How to Get and Use NFO?

[Waiting4MS]

Can someone explain how to get NFO files for my movies and how to make use of them. I have read on this forum that editing the NFO will help me keep updated meta data intact. But I have tried editing the only NFO that showed up on my MediaServer and it seems to have no effect on what appears on screen. I guess the MediaServer needs to be made to read the NFO after editing but how?

[Dead Eye]

My understanding of those files is that they are written by the Movie Server after going through the 'Fix Metadata' function. They are an extract of the servers online resource, TMDB information, for the movie that is being 'fixed'.

Try the 'Update Library' or 'Rebuild Library' function while leaving that file in the directory where the movie resides...see if that works.

[Waiting4MS]

Thanks Deadeye. You are right that when I use the Fix Match function a NFO file is created. That's one mystery solved. But I still have the problem that if I use the edit function for a movie the NFO is not updated and if I edit the NFO the metadata displayed onscreen is not updated. Not even if I use the Update Library function. If I use the Rebuild Library function the edited NFO is replaced by a new one. If I use the Fix Match function the edited NFO is replaced by a new one (which makes sense).

So, while I now understand how to get an NFO for each movie, I don't see how I can use it to improve the accuracy of information for a movie. I would especially like to be able to create NFOs for movies which are not matched using Fix Match.

[Dead Eye]

Okay, while opening it up in notepad it appears as your run of the mill .xml file. Changing the information within it while adhering to xml formatting standards is not enough to make the change in the presentation of the poster. That file is linked to the movie servers inner workings(probably by checksum) and database management functions and the entry for it are indexed into that database.

DVDFab more than likely has a data contract with TMDB that allows their servers to extract the information for any given movie or other media that they have and then write that info back into the fields for the database entry for that movie.

[tbrown25]

Are you creating your data files using DVDFAB software? I ask because:

If the target output from DVDFAB is the DMS, it should automatically create an nfo file for you.

Under Settings->Metafata, there is a check box that will force creation of nfo files regardless of the target.

As per Deadeye, the DMS itself will only create an nfo if you use the "fix match" function. The nfo files are a one time read by the DMS to assist the scrapper with retrieving the correct meta information from TMDB. Once it does that, the information is stored in an internal database and that database is used to display the information on the poster wall.

I believe you can force the DMS to re-read an nfo by using the WEB interface to delete the current entry on the poster wall. (Be careful with this as the delete function will also delete the video file along with the meta info. Rename the video file to prevent that). Once the info is delete, then have the DMS do a scan (complete library rebuild should not be needed) and it should re-read any nfo in the same direcftory as the video file.

I have tried manually editing nfo files and met with limited success. I do not believe the DMS has the entire nfo specification implemented. Some tags work, some don't.

Personally, I don't use the nfo files very much. I found the scarper in the latest firmware drop works quite well, assuming you are using the standard file naming conventions. I get 1 or 2 files that fail to scrape correctly per hundred files added, and so only use the nfo file when I am forced to do a "fix match".

[Down2Earth]

Waiting4MS...Deadeye is pretty much correct about it takes a little bit more negotiation to change the NFO file. You pretty much have to create your own NFO file with some type of Media Manager and link your own Fan Art to use. But not understanding if you use the 'edit' function for a movie the metadata is not updated......only ran into that when I didn't have the correct year or title that is not exactly the same per verbatim as noted on TMDB.org

With the NFO file that is linked with the movie server for a Fix Match it has it's own reference using the TMDB as Deadeye noted. You can't change that as you found out. Below is a example of a simple NFO file attached that I copied from 'What's My Name, Muhammad Ali'. It is longer in text but I cut it just to point out the variables that needs to be in place as an example.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<episodedetails>
<title>Part 1</title>
<originaltitle></originaltitle>
<showtitle></showtitle>
<ratings>
<rating name="themoviedb" max="10" default="true">
<value>0</value>
<votes>0</votes>
</rating>
</ratings>
<userrating>0</userrating>
<top250>0</top250>
<outline></outline>
<plot>The early boxing career of Cassius Clay includes a gold medal win at the 1960 Olympics in Rome; after converting to Islam, Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali; Ali is stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing induction into the military.</plot>
<tagline></tagline>
<runtime>0</runtime>
<season>1</season>
<episode>1</episode>
<thumb aspect="poster" preview="">http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/rNfyCueVRvFGmW5mfjg5KBDMghG.jpg</thumb>
<fanart>
<thumb preview=""></thumb>
</fanart>
<mpaa></mpaa>
<id>87148</id>
<uniqueid type="87148" default="true">87148</uniqueid>
<premiered>2019</premiered>
<year>2019</year>
<studio></studio>
<trailer></trailer>

Note:
<rating name="themoviedb" as the reference>
<thumb aspect='poster' preview and address link to fetch the <thumb> .jpg>
<id>87148 </id>
<uniqueid type="87148"

If you go to TMDB and search <id > # "87148" "What's My Name, Muhammand Ali" will be it's reference...that one along with "rating name=themoviedb" is the game changer.

[Waiting4MS]

Thanks to all for the additional information about NFO files. Seems that they have limited usefulness.
Thanks to Down2Earth for the tips on creating an NFO but that seems complicated and time consuming. To clarify about the edit function. If I edit metadata on the PC interface it will not update the NFO although it does remain edited when I look at the metadata on the TV (unless I do a rebuild then it gets wiped).

To answer tbrown25 "Are you creating your data files using DVDFAB software". I am experimenting with a small number of files that were created by DVDFAB 10 a couple of years ago, they had no NFO files then. If I can ever get MS to work properly I will use DVDFAB 11 to create the files and the NFO, that will help. I have had success creating NFOs using the Fix Match.

tbrown25 also said: "I believe you can force the DMS to re-read an nfo by using the WEB interface to delete the current entry on the poster wall."
Great tip. Thank you. I have just tried that and it worked. So effectively I can edit an NFO and then get it used by MS once I rename and re-read. So, a bit fiddly but it works although it would be good to have an option to tell MS to re-read the NFO without having to trick it.

So, thanks for your help. I'm going to experiment a bit with NFOs. If I find anything useful I will report back.

I have owned the MS for more than 3 years and have never used it because each time I return to it I find something not working as expected.
That's a pity because the concept, as advertised at the outset, was good. Load up the films, option to edit the data. Simple to use. Hasn't worked out that way for me.

[DuaneS]

Not trying to hijack thread, but has anyone tried using a media manager such as Media Companian or Tiny Media Manager generated NFO files with MS? They work pretty well for K-D-. After 4 years I'm getting tired of the lack of response. Seems we need to share info and fix the problems ourselves and then they can buy the solutions from us since they don't want to let us help fix anything.