MP-TVSeries is a popular TV Series plug-in for MediaPortal, an open-source media center application. It focuses on managing the user's TV Series library with minimal user interaction, allowing for a more user friendly and ease of use experience.
The MP-TVSeries plugin will scan your hard drive (including network and removable drives) for video files, it then analyzes them by their path structures to determine if they are TV Shows. If the file(s) are recognized then the plugin will go online to thetvdb.com and retrieve information about them. You can then browse, manage and play your episodes from inside MediaPortal in a nice graphical layout.
This Plugin does not play Live TV
There are 3 ways you can receive support for the plugin, Submitting log files and or Screenshots is recommended
Mediaportal Forum
MP-TVSeries has a dedicated sub-forum, try searching as you question may have been answered, if not please create a new thread
Issue Tracker
MP-TVSeries has a issue tracker here. Recommended if you have a re-producible bug or enhancement request
IRC
Join the #mp-tvseries IRC channel on Freenode
Submitting Useful Log Files
If you require assitance its smart to include the log files with your post, you will likely find the community will more often look at your issue if you provide all the necessary information. Instructions are below.
MP-TVSeries optionally integrates with the trakt.tv website, which are built around sharing with your friends what shows and movies you are into and watching.
One of the advantages of beeing connected to trakt.tv is the syncronisation of your watch flags and ratings, which we recommend. This is very useful if you have multiple HTPC's, or if you need to start your tv series database from scratch.
You can use any or all of the sites at the same time.
Configuration After Install
MP-TVSeries supports various naming conventions, if you want a perfect match without any user interaction, it's best to name the Series as it is shown on thetvdb.com. If the Show contains a : such as CSI: Miami you could use: CSI Miami or CSI- Miami
Examples Of Supported Filenames
Here are a few random examples which will parse.
- Alias.S01E01.avi
- Alias - S01E01 - Pilot.avi
- Alias.1x1.avi
- Alias - 1x1 - Pilot.avi
- Alias 01x01.mkv
Series with Specials
Specials need to be labeled as Season 0, Lets take Top Gear Polar Special for example, find Top Gear on thetvdb and click on Specials. We can see in the Specials list, its labeled as Episode 49, so a filename for that could be
- Top Gear - S00E49 - Polar Special.avi
- Top Gear - 0x49.mkv
Original Series And Remakes
If you have a series which has been rebooted, lets take Battlestar Galatica for example, there is the Original, a 1980's version and a 2003 version, How do you name these? go to thetvdb.com, search Battlestar Galatica. We need to name our files the same way. note each series has a different show id comfirming they are all different series
If a series was already imported incorrectly in Mediaportal, highlight the series, press F9 or Info on remote, then press Force new online lookup for series. This will prompt you to select a series or manually enter a search term.
Mini-Series
A standalone Mini Series, like Dune, will usually have the part 1, part 2 etc listed at Season 1, Episode 1, Episode 2 etc on TheTVDB. If for example, the Mini Series lead to a TV Show, such as BattleStar Galactica (2003) that Mini Series may be listed in Specials / Season 0.
The Solution is to check the Mini-Series on thetvdb.com, match your files names to their syntax. Examples:
Single File - Double Episode
MP-TVSeries can support 2 episodes in a single file. More than 2 is not currently supported
See examples below:
If you start playback on 1x01 from Alias - S01E01-E02.avi, then both episodes will be played, the end result is both episode 1 and 2 will be marked as watched. You can still start playback on 1x02, but it will start at the beginning of the file (but this is what one would expect anyway). If you start 1x01, but stop at the halfway point where 1x02 begins, then both 1x01+02 show as unwatched and when you try to restart playback you will get the "resume from" dialog.
Single Episode - Multiple Files
MP-TVSeries is does not currently support combining multiple files into a single episode, It will show those files as duplicates in the episode list
We recommend in this scenario to join the files together, Click the following links for example programs for AVI files and for MKV files.
Episodes with Air Date
MP-TVSeries now supports AirDate parsing, matched up from episodes listed at thetvdb.com Some examples below are episodes which will now parse by default - Note: requires atleast v2.9.3 for MP 1.1 or v3.0.5 for MP 1.2B
Auto Renaming of Files
MP-TVSeries does not currently support the auto renaming of your files. However their are free 3rd party tools such as TheRenamer, Tv Rename, Media Centre Master which you could use to organise/rename the files in your collection.
Folder Structure
There are many variations you could use, below is a way that works well with the renaming tools above.
TV --> Series Name --> Season # ---> 30 Rock - S01E01 - Pilot.avi
MP-TVSeries has options to change the episode ordering for a series, you will only see options available if its applicable to that series.
Air Date
This is the default option, shows will be ordered by the date they were aired.
DVD Order
Choose this option to have your episodes listed in the order they were released on DVD, DVD ordering if often used to correct minor, sometimes major changes in episode ordering that was initially aired on TV.
Title
This matches episode by title. Example: firefly - 1x01 - Serenity.mkv. In this case will be parsed as Serenity and will attempt to find an online match with episodes that have that title. This may be useful for Specials which keep on getting re-ordered online.
Absolute Order
This option can only be selected on a Series, not a Season. Some series, like Anime may not be broken in Seasons. In order to accommodate this Absolute Order can be used.
Changing Matching Method
You can initially select these options on your MP TV-Series Configuration, or you can change it inside Mediaportal
- In Mediaportal - Select the Series or Season
- Press F9 on keyboard or INFO on MCE Remote
- Choose ACTIONS
Choose CHANGE ONLINE MATCHING METHOD
To download all the available information for your Series, including Episodes you may not have, Episodes that have not aired yet, and display these episodes inside Mediaportal, do either or the following to enable. note: all episode info will be downloaded next import run.
Option 1: Enable in Configuration
- Load MP-TVSeries Plugin Configuration
- OnlineData Tab
- Check the box Download Episode Information for the whole Series
- The next import may take a while as it downloads all the available information for all your imported Series_
Option 2: Enable in Mediaportal
- In Mediaporal, MP-TVSeries Plugin
- Press F9 on keyboard or INFO on MCE Remote
- Click OPTIONS
- Change DOWNLOAD ALL EPISODE INFO to ON
Show / Hide
- In Mediaporal, MP-TVSeries Plugin
- Press F9 on keyboard or INFO on MCE Remote
- Click OPTIONS
- Change SHOW ALL EPISODES to ON
Imported Episode Image is Incorrect
If you find a episode which has a incorrect episode image, it may be been incorrectly uploaded at thetvdb.com. When the image is replaced with a correct version, MP-TVSeries will not automatically download this, however you can do this manually.
Note: MP-TVSeries v2.7+ will show a FanArt episode image if there is no episode image available, which will be updated automatically, and not to be confused with an Incorrect Episode Image.
Update Images
- In Mediaportal, Select the Episode
- Press F9 on keyboard, or INFO on MCE remote
- Click ACTIONS
- Click UPDATE
Importing Videos Not At TheTVDB
MP-TVSeries is not intended for this scenario, but there is a solution you can use. If you have videos that you want to show in MP-TVSeries, and its not appropriate to create it at thetvdb.com, such as personal movies recorded on video cameras etc, you can try the following - Recommend that you use MP-TVSeries v2.9 or higher.
Create proper filenames with season and episode syntax e.g.
Load Media Portal Configuration, MP-TVSeries plugin.
Start the Import Wizard, and select Skip when no match is found for the My Trip to Fiji
Finish Import
Select Details tab.
Find your Series, Enter Series and Episode info (This will create USEREDIT fields in database)
Right Click on series and select Ignore on Scan so we dont prompt to match series everytime an import is run.
Enter GUI and select series, then play!
Typically if you are importing videos not available on theTVDB.com such as sports videos, then you will most likely want to add some artwork. Follow these instructions to get custom artwork in tvseries:
MP-TVSeries suppors the SubCentral Plugin.
Installation
- Download the SubCentral Plugin
- Check SubCentral Plugin is enabled in MP Configuration, Plugins
- in MP-TVSeries Configuration, Click General tab
- (Optional) Tick Offer to download subtitles before playing (SubCentral) if you want to perform an automatic subtitle search before playing an episode that does not have any subtitles.
Download a Subtitle
- In the Episode list, highlight the episode you want to download a subtitle
- Press F9 on keyboard or INFO on MCE Remote
- Select SUBTITLES...
- Find Select and Download the required Subtitle
- Return to the TV Series Plugin
Turn on Subtitles
- Play An Episode
- Press Y on keyboard or press INFO on MCE remote, select Subtitles
- Choose the language of subitle if available
- Highlight ENABLED and press OK
- Return to episode, press Back on MCE Remote or ESC on keyboard
TIP: Press Yellow on MCE remote to toggle subtitles on / off
The following are the locations of the files and folders used by MP-TVSeries, should you need to backup / restore or just have a look around
MP-TVSeries.dll
This is the plugin itself which is used by Mediaportal, located in x86 C:\Program Files \Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\plugins\Windows x64 C:\Program Files (x86)\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\plugins\Windows TVSeriesDatabase4.db3
This is the database file, where your MP-TVSeries data is stored. its recommended to backup this file incase you experience database corruption. XP C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\database Vista, Win7 & Win10 C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\database MPTVSeriesBanners and Fan Art (Folders)
These two folders inside the thumbs folder are where the artwork is stored. XP C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\thumbs Vista, Win7 & Win10 C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\thumbs MP-TVSeries.log
This file contains a log of activities in the MP-TVSeries plugin, which is useful for diagnostic purposes XP C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\log Vista, Win7 & Win10 C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\log Language.XML (Files)
This directory contains all the language files, in XML format that can be used in MP-TVSeries XP C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\Mediaportal\language\MP-TVSeries\ Vista, Win7 & Win10 C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\Mediaportal\language\MP-TVSeries\ Series Cache (Files)
From MP-TVSeries v2.9+, there will be caching of the files downloaded from theTVDB.com to speed up your import time. Cached series are only removed if the online API reports newer information is available.
XP | C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\Mediaportal\MP-TVSeries\Cache\ |
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Vista, Win7 & Win10 | C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\Mediaportal\MP-TVSeries\Cache\ |
If you have modified the default path to the DB, that is stored and can be changed in the registry using the following key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MPTVSeries\DBFile |
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If you want to backup your MP-TVSeries data, or migrate it to a new computer you need to backup/restore the following.
Mediaportal 1 does not have native support for sharing its databases across multiple clients, this is something scheduled for Mediaportal 2. There are options, the first, is the multi-seat Approach (not recommended/supported). The Second option, is below
Main HTPC
Additional HTPCs
Its recommeded to have the same version of the MP-TVSeries plugin as your Main HTPC
Advantages
- You can use all HTPCs at the same time
- No greater risk of Database Corruption
Disadvantages
- Every new episode added after you copied the database/thumbs will be imported on every additional HTPC, so this will use additional internet traffic
Changes you make on one HTPC, e.g. disabling fanart, changing views, adding/removing favourites are not replicated to the other HTPCs. (Until you copy the database again)
MP-TVSeries supports multiple languages, and you are welcome to contribute by updating or adding a new language. There are also an option to select different language for different series.
Configuration for one language
- Launch the MP-TVSeries Plugin Configuration
- Click General Tab
- Drop down the Language box, choose your language
- Close MediaPortal
Configuraiton for different languages for different series
- Lunch the MP-TVSeries Plugin Configuration
- Click General tab
- Enable the Override Language for Series checkbox
- Click Details tab
- Select a Series and change the Laguage combobox to you're prefered language
- Right click on the Series name and choose update
Update Language
If you find a language has incorrect spelling, or missing some translation fields, you can update the appropriate .xml file in the Language Folder. Please submit the updated file on the forum
Add New Language
Its sometimes reported that the database file TVSeriesDatabase4.db3 has become damaged in some fashion. The MP-TVSeries plugin in Mediaportal may not function correctly, such as your Series/Episodes are missing etc.
Identify Corruption
The MP-TVSeries.log file will usually contain multiple events like the following:
- Commit failed on this command:
- SQLiteClient: cmd:sqlite3_finalize err:CORRUPT detailed:database disk image is malformed query
Causes
- If you are using Mediaportal/MP-TVSeries in (unsupported and not recommended) multi-seat mode, this will likely lead to database corruption if multiple clients write to the database at the same time
- Hard Shutdown of PC while MP-TVSeries is preforming a database operation, (i.e Power Loss)
- PC Crash / Lockup / BSOD
- Your just unlucky!
Solution
There are 2 options, restore from a backup file, start a new database.
Note: Artwork that has already been downloaded will be automatically re-used and not re-downloaded.
Option 1 - Restore from Backup File
If you installed MP-TVSeries from the installer, it would have made a backup database in the below directory location. You could take the backup file from this location and overwrite the corrupt TVSeriesDatabase4.db3. If the backups are extremely old, it may be wiser to use Option 2
XP | C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\database\TVSeries_Backup\ |
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Vista, Win7 & Win10 | C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\database\TVSeries_Backup\ |
Option 2 - New Database
Delete From Disk, Database, Disk & Database
This lets you delete files or just entries from the database so the can be rescanned
- Enable Allow user to delete files from context menu in the general tab, in MP-TVSeries Plugin Configuration
- Select a Series Season or Episode, press 0 on remote or keyboard and select the option
Show Date In Regional Format
MP-TVSeries by default shows episode dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. To change this to use your regional settings
- Enable Use regional settings to display dates in the general tab, in MP-TVSeries Plugin Configuration
- You can further tweak this by changing the Short Date syntax settings in Control Panel, Regional settings.
Use "String Replacements" To Resolve Weird filenames
You might have made a typo in the filenames, are using cryptic/acronym based filenames or using a different language then what thetvdb.com uses to identify the TV Show. Instead of renaming a lot of files, you can simply use the String Replacements system to fix these problems. You can find this in the Import tab in MP-TVSeries plugin configuration.
Fan Art - View Disable Download
- Select a Series/Season/Episode
- Press Info on Remote or F9 on keyboard and Select FanArt
- Click on a Fanart tagged Local to toggle between Default (only used if Random FanArt is off)
- Click on a Fanart tagged Remote to Download that Fanart
- Press F9 on Keyboard, INFO on remote to Delete a FanArt
Modify 'Recently Added' 'Latest Aired' Views To Exclude Watched Episodes
To change these views so it only shows episodes currently unwatched, you can edit the database, and modify the query to below (Views table)
Latest Aired Unwatched
episode<;><Episode.FirstAired>;<=;<today><cond><Episode.FirstAired>;>=;<today-30><cond><Episode.Watched>;=;0<;><Episode.FirstAired>;desc<;>
Recently Added UnWatched
episode<;><Episode.FileDateCreated>;>=;<today-7><cond><Episode.Watched>;=;0<;><Episode.FileDateCreated>;desc<;>
Speed Up Import - Ignore Old Series
If you have a large collection and notice it takes a while for the import process to run, you could tell MP-TVSeries to ignore some of your collection. You should only do this on old shows that are well and truley finished and are unlikely to be edited/changed at the thetvdb.com
- Load MP-TVSeries plugin Configuration
- Click on the Details Tab
- Right Click an Old Series
- Select Ignore on Scan
Speed Up Import - Upgrade to MP-TVSeries 2.9+
MP-TVSeries 2.9+ has significantly faster import times compared to MP-TVSeries 2.8 and below due to a new Caching feature. If you have a large collection, this is highly recommended.
Speed Up Series Browsing - Change Layout
In Mediaportal, if you find browsing the Series list is slow or not smooth when scrolling, you may have older HTPC hardware for example, try switching the Series layouts to LIST POSTERS or LIST BANNERS
- In Mediportal, go into MP-TVSeries and browse your entire Series.
- Press F9 or INFO on MCE Remote
- Choose CHANGE LAYOUT
- Select LIST POSTERS or LIST BANNERS
Fast Cycling of Artwork via Keyboard or Remote
There is a way to bind a key in Mediaportal for the purpose of having a quick way to change the artwork without having to do into the menu. This need to be linked with the either or both MP actions.
To map a keyboard button to these actions:
This will allow you to map the actions
Load Mediaportal, TVSeries plugin, and press the KEY you set to change the artwork
Playlist Keyboard Shortcuts
The following are shortcuts avaialble for playlists in MP-TVSeries
- Play Next = F8
- Play Prev = F7
- Add to Playlist = Y
- Show Playlist = F1