Managing videos

[CosmicKnowledge]

I really like the MM node paradigm. Great for all my music.

I'd like to expand the use include videos/movies/TV shows/Documentaries/etc.

• Looks like I can use "collections" to create an interface with an artificial partition for videos (e.g. youtube downloads), movies, Documentaries, etc.
  • Is there a way to assign directories to monitor for a specific collection? The reason being that I already keep TV Shows in a "TV Shows" directory on different computers (accessed via Samba shares).
  • Is there a way to create nodes in the navigation tree automatically corresponding to a TV show --> Season --> specific episode?
• Movies should be pretty easy since they are usually a single MKV file and the title can be inferred from the filename.
• How do you play videos with an external application like VLC? I can change the player overall but I want to use the native player for music and an external player for videos.

Running latest MM - purchased version.

[Lowlander]

1) You can use the Path Criteria in Collections to create Collections based on where the files are located.

2) Check what the default TV Shows Collection does, if it doesn't provide the right structure for you try: https://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewt ... agic+nodes

3) Tools > Options > Player and enable the option to use default external player while leaving Choose Player to MediaMonkey Player.

[CosmicKnowledge]

I'm so glad you replied - very useful response.

1) You can use the Path Criteria in Collections to create Collections based on where the files are located.

Where is this located at? Is that a pull down menu, a right click somewhere? I looked but couldn't find a path reference.

2) Check what the default TV Shows Collection does, if it doesn't provide the right structure for you try: https://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewt ... agic+nodes

I just found a "TV" collection... it isn't already populated even though the TV shows directory is set to be scanned. I assume this has something to do with the Path Criteria above?

3) Tools > Options > Player and enable the option to use default external player while leaving Choose Player to MediaMonkey Player.

That's exactly what I was looking for. I had seen that before but completely misunderstood it's purpose. I hover-helped on it and surely enough, it's exactly what you said.

Unfortunately when I play the video through MM, VLC opens but the video isn't rendered properly. If I open the video from explorer.exe, it launches/plays the video properly in VLC.

[Lowlander]

1) File > Manage Collections.

2) TV is set with Criteria Type = TV which is auto assigned on first scan of file into Library: https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index. ... _Rules/4.0 However Gold users can change this to use Path instead.

3) I'm unable to reproduce with an MKV file and MediaMonkey 4.1.29 and VLC 3.0.11. Are you using a higher DPI setting in Windows?

[CosmicKnowledge]

2) TV is set with Criteria Type = TV which is auto assigned on first scan of file into Library: https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index. ... _Rules/4.0 However Gold users can change this to use Path instead.

I think I'm missing something critical in the workflow...

1. Files --> Add/Rescan Files to Library.
2. I added the directory "e:\TV Shows" as a Monitored folder.
   • "File types" is set to include all video types.
   • Somewhere in here, I should be able to specify that all files in this path are of type "TV" (as opposed to "video")?
3. Regarding the collection "TV"...
   • Collection Options --> Criteria --> "Type - equals - TV"

Nothing is displaying here. I looked at the "Video" collection and the files do show up here. Therefore, it appears they do not appear under the "TV" collection because their type = "Video" and not "TV".

You mentioned that Gold users (I am) can get the Type set automatically based on path. I do not see how to do that. The FAQ you referenced also didn't demonstrate that capability. That appears to be the problem -- I would need the type to be set to "TV" based only on adding that directory as continually scanned --> this directory is to contain files of type = "TV".

3) I'm unable to reproduce with an MKV file and MediaMonkey 4.1.29 and VLC 3.0.11. Are you using a higher DPI setting in Windows?

I am using a Hi-DPI display. Can MM be set up to launch VLC the same way explorer.exe does for proper playback?

[Lowlander]

2) No, scanning can't be set to a Type (in MediaMonkey 5 this is possible), instead as mentioned you set the Criteria Path in the TV Shows Collection.

3) So you remove Type = TV and add Path = E:\TV Shows and the TV Collection should populate with all the files in E:\TV Shows

[CosmicKnowledge]

2) No, scanning can't be set to a Type (in MediaMonkey 5 this is possible), instead as mentioned you set the Criteria Path in the TV Shows Collection.

3) So you remove Type = TV and add Path = E:\TV Shows and the TV Collection should populate with all the files in E:\TV Shows

Thank you very much. This does exactly what I wanted to do!

For everyone else's benefit:

Since I have different HDDs with TV shows, I separated paths with semi-colons.

[*]Media Tree --> Right click on your Collection --> Options --> Edit Collection.
[*]Criteria
- set: [X] Match all the following criteria
- set: Type - equals - Video (was originally set to 'TV' because I started with the MM pre-set collection called "TV").
- set: Path/filename - contains - 'C:\TV Shows;E:\TV shows;\\networkshare\path\TV Shows'

[Peke]

Hi,
As a side note, Once you get Collection correctly (I would personally create new one) I would select all the found tracks and Changed Type to TV.

Finally in MM5 you can have Nested Criteria for Collections So you can combine Type as TV and add nested criteria you wrote above so you would have all in one collection and then sort by type to know what needs to be edit to make Metadata correct.

[CosmicKnowledge]

As a side note, Once you get Collection correctly (I would personally create new one) I would select all the found tracks and Changed Type to TV.

I there a technical benefit to doing so? I wasn't planning on it only because it's a manual process. Am I to understand that the unreleased MM will let you specify that a specific directory is to contain a type of "TV" so that I don't have to manually do that? I'm constantly adding new content to directories on different network shares.

[Peke]

Hi,
Yes, in MM5 on directory scan you can choose type that folder contained or let MM try to detect it itself.