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[fitbrit]

I love the feature that MC has of going 5 seconds into a file to build the thumbnail for it. Unfortunately it doesn't always work.

Even, "Build missing Thumbnails" does nothing as often as not (or gives no feedback that it's doing something).

Would it be possible to just select the video files you want to generate thumbnails for and ask MC to do its magic? No batch building of missing thumbnails to leave you wondering if it's working; just plain old manually selecting the files you want and hitting a button.
For those of us with the importing MKVs as data problem, this would be useful.


Thanks for any info/reasons why it won't work/promises to add this/discussion as to how it must be my system/completely ignoring this topic and letting the thread die.

[glynor]

I love the feature that MC has of going 5 seconds into a file to build the thumbnail for it. Unfortunately it doesn't always work.

Even, "Build missing Thumbnails" does nothing as often as not (or gives no feedback that it's doing something).

Would it be possible to just select the video files you want to generate thumbnails for and ask MC to do its magic? No batch building of missing thumbnails to leave you wondering if it's working; just plain old manually selecting the files you want and hitting a button.
For those of us with the importing MKVs as data problem, this would be useful.

Fantastic suggestion.  Count me in as a strong supporter!

Actually at one time (messing with MKV files too) I was annoyed to discover that I couldn't already do this in some way.  I don't remember if I bothered to post about it, but now that you have... 

[JimH]

There are some formats that MC can't play natively.  For example, mov files have to be played by using the Quicktime playback engine.  In this case, it isn't possible for MC to get a thumbnail automatically.

[Matt]

"Update Library (from tags)" will always cause a thumbnail rebuild.

[glynor]

"Update Library (from tags)" will always cause a thumbnail rebuild.

Yeah, but doesn't that obliterate manually tagged fields in file types like MKV (which have in-file tags, which MC reads but doesn't write)?  Also, what about AVIs that don't support tags at all?  I've never been clear if that operation on those file types would put the files back to as they were immediately after import!

My MKV encodes all import into MC with the [Name] field filled out (with some default text that AutoMKV adds to the file tag).  I have to always do a Fill Properties from Filename to correct it after import.  If I do the Update Library (from Tags) it does a LOT more than just force a thumbnail rebuild, so this isn't really a good option.

There are some formats that MC can't play natively.  For example, mov files have to be played by using the Quicktime playback engine.  In this case, it isn't possible for MC to get a thumbnail automatically.

True, but if there were a manual "force build" choice, it could certainly just skip those files.  I mean, it already skips them when building the thumbs on import, right?

[Matt]

Yeah, but doesn't that obliterate manually tagged fields in file types like MKV (which have in-file tags, which MC reads but doesn't write)? 

It is safe to run, even on untaggable files.

[rjm]

It is safe to run, even on untaggable files.

Correct me if I am wrong but it has only been safe for the last couple builds when behavior was changed to not overwrite manually enterred tags.

[glynor]

It is safe to run, even on untaggable files.

Correct me if I am wrong but it has only been safe for the last couple builds when behavior was changed to not overwrite manually enterred tags.

I'll have to test it.  That is certainly somewhat new, and I'm not sure if I even like it.

How then do you clear erroneously manually entered tags, other than manually and one at a time?  Does "blank" count as manually entered?  For example, I manually clear the date out of my [Album] tag for each file I import... If this feature restores the date to the [Album] field, then that'd decrease it's usability for simply trying to force a Thumb rebuild.

And, to be clear, in my particular example these aren't "untaggable files".  The [Name] tag IS in the file (whatever you map to the [Name] field is filled in on all of my MKV files).  I change it because what is auto-filled on import is bad.  It is not the filename (it is some "encoded by AutoMKV v.0.97c at http://blahblah.blah.doom9.org/blah/" thing and every single MKV I import has an identical [Name] tag after import.

[glynor]

Just tested it and you're wrong (at least for MKV files).

I had a MKV file imported into MC (12.0.396 so if the change was in the last two builds then I apologize I re-tested with 398 and it was the same).  It was manually tagged to this:
[Name] = The Hudsucker Proxy
[Album] = <blank>
[Filename] = M:\Incoming\The Hudsucker Proxy.mkv

Forcing Update Library (from Tags) changed it to this (it did rebuild the thumbnail):
[Name] = Done with AutoMKV 0.84b http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=854221
[Album] = blank
[Filename] = M:\Incoming\The Hudsucker Proxy.mkv

The file info is:

Code: [Select]

General #0
Complete name        : M:\Incoming\The Hudsucker Proxy.mkv
Format               : Matroska
File size            : 1.50 GiB
PlayTime             : 1h 50mn
Bit rate             : 1936 Kbps
Movie name           : Done with AutoMKV 0.84b http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=854221
Encoded date         : UTC 2007-06-01 01:47:15
Writing application  : mkvmerge v2.0.2 ('You're My Flame') built on Feb 21 2007 23:40:55
Writing library      : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video #0
Codec                : MPEG-4 AVC
Codec/Info           : MPEG4 ISO advanced profile
PlayTime             : 1h 50mn
Width                : 720 pixels
Height               : 544 pixels
Aspect ratio         : 4/3
Frame rate           : 23.976 fps
Title                : The Hudsucker Proxy

Audio #0
Codec                : A_AAC
Channel(s)           : 2 channels
Sampling rate        : 48 KHz
This is obviously not safe.  Even those MKV files I have that weren't encoded with AutoMKV, often have incorrect file tag information embedded.  Since MC doesn't fix the file tags, forcing an update causes MC to ruin it's own tags... Obviously this would not be very effective when my goal is to be able to open a View Scheme showing all MKV files (when I have 30 or 40 missing thumbnails) and do Control-A, right click, Fix Thumbnail.

EDIT: Even worse, I noticed that you can't "undo" this operation.  So, once they're all messed up, your only option would be to manually go through and re-tag them!

[fitbrit]

There are some formats that MC can't play natively.  For example, mov files have to be played by using the Quicktime playback engine.  In this case, it isn't possible for MC to get a thumbnail automatically.

In those cases, it won't work of course. That's just fine. I'm not requesting the impossible, just to implement the feature when it is possible.

[fitbrit]

Just tested it and you're wrong (at least for MKV files).

I had a MKV file imported into MC (12.0.396 so if the change was in the last two builds then I apologize I re-tested with 398 and it was the same).  It was manually tagged to this:
[Name] = The Hudsucker Proxy
[Album] = <blank>
[Filename] = M:\Incoming\The Hudsucker Proxy.mkv

Forcing Update Library (from Tags) changed it to this (it did rebuild the thumbnail):
[Name] = Done with AutoMKV 0.84b http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=854221
[Album] = blank
[Filename] = M:\Incoming\The Hudsucker Proxy.mkv

This is obviously not safe.  Even those MKV files I have that weren't encoded with AutoMKV, often have incorrect file tag information embedded.  Since MC doesn't fix the file tags, forcing an update causes MC to ruin it's own tags... Obviously this would not be very effective when my goal is to be able to open a View Scheme showing all MKV files (when I have 30 or 40 missing thumbnails) and do Control-A, right click, Fix Thumbnail.

EDIT: Even worse, I noticed that you can't "undo" this operation.  So, once they're all messed up, your only option would be to manually go through and re-tag them!

Tell me about it!  I spent hours this weekend making, accidentally unmaking and then remaking changes to my movie and TV show library. Then I'd run auto import and things got screwed up again for some of them. The thumbnail thing was a pain, which prompted me to start this thread. Had my wife not been away in a war zone, I would have been sleeping on the couch!

In some ways, it's been a blessing in disguise as I've gone in manually into my several hundred movies and taken a thumbnail of a unique scene that can help identify the movie from thumbnail alone- often a semi close-up of a lead character. The auto thumbnail usually ends up just being the Universal/Warner/Pixar/Touchstone/Dreamworks/Disney Logo.

However, for TV series where the opening credits/sequence is frequently prefaced by a couple of minutes of action, 5 seconds into the file will produce a unique screenshot and that's good enough.

[glynor]

I wonder if your troubles have to do with the Rename Files from Properties + Auto-Import + Slow Drive problem...

That issue causes me never-ending headaches.  I've posted about it before (many, many moons ago) but perhaps it is time for a re-post.

[fitbrit]

I wonder if your troubles have to do with the Rename Files from Properties + Auto-Import + Slow Drive problem...

That issue causes me never-ending headaches.  I've posted about it before (many, many moons ago) but perhaps it is time for a re-post.

If I had to give the issue a catchy name, that'd be it. I'll search for those terms and see what it brings up....

To MC staff: I really do love the software and try to promote it whenever it's appropriate on other forums. I'm only making these suggestions/bug reports to try to help make the product even better.

[glynor]

I'll start a new thread...