[Hitcher]

In my imagination I probably expected something like a 'dummy'-entry for a movie with versions, that could be set as a neutral entry just for the basic movie info, with a standard poster and just plot description etc. From there, when starting the movie, a selection screen for the versions would pop up, with version-specific poster etc. (probably with the option to either start the movie or see detailed version info).

This is exactly how it works though (apart from your bracketed part).

[vonson]

Does it? From my fiddling around it seems that the version that is selected first is used as the base entry that all other versions are added to.

For example, I prefer the 'Director's Cut' of Blade Runner to all the other versions, so I want this to be used as the default version when choosing to play Blade Runner, so this is the 'base' version I chose. But I do NOT want this to be used as the base library entry. But that's what is happening now, the Director's Cut is used as the library entry, the Director's Cut poster is shown and the info displayed. I think it would be nicer to have a neutral 'Blade Runner' entry (for me with the original 1982 poster art) and just basic movie info (no further version specific details) as the base library entry from which then the version selection can be triggered (and for me now with the 'Director's Cut' as the default selection).

Another example would be Star Wars - there are a lot of fan restorations available (and the dreaded Special Editions...), but a nice clean neutral library entry would be preferable to having to choose one version as the base one.

Could be just me though...

[Hitcher]

You can change the 'base' poster (and any art) straight from the info dialog like any movie so it can be different to all the actual versions.

[vonson]

OK, strange, I could swear that when I tried this for Blade Runner the poster I chose was then also used for the Director's Cut. ...?.... I will have to do some more experiements.
Thanks, I'll be back...

[vonson]

I don't get it.

I should say that for my movies I have the movie version in the title, and in the plot field I include version details.

So, now I try the process again. I set the Blade Runner 'Director's Cut' as the first, default version, then add other versions to it. Now I can change the poster of that base entry, and indeed it is now different from the actual 'Director's Cut' movie info poster.
But now the base entry has all the 'Director's Cut' data ('Director's Cut' in the title, and version details in the plot field). And no way to change any of it, apart from the poster.

My first idea was to temporarily switch the nfo in the 'Director's Cut' movie folder for a neutral one and then refresh the base entry's data.
But a refresh does not seem to work, the entry just disappears completely, as do all the other assigned versions. They are just gone from all listings (and probably from the database). I rescan the folders in question into the database, I even can access the 'Director's Cut', but now I cannot assign any versions to it because apparently no other versions of that title are in the database (though I just scanned them).
So I rename all the folders, run a databaase cleanup, rename back again.

Now on my next attempt I scan the 'Director's Cut' with the changed nfo and poster, to create a neutral base entry, and add other versions to it. Then I revert the 'Director's Cut' nfo and poster (in the movie folder) back to the actual ones, enter the version selection, choose the 'Director's Cut' version, get to the info screen, want to refresh this one to get the correct 'Director's Cut' data - but there is no 'refresh data' available...?...


How is this supposed to work? I do not get it. This all seems a convoluted mess. Or maybe I just don't have understood it yet.



Wouldn't it be easier to define a base entry via nfo (either in the folder of the version that is to become the default one, or in a separate loaction like the movie set posters)?...



BTW - what skin is that? The version selection dialog looks nicer than it does in Estuary.

[Karellen]

I should say that for my movies I have the movie version in the title, and in the plot field I include version details.

Then you need to remove them. You don't need redundant data in the title and plot when that is already displayed by the new feature.
Read here... https://kodi.wiki/view/Video_versions

[Hitcher]

NFO setup hasn't been implemented yet.

Skin is fTV.

[vonson]

I still keep it in the title because I have not decided if i stick to the version system or not.

I just noticed that whatever version i choose from the dialog, tha data displayed is always the same, no version specific film info is displayed, only the poster changes accordingly to the version.


And, something I forgot in my previous post, how am I supposed to refresh data? Whenever I do changes to an nfo do I have to remove the version, rescan the file into the database, and then reasign the version?

[Hitcher]

Best practice is to remove any video you want to mess around with from the manage dialog first.

[Karellen]

I just noticed that whatever version i choose from the dialog, tha data displayed is always the same, no version specific film info is displayed, only the poster changes accordingly to the version.

Yes, that is explained in the wiki page.
They are all the same movie, right? Why would you have different data for the same movie?
If the data is different because you are including version details then, again, you are trying to display redundant data for no reason.

[vonson]

Yes, I start to see what you are doing. I have 'misused' the plot field for so long now that I kind of took it for granted.

To explain: There are quite a lot of instances where I have included some additional info about a version, and so far I have used the plot field for this, I put in one or two lines before the actual plot.
For example, the so called 'Director's Cut' of Alien is by no means the preferred version of the director, who repeatedly has stated that he thinks of the theatrical cut as the definitive version.
Info like this cannot be included in the version field. I had put it at the front of the plot field until now. Seems I have to say goodbye to this, at least so far I see no way to include it any longer...

There are lots of instances like this. In other cases the idea of the preferred version differs between the director and the general consenus of the audience, like with Amadeus.

[Karellen]

For example, the so called 'Director's Cut' of Alien is by no means the preferred version of the director, who repeatedly has stated that he thinks of the theatrical cut as the definitive version.

Hmmm, yes I can see what you are trying to do.
I wonder if you can hijack another field for that. Maybe the <tagline> and hopefully the skin you use will display the tagline.
But that won't solve the problem with the versions.
As it says in the wiki - the child versions are no longer in the database. There is now no way to add additional info per version. They all use the parent movie.

[vonson]

That's unfortunate. A version specifc info field in the database itself, stored right next to wherever that movie version assignments are stored... but I guess that's somewhat out of my expertise...

However, probably the easiest way to deal with it is to simply store a general statement about the preferred version in the plot field, and accept that version-specific info just is not possible.

[jjd-uk]

This is exactly why there was a lot of back and forth with XODIDOX as we had major reseverations about the underlying data structures, however we pressed ahead to get this feature to users. To be 100% honest it wasn't ready at the time the feature was merged, however the choice had to be made to either get it merged in a less than desirable state with release of Omega fast approach, or delay to v22 for a more considered approach but risk PR being left to rot so the feature never makes it way into Kodi as has happened on previous attempts.

[vonson]

To be honest on my part, I was really looking forward to this feature, and if you would have asked me I surely would have pushed for it to be included. Seeing it now I might have opted for waiting and refining...

What is your opinion, will there be any major changes to the feature? Is it wise to rework all my nfo files or would it be preferrably to wait with that for now?...