Want to add more organization to your collection of videos in iTunes? Categorize the videos as TV Shows instead of Movies and then you can group them as you wish (home videos, YouTube videos, etc.). Mac OS X Hints describes the easy steps for organizing your video library.

When you import a new movie into iTunes, it will usually be categorized as a movie. Select all the videos you want to set as a TV show and go to the Info settings (Command + I). Under the Options tab, change the Media Kind to TV Show.

Then, under the Sorting tab, put the group name you want to add the video to under the Show field (e.g., family videos). Correct the name tag if you want as well.

Once you're done, view your "TV Shows" in the icon view, where all the videos will be grouped under their own icons. Even in the album list view, the videos will be grouped by your categories.

Mac OS X Hints readers suggest other ways to group videos in iTunes, such as using the Groupings tag which will show up in the column view in Movies (or other type) or to create custom genres for the video files and then display by Genre. The TV show hack, though, retains the grouping in more types of views and it also will stay organized by group on an Apple TV.

Organize videos by group in iTunes | Mac OS X Hints via ComputerWorld

So you've created a kickass, play-anything media center with XBMC, but it's a too hard for your less tech-savvy friends and family members to use. Here are a few ways to make your home theater PC so easy that your four year old could use it.

Get a New Skin

The default Confluence skin is pretty good-looking, and there are some even prettier ones out there if you look around. However, not all of them are exactly easy to navigate, especially for those unfamiliar with XBMC. For example, Confluence's horizontal menu is hard to see, and its Movie and TV show menus are in a cluttered submenu. Experiment with some other skins and see which ones are easier to navigate.

I personally really like "Transparency" for its easy-to-read vertical menu. You can see every menu item on the menu page (that is, you don't have to scroll to see any of them), and nothing is buried in a submenu. From the main menu, you can see the Movies, TV Shows, Play Disc, and other options and go straight there with a few taps. It's much easier for an XBMC newbie to navigate than something like Confluence, Aeon, or Alaska, and it's still pretty darn attractive. Of course, there may be others out there, so search around and see what else you can find.

Program Your Remote for Easy Navigation

Certain remotes work out of the box with XBMC, but sometimes getting a simpler remote and programming it yourself can be more user-friendly than a PC remote with a ton of buttons. Even then, take care to program buttons in a way that makes sense—I spent years with an unintuitive button layout because I just matched XBMC's functions to the buttons they sounded like, which wasn't ideal. Play around with your remote and see what layout makes the most sense. Watch out for the "back" and "menu" buttons, which I found the trickiest to assign to something intuitive. If you really want to see if you've done it correctly, hand it off to someone else that hasn't used XBMC and see if they can find their way around without help. If they can, you've found the ideal layout, and you should stick with it.

You might also try going with a remote designed specifically for XBMC, like one that works on iOS or Android. Not only will they have buttons assigned to specific XBMC features, but you can even browse your library right from your mobile device and get it to play on the TV. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Lastly, if you really want an easy-to-use remote, the Apple TV remote is about as simple as it gets. It takes no setup, anyone can use it, and it comes with the cheapest XBMC box you can create. This won't matter if you've already put together a non-Apple TV box, but if you have an Apple TV, consider using it as your XBMC box for some serious ease of use.

Clean Up Your Main Menu

Head on over to Settings > Skin Settings and search for the menu editing section. Take some time to remove all the things you don't use, like "Pictures", "Music", and "Weather". Make sure to clean up the submenus too, if your skin has them—things like "Recently Added", "Random", and "Browse by Genre" aren't exactly confusing, but they can create a lot of clutter, which makes the menu a lot harder to navigate. Some skins will even let you remove the submenus altogether. Remove the "Videos" option and replace it with separate "Movies" and "TV Shows" menu items. And, if "Play Disc" isn't enabled, make sure you turn it on for those occasional DVDs you rent or borrow from friends.

Put Add-Ons like Hulu, Netflix, and Blu-Ray on the Main Menu

Next, put some of your most used add-ons on the main page, so you don't have to go digging through other menus to find them. This takes a few steps, but is really quite easy:

1. Navigate to one of the add-ons you want on the main menu (say, XBMC Flicks—the Netflix add-on for XBMC). Bring up the context menu and choose "Add to Favorites". This step isn't necessary for all skins, but it is necessary for many—including Transparency.
2. Head to Settings > Skin and find the option for customizing the main menu (in Transparency, it's called "Menu"). You should see some "Custom" or "Favorites" slots, where you can add custom menu items. Enable these and choose the add-on you want from the favorites menu.
3. Repeat this process for all the add-ons you want on the front page, like Hulu, Free Cable, Blu-Ray, and others. They should all show up on your main menu for quick, easy, pain-free access.

If you've cleaned up your main menu as we described in the previous section, you should now have a menu that's incredibly easy to navigate and has movies, TV, streaming video, Blu-Ray, and everything else you could ever want.

Enable Kiosk Mode

One of the most confusing parts about XBMC can be when you accidentally enter the "View" menu while scrolling through your movies or TV shows (the one that's hidden behind the right edge of the screen). Once you've got everything set up the way you want, you can turn on "kiosk mode" to lock your chosen views and get rid of this hidden menu. That way, when someone's browsing through your videos, they don't accidentally stumble on this menu or change your view mode by accident. In Transparency, you'll find kiosk mode under Settings > Skin Settings > General > Enable Kiosk mode. Check your skin's documentation for more info on whether it has kiosk mode and where to find it.

XBMC has come a long way, but it's still not the most user-friendly program on the planet. Hopefully, with these simple tweaks, you can get just about anyone using your XBMC box in no time. Got any of your own suggestions for making XBMC easier to use? Be sure to share them in the comments below.

Photo remixed from Tanberin.

iOS: If you're running Usenet programs like Sick Beard and Couch Potato to download movies and TV shows as soon as they're released, you'll love Qouch. It can not only monitor all your downloads, but keep you up to date on when new episodes are coming out, let you add new shows and movies, and more right from your phone.

Accessing your "internet PVR" from your web browser is fine and dandy, but if you're sitting on the couch with nothing but your iPad—or if you're out and about with only your phone—Qouch is incredibly convenient to have around. All you need to do is start it up, type in the server information for SABnzbd+, Sick Beard, and/or Couch Potato, and you're off to the races. You can view and manage downloads, add new movies and TV shows to download, and even see what's coming up. The interface is very well put together and simple to use, too. If you're out of the house and want a movie ready for you when you get back, Qouch makes it a snap.

Qouch is a $2.99 download for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Note that if you want to access Usenet from outside of your home, you'll need to do a bit of extra setup first. Thanks, Jason!

Qouch | iTunes App Store

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm very excited about the release of an upcoming film, but its release is the same weekend as my wedding. Naturally, I don't want to disappoint my bride-to-be, but I'd still like to see the movie. Is there somehow a legal way I can watch it before it's released?

Sincerely,
Eager for Early Admission

Dear EfEA,

While there's never a guarantee that you'll be able to see a movie before it's released, there are several things you can do to try and make it happen. You'll have the best luck in bigger cities like Los Angeles and New York, but I've lived in Boston and smaller cities and have been able to find advanced screenings from time to time. If an active film community exists in the area you should be in good shape. With that criterion met, here's where to look and what to do to try and earn yourself some pre-screening tickets.

Get on a Pre-Screening Program

Pre-screening programs get you free, advanced tickets to a lot of movies. Most frequently they're genre films and comedies, so if you're looking to see a drama prior to its release you probably won't have much luck. You also don't get to pick and choose which movies you see. You'll simply be contacted if a screening is available and the company needs someone in your age group. Pre-screenings are often overbooked to make sure the theater is packed, so you have to get there early and wait in line for awhile. It's really not an idea, situation, but if you want to see a movie before it's released and pay nothing at all, these programs give you the option.

One of the most popular advanced screening programs is The Screening Exchange. It's based in Los Angeles but they operate nationally. You just sign up on their web site and you'll receive emails when screenings are available. If you want to find other companies, just do a web search for "advanced movie screenings" and the name of your city (or nearest big city). This will turn up additional results.

Use Social Media

Social media can be a huge help when you're looking for advanced screenings. A web search for "advanced movie screenings twitter" or "advanced movie screenings facebook" plus the name of your city (or nearest big city) will provide you with accounts and pages that post about the latest options. For example, @MassScreenings came up right away when I did a Twitter search for Boston. There was even a MeetUp group. You may not always find options, but if there are a fair amount of screenings in your area there's probably someone who's tracking them on social media.

Check Screening Schedules at Local Film Schools

Many film schools bring in special guests on a regular basis to show their films. Sometimes these films are several years old but sometimes they've yet to be released. Check the film schools in your area to find out if they have screenings. If they do, you can usually find a schedule online or call to get one. In the event that the school is screening the movie you want to see, you have a couple of options. First, if security is lax you can probably just sneak in. Alternatively, you can bribe a student to help you get in. If you'd prefer a safer route, set some time aside to take a tour of the film school. When the tour is over, talk to someone in admissions about attending some classes, such as the particular screening you want to see. Most of the time they'll agree.

Check Screening Schedules at Film Societies

Film societies can be a great resource for advanced screenings and they are everywhere, from San Francisco, CA to Sarasota, FL to Austin, TX to the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Find a film society in your area and check their screening schedule. Most of the time you'll find advanced screenings of mostly dramas and independent films, so film societies are a good place to look if you're not in the market for a blockbuster Hollywood movie.

See If the Film Is Playing at an Upcoming Film Festival

Film festivals are generally seen as a platform for independent films, but there are plenty of bigger movies that screen as well. Often times they are part of gala events and require expensive passes, but you can sometimes circumvent this problem by waiting in a line. The rules will depend on the festival, but if one is underway when you want to see an advanced screening you should definitely check its schedule to see if the option is available. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Get on Movie Theater Mailing Lists

Although movie theaters generally won't screen films too far in advance, occasionally they'll offer tickets a few days ahead of release if you're a member of their mailing list. It may be yet another email in your inbox, but it doesn't take long to scan for advanced screening options and hit delete if you don't find anything appealing.

Love,
Lifehacker