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Adding Media

This tutorial teaches you how to add movies and TV series to your Cinephage library. You will learn to search for content, configure monitoring, and initiate downloads.

Prerequisites​

  • Cinephage installed and configured
  • Root folders set up
  • At least one indexer configured
  • TMDB API working

Part 1: Adding a Movie​

Step 1: Navigate to Discover​

Click Discover in the top navigation bar. This shows trending and popular movies from TMDB.

Step 2: Search for a Movie​

Use the search bar at the top to find a specific movie:

  1. Type the movie title
  2. Results appear as you type
  3. Click on the movie poster to view details

Step 3: View Movie Details​

The movie detail page shows:

  • Overview - Plot summary and cast
  • Technical Info - Release date, runtime, rating
  • Status - Whether it is in your library
  • Files - Downloaded files (if any)
  • History - Download and import history

Step 4: Add to Library​

If the movie is not in your library:

  1. Click the Add to Library button
  2. Configure the following options:

Root Folder:

  • Select your Movies root folder

Quality Profile:

  • Choose a profile (Quality, Balanced, Compact, or Streamer)
  • Hover over the profile name to see scoring details

Monitoring:

  • Enabled - Cinephage will search for and download this movie
  • Disabled - Movie is tracked but not automatically downloaded

Tags: (Optional)

  • Add tags for organization (e.g., favorite, 4k-only)
  1. Click Add Movie

If monitoring is enabled:

  1. Cinephage automatically searches your configured indexers
  2. Releases are scored based on your quality profile
  3. The best release is sent to your download client
  4. Progress appears in Activity section

Step 6: Monitor Progress​

Click Activity in the navigation to see:

  • Queue - Active downloads
  • History - Completed downloads
  • Click on a queue item to see details

Part 2: Adding a TV Series​

Step 1: Switch to TV Discover​

In the Discover page:

  1. Click the TV tab at the top
  2. Browse or search for a TV series

Step 2: View Series Details​

Click a series to see:

  • Overview - Series description and cast
  • Seasons - All seasons with episode lists
  • Status - Library status and monitored state

Step 3: Add to Library​

Click Add to Library:

Root Folder:

  • Select your TV Shows root folder

Quality Profile:

  • Choose appropriate profile for TV

Series Type:

  • Standard - Regular weekly episodes
  • Daily - Daily shows (talk shows, news)
  • Anime - Anime with absolute numbering

Monitoring:

  • All Episodes - Monitor and download entire series
  • Future Episodes - Only new/future episodes
  • Missing Episodes - Only episodes not in library
  • First Season - Only season 1
  • Last Season - Only latest season
  • None - Add to library but do not monitor

Season Folders:

  • Enable to organize episodes in season subfolders
  • Recommended for most series

Step 4: Understanding Season/Episode Monitoring​

After adding a series, you can customize monitoring per season:

  1. Go to Library > TV
  2. Click on the series
  3. Expand a season
  4. Toggle monitoring for individual episodes

Monitoring Icons:

  • Blue bookmark - Monitored (will be downloaded)
  • Gray bookmark - Not monitored
  • Checkmark - Already in library

Part 3: Manual Import​

If you already have media files, use manual import:

Import Movies​

  1. Go to Library > Movies
  2. Click Import button
  3. Select the folder containing movie files
  4. Cinephage scans and matches files to TMDB
  5. Review matches and confirm import

Import TV Shows​

  1. Go to Library > TV
  2. Click Import button
  3. Select the folder containing series folders
  4. Cinephage matches series and episodes
  5. Review and confirm

Handling Unmatched Files​

If files cannot be automatically matched:

  1. Go to Library > Unmatched
  2. See list of files awaiting matching
  3. Click Match on a file
  4. Search for the correct movie/series
  5. Select the match
  6. File is imported and organized

Part 4: Understanding the Workflow​

Complete Download Workflow​

Add to Library → Search Indexers → Score Releases → Send to Download Client → Monitor Download → Import File → Organize → Notify

Monitoring vs Library​

  • In Library - Item is tracked in Cinephage database
  • Monitored - Cinephage actively searches for and downloads it
  • Unmonitored - Tracked but not automatically downloaded

Quality Profiles in Action​

When searching:

  1. Cinephage finds all available releases
  2. Each release is scored based on:
    • Resolution (4K, 1080p, 720p)
    • Source (BluRay, WEB-DL, HDTV)
    • Codec (H.265, H.264)
    • Audio (DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos)
    • Custom format rules you define
  3. The highest-scoring release is selected
  4. If a better release appears later, it upgrades

What You Have Accomplished​

You have successfully:

  • Added movies to your library
  • Added TV series with season monitoring
  • Initiated automatic searches
  • Monitored download progress
  • Imported existing media files
  • Understood the monitoring workflow

Next Steps​

Now that you can add media, continue to Understanding the Interface to learn how to navigate Cinephage efficiently and use advanced features.

Tips and Best Practices​

Organizing Your Library​

  • Use tags to categorize content (e.g., kids, 4k, hdr)
  • Create separate root folders for different quality tiers
  • Enable season folders for TV shows

Efficient Searching​

  • Start with monitoring disabled if you are just tracking
  • Enable monitoring when you are ready to download
  • Use custom formats to prefer specific release groups or sources

Managing Upgrades​

  • Enable upgrade monitoring to get better quality over time
  • Set cutoff qualities in profiles to prevent endless upgrades
  • Review blocklist if releases keep failing

Next: Understanding the Interface →