musicals in movie and music videos?
I asked about this before but got no reply.

This would be great!
I don't know how many times i sit and stare and think to myself, it would be nice to put this video into 2-3 media subtypes.
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olinbg

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #15 on: May 05, 2011, 11:53:56 am »

This feature is part of Media Center 16.0.81 (and newer).

Theater View relies heavily upon it to categorize videos.

Maybe I missed it...what was the actual implementation put in to the current build?  File names, durations, folders, or something else/a combination?
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glynor

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #16 on: May 05, 2011, 10:45:37 pm »

Any chance you can bump up the cutoff for TV Show detection by 10-15 minutes or so?  Many of my shows are just over 1 hour in length, because I pre and post record 4-5 minutes on each end, particularly for "important" shows (and some networks don't have the most perfect schedule adherence you'd like to see).  They're all getting detected as movies, even though they're only a bit over 1 hour in length.
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darichman

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #17 on: May 05, 2011, 11:22:23 pm »

darichman  so from what im reading we can have musicals in movie and music videos?
I asked about this before but got no reply.

This would be great!
I don't know how many times i sit and stare and think to myself, it would be nice to put this video into 2-3 media subtypes.

Well that's what I do, but it relies on custom list-type fields to do it, and naturally this won't be compatible with any of the new stock views, or with the new auto-media-type-guessing feature.
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Matt

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #18 on: May 05, 2011, 11:34:17 pm »

Any chance you can bump up the cutoff for TV Show detection by 10-15 minutes or so?  Many of my shows are just over 1 hour in length, because I pre and post record 4-5 minutes on each end, particularly for "important" shows (and some networks don't have the most perfect schedule adherence you'd like to see).  They're all getting detected as movies, even though they're only a bit over 1 hour in length.

Recordings done with Media Center should get automatically tagged.

For something like a downloaded MKV that's 70 minutes long, it's going to be tough to know if it's television or a movie.  Media Center records 1 hour of television as 62 minutes by default, so a 65 minute cut-off is about right in these cases.

If your recording is a format that's obviously TV (like JTV), that could also be a clue.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

Matt

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #19 on: May 05, 2011, 11:42:14 pm »

Maybe I missed it...what was the actual implementation put in to the current build?  File names, durations, folders, or something else/a combination?

It's a combination.  We currently use name, duration, codec, and file type.  If there are files that guessing is getting wrong and you can think of a rule that would help, let us know and we'll add it.
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sunfire7

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #20 on: May 05, 2011, 11:54:18 pm »

Do the actual guessing method takes into account the file path? Does matter if the video is in "Movies" or  "Series" folder for the guessing? would be cool
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JustinChase

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #21 on: May 06, 2011, 12:21:39 am »

I agree that the path information is often helpful.  I still keep movies in a Movie folder and I used to keep TV in a recorded TV folder.  I could certainly go back to that if it would help with the guessing. :)

also, some TV programs I strip commercials out of, so I get 18 to 22 minutes shows, in case the rules contradict this.  I haven't taken the time to play with this new feature yet, so this may already be accounted for in the current rules.
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rick.ca

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #22 on: May 06, 2011, 06:19:12 am »

If there are files that guessing is getting wrong and you can think of a rule that would help, let us know and we'll add it.

The rule that would help the most has been suggested several times and rejected—rules that set Media Sub Type based on file path on import. A companion function for updating those values after import would be helpful for those who move files after import. Surely most users already segregate media in separate folders. Having done that, they would expect to be able to have Media Sub Type use this—as the primary rule. If I go to the trouble to put a movie into a movie folder, why would I want MC guessing that it's something other than a movie? I wouldn't. And it follows I wouldn't want to rely on any stock views that rely on an unreliable Media Sub Type.

This has no bearing on my personal needs. From the beginning, I've recognized this is of no use to me. That's because stock views are of no use to me. If I have to create my own, I may as well use rules appropriate to my circumstances. I don't use Media Sub Type for anything. If I can't determine the classification I want directly from the file path, I prefer to maintain it in a custom field I have complete control over—not a field restricted to values not applicable to my needs.

So I suppose the purpose of this is to facilitate stock views for users who can't be bothered using the most sophisticated and powerful media manager on the planet to classify their media. Hmm. Okay, maybe it's of some use to new users in the long while it may take them to learn how to use the most sophisticated and powerful media manager on the planet. But does this really serve them well? Is it not going to foster the belief MC is supposed to magically do everything itself? When a view doesn't work, are they going to understand they can easily create a view that ignores this completely and will be more reliable? I don't think so. Nor do I think they'll listen to an advanced user who tries to suggest they ignore all this nonsense and just configure it according to their needs.

If the accepted values for Media Sub Type were user-configurable (perhaps not to delete, but certainly to add), if those values could be set by user-configurable rules on import, and then stock views used those values, we'd have a system where stock views would be much more reliable and adaptable to anyone's needs. They'd probably be equally useful to beginners who need some place to start, advanced users who want to modify everything according to their needs and preferences, and those who would be happy with anything that just works without any fiddling.

If users are going to discover it's easy to configure their own views, there's going to have to be a configuration system that's understandable and easy to use. That hasn't yet been the case. And from what I gather from others, the recent changes have made it even more difficult to understand and use. I believe providing stock views that provide users with an illustration of how they can be configured is a good idea. But for that to work, there has to be a user-friendly configuration system that will allow and encourage even a novice to make changes and experiment.

The problems with the present configuration system are concentrated in the "Items to Show" section. The terminology used for different objects and view types is not very descriptive or helpful. The nesting functions are particularly annoying to use. It should be as easy as dragging a branch to any location, with the program refusing to accept any invalid location. It should be possible to copy a branch to a new location—to facilitate constructing a new view by copying and modifying an existing one. It should be possible to save and recall individual views, branches and entire configurations—to facilitate archiving, backup and sharing of configurations (or, more likely, parts thereof).
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struct

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #23 on: May 06, 2011, 07:44:24 am »

+1 on path being the primary decider
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darichman

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #24 on: May 06, 2011, 08:58:14 am »

This has no bearing on my personal needs. From the beginning, I've recognized this is of no use to me. That's because stock views are of no use to me. If I have to create my own, I may as well use rules appropriate to my circumstances. I don't use Media Sub Type for anything. If I can't determine the classification I want directly from the file path, I prefer to maintain it in a custom field I have complete control over—not a field restricted to values not applicable to my needs.

Running the risk of being another (+1), I pretty much agree with Rick's whole post here. I don't see the reason to lock down the media subtype field. I don't see why it can't be a list field... I think there is a middle ground between new users and MC veterans here.
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MrHaugen

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #25 on: May 06, 2011, 09:59:03 am »

Automatic categorizing is all good and well, but a path driven tagging system is probably needed in addition at some point anyway. As I've mentioned earlier; some users will be happy, some will not :)
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glynor

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #26 on: May 06, 2011, 02:51:03 pm »

Recordings done with Media Center should get automatically tagged.

For something like a downloaded MKV that's 70 minutes long, it's going to be tough to know if it's television or a movie.  Media Center records 1 hour of television as 62 minutes by default, so a 65 minute cut-off is about right in these cases.

These are recordings from SageTV.  I'd love to use MC for my DVR, but I can't.  You're still not there yet with multiple tuner support, external device control, and all of that.  They're generally .ts files, and they're usually around 67-68 minutes (3-4 minute "buffer" on each end - with only two minutes extra, I still miss stuff on NBC and other channels).

How many movies are actually less than 70 minutes long?  Probably not many...
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MrHaugen

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #27 on: May 06, 2011, 03:30:04 pm »

I don't think I've seen one.
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rick.ca

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #28 on: May 06, 2011, 03:53:07 pm »

How many movies are actually less than 70 minutes long?  Probably not many...

In my database of 1,952 movies ("features" only—no "shorts" or "documentaries") there are 20. The latest one is an obscure Finnish film released in 1990. 15 of the 20 were release prior to 1940. So, yes, not many. No guessing required.  ;D
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Daydream

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #29 on: May 06, 2011, 04:57:47 pm »

In my database of 1,952 movies ("features" only—no "shorts" or "documentaries") there are 20. The latest one is an obscure Finnish film released in 1990. 15 of the 20 were release prior to 1940. So, yes, not many. No guessing required.  ;D

Man, what are you watching there? :)

Anyways, I agree with you on this one, auto-guessing doesn't help me, the stock setup of TheaterView lasted 10 seconds on my install. And auto-guessing Media subtype on time (or on ifo,etc) I believe it's far from being representative. Am I going to chase around MC all the pilot episodes that were "longer than" and got classified in some strange section? It's too easy to argue against this.
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tunetyme

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #30 on: May 06, 2011, 06:18:26 pm »

I agree with path as the key to determining any media sub type.  RickCA, with 1952 movies when do you have time to write your thoughtful comments?

Tunetyme
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rick.ca

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #31 on: May 06, 2011, 07:02:47 pm »

Man, what are you watching there? :)

RickCA, with 1952 movies when do you have time to write your thoughtful comments?

Good grief. Something else I need to explain. ;)

You're hooked on the MC paradigm that only existing media is relevant. This is a bit off-topic, but it's important. If MC doesn't find ways to shake loose of this, it's going to grow increasingly irrelevant. All TV programs are deleted immediately after I watch them. So are all but the most extraordinary movies. It's not that I don't value them. It's just that by the time I may want to watch them again, it will probably be available online in a holographic version. I see no point in keeping it on a drive that will likely have been retired by then. But that doesn't mean I'm not interested in the data. I still want a record of what I watched.

In the case of movies, I want information about them before I consider watching them. I haven't unintentionally watched a bad movie in years, and I intend to keep it that way. I've used various lists, ratings and collections to create my own database of movies that have been popular and/or critically acclaimed. Using Person Video Database, I've gathered consistent meta data (including reviews and ratings) for all those. I use that information to decide what I might want to acquire and watch.

So by being focused on information about media, I watch all the best video and still have plenty of time to write thoughtful comments. ;D

Sadly, I've had little time for either while I've been manually recreating my 67 Theatre View views... :'(
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Daydream

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #32 on: May 07, 2011, 12:11:10 am »

Actually Rick, I knew about your "ways" of handling media (past discussions); I though maybe you changed your approach... :P
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leezer3

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing [FEEDBACK WANTED]
« Reply #33 on: May 08, 2011, 04:34:20 am »

It's a combination.  We currently use name, duration, codec, and file type.  If there are files that guessing is getting wrong and you can think of a rule that would help, let us know and we'll add it.

Real Media files are highly unlikely to be plain TV Series :)
Their highest proliferation was by far in the adult market & other similar venues, and they were also used a lot by early anime encoders. I've also seen a few used in places where filesize was of upper importance (At one stage they were compressing better per quality than early DivX), but these are pretty rare.
Anime might just come under your definition of TV Series (These will be 20-30 minutes depending on intro length and whether the ad break transitions have been kept), but any rm over ~35 minutes isn't likely to be TV.

-Leezer-
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tunetyme

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #34 on: May 08, 2011, 02:03:39 pm »

RickCA:

I was wondering about how you store info on movies that are not in MC.  I would love to be able to track both music that I want to buy as well as movies I want to watch.  Do you use another database or have devised a method in MC? 

I would love to be able to print a list of CD/DVD's that I want to buy before I go to the store.  I can't tell the number of CD's that I have bought a duplicate.

I do appreciate the thought behind your posts.  They are always clear and easy to comprehend.

Tunetyme
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rick.ca

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #35 on: May 08, 2011, 10:55:18 pm »

This post mentions the technique...

Allowing only files to be catalogued is unnecessarily restrictive. When I started using MC, I had a database of every movie I had watched for the last 10 years. Most were rented or seen in a theatre, and no media existed. Aside from just being interesting, this information has a direct bearing on my decision of what to watch today, and what I may want to acquire tomorrow. Doing without it was simply unacceptable. I'm now comfortable with my workaround of creating dummy null files to represent movies. I name them with a ".LOG" extension, and include those in my video views. It seems to me the same technique could be used for anything.

It would be preferable if the program allowed the creation of such records (without creating dummy files, of course) and turned this into a feature. They could be called "memo" records—to distinguish them from "file" records. Functions could be provided for converting from one type to another—for whatever reason: a "wish list" item is acquired; a DVD is ripped; a file is deleted after viewing; etc. It's so simple, useful and otherwise harmless, it's difficult to understand why this has never been implemented.

I still wonder why "memo records" hasn't been implemented as a feature, but the workaround is not as onerous as it seems. It may not be applicable to your needs, but consider this scenario (based on my own experience): You used a web service like IMDb My Movies to create a list of movies. It's long because it includes every movie you've viewed in the last 10 years (with the date viewed and your rating) and/or every movie you think you might want to see before you die. So you copy & paste the list into Excel, use Excel to create a DOS command that creates a null file with a name like [Title] ([Year]) [Date Viewed] [Rating].log, copy & paste that into a .BAT file, and run it. You import the resulting LOG files into MC, and use the Fill properties from filename tool to move the data into fields.

Not only is this a relatively painless way to get started, it will make it much easier to find meta data. You'll already have the correct title and year, which should ensure an accurate lookup by whatever tool you might use to get it. I suppose using this method to maintain a wish list would be a bit of a PITA, as you would have to add more dummy files each time you wanted to add to the list. A solution to that would be to maintain a supply of "blank memo records" (e.g., Memo123.log). Exclude those (i.e., [Name] beginning with "Memo") from you wish list view and include them in a "new items" view. When you change [Name] to a movie title, it will automatically be moved to the wish list view. If it matters, periodically use the Rename, move and copy files tool to rename the files.
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MrHaugen

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #36 on: May 09, 2011, 03:07:05 am »

I would love to have such a thing implemented as well. Would make my day a bit easier.

I can see the way this is used in MC Theater view or standard view. Hit a button called "Add movie" and type in the info. Dummy files or library records is added, Automatic lookup is done (or you can do it manually with plug-ins etc), and it's marked as Memo, media not present, or what ever. And this would be added to lists so you could look at local media or this wish lists. If a file matching the title with Year in the file name perhaps(?), the record will automatically set as a Local media record so it's viewable in other views.

It's an exciting thought. It could be used for pretty much all media.
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tunetyme

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #37 on: May 09, 2011, 11:26:31 am »

I like the idea of a wish list.  It could be used to maintain a list of movies that you want to watch on Netflix for example.  One might include the entire movie or CD list by setting up a simple logic field of 0 or 1 you could determine if you have watched (or have) the movie or CD.  There are some singles that I could track this way as well. 

I will play with this and see what happens.

Tunetyme
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MrC

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #38 on: May 09, 2011, 04:43:45 pm »

I would love to be able to create wish list items.  Currently I use Netflix's queue as my movie management list, Amazon for my CDs and Books lists, but would much prefer to have more options and control by using MC instead.

Perhaps more generally, if MC supported the creation of a new, mostly empty virtual file (i.e. audio file, movie file, image file) and used a single field called something like [Virtual File], then a user could just create a new entry with the desired media type and fill in tags as usual.  MC would have to not perform certain operations on Virtual Files (update physical file tags, fix broken links).

MC would also need a way to associate an existing Virtual File with an actual file on disk.  Perhaps this would be pre-import, or a post-import tag-merge operation, eliminating the Virtual File record, moving its tags into the new db record for the acquired physical file.
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rick.ca

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Re: Media Sub Type Guessing
« Reply #39 on: May 09, 2011, 06:40:44 pm »

Quote
Perhaps more generally, if MC supported the creation of a new, mostly empty virtual file (i.e. audio file, movie file, image file) and used a single field called something like [Virtual File], then a user could just create a new entry with the desired media type and fill in tags as usual.  MC would have to not perform certain operations on Virtual Files (update physical file tags, fix broken links).

Just to be clear, this is what I originally proposed. A "wish list" is just one of many applications. I don't use LOG files for that, as I find Personal Video Database more effective for that sort of thing. But I do keep a record of all movies I've seen but do not own using this method. The meta data is maintained automatically by the PvdImport plugin. The point, however, is that "memo records" or "virtual files" (if you insist on clinging to the file paradigm) would allow the full power of MC's database features to be used for anything.

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MC would also need a way to associate an existing Virtual File with an actual file on disk.

I hadn't thought about this other than the obvious—it should be possible to simply change [Filename] to point to an actual file. But this (normally) wouldn't be possible if that file had already been imported. And if it hadn't, then the file would likely need to be moved after being "attached" to the record. So, yes, there would be some ugly details to work out, or special commands added to take care of such things. Like an Assign file to memo record command that combines the meta data of the memo record and the media information from the file (i.e., size, duration, codecs, etc.). But there are circumstances where one would want to keep the memo record (e.g., it's part of a "Top 100" list), so a Copy memo data to file record command—with an option to delete the memo record—would be more versatile.

I don't see any practical way the association could be done automatically, especially not if the feature is to be used for anything. I suppose it would be possible to have a special memo record field containing a filename to watch for, and make the association if that file is imported. But that seems too elaborate and potentially confusing for the need.
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