Metadata 101

  • Updated

Overview

Infuse will fetch info from The Movie Database (TMDB) for movies, TV shows, anime, concerts, short films, and collections.

Below are some naming guidelines which will allow you to get the best results when matching your videos with titles from TMDB.

Movies

Individual movies

Pulp Fiction (1994).mkv
Inception.avi
Captain-America-The-Winter-Soldier-2014.mp4

Movies grouped into folders with related files (images, subtitles, etc...)

/Movies/Pulp Fiction (1994)
> Pulp Fiction (1994).mkv
> Pulp Fiction (1994).srt
> Pulp Fiction (1994).jpg
> Pulp Fiction-fanart.jpg
> Pulp Fiction.nfo

/Movies/Inception
> Inception.avi
> Inception.srt
> Inception.jpg
> Inception-fanart.jpg
> Inception.xml

Including the release year in the filename is not required, but it can help get more accurate results.

You can also include the TMDB or IMDb ID number in the filename (in curly brackets) to allow Infuse to find an exact match. Use a structure of {[source]-[id]}.

Inception {tmdb-27205}.mkv
Inception {imdb-tt1375666}.mkv

TV Shows

Individual TV show episodes

  1. show-name_s01.e02.mkv
  2. show-name_s1e2.mkv
  3. show-name_1x02.mkv
  4. show-name_se1.ep2.mkv
  5. show-name-season1.episode2.mkv
  6. show name/any folder/S01E02.mkv
  7. show name/any folder/01.02 NameOfEpisode.mkv
  8. show name/season 1/02 NameOfEpisode.mkv
  9. show name/season 1/1-02 NameOfEpisode.mkv
  10. show name/season 1/episode 02 - NameOfEpisode.mkv

Option 6-10 cannot be used with UPnP/DLNA, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Box.

Organizing episodes into folders

TV Shows/The Big Bang Theory
 > Season 1
    > Files
> Season 2
> Files
> Season 3
> Files
TV Shows/The Office
> Season 1
> Files
> Season 2
> Files
> Season 3
> Files

TV Specials

For episodes classified as ‘specials’ a season number of 00 should be used.

Breaking-Bad.S00.E01.mkv
Lost.S00.E01.mkv

Period, space, underscore, and dash can all be used interchangeably as separator characters for both movies and TV shows.

Miniseries

A miniseries is handled just like a season-based show, you simply use ‘Season 01’ as the season number.

Anime

Anime is currently classified as a TV series, and even though it doesn't usually have seasons (in the typical sense) you will need to include a season number in the filename in order for Infuse to get the correct metadata. This will also allow for Infuse to group all episodes together.

For example, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations includes 200+ episodes in Season 1, so a filename like this can be used: Boruto Naruto Next Generations S01 E210.mp4

Tags for Movie Cuts, Parts, and Versions

When multiple copies of a movie are present, Infuse will automatically recognize tags in the filename to differentiate between versions. These automatically recognized tags include:

  • Director’s Cut
  • Extended Cut
  • Theatrical Cut
  • Cinematic Cut
  • Final Cut
  • Unrated Cut
  • TV Cut
  • Uncut
  • Special Edition
  • Ultimate Edition
  • Black & White
  • Wide Screen
  • Full Screen
  • IMAX
  • Part x (cdX, discX, diskX, dvdX, partX, ptX)

You can also add custom tags using the ‘edition’ tag in the filename, in this format.

  • Get Out (2017) {edition-Regular Ending}.mp4
  • Get Out (2017) {edition-Alternate Ending}.mp4

Tags are only visible while browsing via the Library.

Adult Content

Infuse does not currently download metadata or artwork for titles tagged as adult/explicit on TMDB, as this is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines. You can add your own local metadata and artwork for titles that fall into this category.

Missing or Incorrect Metadata & Artwork

TMDB is a community-built database with metadata and artwork in many languages. If you happen to run into a title that has missing or incorrect details and/or artwork, the relevant info can be easily added by creating a free TMDB account. Be sure to check out the contribution guidelines if you have questions.

Adding artwork and metadata to TMDB is beneficial to the community, as it will be available to Infuse and many other apps. Alternatively, you can use your own local metadata and artwork, if you prefer.

Content added or updated on TMDB will be available in Infuse within about 1 day.

Special Characters in File/Folder Names

Some special characters are considered ‘illegal’ and should not be included in device, file, and folder names.

The characters to avoid using are:

\ / [ ] : ¦ < > + = ; , * ? "

Reference: Naming and referencing shares, directories, files, and metadata

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