I have a WebDav server that contains some movies and shows. I use Infuse on Apple stuff and NOVA Video Player on Android to watch these. The directory is not organized, file names aren’t manually adjusted, and the movies and shows are mixed together. Yet, both of these programs are able to index recursively, get metadata, create a library and let me watch my media without issues.

Kodi, on the other hand, seems to be unable to index nested directories, requires you to tell it what type of media is in the individual directories and cannot identify anything correctly unless I go and manually rename directories/files. It also is exclusive for TV usage and not very suitable for desktop.

So, are there alternative programs to Kodi, ideally better suited to desktop usage or extensions I can install to make it work properly?

  • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
    191·
    1 month ago

    kodi is best as a front-end for an already curated library. ive used it extensively since the xbmc days…

    i use mediaelch to scrape, generate metadata files and rename files and folders into a standard way. it [can] generate things in a kodi-compatible format. kodi is set to just pull in that data. i concurrently use emby (jellyfin) to access that same metadata.

    your problem is conflating the curation of your library with the applications that will use it.

    • Quail4789@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      41·
      1 month ago

      your problem is conflating the curation of your library with the applications that will use it.

      This is not some extremely hard job that’s way out of the scope of a media center. As I said, other platforms already have applications that can do this without breaking a sweat. I’ve never had to manually organize my files in years in any other platform.

      • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
        141·
        1 month ago

        i cant even imagine wanting a mess of stuff as you describe, or expecting some media app to manage that mess on the fly. but hey, if thats how you want it. good luck.

        ive got 2500 movies and > 35,000 episodes in my library.

        • Quail4789@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
          24·
          1 month ago

          It’s not a mess on properly implemented clients but I also have a fraction of the media you have. I put new stuff in, they get indexed, I watch them, I delete them. I am not going to do extra work for the privilege of using Kodi 🤷

          • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
            71·
            1 month ago

            i do zero work for kodi. i curate a library i care about and that is not your end goal. kodi is definitely not for the ‘watch and delete’ crowd.

            • Quail4789@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
              31·
              1 month ago

              Well, that’s why I’m asking for alternatives but I also know a few people who rip a ton of blurays and throw them to a server and never curate it, and those are the only people self-hosting their media that I know anyway.

                • Quail4789@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
                  21·
                  1 month ago

                  Not really, as those aren’t available on Linux directly. The ‘how to make kodi work’ bit is because my research didn’t give me any apps that can do this by default so I thought kodi might have extensions or forks I missed.

                  • Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
                    9·
                    1 month ago

                    If you’re on Desktop just use VLC, or try running Nova in an Android VM. Most Linux users are the type to meticulously organize their files, so I wouldn’t expect that there’s an app that’ll do what you’re looking for. There are plenty that will help you rename/restructure your WebDAV though.

      • calm.like.a.bomb@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        11·
        1 month ago

        other platforms already have applications that can do this without breaking a sweat

        Then go with those applications and that’s it. In the same vein, you can say that Kodi needs an organized library, so organize it and Kodi won’t break a sweat. That’s what a lot of people are telling you in this thread.