+- Jellyfin Forum (https://forum.jellyfin.org)
+-- Forum: Support (https://forum.jellyfin.org/f-support)
+--- Forum: General Questions (https://forum.jellyfin.org/f-general-questions)
+--- Thread: Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show (/t-advice-on-using-tvdb-rather-than-tmdb-for-metadata-for-a-single-show)
Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show - Perseverant - 2025-05-08
Hey folks,
I'm working on tackling the mountain of content that is Looney Tunes. I usually use TMDB for metadata, but it appears to be sorely lacking for this content There are a few random shows here and there, and collections specific to certain bluray releases, but nothing that is really comprehensive across the entire show.
thetvdb.com, however, has the show nicely separated by year:
https://www.thetvdb.com/series/looney-tunes#seasons
TMDB is sufficient for most of my metadata needs, but for this one show, it would be really nice to pull from TVDB. However, before I spend $12 to save myself the hassle of copying it all manually, I wanted some advice.
Has anyone done this? ...e.g. used TVDB for a single show and nothing else? Anything I need to be thinking about or watch out for?
Thanks in advance!
RE: Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show - Perseverant - 2025-05-14
Bump. Can anyone offer any input on this?
RE: Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show - Generator - 2025-05-14
https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/server/media/shows
Name the show folder "Series Name (201
[tvdbid-65567]"
RE: Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show - theguymadmax - 2025-05-14
I don't think there's any issue when doing so, I switch my from TMDB to TVDB all the time for testing user issues.
If you don't know how to do that:
- Install plugin from catalog (restart required)
- Go to your library and change the order so that TVDb is first
- Make sure to turn off the Missing Episode Fetcher - Unless you want it, I find it causes more issues than it solves
- Go to the series and replace all metadata with images selected. You may want to lock the series after acquiring metadata.
- Then go back and change the order to have TMDB
RE: Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show - Perseverant - 2025-05-15
(2025-05-14, 02:10 PM)theguymadmax Wrote: I don't think there's any issue when doing so, I switch my from TMDB to TVDB all the time for testing user issues.
If you don't know how to do that:
- Install plugin from catalog (restart required)
- Go to your library and change the order so that TVDb is first
- Make sure to turn off the Missing Episode Fetcher - Unless you want it, I find it causes more issues than it solves
- Go to the series and replace all metadata with images selected. You may want to lock the series after acquiring metadata.
- Then go back and change the order to have TMDB
Thanks very much. I figured out why Looney Tunes wasn't in TMDB's shows. They list EACH EPISODE as a movie since they were originally short firms. That might be accurate from a historical perspective, but it's insane from an organizational perspective. Imagine 600+ 5-minute-long Looney Tunes "movies" cluttering up the place you store actual long-form films. It's a no-brainer to go with TVDB in this case. My main fear is that I mess something up and TVDB screws up all of my other stuff, but I guess I'll just do a backup of config/cache before pulling from there.
RE: Advice on using TVDB rather than TMDB for metadata for a single show - theguymadmax - 2025-05-16
(2025-05-08, 06:53 PM)Perseverant Wrote: TMDB is sufficient for most of my metadata needs, but for this one show, it would be really nice to pull from TVDB. However, before I spend $12 to save myself the hassle of copying it all manually, I wanted some advice.
Just to clarify, you don't need a subscription to use the TVDB plugin with Jellyfin.