User:DeShizz/scratchpad

DESHIZZ'S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MP4 METADATA

Introduction

This guide serves to introduce users to another method of metadata and library management that now works with Kodi.

Why tho

There are many benefits to local metadata embedded in files, with some drawbacks. The biggest is that it requires careful and meticulous manual management of the data, which takes time and effort. It also limits your choice in media files. I chose MP4 a long time ago as my preferred format because it could hold all the streams I needed it to and could embed metadata. It is only now starting to show it's age, with the only major problem being that it can't embed Dolby TrueHD or Atmos audio streams.

Assumptions

This guide assumes you are relatively familiar with Kodi and how it manages its library. It also assumes that you have enabled MP4 Tag reading as an option in settings. It further assumes that you are using MP4 files and have such files ready to go with no need for transcoding. If you don't want to use MP4's but still have the ability to retain metadata you can explore MKV's, although these files use a different tagging system which will not be covered in this guide.

Getting Started

You will need an MP4 file and tagging software. Try grab a small MP4 to experiment with or if you want to follow along with this guide. MP3Tag is a free (gratis) program that can tag MP4's as well as a host of other files. The directory in which you want to place your finished, nicely curated file must be added to Kodi using the "local information only" option when choosing metadata source.

Core tags

Open up the file you want to tag. In a