[jweaver]

I currently have 5 instances of Kodi around the house and have been looking for a way to 'synchronize' episodes/movies that I have watched.

From what I gather, all of the current solutions to this rely on synchronized DBs, or external sites, but I have come up with a simple idea of how this could be implemented (I hope this doesn't already exist) and wonder if anyone is up to the challenge.

My idea is that every time something is watched, a file is created in the directory with the same name as the video (but different extension).

So for example, if you just watched:

Silicon.Valley.S01E01.720p.5.1Ch.BluRay.mkv

Then as soon as you finish, a file is created called:

Silicon.Valley.S01E01.720p.5.1Ch.BluRay.watched

Then if the file exists, Kodi would make the program as watched.. And if it doesn't.. Not.. and this would "sync" across all devices..

This means that if the same logic is used by all Kodi instances, they would know which movies have been watched and which not and would make them as such. As an added benefit with this method, if you had already watched some movies/TV shows/etc, you could manually create these 'watched' files without the need for any complex database.

To take this a step futher, the 'watched' file could also contain info about when it was watched.. Or even a timestamp so you could "resume" on another Kodi instance.

Does anything like this exist? Is it even possible? Is it something that anyone with a bit of coding/addon experience would like to have a crack at?

Jon

[PatK]

Just wondering if you've seen this Add-on:Trakt (wiki)

[jweaver]

Just wondering if you've seen this Add-on:Trakt (wiki)

Thats what I am using (or atleast trying too right now)... But whilst Trakt knows what I watch, I am not sure if it updates the other instances of Kodi (I could be wrong with that statement).

But my biggest problem with Trakt is that it only works for "indexed" files... I watch some of my stuff directly from a Video File, and Trakt doens't track it.

My other concern with Trakt, is that I watched 2 movies the other day, and only 1 was tracked.. And finally, you can't update Trakt with stuff you have watched from other sources....

So say I started watching something on TV, and then downloaded the rest, there is no way to make the episodes I have already seen...

My suggestion is much simpler.. Doesn't reply on any 3rd party resources.. And is totally manual...


I did find this:

https://github.com/4lb3rtO/service.nfo.w...te.updater

And it seems to imply it does something similar by updating the "watchedstated" of an NFO file.. But I don't have any NFO files, and I don't know if this would create them, or whether i would have to go through 1000s of folders and create them...

[PatK]

Everyone that uses the library in Kodi has .nfo files (not everyone exports their library though, so they never see them) it's internal.

My suggestion is much simpler..

Kodi welcomes submitted code, especially if it's simpler.

Your questions regarding Trakt are best handled in that forum, I suspect it will do most of what you want. Kodi isn';t Karnac, doesn't know about non indexed files shown in file mode. This should encourage you to index all files and get them in the library.

[Martijn]

This idea of some "watched" file has been suggested one time and no one liked it.
Instead use upnp or mysql to sync your watched stuff

[Nelbert]

All of this is available by using MySQL which once it's setup kodi essentially manages for you (including the resume at another screen).

If you have all the same sources setup in Kodi I believe it will also do it at file level (but why you'd have the power of kodi's library functions and not use them is your own business).

[jmh2002]

Yep, and MySQL will even do this for portable devices that you take out of your home network (with the correct setup).

MySQL will also mark watched videos that aren't even in the library such as those from the 300 or more legal streaming addons that are available from kodi (I mean addons such as YouTube, PBS, DIY Network, etc, etc) and this is incredibly useful when you have multiple devices in the household and move between them at different times.

This is one big disadvantage to using Emby instead of MySQL, it doesn't have this ability (and blocks MySQL from being used), and the Emby developers didn't seem interested in adding it either. which is a pity given the other 'power user' functions that Emby has.

[jweaver]

Cheers all.. Started to look at MySQL, but read this - "Every Kodi "client" must run the same version of Kodi."

Thats scuppered my plan from the start, as my Amazon sticks are running a different version from the Pi... But the next time the Pi gets updated, I will try to keep the versions sync'd

Just to reply to your comments.. I absolutely use the Library functionality of Kodi. But often I convert files (perhaps from AAC to AC3, or reducing the bit rate) before they go into my Library.. But I sometimes want to watch it before its done, so I watch it from the video list.

Also, I use Kodi mainly for Movies.. I don't keep an archive of "TV" stuff.. So I watch TV shows from the video list, not the library, as I never get around to indexing it.

Jon