Xbmc

The current version of Media Center Master is 2.14. Version 1.32 has been used for many the examples in the wiki, so beware that some of the options may be expanded or look different than various screen shots.

Official/Unofficial Wiki Pages Most of the content on the wiki was written by fans and users like yourself. If a page is marked as Official, then the content was written with official information (usually by the software author).

	Media Center Master
	A Free Meta-Data and Media Organization Solution

Navigation

(Red text indicates your location.)

Media Center Master Reference Guide: Main Page Integration with Other Programs and Products Windows Media Center MediaBrowser xbmc Cinema Experience Netgear Networked Media Tank/Popcorn Hour <<< click here to edit or add new page links >>>

Support Links
Issue Tracker
Forum
Downloads	General
Support	Feature Request
Bug Report	General Discussion
Downloader	Development

<<< edit this side bar >>>

Prepare to Practice Installing XBMC

Setting up and configuring XBMC does not have to be a "Hair Pulling Experience." It should be looked at as: "An Exciting Adventure To The Ultimate MultiMedia Experience."

The initial set-up of XBMC should be preformed with scan/source folders only containing a couple movies titles and/or a couple tv series episodes. More movie titles and series can be added in as needed. This is suggested for three reasons:

1. Because one of the Settings & Preferences "XBMC" tab options deals with skin selection. There are several skins to choose from, and each one has it's own special characteristics. Be aware that some add-ons are skin specific, will only work in certain skins. The BackRow and Transparency! skins are favored over the others, by this writer. Pete uses the BackRow skin. When a user is setting up XBMC for the first time, the user does not know what skin will be "the one." Not until after determining the setting for this option can Media Center Master process and prepare a complete media collection for XBMC.

2. Just to get started, leaving room for error correction, less time consumption for the learn process, by reducing the rescanning time of scan/source folders. The main issue with XBMC is it has a lot of features for a new user/installer to check out and numerous ways to be customized. There is no doubt in this writer's mind, it is a given, and a known fact by every main household user/installer of XBMC, that a new user/installer will be redoing settings, installing/disabling/uninstalling skins, installing/disabling/uninstalling add-ons and scripts. Ultimately in time uninstalling and re-installing XBMC more than one, two, three, four... or, maybe, more times. Thank you, Team XBMC, for the fast installer, and uninstaller.

3. Attempting to avoid a big mess going into more, and more, and more information, deeper subject matter than just a quick set-up by involving additional options available in Media Center Master to change, re-do, or un-do XBMC settings after media titles have been processed by Media Center Master (issues relating back to issue #1) and scanned into XBMC (issues relating to the next section).

XBMC's Database and Media Center Master's Meta-Data and Image Files

XBMC is designed to scan media titles, and use it's fetchers to fill a database for displaying content (meta-data and images) in the user interface. XBMC will not create any extra files or folders in the movie and/or tv series scan/source folders. Nor will XBMC update, edit modify any file in these folders. The only time XBMC will modify the contents of these folders is when an export of the library is done. The export library function will create it's own .nfo file with meta-data from the database for each title for importing the meta-data back into another installation of XBMC.

Choosing a fetcher in XBMC is required, there is not a work around, hack, for this. By choosing a fetcher you are indicating to XBMC what type of media is in the scan/source folder. XBMC uses this selection to link the scan/source folder to the correct button on XBMC's home page.

XBMC will use an .nfo file, if found, first, if not, then XBMC uses it's parsing and fetching features. For some unknown technical reason, to this writer, if a large collection is use during the first scan, it can take what seems to be forever, even if you have the required .nfo files while connected to the internet. Disconnecting the internet speeds this process up enormously.

Once a title with images has been scanned into XBMC using Media Center Master's created .nfo files, the meta-data and images are stored in XBMC's database. Remember, XBMC uses it's database for displaying content in the user interface, not the files in the collection. Any attempt to change these files (.nfo files or image files) through Media Center Master in order to view the revisions in XBMC by Refreshing, Update Library, or Scan for New Content will not work as expected. There is, however, a method for fixing this, and more on this subject will be presented in another guide.

Concerning Issues Between XBMC and Media Center Master

There are four (4) common issues that will come up during a set-up of XBMC by users who also use Media Center Master.

• The first issue is to use the XBMC settings tab in Media Center Master. These settings are set according to your folder/file structure and the skin chosen for XBMC's user interface. Media Center Master should be used to process the collection with these settings before the collection is added into XBMC.

• The second issue will come about when adding source folders. Here it is required to set the contents of the source folder by selecting a meta-data fetcher. In that Media Center Master has already fetched meta-data and images, simply disconnect the internet from your computer during the initial set-up/scanning of collection folders. If the internet is connect, this process can take a long time with a large collection. After the collection is scanned into XBMC, reconnect the internet connection for Add-ons/scripts, weather data, and other stuff.

• The third issue is using the actors/crew member images collected with Media Center Master. XBMC requires the images to be in the individual movie folders. Media Center Master has a setting for all of the images to be downloaded into one folder. This has been addressed through the forums and is, already, listed in the Issue Tracker, Issue 780: Ability to use existing Actor images from MCM/MB with XBMC. Should you, also, wish to have a feature like this in Media Center Master, please visit the link and star it for priority consideration (sign in and click on the star next to the issue tracking number).

• The fourth issue is XBMC has a feature to click an icon and view Movie Theatrical Trailers from a movie title page. The trailer can be viewed from an on line source or from locally stored trailers. XBMC requires locally stored trailer files to be named in a specific manner and be saved in the individual movie folders. A "Premium Version" of Media Center Master is required for downloading, renaming and parsing trailer files for use in XBMC.

Media Center Master's "XBMC" Tab Settings

These settings are set according to your folder/file structure and for the skin chosen.

1. "Create XBMC-compatible movie.nfo meta data"
   • Enable this option if your movie files are in separate folders. You will, also, need to enable the "Use folder names for lookups" option when you set-up your movie scan/source folder in XBMC. This is not a concern with tv series in that they are required to be in separate folders.
   • This option will create a movie.nfo file for movies and a tvshow.nfo file for tv series from the default .xml file Media Center Master creates with the scrapped meta-data acquired from it's fetchers.

2. "Resize posters to banner size for T.V. shows (some XBMC skins need this; a backup will be made)"
   • Pay attention to your skin's images to determine selection.

3. "Create movie.tbn artwork from poster.jpg"
   • This option is set enabled as a default during Media Center Master installation. The .tbn extension is required for images in XBMC.

4. "Use [video filename].nfo/.tbn modern style naming"
   • Enable this option if your movie files are all in one folder. There is no need to enable the "Use folder names for lookups" option when you set-up your movie scan/source folder in XBMC with this option.
   • This option will create video filename.nfo/.tbn files for movies from the default .xml file Media Center Master creates with the scrapped meta-data acquired from the fetchers.
   • Tvshow.nfo for tv series will be created automatically in that they are required to be in separate folders.

Install XBMC

Download the current version of XBMC.

Follow the wizard to install using all the defaults. In the last window enable, "Run XBMC" then click the "Finish" button.

This guide uses the Windows version of the installer.

XBMC Quick Start Guide

XBMC's quick start guide can be used for additional reference not supplied in this guide.

This wiki guide will supply enough information to get a user through a basic set-up of XBMC and explain how to refresh/update XBMC with new content added into the by Media Center Master.

Adding Fetchers

Adding Scan/Source Folders

Changing Skins

Scan for New Content vs. Update Library

"Scan for new content" and "Update library" do the same things just in a different manner.

Users can refresh the XBMC's database several different ways. Here are a few methods to get started:

Update Library

Runs through the complete collection and compares it's finding with the database. Checks for any new video, image, and meta-data files that have been added and rescans those folders.

Scan for New Content

Scans source folders (located through Home page>Video>TV Series and/or Movies - (whatever you named them), or individual tv series, that you have highlighted, selected, for a scan for new content (i.e. the same as "Update Library" but it is restricted to this one folder/source).

The above two options are found through the context menu (right click, or "c" on keyboard).

Update Library on Startup

Does the same as update library, just does it automatically at startup.

The above option is found through: Home Page>Settings>Videos>Library

Changes Made Through Media Center Master Not Showing in XBMC With Update Library or Scan for New Content

See Also

Cinema Experience

Back to top