Metadata (detailed information)

Perfect! Your add-on now shows a catalog of movies. But when users click on a movie, they see only basic information. Let's add rich, detailed metadata to make your content more engaging and informative.

Meta provides comprehensive information about each item - think of it as the detailed movie page with plot summaries, cast information, ratings, and more.

Understanding metadata

Metadata is the detailed information that appears when users click on content. For movies with IMDb IDs (like the ones in your catalog), EMET Surf automatically provides this information. But what about content that isn't in IMDb?

When you need custom metadata:

Indie films or original content
Videos you've created yourself
Content from niche sources
Any content without a standard IMDb ID

Updating your manifest

To provide custom metadata, you need to tell EMET Surf which content you'll handle. Add this to your manifest:

{
    "id": "my.first.emet.addon",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "name": "Hello, World",
    "description": "My first EMET Surf add-on",
    "logo": "https://example.com/logo-256.png",
    "resources": [
        "catalog",
        {
            "name": "meta",
            "types": ["movie"],
            "idPrefixes": ["hiwrld_"]
        }
    ],
    "types": ["movie"],
    "catalogs": [
        {"id": "movieCatalog", "type": "movie", "name": "Hello, Movies"}
    ]
}

What changed:

Added a meta resource object to the resources array
types: What content types you'll provide metadata for
idPrefixes: Which content IDs your add-on will handle

Understanding ID prefixes: The idPrefixes array tells EMET Surf which content your add-on can provide metadata for. In this example, any content with an ID starting with hiwrld_ will be handled by your add-on.

Adding custom content to your catalog

Let's add a custom movie that isn't in IMDb. Update your catalog to include this new item:

{
    "metas": [
        {
            "type": "movie",
            "id": "tt0032138",
            "name": "The Wizard of Oz",
            "poster": "https://images.metahub.space/poster/medium/tt0032138/img",
            "genres": ["Adventure", "Family", "Fantasy", "Musical"]
        },
        {
            "type": "movie",
            "id": "tt0017136",
            "name": "Metropolis",
            "poster": "https://images.metahub.space/poster/medium/tt0017136/img",
            "genres": ["Drama", "Sci-Fi"]
        },
        {
            "id": "hiwrld_jellyfish",
            "type": "movie",
            "name": "Jellyfish",
            "poster": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1496108493338-3b30de66f9be",
            "genres": ["Demo", "Nature"]
        }
    ]
}

This adds a custom jellyfish video with the ID hiwrld_jellyfish - notice it starts with our prefix!

Creating the metadata structure

EMET Surf expects metadata files in a specific folder structure. Create the directories:

On Windows:

mkdir meta
mkdir meta\movie

On Mac/Linux:

mkdir -p meta/movie

Your file structure should now look like:

my-emet-addon/
├── manifest.json
├── catalog/
│   └── movie/
│       └── movieCatalog.json
└── meta/
    └── movie/
        └── hiwrld_jellyfish.json

Providing detailed metadata

Create the file meta/movie/hiwrld_jellyfish.json with comprehensive information:

{
    "meta": {
        "id": "hiwrld_jellyfish",
        "type": "movie",
        "name": "Jellyfish",
        "poster": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1496108493338-3b30de66f9be",
        "genres": ["Demo", "Nature"],
        "description": "A beautiful video clip featuring graceful jellyfish in their natural habitat. Perfect for testing media streaming and providing a calming visual experience.",
        "cast": ["Various jellyfish species"],
        "director": ["Nature"],
        "logo": "https://example.com/jellyfish-logo.png",
        "background": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1461783470466-185038239ee3",
        "runtime": "30 sec",
        "releaseInfo": "2024",
        "imdbRating": 8.5,
        "year": 2024
    }
}

Key metadata fields:

description: Detailed plot summary or content description
cast: Who appears in the content
director: Who created or directed the content
logo: A logo image for the content (different from poster)
background: A wide background image for the detail page
runtime: How long the content is
releaseInfo: When it was released
imdbRating: Rating (even for non-IMDb content)
year: Release year

External database IDs: You can include external database identifiers to help connect your metadata with other add-ons and services:

{
    "meta": {
        "id": "hiwrld_jellyfish",
        "type": "movie",
        "name": "Jellyfish",
        "poster": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1496108493338-3b30de66f9be",
        "genres": ["Demo", "Nature"],
        "description": "A beautiful video clip featuring graceful jellyfish...",
        "cast": ["Various jellyfish species"],
        "director": ["Nature"],
        "logo": "https://example.com/jellyfish-logo.png",
        "background": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1461783470466-185038239ee3",
        "runtime": "30 sec",
        "releaseInfo": "2024",
        "imdbRating": 8.5,
        "year": 2024,
        "imdb_id": "tt1234567",
        "tmdb_id": "12345"
    }
}

Available external IDs:

imdb_id: IMDb identifier (e.g., "tt0032138")
tmdb_id: The Movie Database identifier (e.g., "630")

Providing these IDs helps EMET Surf connect metadata between different add-ons and provides better content discovery and organization.

Genre IDs: You can specify which genres a meta item belongs to using numeric genre IDs that match the genres defined in your manifest:

{
    "meta": {
        "id": "hiwrld_jellyfish",
        "type": "movie",
        "name": "Jellyfish",
        "poster": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1496108493338-3b30de66f9be",
        "genres": ["Demo", "Nature"],
        "description": "A beautiful video clip featuring graceful jellyfish...",
        "cast": ["Various jellyfish species"],
        "director": ["Nature"],
        "logo": "https://example.com/jellyfish-logo.png",
        "background": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1461783470466-185038239ee3",
        "runtime": "30 sec",
        "releaseInfo": "2024",
        "imdbRating": 8.5,
        "year": 2024,
        "imdb_id": "tt1234567",
        "tmdb_id": "12345",
        "genreIds": [28, 12]
    }
}

Genre ID benefits:

genreIds: Array of numeric genre IDs that correspond to your manifest's genre definitions
Enables automatic genre-based filtering and categorization
Works with catalog genreIds for consistent content organization
Supports multi-language genre names through manifest definitions

Example catalog item with genre IDs:

{
    "metas": [
        {
            "genreIds": [12, 28],
            "id": 1061474,
            "imdb_id": "tt5950044",
            "tmdb_id": "1061474",
            "logo": "https://images.metahub.space/logo/medium/tt5950044/img",
            "name": "Superman",
            "description": "Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent."
        }
    ]
}

Advanced metadata features

EMET Surf supports several optional metadata features:

Optional flags

Users can request additional data by adding parameters to the metadata request:

{
    "meta": {
        // ... basic metadata ...
        "videos": [
            {
                "season": 1,
                "episode": 1,
                "id": "hiwrld_jellyfish:1:1",
                "title": "Jellyfish Episode 1"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Available flags:

withSeasons: Include season/episode breakdown for series
withTrailers: Include trailer information if available

Language support

Provide metadata in different languages by using the language parameter in requests.

EPG (Electronic Program Guide) for TV channels

For TV channels and live content, you can provide EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information that shows upcoming programs and schedules. This helps users see what's currently playing and what's coming up next.

Update manifest

You need to include epg in extraSupported of your manifest to let EMET Surf know that your add-on supports EPG.

{
    //...
    "extraSupported": [
        "epg"
    ]
}

EPG structure for TV channels

{
    "meta": {
        "id": "channel_example",
        "type": "channel",
        "name": "Example TV Channel",
        "poster": "https://example.com/channel-logo.png",
        "description": "A 24/7 news and entertainment channel",
        "epg": [
            {
                "title": "Morning News",
                "description": "Latest breaking news and weather updates",
                "start_timestamp": 1754767680,
                "stop_timestamp": 1754774040
            },
            {
                "title": "Talk Show",
                "description": "Live discussion with celebrity guests",
                "start_timestamp": 1754774040,
                "stop_timestamp": 1754780400
            },
            {
                "title": "Movie Night",
                "description": "Classic films and new releases",
                "start_timestamp": 1754780400,
                "stop_timestamp": 1754793120
            }
        ]
    }
}

EPG field descriptions

title: The name of the program or show
description: Detailed information about the program content
start_timestamp: Unix timestamp when the program starts
stop_timestamp: Unix timestamp when the program ends

EPG best practices

Provide at least 24 hours of programming information
Update EPG data regularly to keep schedules current
Use clear, descriptive titles and descriptions
Ensure timestamps are accurate and in the correct timezone
Include program categories or genres when possible

Testing your metadata

Update your manifest with the meta resource
Add the custom content to your catalog
Create the metadata file with detailed information
Reinstall your add-on in EMET Surf
Click on the Jellyfish movie - you should see rich, detailed information!

Watch your server logs - you'll see requests like:

GET /meta/movie/hiwrld_jellyfish.json 200 2.1ms - 456

What you've accomplished

Added custom metadata support to your add-on
Created detailed information for custom content
Learned about ID prefixes and resource filtering
Understood the metadata file structure
Discovered advanced metadata features

What's next?

Your add-on now provides rich, detailed information! But users still can't actually watch the content. In the next step, we'll add streams - the actual video files or sources that users can play.

Summary

Metadata provides detailed information about content
Use ID prefixes to specify which content your add-on handles
Create metadata files at meta/type/id.json
Include comprehensive information: description, cast, director, etc.
EMET Surf supports optional flags for additional data
Your add-on now provides rich, detailed content information!

Understanding metadata​

Updating your manifest​

Adding custom content to your catalog​

Creating the metadata structure​

Providing detailed metadata​

Advanced metadata features​

Optional flags​

Language support​

EPG (Electronic Program Guide) for TV channels​

Update manifest​

EPG structure for TV channels​

EPG field descriptions​

EPG best practices​

Testing your metadata​

What you've accomplished​

What's next?​

Summary​