[tjay260476]

On the 'How large is your XBMC library' 

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=174607

@Karellen stated that 

...An interesting thread would be the methods used to browse large libraries to find something to watch / listen

So I have took up the challenge to start up a thread for that!

I have used in the past, Lazy TV and Cinemavison.  

Lazy TV is great, as it can pick 5 unwatched TV episodes, and play them. A TV channel if you like, but you know you are going to like what is on....without the adverts!

Cinemavision - I set this up so it has a Kodi intro, a Pearl and dean intro (UK peeps know exactly who they are!) then two adverts from the 1980's, then two trailers of whats in my library, the latter is great because rather than looking down a list of Movies you get to see what's on your server.

For background music I have all the Now Albums, which I have given them the unimpressive genre as Now Albums. I have set Kodi as this to be the genre for Party Mode, this means I have background music that doesn't repeat, great for guests!

So, how do you all watch?

[Karellen]

Reading the thread How large is your XBMC library, I found it mind-boggling at how large some libraries are, with movies collections exceeding 5,000 entries.

So this got me wondering... How do you find something to watch?

For my smaller library, I use the following lists...

Class	List Type	Sorted by	Sort Order
Movies	Main List	User Rating	Descending
Movies	Genre	Alphabetical	Ascending
Movies	Movie Sets	Alphabetical	Ascending
Movies	Playlist- Exclude Movies in Sets	Last Played	Ascending
TV Shows	Main List	Last Played	Descending
Songs	Songs List	Play Count	Ascending

---Edit---
@tjay260476 you beat me to the thread by a few minutes . I have merged my thread into yours.

[PatK]

I pick my viewing interests according to what I've recently added, shared viewing (clips, youtube etc) and smart playlists of my interests based on ratings. I'm always on the look-out for reviews that point out hidden gems not to miss, with directors or actors I like. I lean towards animation and sci-fi but have great regard for Rotten Tomatoes and their picks. Sometimes I just play whatever is in front of my nose, randomly chosen by the skin and expect to get surprised.

[willemd]

I've made randomized playlists with 'old movies' and 'new movies'. Or I just feel like a recent one, and go through years 2017 or 2018.

[Klojum]

How do you find what to watch? That totally depends on my mood.

[mxlance]

So it goes like this -

Me: Do you want to watch a movie?
Wife: Sure?
Me: What would you like to watch, any ideas?
Wife: I don’t care.
Me: Old movie or a newer movie?
Wife: You pick.
Me: Are you sure? How about an old classic SiFi?
Wife: I guess.
Me: Great! (I then look through Films/Genre/Sifi sorted by year)
Me: How about “Colossus: The Forbid Project (1970)”
Wife: I don’t know, what’s it about? Who’s in it?
Me: Kodi > Movie >INFO SCREEN
Wife: That sounds to much like real life any day now.
Wife: How about a spy/espionage movie?
Me: New or Old?
Wife: ?
Me: ?

20 minutes later

We are watching “Monsters Inc.”

This is not a joke, this is a true-ish story.
I have over the years made smart playlists, widgets on the home screen, you name it.
Nothing has changed the above illustration. It is a weekly ritual and it works for us, kind of. We even have a laugh about it, sometimes.

Today we are watching (Her Pick) Horse Racing from Belmont Park and tonight we are watching (My Pick) “The Man Who Never Was (1956) for Memorial Day.

Thank You

[davilla]

HAHAHAHAH, I know and feel your pain

[Tinwarble]

20 minutes later

We are watching “Monsters Inc.”

Ha! Then comes, "what do you want for dinner?".

[mxlance]

OMG! don't even there. You have no idea, I do all the cooking.
Some times I feel like I work in a restaurant.

[DJ_Izumi]

LazyTV.  100%.  It's hands down the most useful thing I've EVER added to Kodi.  I do wish it could handle SPECIALS better but that's my only real criticism.

[TheBuz]

LazyTV.  100%.  It's hands down the most useful thing I've EVER added to Kodi.  I do wish it could handle SPECIALS better but that's my only real criticism.

 Snap! the most used addon for us, I have made a smart playlist and use big screen mode, so it almost functions like Plex On deck or TiVo.

The Smart Playlist is for TV, is on an exclusion bases so i have excluded all the TV show we don't want showing up, and lazyTV displays all the new stuff that has been added.

We have about 2000 films and about 400 TV shows, I have most of my collection memorised so I just play whatever i am in the mood for.

[tjay260476]

For music playing in the background I have setup a shortcut in favourites for party mode to play just the Now that’s what I call music albums ( its set as a genre) as well as music videos party mode.