SageMC: not saving IMDB images

[gilded07]

Here's my versions:
SageTV: 6.3.5.159
SageMC: 6.3.7

I've searched the forum and I don't see my problem discussed so I'm posting the question here.

I've used DVD Decrypter and Handbrake to backup my kids' movies onto an external hdd. They are encoded using MPEG-4 in .avi wrappers. I can watch the movies fine via SageMC using wired MVPs. However, when I used the IMDB option that comes w/ SageMC, I can see the DVD description & images but I can't get the images to save. I have manually saved .jpg's for some of the movies and getting those jpg's to show up is hit and miss. I'd prefer to save both the description and image using IMDB if possible. I've read good things about DVDProfiler and I've consulted their website but I want to use the free IMDB option, if possible. Can anyone tell me why I can save the movie description, cast, trivia, etc. but the image won't save? Again, when I first initiate the IMDB option to edit the movie info I do see the image, it just won't save. This is the case BEFORE I add my own .jpg's and after. I don't have the <movie name>.jpg.jpg problem and I've refreshed imported media and restarted the server numerous times.

My file structure is

My Videos \ Children's \ Flushed Away \ Flushed Away.avi

thanx.

[QueOnda]

This is what I noticed. For the AVI file do you get a frame of the file as a pic? I have noticed for all mpg, avi, divx and such that sage uses a frame from the file instead of an available jpg.

For DVDs on the harddrive, then sage uses the jpg (imdb option).

Does anyone know a way to change this? If a IMDB is available to use that instead of the frame? If not then just use the frame?

[gilded07]

Yes, Sage just takes the first screen shot and makes it the art for the movie.

I've been manually getting the DVD art from Wikipedia. They're posters and are bigger jpegs than the DVD covers I've found on the internet. If I make sure the .jpg has the exact same file name as the .avi and then reboot the server, I can then see the DVD art via the extender. I then use IMDB to grab the movie description. This is where I wish the DVD art would save from IMDB instead of having to go find the art and save it in the same folder. To conserve space, I don't have any DVD vob or ts files - all are in .avi.

I can't be the only having trouble getting sageMC to save DVD art along w/ the movie description...

[QueOnda]

Anyone hear can help us out?? Any one else has this problem?

I remember I had auto thumbnail generation on. I'll try turning it off to see if that's the ticket.

[appelm]

I'm having this problem too. I'm trying to move a bunch of movies I recorded on tv in hidef over to my video library. I'm frustrated that the IMDB pictures don't get saved.

Is there any fix or is the only option to manually put a .jpg file for each video.

[warwon]

Same here

It seems to work a few times and others not.

The *.jpg is saved to the correct folder as in the past but it's not display with the movie, only the screenshot Sage has taken.

This bug is bugging me :P

[appelm]

Originally Posted by appelm

I'm having this problem too. I'm trying to move a bunch of movies I recorded on tv in hidef over to my video library. I'm frustrated that the IMDB pictures don't get saved.

Is there any fix or is the only option to manually put a .jpg file for each video.

So I'm even more confused now. SageMC seems to save jpg images in the folder for my mpg files after I do an IMDB update which I didn't realize. But the pictures don't get used for thumbnails right away. Yet later, perhaps after I rebooted the server or the client, the thumbnails appear, but not for all of my videos. Is there some trick to this? I checked the filenames and they all match. Are the thumbnails cached in some way? Can I clear the cache manually without rebooting?

[dinki]

Has this been resolved? I'm getting the frame-from-avi as cover art and can not get imdb image to replace it after pulling it from imdb.

[QueOnda]

I still have the same problem.

For dvd on my hard drive I get dvd cover. For wmv, avi and other formats, seems I get the 1st frame of the video as a picture.

[alfi33]

I don't even get the covers to save for DVD rips saved on my hard drive. The other information about the DVD seems to save, but not the image. I have even tried manually saving a jpg in the folder with each DVD rip and it still won't show up.

[JREkiwi]

You need to do a manual refresh of imported media to get Sage to pickup the .jpg.

Response I got from SageTV support some time ago when I asked about this.

If the JPEG is there when the file is first detected then it will be associated with the video file.

Otherwise it'll require a manual scan to cause that to happen. The first scan SageTV does after starting up is considered a 'manual' scan; so on that one it will also reassociate them as well. (it requires a lot more disk access to check thumbnails which is why it isn't done every time)

John

[dinki]

Is there an option to keep Sage from making the frame grab cover art?

[gilded07]

Its been several months since I tried to use SageMC to grab the info/jpgs but I do recall restarting Sage and refreshing imported media time and time again w/ no success. I've got the manual jpg loading down to a matter of seconds now so its not a big deal. Its still disappointing that I can't get the jpg w/ the movie info using the IMDB feature but with google images and a quick refresh of imported media, its really quick.

[appelm]

I tried again a couple of days and got it to work. I added a bunch of new movies (HD-PVR recordings) to my video library. Refreshed IMDB data. All the thumbnails were initially the undesired video crops. I did a manual refresh. No change. I restarted the server PC. No change. But then I went back to one of the movies I had just added and refreshed the IMDB data once again. All of a sudden, all my movies had the IMDB thumbnails. They've been working ever since.

[QueOnda]

Does anyone know if there is a solution of this? I would love for my AVI files to have the movie poster instead of the screenshot of the video file?

[Peter_h]

I am having the same problem. The description and data saves but the coverart does not. I navigate to the directory on my server and there is not a folder.jpg file like all the others.

[HokiePerogi]

I too am having the same issue. Very frustration. I swear I've followed the directions to a T.

[RedCoat999]

For me the only way to get this is to save a movie poster image in the movie folder as "Movie Name.jpg", whatever the movie name is of course. I have a separate folder for each movie in my setup. Then when I rescan, this is the image that is used instead of a frame from the file.

The IMDB save image has only worked for me once in 20 tries for some reason.

I also have a "background.jpg" in each folder for the "fan art" that uses this to fill the whole screen with that image

[appelm]

Can this me a permissioning problem? I noticed one of my directories where covers were not being saved was not shared on the network. The drive was shared but the folder the files were in was not. I think it happened after I replaced the drive due to a failing drive. Anyway, I shared the folder on the network and all of a sudden the coverart saved.

Another thing I discovered were some DVDs that actually were being listed in my library but the files were actually gone. As a result, no coverart was being displayed. Again, this was due to a drive failure. I had a drive E that I removed when it started giving me problems. The DVDs were still showing up in my library even though no Drive E was present. Refreshing my library made no difference. I recently added a drive E and did a library refresh and the dvd's with missing files vanished from my library.

Just a couple of possibilities. Hope maybe this helps someone.