"TV" and "movies" suddenly missing!

[fireaza]

I started up MrMC only to find that my "TV and "movies" menus were gone! All the other menus were still there and functioning. Since Glass doesn't have the option to remove these menus, I tried switching to a different skin that does let me remove them. Un-checking and re-checking these options didn't fix it. The files are still there, I can access them from the "videos" menu. Little help? log is "OMQPL.log"

[eazytv]

Do you have a MySQL database in place or does MrMC utilize the internal ATV database?

[fireaza]

I've just setup MrMC as-is, so I'd say I'm using the internal database.

[eazytv]

Sure it is in this case.

MrMC has no influence on how the ATV is administering the internal database. I can hardly remember that there was a thread on this forum about the same effect you are now experiencing. The only way to prevent such experience, is using an external database such as MySQL, I am afraid.

I am sorry, I am pretty sure that this is not what you wold like to hear/read.

[fireaza]

So what happened? Some sort of random corruption that sometimes happens if you're using the internal database? What can be done to fix it, aside from re-installing the app?

[eazytv]

Afair ATV purges from time to time the data in the cache and this behavior is uncontrollable by the user. The recommendation is to set up an external MySQL database so all the data is stored and can be backupped.

Options are available on (almost?) any Linux device, including NAS, Router, Raspberry etc. Any device where a MySQL database can be installed. I personally have a QNAP NAS, where I store files, backup picture libraries from the familys' iPhones etc. And the MySQL database is installed there. Never had any issue with data etc. disappearing.

[fireaza]

I've got an unRAID server, I can probably use that! Aside from no random cache purges, is there any other advantages to using MySQL? I've had issues in the past where changing the source of the media causes MrMC to freeze when started, could this be fixed using MySQL?

[eazytv]

It was necessarily not a freeze your were experiencing but the wake-up/reboot time of your unraid server resp. the time MrMC was trying to connect the source. While I do not understand completely what you mean by "changing the source of the media", I can confirm that I never had such issues since I went to storing files on the QNAP and making use of the MySQL database. I just had a quick google and there a plenty of forums describing how to install a SQL (MySQL or MariaDB) on an unraid server.

The most advantage you will get - apart from the randam purge issue on ATV - is keeping track of the "watched status" across all devices connecting to it. So it does not matter if you start watching your favorite TV show on your main devices in the living room and want to continue watching it in the bed room. Any device connected to the unraid will utilze the same database. And it does necessarily have not to be MrMC but also KODI as these are using the same database format. So you can have MrMC on your ATV in the living room and a FireTV in your bed room etc. This also means that you can drop new files onto your unraid from whatever device, run MrMC/Kodi on another device and this will scrape/update your database on the unraid.

Whenever you move files from one folder to another and you start MrMC, the database will recognize new files (as long as the source/root folder remains the same) and will scrape these files. This might result in douplicate entries. Run the "clean library" option from the video source menu and it will remove abandoned files.

[fireaza]

The "freeze" issue I mentioned was where if I change the IP address of my NAS, MRMC would freeze when I try to open the app.

Speaking of freezing, I'm trying to get MYSQL working with MRMC. I've got MYSQL installed in my unRAID server, and I think I've got it setup correctly in MRMC. I've entered the IP address listed on the docker, I've changed the username and password to "mrmc" (in both MRMC and in MYSQL). But when I choose "enable", MRMC sits at the "loading" screen forever. The loading wheel isn't spinning, so it appears to be frozen. Any idea what's going on here? Since MRMC is freezing, I can't upload a log.

[spankydude99]

I've noticed over the past week or so, that the file types for media folders continues to be reset, specifically the content selection gets reset. This requires the user to then reset the file types to the appropriate content for metadata to populate. I have 4 AppleTVs all running the latest version of MRMC (3.9-12 GIT: 2021-05-14-F2CAC97), and this has been occurring repeatedly on my front ends (almost daily). Has anyone else been experiencing this? I've also been using the "Amber" skin setting.