Tue Dec 16, 2025 1:24 pm
NFO file naming
I'm starting to add metadata explicitly to my library using MediaElch.
MediaElch adds these Kodi-style .nfo files along with PNGs and JPGs. I believe this is the "defacto standard" for adding metadata as files to media libraries, but this naming is pretty unfortunate.
I'm not talking about those poor Microsoft System Information app users, as I doubt they'll suffer any. I'm talking about the fact that for even longer than Microsoft System Information using the .nfo file extension, .nfo has been used for text files containing human-language metadata about files. And not only high-seas files, but also mediainfo dumps and the likes.
I have a lot of such files, and they are named [base media filename minus extension].nfo — the same naming scheme used by MediaElch, and apparently Serviio, too.
I would really prefer not to have to overwrite these files, but AFAICT, other naming schemes are ignored. E.g. I tried having (with no other files present)
muh-file.mkv
muh-file.metadata.nfo
— but this NFO was ignored. Renaming it to muh-file.nfo, it was picked up and used as epexted.
Is there any way around this?
I'm also open to other software. Today I tried Jellyfin, because it comes recommended, and even has an app for my TV. It seems to allow library editing, too (nice). Its own players insist on transcoding, however, and the DLNA plugin is broken, so it's essentially garbage. I also tried UMS, but while it seems to work nicely as a DLNA server, it has zero library editing capabilities, and also ignores metadata NFO files. I've also been pleased for the most part with Serviio, so now I'm back, but running into this issue.
My DLNA server is running Debian testing.
Cheers
MediaElch adds these Kodi-style .nfo files along with PNGs and JPGs. I believe this is the "defacto standard" for adding metadata as files to media libraries, but this naming is pretty unfortunate.
I'm not talking about those poor Microsoft System Information app users, as I doubt they'll suffer any. I'm talking about the fact that for even longer than Microsoft System Information using the .nfo file extension, .nfo has been used for text files containing human-language metadata about files. And not only high-seas files, but also mediainfo dumps and the likes.
I have a lot of such files, and they are named [base media filename minus extension].nfo — the same naming scheme used by MediaElch, and apparently Serviio, too.
I would really prefer not to have to overwrite these files, but AFAICT, other naming schemes are ignored. E.g. I tried having (with no other files present)
muh-file.mkv
muh-file.metadata.nfo
— but this NFO was ignored. Renaming it to muh-file.nfo, it was picked up and used as epexted.
Is there any way around this?
I'm also open to other software. Today I tried Jellyfin, because it comes recommended, and even has an app for my TV. It seems to allow library editing, too (nice). Its own players insist on transcoding, however, and the DLNA plugin is broken, so it's essentially garbage. I also tried UMS, but while it seems to work nicely as a DLNA server, it has zero library editing capabilities, and also ignores metadata NFO files. I've also been pleased for the most part with Serviio, so now I'm back, but running into this issue.
My DLNA server is running Debian testing.
Cheers