I'm quite new to kodi / zdmc, and as any new user I found some annoyances I cannot pass, so let's share a bit of experience for community's benefit. 1. As many others, I have a personal collection of movies originating from torrent trackers, which are named as *per scene* requests, i.e. "Cry.of.the.Banshee.1970.THEATRiCAL.BDRip.x264-VoMiT". The same for TV series, with the usual S01E01. Now, the problem. When it comes to adding video sources to kodi library, none of the movies containing dots in their name is added. It would be a tremendous and useless work to rename a personal library with spaces instead of dots... Is true, I can still access any of the movies using the folder mode to explore the sources, but this is no more kodi experience with all facilities and useful info. In this case why use kodi and not just an explorer and any other player? So, the first question: is there any kodi setting or addon to improve the library function? - i.e. to add files as named by this per scene request, meaning with dots between words instead of spaces? I did a bit of research on this, with no luck.
Welcome Welcome beanuelu Let me start by helping you with movies: Every movie should be in a separate directory (with the movie's name). Dots "should" be ignored by KODI when scanning, so that will not be a problem. There is a VERY easy way to rename all your directories/files. From a WINDOWS machine download and run Bulk Rename Utility - (It is free) and rename by replacing all the "." with " ". Remember to enable KODI to check for new files on restart, or use a KODI plugin called "Watchdog" (under KODI's Addons/Services) I will start a QUICK KODI REFERENCE FOR FIRST TIMERS and post some more tips...
thanks a bunch @cyber7, will send you my address for the lamb you owe me for rebaptising . btw, my nickname really means approximately "mr. lamb" 1. the point was if there is a way to solve this dots issue WITHOUT renaming the files, which would be a constant and useless effort, first of all, and in the second thought, a mess on management, because, as you probably already know, the files comming from torrent trackers MUST stay untouched a good while, until you seed enough to be able to stop the torrent and rename the file... so the renaming is out of question. 2. in the present, the zdmc version we are using IS NOT SCANNING THE DOTTED FILENAMES. 3. obviously, all the files are in their own directory and also in a directory separated from tv series, as instructed by kodi wiki. still, the files with dots are not showing in library.
The problems you have is not with ZDMC, but with your files To get the best possible solution, have a look at http://kodi.wiki/view/Naming_video_files/Movies I would also suggest you move your files out of the directory (your torrent directory) once downloaded. If you want to automate this, you can have a look at: https://sickrage.github.io/ and https://couchpota.to/
clearly we have an "I agree we disagree" situation. In my opinion, if the scene decided to use the dot naming model, then the following developers should take this into account for any piece of software involved in media, especially a media center. If you ask me, kodi should have a more extended control panel, and it should be able to present options as ignore dots (or other patterns) or read metadata from file header, or use idtags, or exif, or whatever... not the case. I can't see any reason kodi wouldn't be able to read the bloody dotted filenames. But whatever the reason might be, I thought someone have had the same issue and found a workaround - except renaming. That's why I asked, I am well aware I can rename the files but I'm trying to avoid this. Thanks for automation idea, but I have my own favorite trackers and cannot override their rules, I'm happy to use this the way I am using it now. *** Also, another issue with our xbmc version is that it doesn't support kore (the android remote system for kodi), because there is no way to allow http acces in settings (they are greyed out) because it gives just an error.
May be mine is a completely different environment, I don't use library at all (I HATE it), but my X6 with ZDMC (and also with native filemanager/player), both through Windows shares or DLNA server, is perfectly able to handle any dotted filename, more, any also strange formatted filename. All mine are AVI or MP4 or MKV files, is this the difference?
@cyber7 thanks for the tip, it worked but on 8088, it seems the other ports are in use. nice arch interface, too :beer: @PacoRabanne - I simply love the media/info integration of kodi for the file it recognize, and I would love to have all the same for my entire collection, but the damn kodi is not reading correct all the sources. will start rebuilding the library after i will delete and remake all shares.
neamielu, this is why i HATE media file libraries. Nice indeed, if runs fine, but damned irritating if not. Of course is my taste... All my experiences (with Kodi) in the past was bad, even on other devices and on PC. Anyway my shares contents varies very quickly and dinamically (I archive offline very often), any indexing make worse and slow file handling (reindexing) and playing. Keep also in mind that Kodi has a bad DLNA handling, it don't recognize and handle DLNA "new contents" messages, so the only way to update is close and open again Kodi (and ZDMC) Is a known bug that nobody want do solve..... Kodi is NOT a perfect software, and forfait of good developers don't help. P.S. are your files on PC? Try UMS, it can "translate" filenames without touching them, and also transcode (and much more) And it's FREE!
@PacoRabanne dammit, is so complicated. yes, in this moment I have most of my files on a HTPC which I am using for years now. for a while I was playing files from that pc directly, but you know PCs connected to big screen TVs, always rezolution trouble, driver issues, and so on. eventually I upgraded a couple of years ago to a smart tv, and I could play content directly after I installed serviio media server, this was far better. now I got this asus router which includes a dlna server itself, and I was planning to move everything on an external hard-drive and to test it without computer. Anyway, kodi is poorly prepared for MS networks, I can't get access (yet) but I'm still struggling. I access the files from PC via ftp now, and upnp, since servio is running smoothly. Via ftp was poorly working and not indexing the files. Via upnp cannot declare media type (kodi limitation). on both cases I can manually run files via folders, but those are not indexed and I have no info on them. My goal is to gather all media in one place to be able to access it from all devices I have (two smart tvs among them). I would prefer to attach the hard drive to zidoo, but my samsung is seeing the shared media, but is not playing it. Also, Samsung tvs are not seeing samba, manufacturer intended limitation. about kodi.. yeah, it's a damn limited and overcomplicated piece of software..
Well, this evening I had the honour to meet the really weird F8 issue of kodi. On certain media I had a red mute icon on upper right side, while in others sound was working. Also, the file worked with sound when playing it with mxplayer. Using volume and unmute buttons on every remote didn't worked, I even reset to default. Nothing worked until I pressed F8, another well known issue on kodi..
I admit that currently I prefer to use a promising but still not mature media player software, Movian, that is small, fast, without bells and whistles that I don't like. It access easy an quickly my DLNA shared files, but has some problems to be solved, the bigger is some stuttering on X6, the second is that fast forward and rewind are too fast, so after jumping to another movie point, audio starts right, but video for a few seconds go too fast (like old slapstick accelerated movie) and then stabilize synchronized. May be that the developer (Andreas Smas) will make it compatible with RK chipsets, there was some pot by him on the forum, but are disappeared... no more posts from previous years? Anyway, maybe that Movian is not powerful enough for your requirements. My second choice is X6 native Media Center, it access fine SMB shares, and included player seem OK. My third is MX Player Pro, is a little masterpiece, but it miss a included network/UPNP/DLNA browser (shame on them!), and needs an external one (like Kodi or another simple DLNA brovser called SlickDLNA, but its interface is not modifiable enough for my tastes. Kodi is easily able to launch external player, and MX player is one of them. And, important to consider, currently I watch only SD or (rarely) HD resolution file.
Actually mxplayer is one of my favorites, too. I guess it would be wiser for now to keep watching streams in kodi and collectibles in mx player. Also, using native media center seems to be a good idea, the file browser is optimized for using with remote control, unlike es explorer touch-based-optimization which is quite difficult to use on zidoo.. Last evening I have tested the router's DLNA mini-server and it just works, even on my picky samsung, so I guess now I can dismantle the old HTPC and let it at peace, I ordered an external rack for my media HDD and that's it with kodi, will play my media in the old fashion way, browsing and using external player. Anyway, Kodi DLNA module is not working properly and also still cannot access SMB shares, but this in no longer a concern since I intend to get rid of PC.
If I could make a suggestion: Don't get rid of the PC, turn it into a "OMV" (OpenMediaVault) server. You will have not only access to SMB shares for your entire collection, but also be able tu run stuff like SickRage, CouchPotato, Transmission and horde more... In any case, glad your problems are getting less!
Thanks for suggestion, @cyber7, but I'm trying to simplify the things and to unplug all unnecessary old and big stuff such as PC, routers, switches.. this is the reason I bought zidoo after all, to be able to get rid of PC. In my new vision, everything will run on zidoo (rarely torrents) and all the stuff will be moved on router's USB port, which support samba and dlna in the same time. this is only a tenth of space and will have all the stuff in only one place. I already made some room by replacing 2 routers and a switch with a new and far better router. Also, it crossed my mind to solve once for good the samsung dlna playing problem by buying an x5 to attach on it, because I'm sick of its "smart" functions. Found some with about 50$, so I'll use the TV as dumb with smarter x5 (I hope). BTW, does anyone have an x5, too, to compare it with x6 by usage means? I only need its network and media playing abilities, apart from kodi which would be a great addon itself..
Does anyone know why do I see horizontal black bars on some movie files although the resolution is pure 1080p and that is the resolution of my TV?? Is there a way to remove them and go full screen? It is quite annoying
K Munir, note enough information: When layed on X6, are your video proportioned (a circle is a circle and not an oval) and there are no vertical bar (like zoomed out video)? If are proportioned and no verical bar, is not a X6 problem. If not proportioned, may be a problem in your video files header. If zoomed, search for zoom in ZDMC/KODI (may be present, I don't know because I don't use it).
There is no zoom available if Zidoo RK Codec is enabled in settings. Another cool improvement for ZDMC - no ZOOM video.
Its not the vertical bar, its the horizontal bars I am talking about. The video is def correct proportioned as my laptop as well as TV's media player display it without horizontal bars but its just the zidoo box that shows them.
