How to Automate TV Recording Cleanup with MCEBuddy: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Automate TV Recording Cleanup with MCEBuddy: A Step-by-Step Guide

Overview

MCEBuddy automates converting, renaming, and cleaning TV recordings (WTV, DVR-MS, TS, MKV, etc.). It removes commercials, converts to preferred formats, tags files, and organizes them into a library-ready structure (for Plex/Emby). This guide assumes Windows and a basic DVR recording setup.

Prerequisites

• Windows PC with sufficient CPU and disk space.
• MCEBuddy installed (latest stable).
• FFmpeg and commercial detection engine (included with MCEBuddy installer).
• Optional: HandBrake (for additional conversion profiles), TV recording source (Windows Media Center, NextPVR, OTA DVR, Plex DVR, etc.).

Step-by-step setup

1. Install MCEBuddy

• Run the MCEBuddy installer and accept defaults. Ensure FFmpeg and the commercial detector install correctly.

2. Add source folders

• Open MCEBuddy GUI → Profiles & Tasks → Add a new task.
• Set the source folder(s) where your DVR saves recordings (use UNC paths for network shares, e.g., \NAS\Recordings).
• Set the monitor mode to continuously watch the folder.

3. Create or choose a conversion profile

• Use built-in profiles (e.g., MP4 720p) or create a custom profile.
• For custom: set container (MP4/MKV), codec (H.264/H.265), bitrate or CRF (e.g., CRF 18 for quality), audio settings (AAC 160–256 kbps).

4. Enable commercial detection and removal

• In the task settings, enable “Commercial Removal”.
• Choose the commercial detector (Comskip or ShowAnalyzer). Use default config initially; tweak thresholds if false positives/negatives occur.
• Optionally enable preview mode to test detection without deleting content.

5. Configure filename tagging and metadata

• Enable metadata search (TVDB or local) to tag episodes with show name, season, episode, and episode title.
• Configure filename format, e.g., {showname}.S{season:02}E{episode:02}.{title}.{ext}

6. Set up output organization

• Specify output folder structure for Plex/Emby, e.g. \NAS\Plex\TV{showname}\Season {season}.
• Enable “Move original” or “Delete original after conversion” per your retention policy.

7. Post-processing (optional)

• Add post-processing tasks like subtitle download, audio normalization, or additional HandBrake pass.
• Configure scripts to notify you or to update library (e.g., call Plex API to refresh).

8. Test with sample recordings

• Add a few recordings and monitor the log for conversion, commercial detection, and metadata tagging success.
• Adjust Comskip settings and conversion CRF/bitrate as needed.

9. Automation tweaks and maintenance

• Set CPU priority and concurrent jobs to balance conversions with other tasks.
• Regularly update MCEBuddy and FFmpeg.
• Backup MCEBuddy config file after tuning.

Troubleshooting tips

• If commercials remain: lower detection thresholds or update comskip.ini.
• If conversions fail: check FFmpeg path and look at MCEBuddy logs for codec errors.
• Metadata mismatches: verify show naming in TVDB and adjust filename parsing rules.

Example settings (recommended starter)

• Profile: MP4 H.264 720p, CRF 18, AAC 192 kbps
• Commercial detector: Comskip default, enable preview
• Filename: {showname}.S{season:02}E{episode:02}.{title}.{ext}
• Output path: \NAS\Plex\TV{showname}\Season {season}</li>

This setup will continuously monitor recordings, remove commercials, convert to MP4, tag episodes, and place files into a Plex-friendly layout—fully automating TV recording cleanup.