Pinnacle Systems MediaCenter - 2.0 Instruction Manual
Pinnacle MediaCenter
Pinnacle MediaCenter
User’s Guide
GB/US September 2004
© Pinnacle Systems GmbH 2004
All rights reserved.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transferred to other media without
explicit written permission from Pinnacle Systems GmbH, Braunschweig,
Germany.
All brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.
This manual is printed on chlorine-free, bleached paper using solvent-free ink.
Pinnacle Systems GmbH has written this manual to the best of its knowledge,
but does not guarantee that the programs/systems will fulfill the users’ intended
applications.
No warranty is made as to the specifications of features.
Pinnacle Systems GmbH retains the right to make alterations to the content of
the manual without obligation to inform third parties.
All quotes, sales, supply and manufacturing contracts from Pinnacle Systems
GmbH, including consulting, installation and other contractual services are
subject exclusively to the General Sales and Delivery Terms of Pinnacle
Systems GmbH.
Table Of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
Welcome ............................................................................................................1
Pinnacle MediaManager................................................................................. 1
Pinnacle MediaCenter ....................................................................................2
Pinnacle hardware .......................................................................................... 2
PCTV MediaCenter remote control ...............................................................2
Delivery Contents .............................................................................................. 3
Hardware ........................................................................................................ 3
Software..........................................................................................................3
Documentation ............................................................................................... 4
Online Help........................................................................................................ 5
Online Manual ................................................................................................... 5
How to Manage the Pinnacle MediaCenter ....................................................... 6
On-screen menu buttons................................................................................. 6
Remote control and PC function keys............................................................6
Menu bars .......................................................................................................8
Installing Pinnacle MediaCenter ...........................................................................9
Hardware Installation.........................................................................................9
Software Installation ..........................................................................................9
Pinnacle MediaManager......................................................................................11
Overview.......................................................................................................... 11
What the Pinnacle MediaManager Does...................................................... 11
Main Window of the Pinnacle MediaManager ............................................ 12
The Media Library ...........................................................................................14
Introduction to the Media Library ................................................................ 14
The Sort View in the Media Library ............................................................ 16
Searching in the Media Library.................................................................... 17
Deleting Files in the Media Library ............................................................. 18
The Media Player..............................................................................................19
Using the Media Player and Its Controls ..................................................... 19
Importing Media Files..................................................................................21
Introduction to the Import Tab .....................................................................21
Import - Folder ............................................................................................. 22
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Import - Files ................................................................................................23
Import - Drives ............................................................................................. 24
Import - Audio CD ....................................................................................... 25
Import - Digital Camera ............................................................................... 28
Import - Watch Folder.................................................................................. 30
Organizing Media Files....................................................................................32
Organizing File Tags ....................................................................................32
Customized File Tags (Keywords)...............................................................33
Introduction to the Organize Tab .................................................................34
Using Playlists.................................................................................................36
Introduction to the Playlists Tab ..................................................................36
Creating and Editing Playlists ......................................................................37
Exporting Media Files..................................................................................39
Introduction to the Export Tab .....................................................................39
Exporting to a Folder....................................................................................40
Exporting to a Winamp Playlist ................................................................... 42
Exporting to a Burner ................................................................................... 43
The Menus........................................................................................................45
The File Menu ..............................................................................................45
The Edit Menu.............................................................................................. 47
File Formats.....................................................................................................49
Supported File Formats ................................................................................ 49
Pinnacle MediaCenter ......................................................................................... 51
Overview.......................................................................................................... 51
Pinnacle MediaCenter Functions.................................................................. 51
The Main Screen of the Pinnacle MediaCenter ........................................... 52
TV Menu .......................................................................................................... 53
Overview of the TV Menu ...........................................................................53
Watching Live Television ............................................................................ 54
Selecting Channels .......................................................................................56
Recording Live Television ........................................................................... 57
Playing or Deleting a Recording .................................................................. 60
Videotext ......................................................................................................61
Timeshift....................................................................................................... 63
Movies Menu ................................................................................................... 65
Overview of the Movies Menu..................................................................... 65
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Table Of Contents
Playlists......................................................................................................... 67
Genre ............................................................................................................ 68
All Movies .................................................................................................... 69
CD/DVD....................................................................................................... 70
Browse Hard Disk ........................................................................................ 71
Music Menu ..................................................................................................... 72
Overview of Music Menu............................................................................. 72
Playlists......................................................................................................... 74
Genre ............................................................................................................ 75
Artist .............................................................................................................77
Album ........................................................................................................... 78
Song.............................................................................................................. 79
Browse Hard Disk or CD .............................................................................80
Photos Menu ....................................................................................................82
Overview of the Photos Menu......................................................................82
Slide Shows .................................................................................................. 84
Date............................................................................................................... 85
Photo Album................................................................................................. 87
Browse Hard Disk ........................................................................................ 88
Settings Menu ..................................................................................................89
Overview of the Settings Menu....................................................................89
General Settings............................................................................................ 91
TV Settings................................................................................................... 93
DVD Settings................................................................................................ 95
Video Settings .............................................................................................. 97
Music Settings .............................................................................................. 99
Photo Settings............................................................................................. 101
Advanced Settings............................................................................................. 103
Overview of the Advanced Settings Dialog ..................................................103
Channel Advanced Settings - Creating a Channel List .................................104
Channel Advance Settings - Editing a Channel List .....................................106
Viewing channel lists .................................................................................106
Importing and exporting channel lists........................................................ 106
Changing the channel position ...................................................................106
Deleting an analog channel ........................................................................106
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Advanced Settings - Display.......................................................................... 107
Colors.......................................................................................................... 107
Reset ...........................................................................................................107
Display type................................................................................................107
Aspect ratio.................................................................................................107
Video start size ........................................................................................... 107
Cropping ..................................................................................................... 108
Noise filter .................................................................................................. 108
Advanced Settings - Video ............................................................................ 109
Video input .................................................................................................109
Video standard............................................................................................109
Video interlace............................................................................................ 109
Advanced Settings - Audio ............................................................................ 110
Device......................................................................................................... 110
Save separate settings for each input.......................................................... 110
TV playback input ......................................................................................110
Sound recording input ................................................................................ 110
Levels.......................................................................................................... 110
Advanced Settings - Recording ..................................................................... 111
Output format .............................................................................................111
Capture file path ......................................................................................... 111
Advanced Settings - Timeshift ...................................................................... 112
Enable timeshifting..................................................................................... 112
Maximum file size (MB)/ Maximum duration (minutes) .......................... 112
Timeshift file path ......................................................................................112
Offsets......................................................................................................... 113
Show record indicator................................................................................. 113
Advanced Settings - Playback .......................................................................114
Music playback........................................................................................... 114
Movie playback .......................................................................................... 114
Showing photo files.................................................................................... 115
General Advanced Settings............................................................................ 116
Language ....................................................................................................116
Theme .........................................................................................................116
Screen saver................................................................................................ 116
Duration of OSD......................................................................................... 116
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Table Of Contents
Transparency of OSD................................................................................. 116
Parental control........................................................................................... 116
Process priority........................................................................................... 117
PCTV hardware .......................................................................................... 117
Save all settings ..........................................................................................117
Load all settings.......................................................................................... 117
tvtv-Manager ..................................................................................................... 119
The tvtv-Manager........................................................................................... 119
Opening a user account ..............................................................................119
Assigning TV stations ................................................................................ 119
Programmed recording list .........................................................................120
Technical Support.............................................................................................. 121
Getting Technical Support ............................................................................. 121
1. Frequently asked questions. ...................................................................121
2. Ask a question and receive an answer....................................................121
3. E-mail support. ....................................................................................... 122
4. Discussion forum....................................................................................122
License Information ..........................................................................................123
Pinnacle End User License Agreement .........................................................123
Glossary............................................................................................................. 127
Index .................................................................................................................. 135
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
viii
Introduction
Welcome
Your new Pinnacle product offers you a completely new experience in
multimedia entertainment. From now on, you can access and process all sorts of
media such as television, movies, music and photos, either from your computer
or from the comfort of your armchair.
You can watch both analog and digital television on either your computer
monitor or your television screen.
The fun gets even better with the following features. Watching TV just got
easier and you don't have to miss a second of your favorite shows, thanks to the
latest timeshift recording technology. This makes spontaneous or scheduled
recording to your hard disk a breeze. With you new Pinnacle product, you have
immediate access to the latest news using videotext and an Electronic Program
Guide (EPG) gives you an overview of a complete range of television programs.
Furthermore, programming your recordings is quick and easy.
You can play video, music and display photo files from your hard disk or from a
CD and/or DVD. You can also burn CDs or DVDs that you have created
yourself.
In addition, you can arrange your media files in an intelligent multimedia
database so that they can be found quickly. This is done according to various
playback criteria based on specific categories (e.g., all the movies in a certain
genre or all of the photos from a particular vacation). Pinnacle MediaCenter
gives you simple and targeted access to all of your media files.
Now you can access all of these different media quickly and easily with just one
device: your PC. The Pinnacle MediaCenter interface is especially designed so
that all of the menus can be easily recognized and operated via remote control,
even from several yards away.
The following components of your new Pinnacle product put all the following
functions at your fingertips:
Pinnacle MediaManager
The Pinnacle MediaManager is installed on your PC and is used to import music
files, movies and digital photos into the MediaManager database. You also
manage these files in the MediaManager and keep them in order. You can create
your own playlists for collecting your favorite music, movies and photos. The
media files on your PC could come from the Internet, your own audio CDs or
your digital camera.
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Pinnacle MediaCenter
The Pinnacle MediaCenter is also installed on your PC and is used for media
playback.
You can watch and record TV with the Pinnacle MediaCenter, play back
recordings and display videotext. Music, movies and photos from CDs, DVDs or
your hard disk are shown in the Pinnacle MediaCenter. You can access the
categories created in the Pinnacle MediaManager to display media sorted
according to your criteria. This helps you select the medium best suited to your
particular mood or for any occasion.
Pinnacle hardware
Included in your new Pinnacle product as an option is a TV card which lets you
watch TV, as well as do timeshifts or view videotext.
PCTV MediaCenter remote control
With the remote control, you can navigate the on-screen menu from anywhere in
your room – without having to bother going back and forth to your computer.
Now go have fun with your new Pinnacle product!
2
Introduction
Delivery Contents
Before you begin with the installation, check the contents of the package to
make sure that they are complete. If any part is missing or damaged, contact
your retailer. Keep the packing material in case you have to transport the
original parts again in the future.
Hardware
CD-ROM with
applications, sample
files and drivers
Internal audio cable
(optional) (illustration is
a sample)
Remote control with receiving cable
(illustrations are samples)
TV card (optional)
(illustration is a sample)
Software
Software designed for Windows XP is found on the CD-ROM included in the
delivery.
3
Pinnacle MediaCenter
Documentation
User Manual on CD Hardware operating instructions on CD
Remote control
Online Help
operating instructions
on CD
Please note that the contents of the actual delivery package may differ from
the items shown above depending on the delivery variant!
4
Introduction
Online Help
Online Help is available for your Pinnacle product at any time.
To search for a specific topic, select the Help Topics function in the Help menu
or simply press the F1 key.
Online Manual
If you have questions about the function and operation of your Pinnacle product,
you can also consult the online manual in addition to the printed manual. The
online manual is installed automatically and can be read directly on-screen.
To open the online manual, you need the free program Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To start the online manual, do the following:
Use the mouse to click and open the Windows Start menu.
Use the mouse to go to Programs. The Program menu then opens.
Use the mouse to go to Pinnacle MediaCenter. The menu then opens.
Click the entry Pinnacle MediaCenter.
Any new modifications or supplements, which didn't make it into the
documentation, are described in the ReadMe file on the CD-ROM included in
the delivery package.
5
Pinnacle MediaCenter
How to Manage the Pinnacle MediaCenter
There are several ways to operate the Pinnacle MediaCenter:
By using your remote control
By using your mouse and the cursor
By using your keyboard
To simplify this manual, the instructions on how to operate your Pinnacle
MediaCenter will be based mainly on the use of your remote control. However,
the same functions found on your remote control can also be used via your PC
function keys and menu bars or by using your mouse.
On-screen menu buttons
Many of the functions in your Pinnacle MediaCenter can be performed using the
on-screen menu buttons displayed on your screen (e.g., the individual menu
items on the main screen).
If you want to display an on-screen menu item, select that item using the
cursor keys on your PC keyboard or the cursor buttons of your remote
control. Press the Enter key on your keyboard and/or the Confirm/OK key
on your remote control. The menu item you want is then activated.
Remote control and PC function keys
In addition, you can manage several of the various functions directly using the
remote control that came with the product or your PC keyboard and/or mouse without having to activate an on-screen menu button (this includes the fast
forward function when playing back a television recording).
The remote control buttons required for the various functions are described in
detail in the individual chapters of this documentation.
You can also consult the documentation for your remote control to get an
overview of the functions assigned to the various buttons.
You can also execute various commands by using certain function keys on
your PC keyboard. In this case, the individual function keys correspond to
specific keys on your remote control.
Read the following overview to find out which PC keys are used to perform
which functions:
The Pinnacle MediaCenter "Advanced Settings" can only be accessed using
the keyboard or your mouse.
6
Function PC function keys
Stop PMC ALT+F4
Introduction
Switch between full screen and
preview window
Zoom ALT+Z
Multi-channel preview ALT+P
Channel list Enter (while watching TV)
Channel info ALT+I
Sound Off/On M
Toggle between two channels ALT+L
Volume +/- +/-
Channel +/- Page Up/Page Down
Confirm Enter
Menu ALT+M
Jump to live position during timeshift
playback
Start recording C
ALT+F or ALT+Enter
F5
Pause
in TV mode:Start timeshift recording
in videotext mode: automatic page
update
Jump back/Jump forward
in videotext mode: Display
Page 100/Page 899
Playback
in videotext mode: Display hidden
text
Stop
in videotext mode: Hide hidden text
Rewind/Fast forward
in videotext mode: Display
previous/next subpage
TV F5
Videotext (Teletext) F6
Space bar
Pos1/End
P
S
R/F
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Function PC function keys
Radio F7
EPG F8
Enter numbers 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
0/AV (change video input) 0
Selection of on-screen menu buttons Cursor
In videotext mode: Display
previous/next page
Cursor up/down
Menu bars
To quickly and easily operate your Pinnacle MediaCenter, there are two menu
bars from which you can directly access important functions using your mouse.
To display the menu bars, move your mouse.
In the upper menu bar, you can do the following with a simple mouse click:
Go to the Pinnacle MediaCenter menu.
Return to the previous page or menu option.
Keep the window permanently on top.
Minimize or maximize the size of the window.
Close the Pinnacle MediaCenter program.
In the lower menu bar, you can also do the following with a simple mouse click:
Turn the sound on and off.
Adjust the volume.
Switch from one TV station to another.
Jump between tracks, music titles or videotext pages.
Play back, pause or cancel movies, slideshows or music titles.
Record shows.
Start a timeshift recording using the Pause option.
8
Installing Pinnacle MediaCenter
Hardware Installation
Hardware installation depends on the variant supplied, e.g., an internal or
external device. You will find a detailed description in the corresponding
hardware manual on the CD.
Software Installation
This section describes how to install Pinnacle Software on your PC. In the
course of the installation, a program group with subgroups will be created in
which all of the required software components will be copied.
During the installation process, you will be asked to provide the program
serial number. The serial number is located on the cover of the CD.
Please insert the supplied installation CD into the corresponding drive of
your computer.
The setup program will now start either automatically or you can click on
autorun.exe in the setup directory of your CD-ROM.
Follow the installation instructions shown on your screen.
After installation has been completed you will be prompted to restart your
computer. For a successful installation it is absolutely necessary that you
restart your computer.
9
Pinnacle MediaCenter
10
Pinnacle MediaManager
Overview
What the Pinnacle MediaManager Does
The Pinnacle MediaManager is installed on your PC so that you can import
Music files,
Movies and other video files, and
Digital photos
to the constantly updated MediaManager Database and then manage and
organize them.
You can also create personal playlists – compilations of your favorite songs,
movies or photos that are organized according to your own special criteria.
These playlists can also be exported so that, among other things, you can burn
an audio CD.
11
Pinnacle MediaCenter
Main Window of the Pinnacle MediaManager
You can launch the Pinnacle MediaManager from the Pinnacle program group
in the Start Menu or by double-clicking the Desktop shortcut. The following
window will open:
The window contains the following sections:
Section 1:
The Tools section with the Import, Organize, Playlists and Export tabs,
located in the upper left-hand corner.
Section 2:
The Media Player in the upper right-hand corner.
Section 3:
The Media Library with the Music, Movies and Photos tabs, located in the
bottom half of the window.
Menu Bar:
At the very top of the window is the menu bar, which contains the File, Edit and
Help menus.
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Pinnacle MediaManager
The window layout varies depending on what tools and lists you have selected;
the three sections work together closely and interactively. How the sections
work individually is explained in detail in the following chapters.
We will first focus on the Media Library and the Media Player to give you the
basic tools you need to use the application.
In later chapters, we will look at the more advanced functions – Import,
Organize, Playlists and Export – as well as the menus.
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
The Media Library
Introduction to the Media Library
Media Types
The Media Library displays the contents of the database sorted by media type. It
consists of the
Music tab
Movies tab and the
Photos tab.
Categories
For each media type, you can toggle between the categories listed on the lefthand side.
Library:
Displays all the files in the database.
Last imported:
Displays the most recently imported files. For example, if you import 3 CDs
in a row, you will only see the tracks from the third CD.
New Media:
All the files imported over the past twenty-four hours.
Missing Media:
The media items displayed here are still existing as entries in the database but
the belonging files are no longer available at their original storage location as
they have been deleted or moved by mistake. These entries are indicated by a
corresponding symbol in the left column of the Media Library. With a right
click on the list you can open the context menu, search for the missing media
files and "repair" the broken links.
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Pinnacle MediaManager
Top rated:
Displays the files that have been rated four or five stars by the user. The
rating is done via the context menu of the right column in the list and is
indicated by stars.
Most played:
Displays the media files that have been played the most by the user.
Least played:
Displays the media files that have been played least by the user.
Playlists:
Displays all the files in the selected playlist.
The MediaManager's installer copies sample files to your hard drive and
automatically imports them to the database. You can already see these files in
their assigned categories the first time you launch the MediaManager.
Details
The right-hand list displays details on individual files; these details will vary
depending on whether you have selected the Music, Movies or Photos tab/media
type. These sorting criteria are also called tags.
Depending on which media type is selected, you may see the following
information: file status, track/movie/photo name, date created, etc.
If the database does not contain any data on individual tags, the associated
columns will remain empty.
As in Windows Explorer, you can left-click a column header to resort the files in
the list.
You can change the order of the columns by left-clicking the column headers
and dragging them to a new location.
Right-clicking a column header will bring up a pop-up menu where you can
choose which columns to display and which not.
The following chapters explain how the Media Library can help you organize
and manage your media files.
15
Pinnacle MediaCenter
The Sort View in the Media Library
You can toggle the sort view on and off by clicking the
the tabs.
Clicking this button will split the list horizontally into two new sections.
The upper half of the list can be used to sort or filter the media files displayed in
the lower half. In other words, in the upper half you set a filter that selects which
files can be displayed in the lower half.
Example: You have activated the Music tab and now want to display all the
tracks in your database in the Soul genre.
button to the right of
You can open the context menu with the
columns should be displayed in the sort view. We recommend listing photos, for
example, according to date.
button and determine which
16
Pinnacle MediaManager
Searching in the Media Library
On the far right-hand side of the Media Library is the search field:
To quickly find a particular media file in the database, just enter any search term
in the search field.
You can use the
database should be searched, e.g. according to "Name", "Artist" or "Album", or
whether the entire database should be searched.
Any files that have names containing the search term will be displayed in the
list. To enter a new search term, simply click in the search field and overwrite
the old search term, or clear the field by clicking the
button to determine whether only certain ranges in the
button.
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Deleting Files in the Media Library
Deleting Files
To the right of the tabs is a
Select one or more files in the list and then click this button.
The entries are deleted from the database. The belonging media files can
additionally be deleted from the hard disk if you select the corresponding option
in the displayed dialog box.
To make the files appear again in the database, you will have to reimport them.
button.
18
The Media Player
Using the Media Player and Its Controls
Pinnacle MediaManager
The Media Player plays the media files in the database on your PC. Video files
and photos are played/displayed on its 16:9 screen.
Audio files are played back using your sound card and computer speakers.
Audio files also require you to use the Media Player controls.
To make them easier to use, all controls have a tooltip field that appears
when your mouse pointer is placed over the buttons.
Individual Explanations of Controls:
Start/Pause Playback
Click on a file in the Media Library and then click this button. Or, you can
double-click the file in the list. The movie or the photo will appear in the Media
Player's screen, and the button will change its appearance. Click the button again
to stop playback.
Previous
Click this button to play back the previous file in the playlist.
Next
Click this button to play back the next file in the playlist.
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Shuffle
The music, video or photo files will be played/displayed in a random order.
Repeat
If you click this button while a playlist is being played, the list will be played
back over and over until you deactivate the feature by clicking the button again.
Video Format
While playing a movie, you can click this button to select the video format
(standard 4:3, letterbox or widescreen 16:9). Please note that a tooltip field will
appear when you place the mouse pointer over this button. The video format you
select for a movie will be saved in the database – you won't have to reset it the
next time you watch the movie.
To toggle full-screen playback on your PC monitor, double-click the Media
Player screen. Double-click the screen again to revert to the main Pinnacle
MediaManager view.
Progress Bar
This slider indicates by its position how much of the current audio or movie file
you have heard or seen. You can also move back and forth to anywhere in the
file by dragging the slider with your mouse.
Time Display
This shows you how long the audio or video file has been playing.
Volume Control
Located on the right-hand side of the screen section, this slider can be dragged
up and down with the mouse to set the volume.
Mute
Click this button to turn the sound on and off.
20
Pinnacle MediaManager
Importing Media Files
Introduction to the Import Tab
You will see the following window if you select the Import tab in the Tools
section:
You can import media files to the MediaManager Database from the following
sources:
Folder: From a folder on your PC.
Files: One or more files from a selected folder.
Drives: From any drive on your PC.
Audio CD: From the audio CDs that you wish to archive in the
MediaManager Database.
Digital camera: Photos taken with your digital camera.
Watch folder: From a watch folder on your PC.
In the tab for a particular media type in the Media Library, you can see the
imported files in the Last imported category and in other categories.
Right-click the list and select the Display in Explorer option from the pop-up
menu in order to open the folder on your PC hard drive where the files are
stored.
The following sections explain the features for the individual categories in more
detail.
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Pinnacle MediaCenter
Import - Folder
You will see the following window if you select the Folder category in the
Import tab in the Tools section:
Folder
Click the Browse button to select which folder on your computer you want to
import media files from. Once you have found the folder, click the Open button.
The folder and the number of files selected will be displayed above the progress
bar.
Scan Subfolders
If you activate this checkbox, the application will import any files it finds in the
subfolders.
If you are importing photos, the names of the subfolders will also be imported as
photo-album names.
Movie titles act as names for collections. If a movie consists of several files,
these files will be grouped together in a collection.
Start
When you are finished with your settings, click the Start button. The progress
bar will display 100% when the import is complete. You will also be told how
many files were imported and how many, if any, were rejected because their
format wasn't supported or they were already listed in the database. All imported
files will be displayed in the Media Library in the bottom half of the window,
listed by media type and category.
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