[Undertaker555]

Yes, I am running it right now. I am still careful about switching from vanilla Kodi + UPnP to Kodi with Mezzmo, but I think I will do it.
Again thank you for the quick help.

But still a few things are not clear to me..


1. Prevent Mezzmo from re-adding the deleted library entries?
So you said that Mezzmo will add deleted things from Kodi right back.
But can I somehow disable that? Because as I said, I plan to have a second, smaller profile, in which only about 1/3 of the Mezzmo library should be added.


2. Import the exported Kodi library to Mezzmo
And another question. I am right now exporting the Kodi library as "single files". This created following files:
MEDIA-fanart.jpg
MEDIA-poster.jpg
MEDIA-thumb.jpg
MEDIA.nfo

All of these .jpg are correctly imported by Mezzmo, except for the .nfo file.
How can I modify the .nfo to be imported? Right now it has Kodi structure, but I would like to bring that .nfo to a shape, that Mezzmo can understand and successfully import.
What does the structure of an Mezzmo-compatible .nfo look like?

Actually, is there a better way of doing this?

[jbinkley60]

Yes, I am running it right now. I am still careful about switching from vanilla Kodi + UPnP to Kodi with Mezzmo, but I think I will do it.
Again thank you for the quick help.

But still a few things are not clear to me..


1. Prevent Mezzmo from re-adding the deleted library entries?
So you said that Mezzmo will add deleted things from Kodi right back.
But can I somehow disable that? Because as I said, I plan to have a second, smaller profile, in which only about 1/3 of the Mezzmo library should be added.


2. Import the exported Kodi library to Mezzmo
And another question. I am right now exporting the Kodi library as "single files". This created following files:
MEDIA-fanart.jpg
MEDIA-poster.jpg
MEDIA-thumb.jpg
MEDIA.nfo

All of these .jpg are correctly imported by Mezzmo, except for the .nfo file.
How can I modify the .nfo to be imported? Right now it has Kodi structure, but I would like to bring that .nfo to a shape, that Mezzmo can understand and successfully import.
What does the structure of an Mezzmo-compatible .nfo look like?

Actually, is there a better way of doing this?

What I meant about Mezzmo adding things back is in reference to media in folders not Kodi database entries (unless they are owned by Mezzmo).  So, for instance, if you delete a video file from a folder in your hard drive.  Mezzmo will not add it back because it will no longer see the video file.  If you delete Kodi data in your Kodi DB not owned by Mezzmo, it won't care.  If you delete Kodi data in your Kodi DB that is still in Mezzmo then it will get added back by the addon as part of the sync process.  In the end you manage everything from Mezmzo and it replicates out to your clients.  I call it publish once and read many times.  Also, the power of the Mezzmo Smart playlists is huge to find things of interest.  I have a Recently Added playlist which shows me anything which was recently added to the Mezzmo library.  I can quickly see if something got added that I didn't want or maybe didn't scrape the way I wanted. 

I am not an export on NFO importing.  The Mezzmo folks could help better.  Here's the link to their Wiki on NFO importing.  I think you'll find what you need there.  Look closely at the naming structure.


Jeff

[Undertaker555]

If you delete Kodi data in your Kodi DB that is still in Mezzmo then it will get added back by the addon as part of the sync process.

1.
But can I disable that sync process though?
Is there either an option in the Mezzmo plugin to stop the sync process, or is in Kodi an option to freeze the Kodi DB as it is?

2.
Was my way actually the best, by exporting the Kodi library into "Single Files"? Or is there a better solution to export the Kodi library to Mezzmo?

3.
And that .nfo thing seems possible, but I think if I can't export it from Kodi, I will scan it trough the Mezzmo server on PC from scratch..
So let's say I need to scan all my media from scratch:
What is the standard scraper of Mezzmo? And how can I add TVDB?


Sorry for asking so much, but you really help me a lot, and I try to finally finish that project..

[jbinkley60]

If you delete Kodi data in your Kodi DB that is still in Mezzmo then it will get added back by the addon as part of the sync process.

1.
But can I disable that sync process though?
Is there either an option in the Mezzmo plugin to stop the sync process, or is in Kodi an option to freeze the Kodi DB as it is?

2.
Was my way actually the best, by exporting the Kodi library into "Single Files"? Or is there a better solution to export the Kodi library to Mezzmo?

3.
And that .nfo thing seems possible, but I think if I can't export it from Kodi, I will scan it trough the Mezzmo server on PC from scratch..
So let's say I need to scan all my media from scratch:
What is the standard scraper of Mezzmo? And how can I add TVDB?


Sorry for asking so much, but you really help me a lot, and I try to finally finish that project..

1. Yes, you can disable the sync process in the addon but I am not sure you'll really want to do that and if you are using the Mezzmo addon, the contents of the Kodi DB really don't matter much.  Mezzmo has two ways to do autuo updates of folders, either on a timer (in the pro version which can be disabled) or when a folder is browsed (which I don't know can be disabled.  You'd need to ask them).  Depending upon your goal here you could set up Mezzmo to only share Smart Playlists with the Kodi clients and not folders.  The you control what is in the smart playlists.  Thus anything which happens at the folder level will never be seen by a client. 

I know you've tried to explain this but what is your real concern with additions / deletions ?  In other words what specifically are you worried about a client user doing ?  I believe you are concerned about them messing with the Kodi database on the clients.  If so, Mezzmo and the addon takes care of that.  If it is adding and deleting raw media files then the playlist approach may be the best. 

2.  I'd suggest posting that question on the Mezzmo forums to get someone with a bit more experience to assist.  Mezzmo can import whatever you'd like but I can't speak for the best way to export out of Kodi. 

3.  Mezzmo leverages TMDB for movie scraping and TVDB for TV scraping.  You can see an example here.

My recommendation for metadata and artwork is to let Mezzmo scrape the metada and let it use your local artwork.  That will likely be the cleanest.  Mezzmo also has a lock feature where once you get the metadata / artwork how you want to you can lock it so that it won't be changed.  This is a cool feature.  It's at the top of the metadata editor there is a lock symbol for locked or unlocked.
 
I do not mind the questions.  This is a labor of love for me to help folks get the best experience with their media and Kodi. 

Jeff

[Undertaker555]

First some good news:
The .nfo is actually working! The Kodi .nfo's are completely compatible with Mezzmo, which is really great for importing the Kodi library to Mezzmo!


Then regarding your question about my worries with adding / deleting in the Kodi playlist:
First we need to make clear that I am using the Kodi interface and the basic menu to navigate the media, and even while using Mezzmo.

Ok, so then I am using 2 HDD's. One is big and contains all media that I have. This one we call now the "Home HDD".
The other one is a smaller one, which contains my most basic media. This one we call now the "Travel HDD".

The Home HDD contains all the files that the Travel HDD contains, but it has much more additional media that I not always need. The Home HDD is the complete version, but also is not handy and sometimes the extra power cables annoy me to set up, etc. so I just rather use the smaller Travel HDD, even at home.
This means that the 2 HDD's have not the same library, because in the Travel HDD obviously are many files missing, and I don't like my Kodi to promote me media that is not even possible to play, because it isn't on the Travel HDD.

So I need to have 2 profiles with 2 libraries in Kodi:
One for the Travel HDD and one for the Home HDD.

Now I need to find out a way on how to bring Mezzmo in that situation.
I want to create as before 2 profiles in Kodi, one for the Travel HDD and one for the Home HDD.
In that Travel HDD profile I would delete all Kodi library entries that are not on it, so Kodi will not promote all these media to me, which I can't even access, because the Travel HDD is connected to the Mezzmo Server. But now the problem would be that Mezzmo always keeps adding the inactive files from the Home HDD. So this is what I am trying to avoid.

And if I actually connect the Home HDD to the Mezzmo Server, I simply would switch profiles in Kodi, and it can promote all that media to me.

[Undertaker555]

I finally created an account at the Mezzmo forums..
So, I think I will get more specific help there.

So conclusion is: In my case the best way to completely share the Kodi library inside my home network is Mezzmo.
Why is that? Because I dislike the idea of enabling Network Discovery. I like it better to run some kind of server-software trough UPnP, but it is just like vanilla Kodi does not allow me to stream the artwork to the client, so I need Mezzmo for that. And honestly, I like the way the library is handled much more in Mezzmo than in Kodi.. because Kodi really makes it hard to change anything about the library. Still I love Kodi, and with Mezzmo I love it even more!

Just a bit more tweaking of Mezzmo, and all is done.

Thank you everyone!

[jbinkley60]

I finally created an account at the Mezzmo forums..
So, I think I will get more specific help there.

So conclusion is: In my case the best way to completely share the Kodi library inside my home network is Mezzmo.
Why is that? Because I dislike the idea of enabling Network Discovery. I like it better to run some kind of server-software trough UPnP, but it is just like vanilla Kodi does not allow me to stream the artwork to the client, so I need Mezzmo for that. And honestly, I like the way the library is handled much more in Mezzmo than in Kodi.. because Kodi really makes it hard to change anything about the library. Still I love Kodi, and with Mezzmo I love it even more!

Just a bit more tweaking of Mezzmo, and all is done.

Thank you everyone!

Not following your network discovery comment unless you are talking about SMB file shares for Mezzmo to reach your media across multiple computers.  If so, you'll have that issue with any sharing solution unless you move your media to a single system. 

Yes, I think you'll learn to love Mezzmo for managing your library, artwork and such.  The GUI interface and the playlists are outstanding.  You'll find out more as you go about the power it provides to manage your library.  I've tried to high much of it in the Wiki page.  The goal of the addon and Mezzmo is to make Kodi even better.  I tried many solutions before I landed here.

I am glad it is working well for you.


Jeff

[jbinkley60]

First some good news:
The .nfo is actually working! The Kodi .nfo's are completely compatible with Mezzmo, which is really great for importing the Kodi library to Mezzmo!


Then regarding your question about my worries with adding / deleting in the Kodi playlist:
First we need to make clear that I am using the Kodi interface and the basic menu to navigate the media, and even while using Mezzmo.

Ok, so then I am using 2 HDD's. One is big and contains all media that I have. This one we call now the "Home HDD".
The other one is a smaller one, which contains my most basic media. This one we call now the "Travel HDD".

The Home HDD contains all the files that the Travel HDD contains, but it has much more additional media that I not always need. The Home HDD is the complete version, but also is not handy and sometimes the extra power cables annoy me to set up, etc. so I just rather use the smaller Travel HDD, even at home.
This means that the 2 HDD's have not the same library, because in the Travel HDD obviously are many files missing, and I don't like my Kodi to promote me media that is not even possible to play, because it isn't on the Travel HDD.

So I need to have 2 profiles with 2 libraries in Kodi:
One for the Travel HDD and one for the Home HDD.

Now I need to find out a way on how to bring Mezzmo in that situation.
I want to create as before 2 profiles in Kodi, one for the Travel HDD and one for the Home HDD.
In that Travel HDD profile I would delete all Kodi library entries that are not on it, so Kodi will not promote all these media to me, which I can't even access, because the Travel HDD is connected to the Mezzmo Server. But now the problem would be that Mezzmo always keeps adding the inactive files from the Home HDD. So this is what I am trying to avoid.

And if I actually connect the Home HDD to the Mezzmo Server, I simply would switch profiles in Kodi, and it can promote all that media to me.

I am glad the NFO import is working. 

Let me try to explain something about Mezzmo which may help here.  When you connect to Mezzmo from a client Mezzmo determines what you see on the screen as you browse your Mezzmo library.  So if you have two sets of folders you've imported into Mezzmo one set from Home HDD and the second from Travel HDD, Mezzmo will know about both of them and depending upon what you allow the clients to see that is what the clients will see. 

For this example we are allowing the clients to see the two sets of folders from both drives.  So under normal circumstances the clients will see what Mezzmo is sharing.  Then if you disconnect your travel drive from Mezzmo, Mezzmo will notice it is gone and when a home client browses the folder it won't be there because Mezzmo will see it gone and not allow you to browse a folder which isn't there.  Everything will still be in the Mezzmo database (as long as you don't manually delete it from the database or run Mezzmo maintenance to delete it) and when you reattach the travel drive it will magically come back    Playlists work differently because they are database driven and since the data is in Mezzmo it will be served to the clients.  THis is the distinction of folders and playlists.

For your travel Kodi unit you could still have 2 profiles.  One for your normal travel drive but the other one would be empty / Managed by Mezzmo and you'll just use the Mezzmo Kodi addon when it is plugged into your home.  A worst case scenario is that you have a travel and home version of your MyVideos119.db file (Your Kodi 19 video DB file) and rename it when you travel.  I am just thinking off the top of my head here. 

Another option is before you travel clear the Mezzmo database and disable the sync in the Mezzmo Kody addon for the Kodi client which is traveling with you.  That will clear out the Mezzmo data before you travel.  Then turn sync back on when you get home.  That might be a clean / quick solution.


Jeff

[Undertaker555]

I said that with SMB just in general. That SMB comment I made, to explain why I decided to go for UPnP and Mezzmo. For me it feels kind of "too open" with Network Discovery enabled.

That whole library management is very easy to use. And the idea of having only one library is great to me.
Before that, I used to have literally 3 devices with Kodi, and on each I had to synchronize everything manually, because I didn't learn about the sharing methods.
When I added just one file of media, I had to go to every single device, put the HDD into the device, scan the added files, and remove the USB again, just to have the new file in the library.

Now I am at least somewhat close to having a central library that can be managed from just one little piece of software on my main device, which really is great.


Right now I am waiting for the Mezzmo forum to reply about my questions.

[jbinkley60]

I said that with SMB just in general. That SMB comment I made, to explain why I decided to go for UPnP and Mezzmo. For me it feels kind of "too open" with Network Discovery enabled.

That whole library management is very easy to use. And the idea of having only one library is great to me.
Before that, I used to have literally 3 devices with Kodi, and on each I had to synchronize everything manually, because I didn't learn about the sharing methods.
When I added just one file of media, I had to go to every single device, put the HDD into the device, scan the added files, and remove the USB again, just to have the new file in the library.

Now I am at least somewhat close to having a central library that can be managed from just one little piece of software on my main device, which really is great.


Right now I am waiting for the Mezzmo forum to reply about my questions.

Thanks.  I concur with your discovery concerns.  I am glad sharing is working for you.  That is how it is supposed to be.  One question is whether trailers are working for you given the way you did your imports.  I don't know whether you ran trailers before with Kodi uPNP and the You Tube addon.  Mezzmo and the Mezzmo Kodi addon handle them through Mezzmo (i.e. no You Tube addon needed).   You might check and see if they are working.  Also maybe look at properties for a movie and see what is in the trailers box.  Also, don't forget to do a Mezzmo database backup before you get too fr along, just as a safety precaution. 


Jeff

[Undertaker555]

You are right. I actually saw that trailers are not even there, possibly because of my import from the Kodi .nfo or something.
Maybe this can be fixed by updating it somehow, but I for myself don't need it.

I think in years of using Kodi I never played even one trailer and not even downloaded the addon.

And thanks for the backup reminder. Definitely will do this, as this will be my only source of media.

[jbinkley60]

You are right. I actually saw that trailers are not even there, possibly because of my import from the Kodi .nfo or something.
Maybe this can be fixed by updating it somehow, but I for myself don't need it.

I think in years of using Kodi I never played even one trailer and not even downloaded the addon.

And thanks for the backup reminder. Definitely will do this, as this will be my only source of media.

It is likely trailers didn't import from NFO files.  Try a movie that you know has trailers and do a Get Online Video Metadata (unclick the artwork when it finds the movie so it doesn't overwrite your artwork) on it in Mezzmo and it should retrieve the trailer(s) in Mezzmo.  Then find the movie in your library in the Mezzmo Kodi addon and it should play.  If so, then we can discuss in the Mezzmo forum how to have Mezzmo add the rest of them automatically.


Jeff

[Undertaker555]

Works fine now. Exactly how you said, the trailer is now added very easily.

[PatK]

"scrape from local meta-data" combined with Kiosk mode would give me exactly what I want.

Have to admit this thread really took off.

From any video source (In the source creation you should be able to specify the path File sharing (wiki) and select scrapers, then you will be prompted for a full scan) if needed use the 'C' on the keyboard context menu with source in focus, open 'change or set content' and bring in the scrapers & options, most of this is under the presumption SMB. But from the information you provided in the last message 'Works fine now'. I'm happy you're happy.

[jbinkley60]

Two people with a video media passion and too much time on their hands 


Jeff