Help for McBluna’s Home Theater DB Tool

Hi! I am totally new in the Zidoo world.

HomeTheater's NFOs support is ... ridiculous.
It seems the McBluna’s Home Theater DB Tool is the way to go for proper scraping.

I have three sources, I can access them from:

• smb://root:88888888@192.168.1.22/share/6464-D517/Movies
• smb://root:88888888@192.168.1.22/share/6464-D517/Series
• smb://root:88888888@192.168.1.22/share/6464-D517/Animes

I would like to update automatically those sources with Home Theater DB Tool.
So I use TinyMediaManager to create NFOs and launch the command to update HomeTheater.

I'm really about to return my Zidoo for this!
If McBluna's solution works, I'd really be the happiest man in the world.

EDIT:

I finally found how to do it. Thanks McBluna, it's awesome!
The VS10 (for SDR and HDR) with proper scraping in HomeTheater!
I am the happiest man in the world!

The CLI works amazingly well on macOS!

To retrieve the source IDs, I just have to open this URL:
192.168.1.22:9529/Poster/v2/getSources

I still have some questions:

• Should I use the -clearImages and -fullUpdate flags?
• Should I use -clearFullDatabase once even after resetting firmware?
• Is it only working with the TMDB scraper from TMM or any like aniDB?

 

Hi qrabuck,
i use -fullupdate only if the Zidoo ignores Posterupdate. Without this the update for a source takes 5min, with it over 1h. Clearimages would delete all cached posters, i use it (and -clearfulldatabase) only on the very first scan to start from scratch.
I use TMDB for movies and universal scrapper (mostly TVDB, but TMDB for cast) for TV shows in TMM5.

In your examples i see tmdbapikey="", is this working or have you just masked your Api key?

I will post my scripts later.

 

Hi? Thanks for the clarification.
I'd like to see how you and others use the CLI.

I have to use -tmdbApiKey="" to make it work without error, but I don't really know what it does.

 

Here are my scripts. I start from scratch with "Filme 1-4 Reset.cmd". Then i normally use incremental updates ("Filme 1-4.cmd").
With TV shows (12000 episodes) it takes several hours, because the Zidoo samba server on the UHD3000 is crap. Windows can not see all files and writing images to the .hometheater folder is a pain.
My trick is to create this image folder locally and copy as zip file to the Zidoo, then unzip to .hometheater folder (with Scrncpy for remote logon and Totalcommander for unzip). I also have a mirror locally which i use for this.
But i use this (see Serien 1-4 Full Update.cmd) very rare. The backup and restore with images has the same Samba problem, so most time i make a backup without images, and only from time to time i make a backup with images (backdrops, logos and posters in .hometheater).
The widget script creates some genre widgets.

 

In the nfo files are not all informations for casts and additional facts included. These infos are scrapped from TMDB and this needs an API key. The question is if -tmdbApiKey="" does simple nothing or if a DB Tool internal key is used. I have created a personal key at TMDB (no costs).

 

Thanks!

So I have to create an API key on TMDB for proper casts scraping.
I have very poor information with empty API key.

 

With an API key it looks like this. If cast goes over TVDB then there are no cast pictures.

 

Do you also have duplicates in the cast list?

 

Yes, in tv shows. May be if the person is in the tv show nfo and in the episode nfo?

 

Did you find a way to fix it? Or is it a HomeTheater DB Tool bug?

 

No fix at the moment.

I tested it with a new source, but i got some strange results. I removed the show from my source, scanned with DB tool, and created a new source with the show. I deleted the source in HT4 before every scan.

scan with HT4, no NFO files: no double cast
scan with HT4 and TV show NFO, and/or episode NFO: double cast

Now it is getting strange:
scan with DB tool: only cast from tv show NFO displayed, but i see guest star info from episode nfo in the logfile.
move the show in the normal source, scan with DB tool: double cast with show and episode cast and no poster/fanart for the tv show.

So this may be a caching problem from HT4 or a bug in the DB tool or both.

 

Hi

I really don´t understand how to setup HomeTheater DB Tool, any help in here or is there a step by step walkthrough

Thanks in adwance

 

I'll create YouTube tutorials soon.

 

Thanks a lot

 

Awesome!

 

So great, thank you!
Could you tell us if having the cast in duplicate with tv shows is normal?

 

This is actually a problem of the source like tmdb. It is if an actor is listed on the main cast and on the episode cast.

 

So, is there any solution?

 

It would be nice if there was an option in Home theater DB Tool to automatically remove duplicates. If not, is it better to remove the season or episode cast? Or maybe should I stop using tmdb as scraper, so I have to buy tmm license. Can anyone tell me if this works with another scraper?

 

that sounds awasome! without it I cannot even start the implementation I'm def to stupid. but ht4 is unusable. pls post herenif sometji Gia available I'm following now. many thanks!!!!

hmm just thinking I'm not sure if I should do that. I have a lifetime emby license and it's doing a fantastic job. never had an issue on many clients and devices, until I started with ht4. maybe sometime ht4 will have fixed the issues, basically it only has to read the available info I guess..