Bookmarking: Difference between revisions

From wiki.jriver.com
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
 
(23 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Media Center's feature that automatically resumes playback in certain files from where it was last left off is called "Bookmarking". Whenever you start playback of any file in Media Center's Library, the Bookmarking system follows a set of rules to decide whether to resume from a previous position:
Media Center's feature that automatically resumes playback in certain files from where it was last left off is called "Bookmarking". When you play any file in MC, the Bookmarking system follows a set of rules to decide whether to resume playback from a previous position, and when to write the bookmarks to the Library when playback stops.


== Saving Bookmarks ==
* If [[General_Settings#Behavior|Options > General > Behavior > Resume playback using bookmarks]] is set to Automatic (the default), and...
* If the file in question has the [Use Bookmarking] field (tag) set to Default (as opposed to explicitly set to Yes or No), and...
* The [Media Type] of the file is Video -or- the [Media Type] is Audio and the [Media Sub Type] is Podcast or Audiobook, and...
* If the [Media Type] is Video, the duration exceeds 15 minutes (so it excludes short videos such as Music Videos and other small clips)...


Then MC uses the stored [Bookmark] value to resume play from where it was last left off. When you ''stop'' playback of a file, MC saves the bookmark, which is basically just a count of the number of milliseconds from the beginning of the file, to the Library:
When you ''stop'' playback of a file, MC saves a [Bookmark] to the Library for that file. This field is simply a counter of the number of milliseconds that have elapsed since the beginning of the file.


* If playback ended within 96% of the end of the file, then the bookmark is cleared.
* If playback ended within 96% of the end of the file, then the bookmark is cleared.
* If the playback position was less than 60 seconds into the file, then the bookmark is cleared (unless it was a DVD which are always saved, I guess)
* If the playback position was less than 60 seconds into the file, then the bookmark is cleared (unless it was a DVD)
* Otherwise, the current position is stored in the database record for the file.
* Otherwise, the current position is stored in the database record for the file.


The idea is that most longer Videos (such as TV Shows and Movies) as well as Audiobooks and Podcasts will auto-resume from where you left off whenever you play them. But short clips like music videos, and long songs like Alice's Restaurant and Echoes will not. When playback stops, it guesses that 96% played is pretty much "fully played" (leaving only the credits in many cases) so it clears the bookmark. Likewise, if you stop very close to the beginning of a file, that's close enough to the beginning to clear the bookmark.
When playback stops, it assumes that 96% played is pretty much "fully played" (leaving only the credits in many cases) so it clears the bookmark. Likewise, if you stop very close to the beginning of a file, then that's close enough to the beginning of the file to not bother with it and clear the bookmark.

''Please Note:'' For the [Bookmark] tag to get written to the database when playback stops, the copy of MC that was playing the file ''must'' have Read/Write access to the database. If MC is being used in a Client/Server situation and the client is in "read-only mode" for some reason (perhaps you don't have a Username/Password set in Options > Media Network, for example) then the client copy of MC won't be able to write the [Bookmark] tag to the Library permanently when playback ends. This will, in effect, cause Media Center to behave as though Bookmarks only persist until MC is closed and reopened.

== Deciding Whether To Resume Using a Bookmark ==

When playback of a file begins, Media Center uses the following logic to decide whether to resume from the file's saved Bookmark:

* If [[General_Settings#Behavior|Options > General > Behavior > Resume playback using bookmarks]] is set to ''Automatic'' (the default), and...
* If the file in question contains a non-empty value in the [Bookmark] field, and...
* If the file in question has [[File_Properties_%28tags%29#S_-_U|the [Use Bookmarking] field]] set explicitly to ''Yes'' the the Bookmark is obeyed. If it is set to ''No'' then it is ignored. '''Otherwise''', if [Use Bookmarking] is set to ''Default'', then it will automatically use Bookmarking:
** If the [Media Type] of the file is ''Video'' and the duration of the file is greater than 15 minutes.
** Or if the [Media Type] is ''Audio'' and the [Media Sub Type] is ''Podcast'' or ''Audiobook''.

The idea is that most longer Videos (such as TV Shows and Movies) as well as Audiobooks and Podcasts will auto-resume from where you left off whenever you play them. But short clips like music videos, and long songs like ''Alice's Restaurant'' and ''Echoes'' will not.

== Overriding The Default Bookmarking Behavior ==


You can modify this behavior on both a global and granular (per-file) scale.
You can modify this behavior on both a global and granular (per-file) scale.
Line 18: Line 31:
First, you can globally change it by setting [[General_Settings#Behavior|Options > General > Behavior > Resume playback using bookmarks]]. The default is Automatic as described above, but you can disable it entirely, or set it to ask what to do whenever it finds a Bookmark set for a file.
First, you can globally change it by setting [[General_Settings#Behavior|Options > General > Behavior > Resume playback using bookmarks]]. The default is Automatic as described above, but you can disable it entirely, or set it to ask what to do whenever it finds a Bookmark set for a file.


[[File:MC19-Options-General-Resume Playback.png|frame|left|200px|Change this setting in Options to override the default behavior when Playback begins for this copy of MC.]]
You can also change the [Use Bookmarking] tag for a particular file or set of files. If set to Yes, it will force files that otherwise wouldn't "trigger" the automatic rules above to either use or ignore bookmarking.


<br clear=all>
''Please Note:'' For the [Bookmark] tag to get written to the database when playback stops, the copy of MC that was playing the file ''must'' have Read/Write access to the database. If MC is being used in a Client/Server situation and the client is in "read-only mode" for some reason (perhaps you don't have a Username/Password set in Options > Media Network, for example) then the client copy of MC won't be able to write the [Bookmark] tag to the Library permanently when playback ends. This will, in effect, cause Media Center to behave as though Bookmarks only persist until MC is closed and reopened.

You can also change the [Use Bookmarking] tag for a particular file or set of files. If set to Yes, it will force files that otherwise wouldn't "trigger" the automatic rules above to use bookmarking, and if set to No, any bookmarks will be ignored regardless of the file's other characteristics.

[[File:MC19-Use Bookmarking Field.png|frame|left|400px|Set the [Use Bookmarking] field to override the default behavior for a particular file.]]

<br clear=all>

== Clearing the Bookmark from a media file ==

A bookmark can be cleared simply while playing a media file by pressing Stop twice. Not as fast as a double click, but also not too slow. The media file will then be played from the beginning next time it is played.

A bookmark can also be cleared by clearing the [Bookmark] tag for the file. Display the Tag, click the drop down arrow, and select the blank space below the bookmark value.

[[File:Clear_Bookmark_Tag.png|frame|left|Use the drop down arrow to select the blank space.]]

<br clear=all>


[[Category:Frequently Asked Questions]]
[[Category:Metadata and Tags]]
[[Category:Features]]

Latest revision as of 00:41, 3 September 2015

Media Center's feature that automatically resumes playback in certain files from where it was last left off is called "Bookmarking". When you play any file in MC, the Bookmarking system follows a set of rules to decide whether to resume playback from a previous position, and when to write the bookmarks to the Library when playback stops.

Saving Bookmarks

When you stop playback of a file, MC saves a [Bookmark] to the Library for that file. This field is simply a counter of the number of milliseconds that have elapsed since the beginning of the file.

  • If playback ended within 96% of the end of the file, then the bookmark is cleared.
  • If the playback position was less than 60 seconds into the file, then the bookmark is cleared (unless it was a DVD)
  • Otherwise, the current position is stored in the database record for the file.

When playback stops, it assumes that 96% played is pretty much "fully played" (leaving only the credits in many cases) so it clears the bookmark. Likewise, if you stop very close to the beginning of a file, then that's close enough to the beginning of the file to not bother with it and clear the bookmark.

Please Note: For the [Bookmark] tag to get written to the database when playback stops, the copy of MC that was playing the file must have Read/Write access to the database. If MC is being used in a Client/Server situation and the client is in "read-only mode" for some reason (perhaps you don't have a Username/Password set in Options > Media Network, for example) then the client copy of MC won't be able to write the [Bookmark] tag to the Library permanently when playback ends. This will, in effect, cause Media Center to behave as though Bookmarks only persist until MC is closed and reopened.

Deciding Whether To Resume Using a Bookmark

When playback of a file begins, Media Center uses the following logic to decide whether to resume from the file's saved Bookmark:

  • If Options > General > Behavior > Resume playback using bookmarks is set to Automatic (the default), and...
  • If the file in question contains a non-empty value in the [Bookmark] field, and...
  • If the file in question has the [Use Bookmarking] field set explicitly to Yes the the Bookmark is obeyed. If it is set to No then it is ignored. Otherwise, if [Use Bookmarking] is set to Default, then it will automatically use Bookmarking:
    • If the [Media Type] of the file is Video and the duration of the file is greater than 15 minutes.
    • Or if the [Media Type] is Audio and the [Media Sub Type] is Podcast or Audiobook.

The idea is that most longer Videos (such as TV Shows and Movies) as well as Audiobooks and Podcasts will auto-resume from where you left off whenever you play them. But short clips like music videos, and long songs like Alice's Restaurant and Echoes will not.

Overriding The Default Bookmarking Behavior

You can modify this behavior on both a global and granular (per-file) scale.

First, you can globally change it by setting Options > General > Behavior > Resume playback using bookmarks. The default is Automatic as described above, but you can disable it entirely, or set it to ask what to do whenever it finds a Bookmark set for a file.

Change this setting in Options to override the default behavior when Playback begins for this copy of MC.


You can also change the [Use Bookmarking] tag for a particular file or set of files. If set to Yes, it will force files that otherwise wouldn't "trigger" the automatic rules above to use bookmarking, and if set to No, any bookmarks will be ignored regardless of the file's other characteristics.

Set the [Use Bookmarking] field to override the default behavior for a particular file.


Clearing the Bookmark from a media file

A bookmark can be cleared simply while playing a media file by pressing Stop twice. Not as fast as a double click, but also not too slow. The media file will then be played from the beginning next time it is played.

A bookmark can also be cleared by clearing the [Bookmark] tag for the file. Display the Tag, click the drop down arrow, and select the blank space below the bookmark value.

Use the drop down arrow to select the blank space.