HOW-TO:Scan media files into the video library

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This is suppose to be a serious and useful guide on HOW-TO add and scan media files into Video Library (database), something that is not so hard to do you just follow these simple instructions.

You have probably been pointed to this guide because without first reading the XBMC Online Manual you asked in the XBMC Community Forum how you can use the video library in XBMC or you asked to be able to use a feature that requires that you have setup the video library.

Prerequisites

Please note that this guide assume that you have already configured a network share for you media on your computer (or use a NAS storage device) and that you have added that network share as a media source to XBMC, that is unless you are using locally stored files in which case you only need to add a directory as a media source to XBMC.

Step One - Reading the existing documentation

Now first off, please read through this documentation:

Step Two - Understanding the documentation

Now that you read the existing documentation, read it again (yes this is important and for your own good):

Step Three - Follow the documentation

Now you are ready to follow that documentation to set up so that your video files gets scanned into the database, after that is done you will be able to enable library mode and utilize all features and functions that the library has to offer.

Troubleshooting

Question: Is your Library still empty even if you have scanned you media into it? Answer: Check the watched status (on the left pane of the default PMIII skin).

If you still have problems, start a new topic thread in the XBMC Community Forum, describe your problem as detailed as possible and also post a link to a Debug Log which shows that what and how you are scanning, (please note that it is very important that you include a Debug Log when you are reporting a problem).

Common misconceptions about content scanning

  1. No, you do not need a season/year folder for TV shows. The only criteria is a separate folder for each TV show.
  2. "Folder contains a single Video / TV Show" in scraper options means that the selected source only contains ONE Video / TV Show
  3. You only need "Scan Recursively" when your media is more than one folder beneath the point where you set contents, TV shows always use recursive scanning.
  4. . Movies do not have to be in their own folder, but it does not hurt either, XBMC works either way.

See Also

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