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Media Center Master Reference Guide

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Introduction

Media Center Master is a powerful, multipurpose, front-end interface that automates the organizing of video files, meta-data files, and image files for a media collection. It supports several Media Center applications and products, XBMC, Popcorn Hour, Windows Media Center, Media Browser... At it's core is a meta fetcher, the most important feature of the "Free License" version, which handles the processing of video related text and image files. Using a "Premium License" version with “uTorrent,” a BitTorrent Client, provides the user complete management of downloading TV Series Episodes and/or Movies, including the removal of; completed seeding downloads, completed .torrent files and data from the uTorrent GUI. Additional features of the "Premium License" version provides downloading of Theatrical Trailers, and Subtitles.

The only requirement necessary for an installation of Media Center Master is the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 with Service Pack 1 be pre-installed.

For most users, downloading and installing Media Center Master is a straightforward task. Although, Media Center Master installs with a set of default options, there are however several options left for the user to configure, depending on the set-up used.

The installation guides are written with an intent the user has an interest in creating a media collection from scratch, has some knowledge and experience with BitTorrents. The Main focus of the installation guides is to complete a successful first run, test, by:

• Preparing for,
• Installing, and
• Configuring

• An instance of Media Center Master integrated with
• An instance of uTorrent

• To automatically;

• Create a TV Series folder,
• Create season folder/s,
• Download, rename, and move

• Episodes, related text, and image files to

• Corresponding folders,

• Located on the system hard drive of a computer.

To reduce errors with a first time configuration set-up for all users of Media Center Master, the installation guides will not include instructions on how to set configurations for downloading Movies, Trailers, or Actors/Cast/Crew Members Thumbnails..., nor will there be any information about preparing and/or adding an existing media collection to Media Center Master. There will be no instructions given for networking/interfacing a media collection with any Media Center programs or products (e.g., Windows Media Center, MediaPortal, MediaBrowser, Popcorn Hour, or XBMC). These items require, separate, individualized preparations and customized user settings.

All of the installation guides are written for a new user of Media Center Master using a Premium License Version. Users wishing the use these guides with a Free Version may also use them, as limited by the license restrictions. These guides are written as a fundamental building block in the beginning sections, by condensing and simplifying the actual processing actions of Media Center Master's operations . As a user gets deeper into the installation guides, more of the technical processes are revealed, and the user becomes better prepared for other sections of this reference guide.

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Installing Media Center Master

The intended purpose of this section is for it to be used as a complete manual for a first time installation of Media Center Master. Starting with the "Installation Notes" and finishing with a successful first run.

Installation Notes - read, before installing

Installation Notes - read, before installing

Preliminary Installation Guides

Preliminary Installation Guides

How to Install Media Center Master

How to Install Media Center Master

How to Customize Media Center Master for First Run

How to Customize Media Center Master for First Run

How to Start the First Run

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• Do not use, this guide, unless, the user followed the Table of Contents, Section 2 - Installing Media Center Master with it's subsections, as a complete guide, without making any changes to the defined settings.
• Using these steps in any other manner will not reproduce what is shown in the examples.

• A "Real Time," "Real Life" scenario configuration will require changing, and/or adding new, settings to suit the user's preferences.
• The settings used in these guides to configure uTorrent and Media Center Master for the first run are for new users to get a base automated process up and running that can be customized, later.
• These guides provide information about: how the basic automation process works, which program is doing what processing, what is being processed, when the processes occur, and where the processing is taken place.

• This is shown through examples and explanations in the guides, to include; this guide, "How to Start the First Run," and the following guide, "How to Interpret the First Run."

• For some users, a simple change to the "Time Frames" for automation, may be the only requirement to reconfigure for a user's preferences.
• For other users, several of the settings configured in these guides may need to be changed, and/or additional changes may be required to options not included in these guides, in order to suit the user's preferences.

Step 1 - Open "Media Center Master - Settings & Preferences" window through the "Application" menu.

Step 2 - Create a desktop layout as show below, with Media Center Master, uTorrent and the Explorer windows. Attempt to get the window sizes and locations as close as possible. This will help in the next guide to follow the movements of the folders and files as they are passed from program to program and through the different folder structures. The processes will happen quickly at first and then vary in time as the processing takes place. The specific concerns to look for in sizing and location are:

• Media Center Master should be the far background window with the "Settings and Preferences" window at the top, right, just below the "Title" bar.
• Depending on the locations of the Folder Structures for Media Center Master and uTorrent, the Explorer window should not extend into Media Center Master's "Log" window (white area just above the TV Series name, "Covert Affairs"). It can extend the full height of the screen, from top to bottom. If it is impossible to show both Folder Structure locations, adjust the viewing panes for explorer to be able to see the uTorrent Folder Structure on the left, with the "New Downloads" folder selected, to see the torrent downloads on the right, when they are processed.
• The length of the uTorrent window should be as wide as possible without interfering with the folder view pane in the Explorer window. For the height, again do not let it extend into the "Log" window. Adjust the column width of the "Name" field, if needed, to be able to see the "ETA" field.

Step 3a - In the "General" tab settings, change the following time frames:

• "download new TV episodes every" - from 15 days to 1 minute.
• "run download parser every" - from 15 days to 5 minutes.
• "run uTorrent integration every" - from 15 days to 10 minutes.
• Tick the check box for "Show timestamp in the log window"

• At this point, if not already done so, it is suggested to jump to the next guide, "How to Interpret the First Run," to read and familiarize yourself with it, before continuing with Step 3b.

• The guide will go over the important processes to watch for in order to ensure a successful first run has been completed.

• The automation process for the selected TV Series will begin within one (1) minute after clicking on the save button.
• After clicking the save button,

• Remember to click the "Task" bar buttons in the following order:

• First, open the Explorer window, then

• Open uTorrent, so uTorrent will be on top of the Explorer window.

Step 3b - In the "General" tab settings... (continue using snap shot, above)

• Click the "Save" button to close the "Settings and Preferences" window, and to begin the first run of Media Center Master.
• Click the "Task" bar buttons to reopen the Explorer and uTorrent windows.

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How to Interpret the First Run

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• Do not use, this guide, unless, the user followed the Table of Contents, Section 2 - Installing Media Center Master with it's subsections, as a complete guide, without making any changes to the defined settings.
• Using these steps in any other manner will not reproduce what is shown in the examples.

• The following screen shots were chosen from a group of several test runs.
• This selective process was done to get a specific rendering of a test run; in order to follow one (1) of several downloads^(*) through the complete process, and to provide for a short, but informative guide.
• The screen shots are taken in sequential real time order.
• Your results will vary depending on several issues, such as: popularity of the TV Series chosen, internet speed, time of day, torrent availability at fetcher sites, torrent swarm ratios...
  
• The test run, shown in the examples, updated and organized the TV Series with four (4) episodes, related meta-data, and image files in 21 minutes.

^(*)The configured sittings used in these guides should download a minimum of one (1) episode up to a maximum of five (5) episodes.

Step 1 - At 11:01 AM a record of events processed by Media Center Master is shown in the "Log" window with time stamps. According to the "Log", Media Center Master:

• Searched for new and missing episodes for "Covert Affair",
• Found four (4) torrents at the "EZTV.it" site
• Indicates in "red" there was "no results" during the search routine for episode 6 using the primary season/episode format (S02E06).
• Using a different format for season/episode (2x06), a torrent file was found and saved.
• Handed the .torrent files off to uTorrent for saving

• uTorrent processed the .torrent files and started downloading the torrent downloads into the "New Downloads" folder.

Step 2 - Media Center Master continues to log all process:

• In one (1) minute intervals it attempts to keep the series up to date. No other downloads are saved because it has recorded successful downloads in a meta-data file it uses for processing.
• At 11:06 AM, five (5) minutes after starting, it attempts to parse/process new downloads. Again, nothing is done because it does not find any completed downloads in the monitoring folder.

Step 3 - At 11:11 AM, computer time, the first download is completed in uTorrent and moved from the "New Downloads" folder to the "Competed Downloads" folder for processing.

• Notice, Media Center Master does not log the processes of uTorrent.

Step 4 - At 11:11 AM Media Center Master handles several process.

• Ten (10) minutes after starting, it uses the uTorrent integration feature and removes the first completed torrent in uTorrent.
• Second, five (5) minute interval, after starting, it parses/processes the completed download found in the monitoring folder.

• It renames the downloaded file, removing all torrent tags, and uses TV Series Name, a season/episode format, and includes episode title.
• Using the information it obtained in the renaming, it creates the Season 2 folder.
• It moves the renamed file from the uTorrent folder structure to the Season 2 folder.
• It fetches all associated meta-data, a poster, a thumbnail, and stored them in appropriate files and folders.

Step 5 - At 11:17 Media Center Master has completed parsing/processing the remaining three (3) downloads into the proper folders for the TV Series,

Step 6 - At 11:21 AM, second ten (10) minute interval for uTorrent integration processing.

• It is busy keeping TV Series up to date (timing slightly off because of meta-data, poster, and thumbnail downloading, and other internal processing)
• At 11:22 AM, 21 minutes after starting, it removes the remaining three (3) completed torrents in uTorrent.

Step 7 - The first run is complete.

• There are no files left in the uTorrent "Folder Structure."

• The .torrent file (control file), saved into this folder by Media Center Master was deleted, after being read by uTorrent.⁽¹⁾
• All of the video downloads were individual files.⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

• There is no clean up, maintenance to be preform after the completion of the test run.
• These files were obtained by uTorrent with information from the .torrent file, and

• Saved into the "New Downloads" folder,

• Upon completion the downloads were moved into the "Completed Downloads" folder, then

• Media Center Master moved them into the "TV Shows Archive" folder structure.

• The New TV Series is up to date.⁽⁴⁾

• A numbered "Season" folder was created for the renamed video downloads,
• The renamed video downloads were moved into the "Season" folder and

• An image file relating to the season was found, downloaded and moved into the "Season" folder.

⁽¹⁾ - The settings used for the first run were selected to reduce the number of steps in these guides, thereby removing additional confusion, and to provide an example of an automated process with no requirements to preform maintenance afterwards, by deleting the .torrent files after the downloads are loaded. Should a user wish to store and/or move the .torrent files for future use: (an) additional folder/s would need to be created in the guide, "How to Set-Up a Folder Structure for uTorrent" (e.g., "Stored Torrents," "Moved Finished Jobs"), to store these files; additional steps to set the location/s would be needed in the guide, "How to Specify Locations to the uTorrent Folder Structure," after Step 4; and the option which enabled "Delete loaded .torrents," in Step 5, would need to be disabled by removing it's check mark.
⁽²⁾ - The settings used for the first run were selected to reduce any possible problems by not using a new "Beta" feature. There should be no folders downloaded containing a video in an archived (e.g., .rar) format, because the setting for "Allow torrents with archived files" option, shown in Step 2a of the guide, "How to Configure the Downloader Tab Settings," was not enabled. For advance users wishing to include archived files in the downloads, this option would need to be enabled. The user would, also, be required to un-archive the files and remove all of the archived files and it's folder, manually, or, enable the "Beta" features for: "Attempt to extract from archives (please report problems at the forums!) BETA!", and "Automatically clean-up folders left behind by T.V. downloads (if no video files or archives exits) BETA!," shown in the guide, "How to Configure the Settings for Transparent Effect."
⁽³⁾ - The settings used for the first run were selected to reduce any possible problems by not using a new "Beta" feature. At times a folder will be downloaded containing the video and also include some other miscellaneous folders and/or files related to the video, or the torrent download. The video file will be processed/parsed and moved into the "TV Shows Archive" and the downloaded folder with all of its remaining content is left untouched, requiring clean-up by the user. The second "Beta" feature, "Automatically clean-up folders left behind by T.V. downloads (if no video files or archives exits) BETA!," shown in the guide, "How to Configure the Settings for Transparent Effect," can be enabled for users wishing to test it. Note this feature is only available for T.V. downloads.
⁽⁴⁾ - Not shown in the examples is the hidden "metadata" folder. It contains the meta-data and image files for the related video downloads.

Step 8 - To test a full automated run from boot up,

• Go back to the "How to Add a New TV Series" guide and select a different show.
• Exit the program through Application>Exit, then reboot.

• After rebooting, Media Center Master should open, then

• One (1) minute after building and refreshing the cache

• The automated processing will start.

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Technical Guides to Features

Fetch Meta-Data

How To Fetch Meta Data

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If you just want to fetch meta-data for a single title in your media list, simply right-click on the title from Media Center Master and choose "Fetch meta data". This will activate Media Center Master's configured meta fetcher sources to search for and download related meta data (including text, images, etc.) for the selected title.

Depending on a few possible scenarios, the following will happen:

• If there is no existing meta data for the title (or existing data does not contain proper media IDs), then Media Center Master will begin a Fresh Meta-Data Search on this title.
• If there is existing meta data for the title, but the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Advanced" -> "Re-use ID's found in existing meta data" is not checked, then Media Center Master will begin a Fresh Meta-Data Search on this title.
• If there is existing meta data for the title and the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Advanced" -> "Re-use ID's found in existing meta data" is checked, then Media Center Master will begin an Update Meta-Data Fetch on this title.

Fresh Meta-Data Search

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The folder that contains the title you are fetching meta data for is run through a quick process that cleans up the formatting and prepares it for searching. This process removes some stop-words such as 'the' and 'and' as well as replaces punctuation with spaces as appropriate (non-exhaustive list). Doing this provides the fetchers with an appropriate title (and potentially a release year) to search against.

However, if this search:

• the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Advanced" -> "Respect the ForcedTitle XML tag in meta data" is checked
• and is a movie title (not T.V. or adult
• and has existing meta data
• and that meta-data contains a ForcedTitle tag
• then the title to search against will be set to the data in the ForcedTitle tag

Next, configured meta-data fetchers (listed in "Application" -> "Manage fetchers and plugins...") are given the the title to search for (as indicated above) and a release year (if one is available from parsing the title's text). The list of potential matches retrieved from the fetcher should be displayed in the log window to the right-hand side of Media Center Master during this time. After they have been retrieved, Media Center Master eliminate any matches that do not pass a title comparison check1. Depending on how the remaining list of results look, Media Center Master will then do the following:

• If there are no results, this fetcher is skipped and the next is used (if more than one is available). If there continues to be no results, the fetch is aborted. Aborted fetches can still produce blank meta data if the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Advanced" -> "Create blank meta data if no results were found" is checked.
• If there is exactly one result from the fetcher and the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" is not checked, then the most likely title will be selected automatically as the confirmed result.
• If there is exactly one result from the fetcher and the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" is checked and the option under under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" -> "Unless there is only one result" is not checked, then a prompt will come up asking you to confirm the most likely result. If it's not the result you want, you can click "No" to cycle to the next.2
• If there is exactly one result from the fetcher and the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" is checked and the option under under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" -> "Unless there is only one result" is checked, then the most likely title will be selected automatically as the confirmed result.
• If there are multiple results from the fetcher and the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" is not checked, then the most likely title will be selected automatically as the confirmed result.
• If there is exactly one result from the fetcher and the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Confirm search results" is checked, then a prompt will come up asking you to confirm the most likely result. If it's not the result you want, you can click "No" to cycle to the next.

If a prompt appears asking for confirmation and none of the results are ultimately selected, then the fetch is aborted. Aborted fetches can still produce blank meta data if the option under "Application" -> "Main preferences..." -> "Advanced" -> "Create blank meta data if no results were found" is checked.

The meta data fetch process continues from here as an Update Meta-Data Fetch.

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Update Meta-Data Fetch

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Using the meta data from the selected fetcher result, a meta-data file is created (if one already existed, it will be overwritten entirely at this point).

Preparing for a Fresh Re-install of Media Center Master

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• Deciding whether to, just, uninstall the Media Center Master program, or completely remove Media Center Master and all associated files, is the first step to resolving an issue.

• The user should be reminded, Media Center Master is, also, dependent on outside folder locations and another program.

• The second step is to determine, whether or not, these other areas require any attention before re-installing Media Center Master.

How to Remove Media Center Master for a Fresh Re-Install

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Following all of the guides in this section will completely remove Media Center Master from your system, including all user settings, download history files, media collection cache files, and registry entry.

• Screen shot examples are taken from a Windows XP Operating System.
• Where major differences between operating systems occur; screen shots from a Windows 7 Operating System are, also, included.

How to Run Media Center Master Uninstaller

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The uninstaller:

• Will not remove:

• The user's configuration settings made to the Application>Settings and Preferences window and stored in the registry,
• The user's TV Series/Movies download history files, or
• The user's media collection cache file.

The Media Center Master uninstaller can be found through Start>All Programs>Media Center Master>Uninstall Media Center Master.

• For most users the uninstall is straightforward.
• Run the program and click the "Yes" button to begin.
• When it is finish, click the "OK" button.
• Should the uninstaller experience an unexpected error and not complete, jump to:

• "Manually uninstalling Media Center Master" guide.

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How to Manually Uninstall Media Center Master

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• This guide, only, needs to be used when a user experiences an unexpected error during an:

• Install,
• Uninstall,
• Re-install, or...

*And is unable to complete an:

*Uninstall, or

*A fresh, re-install.

The uninstaller:

• Should remove:

• The Media Center Master program files,
• The hidden "bin" folder, and
• The Start>All Programs group entries

Step 1 - Locate the Media Center Master program folder.

• On most Windows Operating Systems, the folder will be found here:

• C:\Program Files\Media Center Master

• For some 64 bit Windows Operating Systems, the folder will be found here:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Media Center Master

• Left click on the folder to highlight, then select delete from the menu.

Step 2 - Locate the hidden "bin" folder.

• For Windows XP Operating Systems, the folder will be found here:

• C:\Documents and Setting\"user name"⁽¹⁾\%Application Data%⁽²⁾\Peter Souza IV\Media Center Master\bin

• For Windows 7 and Vista Operating Systems, the folder will be found here:

• C:\Users\"users name"\%AppData%⁽¹⁾\Roaming\Peter Souza IV\Media Center Master\bin

• Left click on the folder to highlight, then select delete from the menu.

Step 3 - Locate the Media Center Master Start entry here:

• Start>All Programs>Media Center Master
  • Left click on the entry to highlight, then select delete from the menu.

Step 4 - Close any programs that are open and reboot the system.

⁽¹⁾ - actual user's name, without quotes.
⁽²⁾ - this is a hidden folder.

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How to Change the Folder Options in Order to View Hidden Files/Folders

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The "Folder Options" window can be found through Start>Control Panel>Folder Options. Click on the "View", scroll down to "Hidden files and folders.

• Tick the radio button for "Show hidden files and folders."
• Tick the check box to remove the check for "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)"
• Click the "OK" button to finish.

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How to Remove Hidden Files/Folders

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The location of hidden user folders and files are dependent upon the Windows Operating System used.

Windows XP Users

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• See, Section 4.1.2, "Changing the Folder Options in Order to View Hidden Files/Folders" to change settings for viewing hidden folders and files.
  
• Be sure to go back and change the settings to the "Folder Options - View" tab after completing this step.

Delete the "Peter Souza IV" folder located through C:\Documents and Setting\"user name"\Application Data\

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Windows 7 and Vista Users

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• See, Section 4.1.2, "Changing the Folder Options in Order to View Hidden Files/Folders" to change settings for viewing hidden folders and files.
  
• Be sure to go back and change the settings to the "Folder Options - View" tab after completing this step.

Delete the "Peter Souza IV" folder located through C:\Users\"users name"\AppData\Roaming\

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How to Remove Registry Entries

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Step 1 - Open the Registry Editor through Start>Run, type in "regedit" (without quote marks) and click the "OK" button.

Step 2 - Delete the "Peter Souza IV" entry located through My Computer>HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software

• Reboot the system to save the change in the registry files.

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Additional Areas to Check Before Doing a Fresh Re-Install

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These are user based actions, and mentioned here, only, for a reminder. No other information is provided.

Depending on the reason/s for the uninstall of Media Center Master, some additional clean-up may be necessary in one or more of the following:

• The Media Collection Archive folders,
• The uTorrent Program,
• The uTorrent Folder Structure.

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Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.