[HomerJau]

[Split out from skin change thread - DB]
Music Videos:
Album Artist thumb come from Music (audio only) database. If there's no music artist Kodi should look for an artist image in the Music Video's folder (artist.jpg would be good as folder.jpg is used for cover art). So all skins could take advantage there need to be a new JSON API method to return Music Video data for this. I'm happy to provide more info if required (I looked at the Kodi source for this but couldn't work out how to do it)

The Music Video view on 'tracks' (songs) doesn't work if the video files are named with track no. as a prefix (e.g 01. Song Title.mkv) if you have hundreds of concerts all with a 01. ... file name. This needs to changed to sort by atrtist, album, track/file name. Maybe the default Music Video view should be by Artist/Album too?

I'd love to work with a dev on some of these/more Music Video (Concert) mods. I'm good with SQL and coding (but no Python experience). I've got hundreds of m.vids and can provide sample (stubs to reduce size) files and structures to work with. Semi retired with plenty of time and dead keen to help if I can)

[DaveBlake]

Music Videos:

Maybe Dave is not so busy and he can help? If not can you or Dave please give me a dev contact I can talk to? THX.  

Gary I'm afraid I'm probably all there is, and I am as busy as ever.

What you mention sounds far more core related than skin, you have the time and enthusiasm so maybe I can help you uncover what code needs changes/extending and how best to approach it. Do you have a dev environment set up, can you run Kodi in debug? First you need to understand what Kodi does, and maybe deduce why it does it like that. Anyone working on this would have to do the same, it is not something any dev has already in their heads or a documented design. Start a thread, maybe we can get some others interested? Say what you know, what you need to know etc., what you want Kodi to do compared to what it does.

Starting is hard, I know it is, but I will support you best that I can

[DaveBlake]

OK, let the design/implementation discussion begin

Album Artist thumb come from Music (audio only) database. If there's no music artist Kodi should look for an artist image in the Music Video's folder (artist.jpg would be good as folder.jpg is used for cover art).

I think that would be a backwards step and inconsistent with art handling elsewhere. Music is moving away from having artist art mixed in with the music files, so not good to start having artist art mixed in with the video files. You may often have all the music videos by an artist and only that artist in one folder, but like albums there can be exception e.g. videos with more than one artist, or videos by an artist spit across multiple sources (e.g. hard drives).

Also artists can have many kinds of artwork - thumbnail and fanart for a start, but could also have logo or any other kind of art. Hence a "artist.jpg" approach (for just thumb?) is not flexible enough.

Is the issue that you can have music videos by artists that are not in the music library?
 

So all skins could take advantage there need to be a new JSON API method to return Music Video data for this. I'm happy to provide more info if required (I looked at the Kodi source for this but couldn't work out how to do it)

Maybe looking at how get/set art has been added for music (https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/13101/files) will give you some ideas?

Then again if the music video has a artist(s) that are in the music db then JSON API now exists to get the art for that artist.

[HomerJau]

OK, let the design/implementation discussion begin

Album Artist thumb come from Music (audio only) database. If there's no music artist Kodi should look for an artist image in the Music Video's folder (artist.jpg would be good as folder.jpg is used for cover art).

I think that would be a backwards step and inconsistent with art handling elsewhere. Music is moving away from having artist art mixed in with the music files, so not good to start having artist art mixed in with the video files. You may often have all the music videos by an artist and only that artist in one folder, but like albums there can be exception e.g. videos with more than one artist, or videos by an artist spit across multiple sources (e.g. hard drives).

Also artists can have many kinds of artwork - thumbnail and fanart for a start, but could also have logo or any other kind of art. Hence a "artist.jpg" approach (for just thumb?) is not flexible enough.

Is the issue that you can have music videos by artists that are not in the music library?
 

So all skins could take advantage there need to be a new JSON API method to return Music Video data for this. I'm happy to provide more info if required (I looked at the Kodi source for this but couldn't work out how to do it)

Maybe looking at how get/set art has been added for music (https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/13101/files) will give you some ideas?

Then again if the music video has a artist(s) that are in the music db then JSON API now exists to get the art for that artist. 

Thanks Dave. I will take a look this week.

You asked: "Is the issue that you can have music videos by artists that are not in the music library?"
Answer: Yes

I understand the Kodi music many to many artist issue which won't be easy to resolve unless we move 'Music Videos' to a model identical to Music (Probably a fair bit of work but at least then most of the music video 'issues' would be solved... (A music video is really 'music' with a video stream, right?)

The short term 'fix' which would resolve lack of Artist image in the current Music Video interface is simply allowing Kodi to 'see' an Artist.jpg from a folder. Many of us have Concert folders following the current music video folder standard 'ARTIST - ALBUM NAME' so for all these releases (I only have these) then I would get an Artist image foe all my Music Vids where there is no matching artist in the Audio (Music) library.

Let me take a look and I'll post again (No doubt more questions before answers