Handling 2 versions of a film

[Sparrowlogins 18]

Hi.  I wanted some advice on how to handle 2 or more versions of a film, such as a theatrical and directors cut.  Such examples are the myriad of Blade Runner cuts, the Alien films etc.  All of my films have recently been turned into .mkv files, so each version of the film is a separate .mkv.  I have added them to the same folder within the library (So the Aliens film folder contains Aliens and Aliens directors cut .mkv files)

 

Currently MBT sees the files and I can play them but does not include any Metadata.  Do I have to add separate folders within the Movie folder in order for the films to be recognised by any Metadata crawlers?  Or do I treat each as a separate movie within the [bOXSET] folder?

 

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

 

 

[lanos 4]

I've done this with my 8 or so versions of Scarface versions what I did was give each their own individual folder within a main folder ( not box-set)-

 

Scarface-

           Scarface- Platinum edition

           Scarface- Anniversary Edition 

           Scarface- Collectors Edition

           etc,etc

then I went into the server and gave each version a different cover (tried to give then the actual dvd covers that said platinum anniversary etc)and changed the first line in the overview metadata to tell which version it was

[Sparrowlogins 18]

Thanks all, I will use individual folders and try that way. 

[Luke 36991]

They should be in separate folders as if they were separate movies. You can optionally use boxset features to group them.

 

Alternatively you could make the director's cut a special feature.

[CBMe 1]

I would really like to see a section for 'version' in the metadata.  Having to go in, edit the name, try to lock it and hope that sticks (which it doesn't seem to do at the moment) isn't the best solution.   Good example is how MyMovies does it with a simple field (that includes some drop-down common selections or you can fill it in).

[jeflatt 6]

I am trying to do this with Blade Runner at the moment. I already have them in separate folders, but MB3 just says they're the same movie so there's no "easy" way to distinguish them. I'm going to try doing the different artwork and banners myself so I can tell which is which. Hopefully it will stick. One of the main issues I see though is not with MB3, but with TMDB. Under Blade Runner, it lists alternative titles as:

• Blade Runner - The Final Cut
• Blade Runner (1982) - Theatrical Version

Unless TMDB gives the separate versions separate entries in the database, I think MB3 will always consider them the same movie. I don't know how to get that fixed though. 

 

Update:

 

Looking in to TMDB further, I did find this thread in their forums. This is specific to Blade Runner, but I would imagine there are similar threads for other films with multiple versions. Looks like there is an open ticket to get this done, but it is pretty low on their priority list.

 

http://www.themoviedb.org/talk/5085db17760ee31b8d0008a2

Edited December 29, 2014 by jeflatt

[Luke 36991]

i would just edit the title of the alternates and then lock the name field from being changed in the future.

 

you can try matching to the tmdb alternates but my guess is they won't last long and will be taken down. they've been doing that for other movies

[jeflatt 6]

i would just edit the title of the alternates and then lock the name field from being changed in the future.

 

you can try matching to the tmdb alternates but my guess is they won't last long and will be taken down. they've been doing that for other movies

 

Do you mean to change the file name (mine are .mkv) or the folder name? TMDB has the alternative titles in there, so if I change the folder name it will just rename them to Blade Runner. How do I lock the name field?

[Luke 36991]

No, i mean using the metadata manager. I know Tmdb has them but I wouldn't trust them. I don't think the admins like those so they will likely remove them

[ebr 14898]

He means change the name with the metadata editor.

[Latchmor 584]

Metadata Manager, Lock...

 

[jeflatt 6]

That's the part of the puzzle I was missing. After I started messing around in the metadata manager I found that. Thanks for pointing it out though in case I hadn't gotten there yet. 

[mattyes37 0]

^{I am also looking for the most supported official way to do this. The link above doesn't have any mention of different versions (only different resolutions). For now I will proceed to organise them in different folders,}

^{American Gangster (2007) - Theatrical Version\American Gangster (2007) - Theatrical Version.mkv}

^{American Gangster (2007) - Directors Cut\American Gangster (2007) - Directors Cut.mkv}

 

Would this be the most supported organisation structure in the future?

 

^{Hopefully a feature will be added that can group the similar movie titles and show them under one entity in media browser. Where can I request this feature?}