Did a quick search and didn’t see this previously listed. I would like to toss out the request to add a button to play a random movie from a library. I would presume I am not alone on this one as I find that I tend to scroll through my libraries several times before something looks good. So, it would be nice to just click random and let the software chose for me.
Thanks!
I like this Idea…
It exists for TV shows, why not for movies as well
Maybe add a criteria filter as well
ie: actor, genre, etc…
Buuutttt… Let’s not hold our breath.
This feature is too much in line with Plex core functionality.
Plex is currently too busy working on worthless features not even related to the core functionality of a media server…
What client are you using?
Enter the Movie library and hit shuffle - you will get a random movie.
Mostly Roku, but also use the web client as well as apps on IOS, Android, and Xbox.
I will give that a shot. Thanks!
And none of them have a Shuffle button? The clients I can check presently are the web app, PMP, Plex for Kodi. All of them have a Shuffle button.
Never thought to try the shuffle because in my mind shuffle isn’t the same as random. In either case, I appreciate your suggestion and will give that a shot.
Thank you.
Yeah, I get it. Should do want you want though.
Well what do you know.
Shuffle on Plex Web does the trick.
Gotta check the Roku
Thanks!!!
I was going to suggest getting a FireTV 'cause that ‘feature’ happens to some randomly albeit involuntarily (employees won’t touch that one with a 10 foot pole even after being summoned to the scene):
Shuffle? Go Figure. I use it often for music, but the thought never occurred to me to employ it’s use for video files. There you go.
New day. New thing learnt. A Good Day.
@jjrjr1 said:
Well what do you know.
Shuffle on Plex Web does the trick.
Gotta check the RokuThanks!!!
Same for Roku…hit shuffle and picks one and starts…works for me.
Thanks again for the tip, Astrofisher.
@JuiceWSA said:
I was going to suggest getting a FireTV 'cause that ‘feature’ happens to some randomly albeit involuntarily (employees won’t touch that one with a 10 foot pole even after being summoned to the scene):
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/248364/playing-the-wrong-file-sometimes-randomly
Responded.
I still think this should be considered as a feature candidate but add some filters.
EG select, actor, genre, maybe director then hit random …
Dunno would be kinda trick I think.
@jjrjr1 said:
I still think this should be considered as a feature candidate but add some filters.EG select, actor, genre, maybe director then hit random …
Dunno would be kinda trick I think.
That would be cool. Now, you got me thinking - I’ve never tried to use filters with shuffle, I just checked and learned something new - you can use filters along with shuffle. I chose a director and hit shuffle and only return was the director’s movie. This was in the web app.
This feature would be good but I think it should be extended/augmented to allow sorting by “random.” That is when I call up a list of movies on any client one of the sort options, along with name, date released, actor, genera etc, should be random.
Sometimes I want to watch a movie and I want to choose the movie I want but I have no real idea which movie and the current browsing modes are too predictable.
A “play random” does not really fill that need as I might not be in the mode for a particular movie. That is I want choice but I want the choices to be presented randomly.
I have tested this some…
1st
If you select shuffle it will select and play a random movie or tv show (Depending on the library you are in. (not a list of random movies) but if you hit next on the player it will play the next random movie if you did not like the first choice.
2nd
It also works if you use a search filter such as genre, actor or something. It will play a random media file with that criteria, hitting next will play another random file with the same criteria.
I also tested this on the Roku 4… Works like that as well.
Really sweet!!
Like on my Roku 4, I can go into my TV Show library, filter on Comedy, hit Shuffle… The Roku 4 Will play one random Comedy TV show after another automatically.
This is perfect. Like having my own TV Channel without commercials.
(Is truly Random for me in that example as I have about 200 TV Series, making about 17,000 TV show episodes available for random selection… LOL)
First, love all the great work that’s gone into this incredible platform and wish I had the bandwidth to contribute to it. I appreciate the efforts of all those who do!
Second, this may belong in its own thread, but I have a suggestion to build on what’s previously been said. I have noticed that the shuffle algorithm attempts to mimic as close to ‘random’ as it can, which results in leaving a lot of big “holes” left unwatched/listened to over extended times, particularly when using a playlist. This might be ignored in a music playlist, but for a video playlist it creates a bit of monotony and the need for constant skipping forward after some time.
I wonder if it would be an enhancement to offer different shuffle algorithms that could apply to all filtered criteria; i.e.
-one that mimics randomness-
-a scatter pattern
-a fractal shuffle
-a weighted shuffle (if playlist is mixed media)
-etc. you get the idea
Regardless of how you would filter your media results, one could choose the shuffle algorithm that best suits your random desires. I have a video playlist of about 2000 old TV shows that play in the background on a 2nd monitor for noise while I’m hacking on something else and the longer I use the playlist the more I have to skip through shows it just can’t stop trying to show me and many episodes rarely or never get played.
I have also employed Plex with a lifetime pass in the visitor’s center of our non-profit (education) to offer our own licensed media viewing in our theaters and exhibits, etc. It would be nice if we could ensure all of it could get equal or weighted time in a random shuffle from custom playlists in each location or to focus on different visitor groups.
Thanks for your time!
