Another THANK YOU to RYGRATH!!
I've gleaned some more info from Rygrath and fiddling with software/ideas he recommended;
Thought I would share them with a quick summary:
Use an NFO file to replace movie-file in order to save space and retain boxcover/etc in your Library
For those desperate to retain as much storage as possible, you can delete movie-files and still retain your boxcover/etc in the library.
--All you have to do is create a blank NFO file with the exact same name as the movie file (including changing the file extension to .avi/mkv/mpg/etc) and drop it into the directory where your movie file ”to-be-replaced" is located and you are good to go! The only 'downside' to this is that if someone clicks on the movie that you have done this to, nothing 'appears' to happen...
The two solutions below are far more elegant, but the 'placeholder movie' file does take up space!
Ember Off-Line Media Manager Module
Apparently it doesn't seem like Ember has the ability to 'create a movie record that already exists', so in order to get the 'placeholder movie' into my existing library I had to:
--delete the original record outside of Ember,
--re-scrape the movie,
--create your 'placeholder movie' with your chosen message!
-----HOW TO: In order to create a 'custom background you must choose a 'fanart' when the movie is scraped to bring up the dialog box. Then when you get to the 'Options' screen you need to check:
"Place Holder Video Tagline" <- The message you want to scroll across the screen when the 'Play' is clicked in the library.
"Place Holder Video Format" <- Standard Definition or HD resolution (SD or HD = filesize)
"Use Ember Overlay" <- Uncheck this if you want the Ember logo removed
"Use Tagline background" <- Checked (Makes the scrolling message easier to read)
"Use Fanart for Place Holder" <- Tells Ember it to use the fanart background.
"Choose your font and background color" <- Click create!
You now have a new folder in your movie library that you setup in "sources"; It contains the .nfo file, poster, etc and your new placeholder video. "Update" your library in XBMC and the new placeholder movie will be picked up and added to your library
Windows Movie Maker - Create a Custom 'Movie'
For something more "custom", Windows Movie Maker (WMM) or something similar will allow you to make a fully customised solution (music, graphics, movie clip, etc). WMM is free.
After creating the custom placeholder movie you copy the file into the same directory as the movie file you want it to replace, name the 'placeholder movie' to the same filename you are replacing (i.e. The Hangover.avi/mpg/mkv/etc)" and Voila! XBMC does not know the difference between the files and will just play the 'placeholder movie' when you click on the movie/show.
I and my family/friends have found WMM to offer some really fun options... you get to pick your own soundtrack, image, clip, etc so that those movies that really really annoy you that you want to delete can be replaced by a 'movie'/clip that was much more fun to watch! :0
Cheers!
