Ok I’m new to the WD TV Live and I really like it but I’d like to have it do something with the graphics for my shows that I can’t seem to get it to do.
I have my videos like this
/DVD/show1.avi
/DVD/show2.avi
…
/TVShows/Show Name1/Show Name1.S01E01.avi
/TVShows/Show Name1/Show Name1.S01E02.avi
/TVShows/Show Name2/Show Name2.S07E04.avi
/TVShows/Show Name2/Show Name2.S07E05.avi
I use the Gallery View for shows where it shows the TV Show “Graphic” then you enter the show folder and all the shows are there with the same graphic so by looking you can’t see what episodes you have, you have to scroll through.
What I want to do is in the outer folder is have the Show’s main graphic (for Example 30 Rock would have the graphic that downloads for the content) and then when I select 30 Rock each episode would have it’s own graphic which I would do custom. However when I do that the outer folder always seems to take the first episodes graphic as it’s own. I tried putting a 30 Rock.metathumb with the default graphic then 30 Rock.S06E01.metathumb as the EP 1 Graphic and 30 Rock.S06E02.metathumb for the second episodes graphic (second ep hasn’t aired yet just using this as an example) but it never takes the 30 Rock.metathum it always takes the lowest numbered episodes graphic and displays that when I’m viewing the folders of shows.
Can anyone let me know if this is possible or if there is a better way to organize them. I don’t keep shows around for ever, just until I watch them or the wife finishes them then they get deleted.
It creates a jpg file and an xml filein each tv show episode
Jpg shows the TV show graphics and the episode is written on the graphic pic e.g a dexter graphic will show 1 on the first episode. Also when you hover over the episode a backdrop of some scenes will show on the background of your TV
Thanks for the link, it’s a possibility. Does it actually modify the graphic or does it do it with some overlay of some sort. The reason I ask is that if I modify the graphic the “folder” at the higher level always takes the graphic of the lowest episode number. It refuses to take any other graphic no matter how I’ve named it.
I’m looking at Theme creation now to see if maybe I can make modifications to the xml to do what I want. But really I think OOTB the WDTV should reconized if there is a folder.jpg in there and use it over any other graphic.
The way I want to have my videos laid out is as follows
//Movies/Christmas/christmasmovie1.avi
//Movies/Christmas/christmasmovie2.avi
//Movies/Halloween/halloweenmovie1.avi
//Movies/Halloween/halloweenmovie2.avi
//Movies/Movies/movie1.avi
//Movies/Movies/movie2.avi
//TVShow/Show1/S01E01.avi
//TVShow/Show1/S01E02.avi
//TVShow/Show2/S05E03.avi
//TVShow/Show2/S05E04.avi
So when I select Videos I see 2 “boxes” and one is for Movies and one is for TVShows. I have custom grahpics to show there and they do show (because everything underneath is a folder). Then when I click on the Movies I want it to show 3 boxes (Christmas, Halloween and Movies) with their custom graphics but it doesn’t as movies in these folders are all in that folder so it shows the “lowest ranking” movie’s graphic no matter what jpg, metathumb I put in there.
Perhaps a custom theme may help me do what I want so I’m looking into that now but the program you linked to is definitely a possibiliity to help me out with the Episode Graphics.
Whenever there are actual movies in the folder it seems to pick up the lowest ranking one. Perhaps I need a Christmas.xml or soemthing in there to point to the folder.jpg but I wouldn’t know the format of that. Something I can poke into though.
Folder.jpg normally works for me. I only use it when the folder includes more than 1 movie. Here is an example how i set mine up using bad boys folder as an example(in your case it is the christmas folder)
Movies / Bad Boys
Inside the Bad Boys folder, you will find 2 different folders and 1 folder.jpg file
> Movies / Bad Boys / Bad Boys 1 – Folder includes a jpg,mkv & xml file
> Movies / Bad Boys / Bad Boys 2 – Folder includes a jpg,mkv & xml file
> Movies / Bad Boys / Folder.jpg – This is the pic which will be displayed when i hover on Bad Boys while browsing my movies
This works (in theory) for me as well. if every movie is in it’s own folder then the folder.jpg file is displayed but then I find myself “drilling down” to find my movies. I want to go into Videos then select if I want Movies or TV. If movies then pick Holiday (Christmas or Halloween) or Normal Movies (even if by genre) and then have all my movies there and when I click it starts playing. Similar for TV Shows. I go in and click on TV shows (showing it’s custom graphic which it does because everything is in a folder) then see all the series I have shows for pick a series and see what episodes I have and when I click the Ep, it goes.
Maybe I can play around with Moviesheets or something and get this to work. I travel for work so I don’t have access to the SMP while I’m at work. It really would have been great if WD had some simulator that we could use. Would most likely spur Theme development if nothing else.
Thanks for all your input, it really was valuable.
