M3U2 VOD Script Overview

This script keeps your VOD library organized and current by syncing an IPTV playlist (VOD.m3u) with your local media and .strm files.

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How It Works

1. Scan Local Media

   • Searches your existing movie and TV folders.
   • Builds a cache of everything you already have locally.

2. Read the VOD Playlist

   • Parses your IPTV .m3u file.
   • Lists all available titles and their stream URLs.

3. Filter by Region

   • Uses the TMDb API to confirm each title is from an allowed country (e.g., US, GB, CA).
   • Excluded titles are logged to excluded_entries.txt for review.

4. Compare and Sync

   • If a title already exists locally, it's skipped.
   • If missing, the script creates a .strm file pointing to the IPTV stream.
   • Maintains a SQLite cache to track what's new, changed, or skipped.

5. Clean Up

   • Removes .strm files that are no longer valid or missing from the playlist.
   • Cleans up empty folders or NFO-only directories.

6. Optional: Refresh Emby

   • After updates, the script can automatically trigger an Emby library refresh.

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Result

• Only new or missing titles are added as .strm links.
• Out-of-region content is excluded.
• Local media remains untouched.
• Emby (if configured) updates automatically.

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Files and Roles

File	Purpose
main.py	Orchestrates the full process
core.py	Scans local media, normalizes titles, manages cache
m3u_utils.py	Parses .m3u, applies TMDb filters
strm_utils.py	Writes and cleans .strm files
config.py / config.json	Settings, paths, API keys, and filters

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Example Output Structure

/media/m3u2strm/ │ ├── Movies/ │ ├── Heat (1995)/Heat (1995).strm │ └── Inception (2010)/Inception (2010).strm │ └── TV Shows/ ├── Breaking Bad (2008)/Season 01/Breaking Bad (2008) S01E01.strm └── The Office (2005)/Season 02/The Office (2005) S02E03.strm