Prepare your media
Make sure your media’s named correctly and in the right format.
There are two things to consider before you import your media files into your media server: their format and their filename. The format of a media file consists of two elements: the “container” or the filetype, and the “codecs”, which are used to compress and decompress the video and audio streams when being played
Select media 1
Install Filebot from www.filebot.net – once done, launch the program and drag your media into the ‘Original Files’ window. We recommend you rename TV shows in related batches – for example, a complete TV series or a couple of seasons. Once done, right-click the match button and choose ‘Edit format’.
Set renaming format 2
The ‘Episode Format’ box will open, which reveals the pattern used for renaming your files. We suggest using the following naming format for TV shows: {n} - {s00e00} - {t}, which lists TV show, series and episode numbers, and the episode title (the {t} bit is purely optional, Emby will match the file regardless). Click ‘Use Format’. back. Not all devices can play the same media formats, and while Emby can convert between different formats while streaming media to overcome these compatibility issues (a process called “transcoding”), it uses up a lot of system resources and can slow the process down considerably.
With this in mind, try to source your media using a format that’s close to being a universal standard. For music files, aim for MP3, while video (movies, TV and so on) should be saved as MP4 files with the H.264 codec. A tool that can perform this conversion for you is Handbrake ( www.handbrake.fr).
Name your media files
Media servers such as Emby have a trick up their sleeve. If you name your media files a certain way, the server is able to take that information and download information and artwork about the music, movie or TV show automatically using a series of online databases such as thetvdb.com.
It’s important your files are named and structured correctly. Start by creating separate folders for your media: Music, Movies, TV, Photos, and so on. For music, start with a folder for the artist, then one for the album, and number the tracks within. TV seasons should start with the name of the show, the name of the season, then numbered episode titles within.
If your naming convention doesn’t match exactly and Emby isn’t able to adapt, use a free tool called Filebot to quickly rename them. It works for all kinds of files – see left for TV shows.
Preview and rename 3
Click the ‘Match’ button again, but this time choose ‘TheTVDB’ from the drop-down menu. If necessary, match the TV show to a list of suggested matches, then review the renamed files in the right-hand pane. If you’re happy with the way things are matched up, click the ‘Rename’ button and the files will be renamed automatically.