Server Version#: 1.19.3.2852
Player Version#: 8.1.0.17967 (FireTV)
On April 30th, the Plex app updated on my Amazon FireTV’s and the one thing that changed is the ability to use local .jpg posters. I have an “Other Videos” library in Plex for Music Videos (Concerts, band documentary’s, etc) where I manually import cover art and metadata. All previous versions of the Plex app on my FireTV read the data with no problems but with this most recent update, Plex now pulls a thumbnail from the video file for the poster. Viewing the Plex library on a Windows machine displays the local .jpgs just as it was before. I checked the Plex app on my Xbox One and PS4 and it reads the local .jpg posters just fine.
Is there a work around for this? I hate this view!
I actually just purchased a nVidia Shield Pro and the view for “Other Libraries” is like this as well on this device too. Is Plex moving all streaming devices to this view with no posters? What gives?!
Yes! I have ripped hundreds of DVD’s for my Plex Library and Matched each one with a Poster. I come to find out that on my FireTV’s, which are on every TV in my house, posters can’t been seen for them. You can see posters for Collections and Movies & TV, but only Backgrounds for personal libraries! Huh?
In addition … It DOES work on my PC, iPhone and AppleTV’s though! What gives and why? Seems like a developer app flaw. Poor QC. I can’t get an answer anywhere!
OK, I figured it out. If you are adding Libraries for your Ripped DVD Movies, TV Shows or even DVR’ed Moves and TV Shows, but creating “Other Videos” Libraries you will not get Posters to show up on a FireTV, Only Backgrounds. Plus you have to manually match each video file with Posters and Backgrounds. Of course after doing this for all of my DVD’s and DVR’s, I found the solution.
You need to created Libraries for “Movies” and “TV Shows”. Once you do that, Posters will show up on a FireTV! Not only that, but Plex will automatically download both Posters and Background for each video. Out of over 300, I only have 3 or 4 that were identified incorrectly by movie or date. East fix is to just select “Fix Match” and it will give you other options.
I sure wish Plex Support or someone had shared this with me after posting here, several Facebook Groups, and even several YouTube Channels.
Anyway, I thought I would share here, so if anyone still has the problem or are Plex newbies like me, they can save a bunch of time. For now, I am a happy camper and even caught a lucky one day Lifetime PlexPass deal for $88.
