Home Theater 4 overview

I updated all my players to the latest firmware 2.3.60 noticed a couple of things differant in the HT4 from the X20 and the Z9S - on the Z9s in the rematch it says *Confir* and the X20 still says *Ok* it seams crazy they have left the *M* off Confirm - Also they have change the widget name Sources to *Device Manager* on the Z9s and kept it the name *Sources* on the X20 - Strange why they are diferant - What I find frustrating is that you can not remove the Sources off the widget why do we need two buttons on that screen that do the same thing

X20 Re Match Z9s Re Match X20 Menu Z9s Menu

 

Please check if Z9S is set to English US, from screenshot look to be English GB(United Kingdom).
English GB(United Kingdom) will be improve with next HT 4 update see Crowdsourcing translation project for ZIDOO Media player need your help.

 

I'm in the UK so would of probably have set it to English UK - But will check to see if that makes a difference

 

That sorted the problem thanks - strange why this has only happened in the latest firmware

 

The translations went absolutely bonkers a couple of firmwares ago - I assume it's to do with the translation project, but I've no idea why so much is wrong now - UK English seems to have taken on a "default" setting and seems mostly gibberish.

 

I tested a little bit TMM on a some folders which are part of a collection. Seemed to work only after clearing the cache.

But now the collection image is gone (The Maze Runner Collection) and it was replaced by one of the films.
Is this standard behaviour when .nfo is scraped and images are used from local disc?

What I can do against it?


And why TMM is using the second poster from TMDB and not the first one?
Is the size the problem? 1000x1500 vs 2000x3000 px
Edit: Found the setting for the size

 

When you import from local NFOs and local images, for collections there must be a CollectionName-poster.jpg available too. There is also a CollectionName-fanart.jpg but I don't know under what circumstances these would show in HT4.

I don't use TMM so I just put these images in all movie folders relating to the particular collection although I suspect it will work if they are just available in one of them.

I presume what's happening in your case is that TMM isn't producing these files.

 

Exactly - I can see the posters but I don' t see a way to download and integrate them in the nfo

I will try with the CollectionName-poster.jpg.
In this case "The Maze Runner Collection-poster.jpg"?
Where do I store it? In each of the 3 subfolders?

So HT does not download the collection poster from TMDB itself as long the other data comes from a local storage?

 

Yes that's it - as long as the collection name is exactly the same as shown in HT4. I put a copy in each of the subfolders, but I think it may only need to be in one - not sure - I've never tried.

Where it falls down is in names like "Mission: Impossible Collection" because a colon character is illegal in a filename, so you can't have Mission: Impossible Collection-poster.jpg and Mission Impossible Collection-poster.jpg doesn't work. It's expecting the colon even though it can't be in the file name.

Usually it does - it uses local artwork first (as long as the option is ticked) but then scrapes from TMDB if not available locally. That must be something to do with the way TMM is handling it - have a look at the NFO and see what it says for "set.poster" and "set.fanart".

 

There is no line for the set.poster in the nfo file.
For some reason HT also does not refresh for new posters. I tried already to clear the cache. This did not help.
Only by disabling the custom directory I could get rid of old posters.

It was strange that it showed me the new images when I manually tried to set a new poster. But when I wanted to select it then the new poster poped up shortly and then the old was was shown again.

 

That's it - it can only pull artwork from where it's told - so if it's told to scrape from local images first but there is no local image and it's told to scrape from the NFO and that doesn't contain a the location, it hasn't got anywhere else to turn. I assume assigning the movie poster instead is a default behaviour.

 

Has anyone an idea how to manage trailers within of TMM and HT?
HT wants a naming like

filmname.(#movie).ext
filmname.(#preview).ext

But TMM will list the preview file. To ignore it TMM suggests to use a subfolder extras

filmname.(#movie).ext
extras\filmname.(#preview).ext

But in that case HT tends to list the trailer as film and I have the film twice listed. (in the main list - not as A, B...)

 

I can't speak for how TMM handles it, but HT4 handles trailers using the keyword "trailer" in the filename like:

filename.trailer.ext

This plays the trailer using the stream player automatically in a small preview window (if that option is set) and in a bigger window if the clapper board button is pressed.

What you're describing is using the AB boxes which are designed for different versions of the same movie.

However, you're quite right, you can use this function for trailers as well in which case they're played full screen using the Zidoo player. The caveat is obviously you can't use the keyword "trailer" otherwise the trailer function kicks in and the file is ignored by the scraper.

I assume you've seen my PDF with the syntax for this, but if not it's attached to this post:

http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?thr...f-for-rtd1619-players-includes-unbrick.82695/

The files must be in the same directory which is why when using a sub-directory the scraper sees two movies.

 

My zidoo (X9S) doesn't play Trailers anymore after the update to HT 4.0
Neither the online trailer nor the local ones. Doesn't matter whether I have nfo files or not.
Thats the reason why I try to use the AB boxes.

X9S = RTD 1295 - so I am in the wrong forum?

 

This is the 1296 forum but don't worry about it because this thread is about HT4 which is common to 1295/6 and 1619 players.

If you're using high quality files, the AB boxes are perhaps a better way to do it to be honest because that uses the Zidoo player rather than the stream player so the playback is much better.

But local trailers are still working perfectly in HT4 (v4.0.69) - are you sure you have the filenames EXACTLY the same:

filename.ext
filename.trailer.ext

?

 

Ah - hang on - look in settings/playback/stream player - what does it say?

 

I have Nubplayer - but i also tried already the other setting.
When I manually start the trailer from the trailer icon then I get only a "there are no available trailers" message.
It doesn't matter whether I have a local trailer or not.

With trailers on the drive I tried already many things: 44.1/48 kHz , mov/mp4/mkv
I also tried
filmname.1080p.ext
filmname.trailer.ext
filmname.1080p.trailer.ext

filmname.(#movie).ext
filmname.trailer.ext

No success.

I have also the problem that with
filmname.(#movie).ext
filmname.(2#preview).ext
filmname.(4#extras).ext
HT (4.0.17) shows me sometimes one film with movie/preview/extras button and sometimes it lists me the film twice
1) filmname.(#movie).ext
2) all the other videos
They are listed as the same title. Same poster - only the fanart is different (since I have only for the movie local images)
It depends on the film. Clearing cache and rescan does not help. They are always the same 2 films with this behaviour.

 

Ok, NuPlayer is the correct one. Native Player won't work.

MP4 and MKV works - never tried MOV but I'd assume so.

For moviename.1080p.ext

the trailer must be:

moviename.1080p.trailer.ext


For moviename.(#movie).ext

the trailer must be:

moviename.trailer.ext

In this case the movie version info in brackets is ignored since the idea is to have one trailer for all versions under the same poster.

With the version naming you have to be consistent - so if you're going to number them, number them all and make the numbering consecutive.

 

I can't remember what version of HT4 local trailers were added though - it was May last year when I got the first private beta.

I assume your version of HT4 has the local trailers option in HT4 preferences???

 

I reformatted an old USB-stick (which i had never attached to the zidoo before) and copied 2 small test videos on it. Renamed them to
The Mummy (1999).mp4
The Mummy (1999).trailer.mkv
And this works. I guess that there has to be still something in the cache of the zidoo or my external hard drive which is causing problems (including the other previous mentioned ones like ignoring updated posters and list some film twice).
Will test still with another drive and then backup and re-format my hard disc.
It was one which Zidoo never liked. From time to time it lost it while playing a video and a "new external drive found" popped up.
But several tests on a computer did not show any problems.