I post here since it’s not really a feature request, but more of an upgrading user experience.
I have 2 separate libraries for each type of content to split those until 1080p resolution from the 4K resolution. For all the 4K contents, I also have the 1080p versions in the other library.
The problem is that if I start to watch a movie (for example) in one library, I’ll find the same movie of the other library in the “Continue Watching” section. So I see the same movie, twice, without even seeing the difference in resolution. (and this kills the entire scope of the “continue watching” section)
I think that the correct behaviour should be to see there only the same file that I was watching (so that if I was watching the 4K version I would see that and viceversa)
In the example above one is in 1080p and the other one in 4K (which is what we can’t know until we open them)
Unfortunately I don’t think your going to like the ways that I know of to fix this. Either you can merge the libraries into one library and just make sure that you remember to select the correct resolution when playing files, or you can unpin one of the libraries on the home screen. Either one of those should remove this issue. You can select the version you want to play when you are on the splash screen for the file if you click the more option and clicking “Play Version”. I personally have gone with the merged libraries and just make sure to select the correct file, although Plex does a pretty good job of getting you the correct file if you are limited for some reason. Whether that be a technical limitation or bandwidth limitation.
You’re right, I don’t like it
That simply because I have separated libraries on purpose. Actually I made a really big work to separate them in the past cause I had only one library but the problem was that someone with access to my server tried to reproduce 4k contents on lower resolution displays, that causing my server to transcode a 4k video and skyrocketing my cpu usage and temperature.
Now I totally disabled transcoding but I still prefer having separated libraries cause I quickly want to look at those contents in 4k when I want to. (And also I don’t want to share those libraries with people who can’t watch the contents within)
About the second option, that could be a solution if only I had every single content in both libraries, but of course this is not the case. On the contrary, I usually watch contents in 1080p so I don’t want to unpin libraries that I always use.
Thanks for the answer anyway
Make a single directory that has all your movies in it (example C:\Movies).
In that folder make another called 1080p Films containing all the 1080p versions of your movies (example C:\Movies\1080p Films)
Direct one library at the big folder with everything (C:\Movies)
Direct the second library at the folder nested within that with all your 1080p movies (C:\Movies\1080p Films)
Once that is complete share the 1080p library with your users and on yours unpin the 1080p library as all of the movies will show up in your main library. Eliminating the duplication on your continue watching and keeping your users only using the 1080p library.
You could also make a single library, tag all the 4K content with a 4K tag and then restrict your shared users from accessing anything with that tag on it, but I think that would be a huge mess to get working right without outright blocking the films as a whole. I don’t know if you can just tag versions of content.
I have one library with multiple resolutions of the same movie when I have a 4k media file. When I go to playback, Plex has gotten pretty good at selecting the supported resolution. So my 4k movies when I go to playback on my 1080p TV… Roku picks the lower resolution file automatically. When my users, who are remote, try to playback a 4k movie and the connection won’t sustain that, it picks the lower resolution movie.
It’s not perfect but it’s been working pretty well for me. I wish some clients were a bit better at showing the multiple versions but so far it’s been mostly headache free.
Edit: I tried the tagging for a bit. It works okay but then you’re managing multiple locations or split movies… I use a label to restrict any of my 4k only movies (to avoid remote access triggering transcoding) and that’s about it. My remote users just don’t get to see 4k only movies.
And thinking about it some more, I can see the logic behind Plex’s choice.
If you did that, and for example started a 4K Item on your 4K TV and then wanted to finish the Movie on a non 4K device then the non 4K device would probably try and transcode it .
If you have both of the resolutions as one item (same library multiple versions), when you start on the 4k TV and then stop, and then start on the 1080p TV, it will resume with the 1080p version. This has been my experience with Roku and iOS and Web anyways.
Right, but it was also proposed to use a single library with multiple versions and the functionality they are looking for - keep track of two versions of the same movie as if they were the same movie - would work in a single library that way.
Unless I’m totally missing their intent, which is possible.
This methodology can be implemented in many different ways to accomplish all the results you guys are talking about.
I don’t think that the way Plex sees content is a problem and changing it so Plex tries to merge content across libraries I can only see introducing a ton of other issues that I would rather not see. The current system actually works pretty well if you understand the idiosyncrasies of it.
I also did this and it was a mess. There was a lot of complications but the worst one was that I needed to remember to tag the new contents every time, and when I forgot it, it was quite a problem.
Really better to keep the duplicates on continue watching instead.
Did you try redoing your libraries like I showed? Restructuring the files and libraries like that should fix your issues with a pretty minimal amount of hassle.
I don’t understand this solution at all. First of all, I already have 2 distinct libraries (I don’t have them nested, but I don’t catch the advantage here), then the problem as I said is not only to prevent users to watch the 4K contents (not only movies but also tv shows), but to have them separeted so that if I want to watch something in 4K I know where to go, directly.
And also in my 4K library I only keep the best, so I want to have and see a separated library.
Wait a minute, I just understood and realized what you meant. It’s not bad actually. But still if I keep the libraries pinned I have the “Continue watching” issue
The advantage to doing it that way is that you get a big library that contains all your movies in all resolutions, and a separate library containing only 1080p content that can be served to your users. When you play from the main library it should automatically select the highest quality for you. That way you can enjoy all your high quality content while restricting access from your users. Once the libraries are structured this way you can unpin the library on your home screen that only contains the lower quality films eliminating your duplication issue and retaining easy access to all of your content. I hope that makes more sense.
Yes, now I was thinking about your solution, and if what told by Insomnic is correct, then it could be really a better experience.
I could make as you said a general folder and inside that I could make others folder with the different resolutions or anything else (like idk documentary for example), then make libraries for every folder and 1 with them all. Sharing the nested folders to users and pinning the main one to me.
I think it’s just not coincidence that I posted The Lord of The Rings as the example above.
In this way at least I can keep the 4K library in the unpinned and if I want to watch something in that resolution specifically I can go there.
I don’t know why I didn’t thought about this before, the only problem it could be the huge size of metadata that I’ll have since the many libraries with the same contents. But I have plenty of space
I’d be careful with making a ton of nest folders and libraries. I would try to keep it to a single nested folder because as you do more and more you will have to unpin more and more libraries from your home screen to keep the duplication issue from showing up. I actually don’t think you will see a substantial increase in your database, because I think the way Plex sees these files is as one common file in two libraries. That’s why you see the duplication issue in the first place. So the metadata should be the same for both of them. But that is going deeper then my knowledge goes. I’m not totally sure how Plex forms its database and I honestly don’t really care to know until the database causes me issues
Well, yes but if I have the one library pinned with everything inside, I don’t care to unpin the others.
The fact is that I already have tons of folders, distributed in more than 1 HDD and been separated based on the “type” of content (like documentary, movies in original language, movies with only English audio and ofc the different resolutions I was talking about). All of them were added to the library individually but now I can add only the main folder and make the libraries I want with the sub-folders. Awesome!
