Use MediaInfo to read metadata 'tags' in video files and import into datbase/library

[Gamester17]

Could Boxee integrate MediaInfo metadata reader code and use it when scanning video files into the database?

MediaInfo supplies technical and can read tag/atom information about a video or audio file containers.

MediaInfo is coded in C++, is cross-platform (Win32, Linux, and Mac), open source code (GPL/LGPL dual-license), and can be compiled into a .dll (Dynamicly Linked Library) on Windows, .so (Shared Object) on Linux, .dynlib (Dynamic Library) on Mac.

What information MediaInfo will get from looking at a container:
General: Title, Author, Director, Album, Track Number, Date, Duration, and much more.
Video: Codec, Resolution, Pixel Aspect Ratio, FPS, Bit-rate, and much more.
Audio: Codec, Sample Rate, Channels, Language, Bit-rate, ReplayGain, and much more.
Text Language of Subtitles (SRT, SSA, ASS, SAMI, and many more).
Chapters: Number of Chapters, List of Chapters (names).

Examples of just some of the supported formats:
Video: AVI, MKV, OGM, DV (RAW), MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-TS, MPEG-4, WMV, MOV, IFO/VOB (DVD-Video), CDXA (VCD/SVCD), Blu-ray and HD DVD files, and more.
Audio: MP3 (Id3v2), OGG, WAV, PCM, RA, AC3, DTS, AAC, M4A, AU, AIFF, WMA, APE/MAC, FLAC, and more.

about integration of metadata in MediaInfo, my goal is to have all the
metadata available in a file, so if data is present, what is request ("Right
now it allows for the following atoms (new atoms can be defined as well) Show
Name, Episode ID, Episode Number, Season Number, Cast Members, Producers,
Directors, Writers, Original Air Date, Original Network, Long Description (Plot),
Artwork, Video Kind (TV Show, Movie, Music Video) Rating, Genre.") is
easy to have.

Checkout the MediaInfo website for more information:
http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net

Source code (and SVN):
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mediainfo

PS! MediaInfo could also be used to read tags in audio files but that is not what I am requesting here.

You can follow the dicussion about this in the XBMC forum here:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12721

[iBog]

I also recommend the ability to read in meta data from existing files.

I spend a lot of time and effort to tag my files and don't always like the data that Boxee finds (especially for the descriptions which are too long to be displayed).

If a file is not tagged, it would be useful for Boxee to write meta data to the file.

[Gamester17]

I also recommend the ability to read in meta data from existing files.

If a file is not tagged, it would be useful for Boxee to write meta data to the file.

That is exactly what my feature request is
Was that not clear enough too technical?

Anyway, yes we are on the same page

[marcel]

yes too technical...please make it simple for guys like me

[Gamester17]

More people requesting this, see:
http://forum.boxee.tv/showthread.php?t=690

Boxee has the same problem that Plex and everything else based on XBMC has. It completely ignores all the metadata in my video files,...

...In short, read metadata from my video files, and sort accordingly.

MediaInfo's author, Jerome Martinez (a.k.a. Zenitram), have now even said that he would be willing to work with any volunteering XBMC/Boxee/Plex C++ developer(s) in order get MediaInfo library working in XBMC/Boxee/Plex, (his e-mail address is "zen at mediaarea dot net" if a C++ programmer would like to contact him about this).

[iBog]

Gamester... I got the intent of your original post. Just wanted to say I supported the idea and also clarified it a bit.

I have another post that describes the workflow I'd like to see for supporting metadata.

I'd like to see Boxee try to read the metadata first before attempting to look it up and if it looks it up I'd like the option of writing the missing or updated data back to the file so if I have to rebuild the library DB it will automatically get the latest data.

I wish I were a hard core programmer to help out.

[marklight]

This is my #1 feature request too...

[Gamester17]

I have another post that describes the workflow I'd like to see for supporting metadata.

My own idea of a IMHO better process chain is described and discussed in the XBMC Community Forum here:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=37206
and also spread over to this other discussion thread:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14186
and here too:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=30161
as well touching the subject here:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33710

[iBog]

I read your first link and you provided a very detailed and thorough explanation of the process and completely agree with it.

The only additions I'd suggest are:

1. Use mediainfo to read data from the file tags. This should be done before imdb scrapping.
2. Use as much information from the file tags as possible to improve the accuracy of imdb scrapping. I'm glad you acknowledge that this may not be perfect.
3. I think there could be a confidence or accuracy rating when using imdb scrapping. This could also be combined with a preference for when the user is willing to be prompted (for more information, select from a list or skip).
4. From the library, manually launch the imdb scrapper for selected entries.
5. There could also be the ability to write metadata to the file.

What do you think?

[Gamester17]

5. There could also be the ability to write metadata to the file.

This is the only part I do not agree with. As a media center software it is not Boxee's job to write metadata to the files, in fact Boxee's media center software should not touch any of the files or folder structure. Boxee media center software should only write to its SQL databases and at most be able to export those SQL databases into XML formatted NFO files like XBMC can, see:
http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=Import_-_Export_Library

Editing the tags of media files is the job of a other software that is not a media center. Maybe in the future Team Boxee could produce such tag editor software as well as a sort of 'media companion', but in my opinion that should be a separate software application from Boxee's Media Center software application. I have created a separate forum discussion thread about that here: http://forum.boxee.tv/showthread.php?t=991