Home Theatre Update

Discussion in 'ZIDOO Z9S' started by Markswift2003, Mar 21, 2020.

  1. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    Good news is we are slowly fixing all glitches :)
     
  2. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    We need Zidoo to step in here and think about something to merge .trailer prefix with (#Preview) prefix. It's all the same file. I shouldn't have to copy it twice with 2 different file names and rename all my movie versions with custom labels in order for this to work.

    How about (#Trailer) one prefix that gets added to labels beside 3D, HDR and it also gets played in small trailer preview as preferred local trailer? One predefined label for all functions.
     
  3. Markswift2003

    Markswift2003 Well-Known Member SUPER Administrator Beta test group Contributor

    My Beta notes are getting cleared very quickly now!
     
  4. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    Could the trailer option be removed from the TV category? None work and unless Zidoo plan to introduce this feature into that category its better to remove it to save confusion.
     
  5. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    Nice - look forward to getting new version. Currently not using alphabetical or ALL for that reason
     
  6. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    If the trailers don't work in TV category it just doesn't play. You can also disable auto-trailers and don't click on trailer icon. That's all. Don't need to remove it.
    I really enjoy trailers. Local trailers options beats Kodi now in trailers match :) We just need to polish it up a bit and improve a way to play your own downloaded high quality trailer at full screen with proper frame rate and resolution!
    I use it all the time now. It was easier to jump between different movies testing trailers back and forth using small alphabetic keyboard than try to search or scroll. I actually use this keyboard to navigate around HT more than remote now.

    We are moving forward :)
     
  7. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    I stopped auto-trailers as find it annoying - like Netflix before they thankfully option to disable it:). I really think the addition and implementation of trailers is very good. My point is that I don't ever see TV trailers being feasible so the option to play them in the TV category is redundant. Just a suggestion to finesse the interface.

    As for the alphabetical option. As I never keep a large library I can take it or leave it TBH.
     
  8. mirror

    mirror Well-Known Member SUPER Administrator Zidoo TECH Supporter

    OK.
     
    Osmar and 3DBuff like this.
  9. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    Netflix is pushing movies, good or bad, trailers in your face like commercials. You start Netflix and the same trailer plays in your face if you like the movie or not.

    Zidoo is for movie buffs. People who enjoy and collect movies and music. HT has great interface that presents movie posters, artwork, trailers, synopsis, rating etc. Similar to Kodi without luggage of multi platform and plugins to do almost anything.

    I use trailers in 2 ways. Preview of the movie to decide between couple which one we are watching (family vote). To go back and refresh my memory about favourite movie that I really liked. This could be previous parts of the next movie or looking back on actor or movie director previous work. At that point since I saw the movie already, high quality favourite trailer full screen with proper resolution and refresh rate, no stutter of any kind is desired.

    Before Zidoo introduced trailers I would look it up on the TV build in browser or laptop computer. Now it's in HT all in one place on movie page. I can even choose my favourite trailer for best movies. Love it!
     
    Юрий Гандев likes this.
  10. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    HT update

    My quick summary of where we are and my wish list :)

    Key advantages so far:
    - Multiple versions of the same movie like 3D, HDR, 1080 in one movie page. Kodi has one movie page per file. Zidoo wins.
    - Custom trailers - ability to add your own high quality movie trailer to movie page. Zidoo wins.
    - Scroll by alphabet or jump to a letter. Tie.

    What's left on my list:
    1. Link trailer file to Preview badge for full screen Zidoo player. Mirror promised it above.
    2. Maintain database poster wall active for disconnected drive option. Small check mark in source selection to keep database active when drive disconnected. Kodi wins here.
    3. Filter by source. Ability to select multiple sources as needed. Right now we can only select one source at the time. I have 3D titles and HDR titles across multiple network shares.
    4. Straighten out badges at the bottom of the movie page. Audio badge disappears after movie playback on ISO and BD File structure.
    5. Stop button to stop trailer preview and return to movie page with backdrop artwork
    6. Slide out movie info overlay to allow for full screen unobstructed artwork view. Example here in point 5.
    7. Filter by country. We have filter by Europe. Not very helpful.

    There are other ongoing fixes with improved scanning of TV shows and whatever bugs we discover.
     
    Юрий Гандев likes this.
  11. very important for me
    "2. Maintain database poster wall active for disconnected drive option. Small check mark in source selection to keep database active when drive disconnected. Kodi wins here."
     
    3DBuff likes this.
  12. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    Agreed. We shouldn't have to have all drives plugged in and running all the time to see full database. In multiple drives and locations you shutdown full drives with older movies. You are not going to watch any of those older movies every day. No need to keep them spinning.
     
  13. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    I forgot to mention Search Function.
    - Dynamic search function with every letter from keyboard or on screen. Zidoo wins ;)
     
  14. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    I totally agree with everything you say. The introduction of trailers - whether via the internet or ones you add great. All I'm saying is that I personally find the automatic starting of a trailer annoying so really pleased it can be disabled :)
     
  15. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    I use the Z9S a lot for TV shows. As HT uses both TMDB and TVDB for scraping so it has do decide which one to use unlike media walls where categories are added per source such as Kodi.

    When running a scan of my three drives (2 for moves and 1 for TV) HT often does not use the most appropriate scraper as TV shows appear without details such as plot or cast. Adding the category (TV or Film) when adding a source would remove this issue.
     
  16. Markswift2003

    Markswift2003 Well-Known Member SUPER Administrator Beta test group Contributor

    I agree, a source category is a great idea - Couple of questions (as I don't use it for TV):

    Do you know for certain that it is using TMDB as a primary source for scraping TV series or is that an assumption based on the results?

    You say HT often does not use the most appropriate source - under what circumstance does it use the correct source?
     
  17. Cary Grant

    Cary Grant New Member

    I have seem to have found an issue with the "size/magnitude" of the database and or a "memory" issue I have reported it to zidoo service

    My current HT2/HT3 library has a total of 24,320 items (movies+ extras etc /tv episodes) as defined by the numbers depicted on the sources page of HT2/HT3
    In checking out the issue I have set up the database on external media using 1) a 100GB usb flash drive (for speed) and then also tried using a network drive and then using the HT option " device and external storage" I have also used all the latest versions of firmware up to and including v2.3.30 and HT2 and now HT3

    So to the issues :
    When I add more items from an additional source/s, for example, an additional 5000 items as defined by HT2/HT3 I used tv episodes as this is easier than adding the equivalent of movies One of two things happen 1) the progress halts "stuck at matching" and freezes and requires a reboot of the box.
    2) the progress completes but on "trying to display the posters" the system seems to loop and after about 60 minuets of "trying" carshes back to the desktop and subsequent attempts to start HT have the same effect.

    When trying to start HT2/HT3 again after the boot the same pattern occurs rending HT2/HT3 inaccessible The only way to clear it is to login to HT via the web browser on a computer select "APP" and clear the data from the app or via the box selecting the HT app, "right click", "clear" and then clean the box by using Clean Manager App" either from Apps or the desktop to remove the database

    Once the data is cleared from the app, via "right click", "clear data", I can login in via the app on the Z9s and restore the previous backup state prior to the added items.

    I have mirrored the exact same sources using XMBC on the Z9s and this has no issue displaying the library plus the additional items/sources plus a significant number more. Once again the KODI library is stored on external media in this case a network drive

    I have selected library storage on external media to avoid attempting to completely filling the memory of the Z9s.

    Therefore it would seem that HT2/HT3 is reaching a memory limit on the box which is not seen when using XMBC. I imply from this that the HT2/HT3 information is held in memory rather than being read from the storage media as XMBC?

    As a "shortcut" as media data is not read from an actual media file until run "dummy" files can be used i.e. just zero byte correctly named media files, TV Show SnnEnn.mkv, TVShow2 SnnEnn.mkv/mp4 etc. to generate an "infinite size library/database to check out the memory constraints of the database in lieu of having "actual" media files.
    Once again I use as an example TV shows as they generate more information; per season, per show episode per show and would easily create a "large" database

    I have not seen any other reports of this

    Can this be addressed in the HT app update for an unlimited size library
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2020
  18. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    Although I can't be 100% sure I'm pretty certain that whenever HT does an auto scan it defaults to TMDB as a TV show will have a poster and background and sometimes plot. It won't have cast or director. If I re-scan forcing TVDB it will find plot, cast and director but often no poster and or background! To mitigate this, on my Shield's install of Kodi I am now exporting the TV library as individual files. In HT I have .NFO option set to precedence so it can pick up info. It's a a bit of a pain but means I can can full info for TV

    HT always seem to use correct scraper for movies.
     
  19. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    @Tony77 was reporting HT crashing with 11,000 titles in poster wall here. This may be memory limitation like you sad, based on posters, synopsis and other stuff.

    24k of movie titles is probably world database of IMDB.COM ;)

    Don't know if this is related but right now the search function is dynamic and very fast with every typed letter. Kodi requires search string to be typed in first and then you run the search. Don't know if changing database to drive only instead of memory would allow for this dynamic search. I like HT search now.
     
  20. Markswift2003

    Markswift2003 Well-Known Member SUPER Administrator Beta test group Contributor

    This is only a mockup, but maybe something like this to define sources...

    [​IMG]
     

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