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Search and download

This guide explains how to search for media and download it using Cinephage's integrated search system.

Goal​

Find and download movies and TV shows from your configured indexers.

Prerequisites​

  • Indexers configured and working
  • Download client connected
  • Quality profile set
  • Media added to library with monitoring enabled

How It Works​

  1. Monitoring Tasks run on schedule
  2. Check all monitored items
  3. Search indexers for missing/upgradable content
  4. Score and select best release
  5. Send to download client
  6. Monitor until complete
  7. Import and organize file
  1. Go to Settings > Tasks
  2. Enable Missing Content Search
  3. Set interval (default: hourly)
  4. Enable Upgrade Monitoring (optional)
  5. Click Save

Monitor Automatic Searches​

Check Activity > History to see:

  • What was searched
  • What was found
  • What was grabbed
  • Any errors

Search a Movie​

  1. Go to Library > Movies
  2. Find the movie you want
  3. Click on it to open details
  4. Click Search tab
  5. Click Search button

Review Results​

Results appear with columns:

ColumnDescription
IndexerSource of the release
TitleRelease name with quality info
SizeFile size
PeersSeeders/Leechers (torrents only)
ScoreQuality score based on profile
AgeHow old the release is
GrabButton to download

Understanding Scores​

The Score column shows how well a release matches your quality profile:

  • Green (100+): Excellent quality match
  • Yellow (50-99): Good quality
  • Red (<50): Lower quality

Hover over any score to see the detailed breakdown.

Learn more: See Search System for a complete explanation of how scoring works.

Grab a Release​

  1. Find desired release in results
  2. Check score is acceptable
  3. Click Grab button
  4. Confirm in dialog
  5. Release sent to download client

Grab Best Release​

To automatically grab highest-scoring release:

  1. Click Grab Best button
  2. Cinephage selects best option
  3. No need to review individually

Part 3: Search TV Episodes​

Search Entire Series​

  1. Go to Library > TV
  2. Click on series
  3. Click Search tab
  4. Choose search type:
    • Missing Episodes - Only unwatched/missing
    • All Episodes - Everything monitored
    • Selected Seasons - Specific seasons
  5. Click Search

Search Specific Episode​

  1. Go to series details
  2. Expand season
  3. Find episode
  4. Click episode to open details
  5. Click Search tab
  6. Click Search button

Part 4: Search from Discover​

Search Before Adding​

  1. Go to Discover
  2. Find movie or series
  3. Click on it
  4. See Available Releases count
  5. Click to view release list
  6. Review quality options
  7. Then click Add to Library to download

Preview Quality Availability​

In Discover view:

  • Green badge: High-quality releases available
  • Yellow badge: Medium quality available
  • Red badge: Only low quality available
  • No badge: Not searched yet

Part 5: Advanced Search Options​

Filter Results​

In search results, filter by:

Quality:

  • 2160p (4K)
  • 1080p
  • 720p
  • 480p

Source:

  • BluRay
  • WEB-DL
  • HDTV
  • DVD

Custom:

  • Minimum score
  • Maximum age
  • Specific indexers

Sort Results​

Click column headers to sort:

  • Score - Best quality first
  • Size - Smallest or largest
  • Age - Newest or oldest
  • Peers - Most seeders (torrents)

Compare Releases​

To compare similar releases:

  1. Select multiple releases (checkbox)
  2. Click Compare
  3. See side-by-side comparison:
    • Resolution
    • Source
    • Codec
    • Audio
    • Score breakdown

Part 6: Handling Search Results​

No Results Found​

If search returns nothing:

  1. Check indexers:

    • Verify indexers are enabled
    • Test indexer connections
    • Check indexer categories

  2. Try different search:

    • Search by TMDB ID (in URL: /discover/movie/27205)
    • Use alternate titles
    • Wait and try later (new releases)

  3. Check filters:

    • Remove quality filters temporarily
    • Check custom formats are not blocking
    • Verify language settings

Too Many Results​

If overwhelmed with results:

  1. Apply filters:

    • Filter by minimum score
    • Filter by resolution
    • Filter by source

  2. Sort appropriately:

    • Sort by score to see best first
    • Sort by size for storage concerns

  3. Refine quality profile:

    • Tighten custom formats
    • Adjust scoring rules
    • Block unwanted sources

Low Scores​

If best score is low:

  1. Check quality profile:

    • Verify profile assigned to item
    • Check cutoff settings
    • Review custom format scores

  2. Consider waiting:

    • Better releases may appear later
    • Enable upgrade monitoring
    • Set appropriate cutoff

Part 7: After Grab​

Monitor Download​

  1. Go to Activity > Queue
  2. See download progress
  3. Click item for details:
    • Download speed
    • ETA
    • File size
    • Release details

Download Complete​

When download finishes:

  1. Cinephage detects completion
  2. File imported automatically
  3. Organized according to naming settings
  4. Added to library
  5. Notifications sent (if configured)

Failed Downloads​

If download fails:

  1. Check Activity > History
  2. See failure reason
  3. Check Activity > Blocklist
  4. Release may be auto-blocklisted
  5. Next search will try different release

Part 8: Search Best Practices​

For the best search results:

  • Quality over Speed - Wait for quality releases rather than grabbing first available; use cutoff settings to prevent endless upgrading
  • Diversify Indexers - Use multiple indexers for better content coverage and redundancy
  • Monitor, Don't Just Search - Enable monitoring on items and let automatic search work in the background
  • Respect Rate Limits - Indexers have API limits; use reasonable monitoring intervals (default: hourly)
  • Review Before Grabbing - Check release names, file sizes, and release groups when selecting manually

Learn more: See Search System for detailed conceptual guidance on search best practices.

Troubleshooting​

Searches Take Too Long​

Problem: Searching is very slow

Solutions:

  • Reduce number of enabled indexers
  • Disable slow indexers
  • Check network connectivity
  • Increase indexer timeout settings

Results Not Appearing​

Problem: No results from working indexers

Solutions:

  • Check indexer categories are correct
  • Verify API keys are valid
  • Test indexer individually
  • Check for indexer site issues

Wrong Quality Downloaded​

Problem: Lower quality than expected

Solutions:

  • Check quality profile assigned
  • Verify cutoff is set correctly
  • Review custom format scores
  • Check if better release was filtered

Cannot Grab Release​

Problem: Grab button does nothing or errors

Solutions:

  • Check download client connection
  • Verify download client has space
  • Check path mappings
  • Review download client logs

Next Steps​

After searching and downloading:

See Also​