Syncing covers not working properly

twazerty · February 1, 2025, 9:09am

Hi,

Since you are doing a great job providing covers for lots of movies I wanted to update the covers in my collection. However it doesn’t work properly. To have some control I update them 1 by one or in smaller batches.

Example #1:
I use the mobile CLZ Movies app. I see a movie with the wrong cover, so I choose Update from Core. Doesn’t matter of I only do one or multiple. Then I submit the entries to the cloud. Next I have updates waiting for the Movie Collector desktop application. I sync with cloud so the new updates should come through. However not all new cover images will pop up. So it is updated in mobile, but not in desktop.

Example #2
No I do it the other way around. For movies with the wrong cover in the desktop app I Update from CLZ Core to replace the cover images. After I have done that I sync my database to the cloud. Now I go to my mobile app and sync again with the new updates from the desktop. Again not all covers are replaced.

Example #3
When doing multiple movies at once I don’t see exactly what is happening, so when I noticed the problems I did some experiments with 1 entry only. At some point I stumbled on the following case:
Movie Vanquish (barcode 8719372013946). On the desktop I have the correct Dutch cover. In the cloud (which I don’t use) the same cover is also available. But on mobile this cover is missing and shows the general movie poster. If I use Update from Core on mobile it doesn’t replace the cover. It doesn’t matter what I do with update from core. The cover will not be updated.
Other examples with the same issue: 5030697026958

Now I have a similar example Zombieland (barcode 8712609592436) where I also retreived a new cover with the desktop application but the mobile app shows the general poster after I synced the entries. When I updated from core on the mobile app, the cover is replaced.

So conclusion: Updating from core and syncing back to cloud (desktop → cloud → mobile OR mobile → cloud → desktop) doesn’t always update the cover. Sometimes (maybe most cases), updating it again from core replaced the cover.

For many other entries the syncing of covers seems to be working fine. But not everything is synced properly. This is really annoying. Currently I sort of gave up syncing the covers.

Both apps are up2date (23.3.5 and 9.6).

CLZ_AJ · February 1, 2025, 9:15am

Update from Core to a device, and then syncing, will not change the cover on a different device.

Use Update from Core on both devices.

Or switch to Web, where on Web you will always have the Core cover.

–

If you edit a movie and add your own cover - only then the cover actually syncs.

I think that should explain it?

twazerty · February 1, 2025, 9:41am

Maybe I will check if that is the case or not., but that does not explain example 3:
Movie Vanquish (barcode 8719372013946). On the desktop I have the correct Dutch cover. In the cloud (which I don’t use) the same cover is also available. But on mobile this cover is missing and shows the general movie poster. If I use Update from Core on mobile it doesn’t replace the cover.

The correct cover is available in the Core (Cloud), but is not picked up by Mobile when updating from core.

twazerty · February 1, 2025, 9:46am

Another example: barcode 8715664067093

In Cloud and desktop the same cover:

but on mobile:

So that sounds like a bug.

Edit:
Same issue with 9789461874993

I am now checking entry by entry.

twazerty · February 1, 2025, 11:20pm

Another weird example:

I’ve chosen a custom cover for the movie 20 Funerals (barcode 8713053815782) and synced to the web. This custom cover is uploaded to the web and updated in my mobile app.

So your statement

Or switch to Web, where on Web you will always have the Core cover.

is not correct in my opinion. The core cover is not replaced yet, but I see my custom cover in Web.

With another movie I submitted/synced the previous core cover from my desktop to web, but this cover is not replaced in the web and also not in mobile. Movie “The A-Team” barcode 8712626061083. Similar issue as my original example #2

vs

So both entries I submitted with a different cover (compared to Core) to the web. One is replaced, one is not replaced.

From an User experience point of view this is a complete mess. I am a developer myself, but what is going on with those covers is really hard to follow.

twazerty · February 2, 2025, 1:50pm

I also experience some problems where the mobile app doesn’t replace the cover with the one in Core. Only remedy is to tick Custom Cover in the Desktop app and sync again.

twazerty · February 2, 2025, 1:57pm

Another problem I encounter is where the right cover is in Core, but it is showing a different cover:

in the submit window I see the correct cover on the left, but in the web app it is showing a different cover. Also on mobile it shows the wrong cover after updating from core. This already happened multiple times. Another example where it happend: Bad Times at the El Royale (8712626064336) and Banana Joe (5430000728799)

CLZ_AJ · February 3, 2025, 7:20am

There are a few misunderstandings here, and I will try to address them, but if you need more explanation or I missed something, just let me know.

I also experience some problems where the mobile app doesn’t replace the cover with the one in Core. Only remedy is to tick Custom Cover in the Desktop app and sync again.

Update from Core on mobile will not replace images - it has no way to exactly compare right now, and this is something we know off.

Edit:
(Update from Core settings does have a replace option, indeed)

Or switch to Web, where on Web you will always have the Core cover.

Yes for all movies you don’t change the cover it will always have the Core Cover. Custom covers will always be yours. I’m sorry I missed explaining that little bit. Would be strange if custom covers didn’t work on Web

A cover image from desktop is never synced unless:

The entry is not linked to Core
You mark it as custom
It is linked to Core, but Core doesn’t have a cover.

On Web, a cover image for a movie is always (the current one) pulled from Core, unless you have uploaded your own through one of those ways above.

in the submit window I see the correct cover on the left, but in the web app it is showing a different cover. Also on mobile it shows the wrong cover after updating from core. This already happened multiple times. Another example where it happend: Bad Times at the El Royale (8712626064336) and Banana Joe (5430000728799)

I can not reproduce these, could it be that you changed this cover on desktop quite recently and then went to submit it, and then compared to cloud right away or something? When I look op Bloodshot in your collection right now it shows the image from your bottom part.

Trust me, for most users this works exactly how one would expect, and I’m happy to explain further if you have further questions on them!
We do sometimes see users have a specific expectation of the sync (like all images all the time should always be mine and sync) - and when it doesn’t the road of confusion does spring up / and we might be able to take that away by putting information in those cover tabs on edit screen. Something we should think about.

twazerty · February 3, 2025, 9:42pm

On mobile when I use update from Core in almost all cases the covers are replaced, but sometimes they will not be replaced.

The Update from Core Settings on mobile also explicitly say “Front Cover” | Replace. So I expect the front cover to be replaced.

So I cannot follow your statement based on what I see.

Barcode 8717418606480 is now not updating on mobile. The movie poster is over there and the correct cover is not placed. Works find on desktop and web shows correct cover.

Barcode 9789493348417 also gave me troubles. I think it is similar to my Bloodshot example.

Web shows this:

Submit window shows this:

Then I noticed that somehow my desktop client has the ‘Custom Cover’ checkbox with the yellow cover/poster. That would explain why the web shows something different compared to the submit window. However on the desktop app I updated from core to replace the image with the red cover. That worked fine. Then I noticed the ‘Custom Cover’ is still turned on. I did not expect this since I updated from Core. So by definition it is not custom anymore:

Then I unticked the ‘Custom Cover’ checkbox. Then Synced with cloud. Now the web app still thinks I have a custom cover because it is not replaced with the red cover. It is still showing the yellow cover:

Why is it not switching to the core cover?

I left this example for you to check. I also did not fix it on mobile because that will trigger another sync.

It is weird my desktop client thinks this was a custom cover because I never use such covers as custom cover. If I use a custom cover it is by definition not a movie poster.

Another example is barcode 9789461875266 (Den of Thieves). I think I closely watched what is happening. Cover in web en desktop are the same:

It is not marked as Custom Cover in desktop nor mobile app. Never has been a custom cover, but the cover is not replaced on mobile when updating from Core.

Another example I would say comes also close to my Bloodshot example (but because I didn’t notice on time I resolved the issue) is with Destroyer (9789461876348). Desktop shows a poster with ‘Custom Image’ checked. The mobile also shows a cover with Custom Image checked. But it is not the poster like on the desktop. It is a cover image, but different from Core.

So Core shows this:

Web shows this:

but I think it shows this as a custom cover because the mobile version has the same cover but with the custom checkbox ticked:

Desktop showed the yellow general poster with custom checkbox ticked. How it is possible?

The cover on mobile is still marked as Custom Image, when I Update from Core the same thing happens as with another example. No updates / no cover being replaced:

So what the hell is going on? I never upload covers from my mobile because it is a complete nightmare to do so. Desktop and Mobile both had the custom checkbox ticked, and both showed a different picture… I would expect only 1 custom cover, not 2 different ones?

Then I unticked the Custom Image checkbox on mobile and Updated from Core again. Now the cover is being replaced !

Now I sync mobile to cloud and the web still shows the old custom image. So desktop and mobile both have the Custom Cover unchecked and both show the cover that is pulled from Core, but the web still shows the wrong cover.

I do not understand you think:

Trust me, for most users this works exactly how one would expect

This is in my opinion not how someone would it expect it to work.

I could follow the idea when Custom Image checkbox is checked you will not replace the image (makes sense) when you update from Core. However on Desktop the behavior is different. Regardless if it is custom or not, if you say Replace current data for your Front Cover it is replaced anyway (on desktop). So the behaviour is different between Mobile and Desktop. Very confusing. Also in the example above with the movie Den of Thieves the custom image checkbox is NOT checked on mobile, but also not replacing the image. That makes it even more confusing about what is happening.

If I may give you a suggestion:
When the Cover is replaced by Core: uncheck Custom Cover (because by definition it is not custom anymore). Do this for Mobile and Desktop. And sync the status of custom cover correctly to the cloud so the web switches back to the standard cover when it is not a custom cover anymore. (I expect that there is a bug somewhere in your system, based on what I experience with my examples)

When you do it the other way around. So selecting a custom cover by browsing it or choosing one from Find Online it does check the Custom Cover checkbox.

Other examples on mobile which do not replace the cover:
8712626034483 (part of a box set, but with it’s own connection to the correct CLZ Media ID)
8712626034490 (part of a box set, but with it’s own connection to the correct CLZ Media ID)

Not sure yet if this is a problem with boxset only. Have to find out. In anther boxset the same problem where the cover is not replaced. Works find on Desktop and web but looks like it doesn’t work properly on mobile. However barcode 5039036057622 is also part of a boxset but that cover is replaced on mobile while the other examples won’t replace the cover…

Sorry for the long reply I even put 1,5 hours writing this post with detailed examples. That is how dedicated I am

CLZ_AJ · February 4, 2025, 7:49am

Twan I’m having a lot of trouble following you with these many examples and long winded replies. I appreciate you putting time into this, but I just can’t reproduce anything on my side when I have a fresh collection.

I would like for you to clear your phone then download all movies again (will take long), and then see if you can reproduce 1 single bug you talked about, on mobile. (not desktop).

Here’s how on Mobile:

Tap the top left side menu icon to open the side menu.
Tap “Maintenance” and then tap “Clear Database”.
Tap the top left side menu icon again to open the side menu.
Tap “Sync with CLZ Cloud” and sync your entire collection from CLZ Cloud down to your mobile device.

I’m thinking you may have had some troubles in sync in the past, which is causing troubles I cannot reproduce on my side.

So finish the sync, then check your Den of Thieves, see if it is okay now, or if it still shows that weird cover.

And also try to reproduce a problem again, just 1 single problem, no more. Just 1 please.

Note that desktop can show a poster (from the poster field) when there is no front cover.

Note: I am sorry I missed the ‘replace cover’ setting in Android - and sorry if that was confusing.

twazerty · February 4, 2025, 12:00pm

I reset the whole database on the mobile app. Took more than an hour

Both Barcode 8717418606480 (Death on the Nile) and Den of Thieves are now showing the correct cover. So resetting the database somehow reset something.

Okay, focusing on 1 example. In my previous message I explained the situation with Dead Shot showing the yellow poster on Web and showing the red cover on desktop and mobile. Database on mobile is reset so this is the starting position:
Desktop: Red cover, Custom Cover unchecked (retreived Red cover yesterday from Core)
Mobile: Yellow poster, Custom Image checked
Web: Yellow poster, just like yesterday. Yesterday it was the Red cover, so it is also reset. So web and Mobile are in sync.

Next step:

On Mobile I update from Core. No updates, because Custom Image is still checked.
Disable Custom Image
Update from Core, now the Red cover is on Mobile.
Sync with CLZ Cloud
On Web the Red cover is not visible. It is still the Yellow poster.

So clearly when syncing with Cloud it is not changing from Custom Image true to false. No difference from yesterday.

CLZ_AJ · February 4, 2025, 12:05pm

Thank you for that. I think it fixed a lot of issues immediately for you, so that is good.

I’m thinking that if you uncheck custom, it will just not sync that toggle correctly when it goes from “Custom: Yes” to “Custom: No”.

The other way around it does seem to work (from no > to > yes).

I will perform testing on that later.

CLZ_AJ · February 4, 2025, 1:38pm

I’ve tested this now, and the problem is clear to me:

Setting custom to “off” never syncs from mobile (ios/android) or Windows up or down.

It only syncs when setting to “custom: yes”. You just can’t go back.

I’ve taken note, but for now I think that might be the cause of all issues you’ve been seeing.

I’m not sure if we can have a fix ready for mobile soon for this, and it’s unlikely we can fix this for the Windows software.

I recommend that for covers you already had on custom to switch custom off (if you want the Core cover) on both mobile and windows, then use Update from Core with “replace”.

Or keep them on Custom, and just have the cover you want, and keep it that way. Your database is most important, with your cover, if your cover is good, the one you’ve chosen, then you’re all good.

Can you work with that?

twazerty · February 4, 2025, 9:38pm

Great you also come to the same conclusion as I did Took me a while to figure out what was going wrong. Thankfully you confirmed it. For myself it always help if I write stuff down.

Now I know what the problem is I can work with that.

Trust me, for most users this works exactly how one would expect, and I’m happy to explain further if you have further questions on them!

You still think this is the case? Now you know of this problem? Sorry, I am teasing you.

Now there is one mystery remaining. How is it possible that some entries are set to Custom Cover when I did not replace the image with a custom cover. I looked through my most recent additions.

Examples in my database:

9789493401242 Fast Charlie
5060710973112 Magnificent Bodyguards
4052912491052 A Murder of Crows

I added the following 5 movies by title (part of the columbia classics volume 5):

As you see, 4 out of 5 are marked with a custom cover check.

All above examples still have the default images from when I added it to the database. For example A Murder of Crows:

I have the same image, untouched, but marked as Custom image.

The question I am trying to find an answer for: What is causing this?

CLZ_AJ · February 5, 2025, 9:24am

I appreciate the tease but yes: I kinda do. Because usually when a user sets it to custom, it will remain custom forever, and the user is satisfied as his cover will be on all his devices, the same way. The fact that this bug has been here for… well since the introduction of the custom toggle I think, might indicate something. Still, it is a bug, and I have taken note. But at least your cover, the one you choose, will sync!

As for the mystery of “custom toggles” switched on while you never set it, I’m a bit confused too. There is a tool (Tools > Maintenance > mark custom covers) to “mark custom covers” - which if used, I believe checks on a blatant “cover size” (width) as that was the only way to check if a cover was custom as we always delivered a specific width. That could be it, if it was used and somehow a different size came to your computer. (I doubt this though).

I’ve just added
9789493401242 Fast Charlie
5060710973112 Magnificent Bodyguards
4052912491052 A Murder of Crows

And I’ve also added 5050630328819, which is the Columbia box set, as 5 separate titles, which then just adds them as movie level entries. Here’s what I got:

I do not understand why these would enter as custom: yes.
Marking as custom happens automatically:

Using tools > maintenance > mark as custom (for images the software thinks are custom)
using find cover at any point for that entry
dragging/dropping/browsing for a cover yourself
unrecognized barcode screen (where you can select a cover for your release)

Or, a bug.

Are you able to actively reproduce, right now, adding 1 entry on Windows, from Core, with a cover from Core, that then gets marked as custom immediately?

twazerty · February 5, 2025, 4:15pm

I never use Mark as Custom feature8. .

I found the first reproduction path:
On Desktop edit a title and go to Covers. Hit Browse… then Cancel. No cover selected, but Custom Cover is checked. Very unlikely I did this more than a couple of times.

and also a second reproduction path:

Add barcode 5050630328819 as boxset with 6 entries
Edit the boxset that is just created and select a custom cover. I used a high resolution from the internet using the Find online feature.
Add a movie from Core. Choose ‘The Price She Paid’ from 1924 (this 1 of the 5 extra movies that is also on this boxset as Extras. Don’t choose a format.
Add The Price She Paid’ from 1924 to the boxset that is just created. My way of doing it: Edit The Price She Paid’ from 1924, go to Edition and select the boxset. Hit OK to close the window.
Sync to Cloud. So 7 entries will be synced.
Sync from Cloud on Mobile
Edit The Price She Paid’ from 1924 on mobile. Select Region Free as Region.
Go to the Covers tab and back to Editions tab. So you selected NO custom cover
Hit Done and go back to the main screen.
Sync Mobile with Cloud
Sync Desktop with Cloud
Now The Price She Paid’ from 1924 is updated with Region + Custom Cover is checked !
Go back to Mobile and Sync again. Maybe I didn’t pay attention at this time, but the movie triggered another upload. It uploaded the cover but Custom Cover is still Unchecked.
Go back to Desktop and edit some other details of The Price She Paid’ from 1924
Sync Desktop with Cloud
Sync Mobile with Cloud
Now Custom Image is also Checked on Mobile!

I have auto sync off both on Desktop and Mobile. I sync manually.

I also don’t know if all steps above are necessary. I just tried to remember what steps I took when I added Columbia Classics Volume 5 with those 5 extra movies (11 in total). When it didn’t trigger the Custom Cover I started to try some stuff. I think step 2 is not necessary because in my original entries I did not chose a custom cover for the boxset but I did rename the boxset then.

Above steps should give you a reproduction path. When I triggered this issue I tried it a second time by starting over and wrote down the steps I took.

Don’t ask by why I am able to find those reproduction paths. Systematically finding combinations is my trick.

I did not find a reproduction path for single entries yet. I found some more entries where Custom Cover is checked where it doesn’t make any sense. But I guess it has something to do with syncing to and from mobile <> Cloud . I always start on Desktop, never on Mobile for new movies. However I do have a wish list where I add entries on Mobile based on Title only (no barcode). Also in that list I have multiple entries where Custom Cover is checked. But for those entries it makes absolutely no sense that Custom cover is checked.

So based on above reproduction path + my experience with my wish list my guess is that the Mobile app triggers the Custom Cover flag when syncing back to Cloud. Do I get a cookie if I am right ?

CLZ_AJ · February 6, 2025, 12:41pm

Hm that indeed looks like a bug on Windows, but I’m afraid it’s unlikely we’re going to fix that one.

The second reproduction path, is that initiated on mobile during adding? Or on Windows?
(I’m just checking because I can start bug reports and fixes for mobile and web, but not for Windows if it is as exotic as this one).

I’m also a bit inclined to maybe just ask to have you not worry about it - I mean if you have a cover which is fine, and you are happy with it, then maybe that is enough?

CLZ_AJ · February 6, 2025, 12:42pm

I’m not sure if the company can afford that given the amount of time I’ve spent with developers looking into this and trying everything you posted

But feel free to grab a cookie anyway if you have one in your cupboard?

twazerty · February 6, 2025, 2:32pm

Hm that indeed looks like a bug on Windows, but I’m afraid it’s unlikely we’re going to fix that one.

I can live with that, no problem.

The second reproduction path, is that initiated on mobile during adding? Or on Windows?
(I’m just checking because I can start bug reports and fixes for mobile and web, but not for Windows if it is as exotic as this one).

It is so natural for me to start on Desktop I forgot to add that information Step 1 to 5 are on Desktop. But I think bug is in Mobile (step 7 to 10)

I’m also a bit inclined to maybe just ask to have you not worry about it - I mean if you have a cover which is fine, and you are happy with it, then maybe that is enough?

I don’t know how easy it is to also trigger this problem for single entries. I think it is very easy to trigger (I guess I will figure it out for you). If you look how easy I managed to figure it out for my second reproduction path (just edit something on mobile, it took me 15 minutes to find). That on top of the other bug where changing custom image back to false doesn’t work.

My answer would be: I think these bugs/issues undermine the whole idea where Core is in the lead as much as possible. If users end up with a lot of old/wrong custom covers the did not set. I can imagine users won’t be happy. If that leads to more topics you are not happy either

When I started embracing the Cover Covers I started to get frustrated because I was under the impression I didn’t use Custom Covers. When updating stuff didn’t give the expected result I became even more ‘frustrated’ I can imagine I am not alone in this.

I am a developer myself, and my approach is in most cases to understand what is going on so I can decide how big the problem is.

I guess if the bug custom image setting to false is solved, I can work with that.

At the end it is up to you.

I’m not sure if the company can afford that given the amount of time I’ve spent with developers looking into this and trying everything you posted

But feel free to grab a cookie anyway if you have one in your cupboard?

HAHA

twazerty · February 6, 2025, 6:54pm

It took me a whopping 2 minutes to reproduce the same issue for single entries.

Writing down the steps took a lot more time with even less steps.

Reproduction path 3:

Again I start on Desktop: Add: Ring of Dreams from 2019
On Desktop: Sync to Cloud
On Mobile: Sync from Cloud so the new entry is added to mobile.
Edit the movie on Mobile
Go to the Edition tab and set Region to Region Free
Done
On Mobile: Sync back to Cloud. You see the Front Cover is also uploaded.
On Desktop Sync from Cloud
Entry on Desktop is now checked with Custom Cover. Mobile has this flag still on false.
If you now edit something on Desktop and sync it with mobile the mobile is now also in Custom Cover mode.

Now 20 minutes after I found the 3rd reproduction path and finished writing above steps down I found a 4th reproduction path that is even more shocking.

Reproduction path 4:

Now for a change start on Mobile. Add the same movie Ring of Dreams from 2019 by title.
Sync with Cloud. You see the Front Cover is also uploaded.
On Desktop: Sync from Cloud
Entry is marked with custom cover set tot true.
If you now edit something on Desktop and sync it with mobile the mobile is now also in Custom Cover mode.

So my long list of steps with ’ ‘The Price She Paid’ from 1924’ can directly be triggered if you add this movie on Mobile by title. It also has nothing to do with adding it to a boxset or not.
However this does not work for every movie. Looks like this path only works for movies by title. Not when you add by barcode. For movies with barcode I found a way to also trigger the issue. Nr 4.

Reproduction path 4:

Start on Mobile. Add the movie 8717662595172 (MR-9).
You have to Edit something directly on mobile. Again I use Region and set it to Region Free. So in reproduction path 3 it is not necessary to change anything. With Barcode you have to edit something.
Sync with Cloud. You see the Front Cover is also uploaded.
On Desktop: Sync from Cloud
Entry is marked with custom cover set tot true.
If you now edit something on Desktop and sync it with mobile the mobile is now also in Custom Cover mode.

Again: above steps don’t work on every movie.

Reproduction path 5:
I use the same movie 8717662595172 (MR-9), but I start on Desktop:

Again I start on Desktop: Add: 8717662595172 (MR-9) by barcode
On Desktop: Sync to Cloud
On Mobile: Sync from Cloud so the new entry is added to mobile.
Edit the movie on Mobile
Go to the Edition tab and set Region to Region Free
Done
On Mobile: Sync back to Cloud. You see the Front Cover is also uploaded.
On Desktop Sync from Cloud
Entry on Desktop is now checked with Custom Cover. Mobile has this flag still on false.
If you now edit something on Desktop and sync it with mobile the mobile is now also in Custom Cover mode.

Conclusions: The issue is only triggered by Mobile when Mobile is actively syncing back something to the Cloud. As long as it is only receiving updates there is no problem. I did not found any problems yet when syncing from desktop to cloud.

It looks like it has something to do with specific covers that are coming from core. It looks like it only happens for entries where there is no proper cover available and where the poster or something is downloaded instead. But looking at my entries with a so called custom cover it are not only posters. For example this one was marked as Custom in the past by Mobile and more looks like a cover then a poster, but not 100% sure this is a proper example:

Assuming that I am right , this issue will remain because when a movie doesn’t have a proper cover yet, there is always the risk this will happen. I buy a lot of movies on day one, so in many cases no cover available yet. For boxsets this will happen also quite a lot. That would explain why 4 out of 5 movies had Custom Cover set to true:

They don’t have a barcode, so no real covers.

Because I add movies relatively often and I edit on mobile a lot (Seen it, sometimes some other details right after I viewed a movie) I run into this issue quite often. Combine this with a lot of day 1 releases where no cover is available yet and see my result.

Hopefully you can also reproduce the issue easily and find the source of the problem. I hope you will fix it

If I need to do some more testing: let me know. But beware of what you ask: I may find more bugs