Creating NFO file for dummies

[bfeiden]

Hi guys,

So i was told the only way to incorporate my own cover art or thumbnails for TV shows is to create an NFO file. This is fine, however the problem for me is that I have absolutely no experience in doing this, and it doesn't seem like there are any programs for MAC users to use.

So i'm really sorry this is stupid, but if someone can tell me exactly step for step how I can accomplish this it would be greatly appreciated. I read some other threads regarding this, but it's difficult for me to understand.

Here is an example of a TV show of mine that right now has no cover art or description: Lights Out (2011), or Big Shots (2007)

Also on the same note, there are some movies that I have that do not have a description, if that can be explained as well i would be really appreciative.

Thanks, and Sorry again for the lack of knowledge on the subject

[war59312]

Hey,

OK here is a quick example for a TV. Using the show, 30 Rock.

Folder: 30 Rock

Files & Folders In The 30 Rock Folder:

1.) Season 1 Through Season 5 Folders

2.) 30 Rock.tbn

3.) folder.jpg

4.) tvshow.nfo

In The Season 1 Through Season 5 Folders:

30.Rock.S01E01.mkv
30.Rock.S01E01.nfo
30.Rock.S01E01.tbn

So from the top to the bottom...

The "30 Rock.tbn" and "folder.jpg" are used for the billboard image. This is the image you see while viewing Local Shows. I use both files though some say only "folder.jpg" is required.

"tvshow.nfo" is information about the show, in this case all the details about 30 Rock. Only the show though, nothing about episodes.

In the season folders are all the individual episodes all with a .nfo and .tbn file for each episode.

The .nfo file, in this case "30.Rock.S01E01.nfo" is information used by BB for that episode and only that episode. It must match the name of the episode file, minus the extension of course.

The .tbn file, in this case "30.Rock.S01E01.tbn" is going to used by BB for the thumbnail image for that individual episode. This is the image that shows up on your BB while browsing the show, in this case 30 Rock. Again, it too must match the name of the episode file, minus the extension of course.

Very Important Note: There is a bug in the May, 2011 firmware for BB. Only automatic scanning will use the correct thumbnail for TV Shows. If you try and do a manual scan it will use "folder.jpg" for the thumbnail, which is incorrect. Will be fixed soon.

Because if this bug you also need to clear out your entire database and start all over. Why you ask? Because the thumbnail images for all TV Shows have been cached by your BB and this is the only way to successfully there them all out.

Note 2: None of this is needed for movies. This is strictly for local TV Shows.

For movies it is real simple, you can even manually identify these, so you do not have to wait for an automatic scan to take place (will take an hour for automatic scanning to happen if using hourly scanning - yes that includes if you click the scan button - it does NOT work atm).

Yes Movie billboards are also cached by the BB but they are refreshed correctly when doing a manually scan, so no need for cleaning out the database for Movies.

Anyways, on to how to use .nfo files for movies..

Very simple..

1.) Create a folder, name it whatever you want.

For example I have the folder: "The Bourne Ultimatum"

2.) Within this folder is the movie file itself, so for this example I have: "The.Bourne.Ultimatum.2007.1080p.BluRay.mkv"

3.) Also within this folder I now have a .nfo file and a .tbn file. Again they are named the same as the movie file, minus the extension.

So I have "The.Bourne.Ultimatum.2007.1080p.BluRay.nfo" and "The.Bourne.Ultimatum.2007.1080p.BluRay.tbn".

Like for TV Shows, the .nfo file is used here for information about the movie and the .tbn file is used for the billboard image that you see while viewing Local Movies.

Really is that simple in the case of Movies. Again, you can even manually identify a movie just fine and it will be identified correctly, assuming your .nfo file is correct.

To do that you simply browse to you shared folder in Files and then manually identify the movie file and click to use .nfo file to identify it.

That is a lot easier and quicker than counting on Automatic Scanning to pick it up.

Well I hope that helps?

Take Care,

Will

[bfeiden]

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain. It really helps

How exactly do you create a .nfo file? It is not a regular text editor is it? I cant seem to find a program for mac

once i know this i think I'll be on my way!

thanks again

Oh.. And if i choose not to add .nfo for each episode, will that be ok, because the BB picks up the episode descriptions, just not the series description or cover art

[bryan]

Just open up notepad, input your info and save it as a .nfo file

http://support.boxee.tv/entries/5102...ng-an-nfo-file

<tvshow>
<title>MythBusters</title>
<plot>So exactly how hard is it to find a needle in a haystack, anyway? And can water dripping on your forehead really drive you nuts? Those are the kinds of questions, myths and urban legends that are put to the test in this humorous series to find out which ones hold water (and keep it from dripping on your forehead and driving you insane).</plot>
<thumb>http://thetvdb.com/banners/graphical/73388-g3.jpg </thumb>
<id>73388</id>
<genre>Reality</genre>
<actor>
<name>Robert Lee</name>
<role>USA Narrator</role>
</actor>
<actor>
<name>Adam Savage</name>
<role>himself</role>
</actor>
</tvshow>

[dr.ripco]

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain. It really helps

How exactly do you create a .nfo file? It is not a regular text editor is it? I cant seem to find a program for mac

As far as I know, all Macs come with TextEdit, should work fine.

[war59312]

Oh.. And if i choose not to add .nfo for each episode, will that be ok, because the BB picks up the episode descriptions, just not the series description or cover art

Indeed, then you only need to use tvshow.nfo (will fix series description) and folder.jpg (will fix cover art).

[bfeiden]

hey guys,

so i dont know if i'm doing it right, because there seems to not have had any impact on the TV shows and even the movies so i think im doing something wrong.

For the TV shows this is what I have:

Folder: Big Shots
Inside Folder:
big shots.tbn
folder.jpg (same as big shots.tbn)
tvshow.nfo
Season 1 Folder containing the .avi files

This is what my .nfo file contains:

<tvshow>
<title>BigShots</title>
<plot>The story of four friends at the top of their game... Until the women in their lives enter the room. Lines between boardroom and bedroom blur when these competitive but dysfunctional CEOs take refuge in their friendship, discussing business, confiding secrets, seeking advice and supporting each other through life's surprising twists and turns.</plot>
<genre>Drama</genre>
<actor>
<name>Michael Vartan</name>
<role>James Auster</role>
</actor>
<actor>
<name>Dylan McDermott</name>
<role>Duncan Collinsworth</role>
</actor>
<actor>
<name>Christopher Titus</name>
<role>Brody Johns</role>
</actor>
</tvshow>

I deleted all my tv shows and had it automatically update because i was told it would not work otherwise.



As for the movies, and example of what I have is follows

Movies Folder --> Surf Ninjas Folder

Inside the folder:
Surf Ninjas.avi
Folder.jpg
Surf Ninjas.nfo


The cover art is displayed on the boxee box (dont know if thats from imdb or not) but there is no information for the movie. Below is what my .nfo looks like in this file:

<movie>

<title>Surf Ninjas</title>

<rating>4.3</rating>

<year>1993</year>

<outline>Two Asian-American "surfer-dude" brothers discover they are the long lost princes from a China Sea Island. Part of their inheritance are magically-induced martial arts prowess. Using their new powers they act to overthrow the island's current dictator, a despotic madman.</outline>
<runtime>87min</runtime>
<mpaa>PG</mpaa>

<genre>comedy</genre>

<director>Neil Israel</director>

<actor>

<name>Ernie Reyes Sr.</name>

<role>Zatch</role>

</actor>
<actor>

<name>Ernie Reyes Jr.</name>
<role>Johnny</role>

</actor>
<actor>

<name>John Karlen</name>

<role>Mac</role>

</actor>

</movie>




Anyways that's as detailed as I can get, hopefully somebody will be able to figure out what I'm doing wrong... Greatly Appreciated

Thanks!

[darcilicious]

I deleted all my tv shows and had it automatically update because i was told it would not work otherwise.

So what happens? The TV show isn't showing up at all now? Or it's showing up with old data?Or it's showing up in the unidentified list? Or what?

Have you verified that the scanning is complete for the Local Source that has that folder?

[bfeiden]

Yes the scanning was complete, the TV show is still there however the data has not changed (no thumbnail and no information)

[darcilicious]

How did you "delete" all your TV Shows?

You may need to clear out your media database but I'm not sure that's what you did exactly.