Running PMS on a NAS that doesn’t support hardware transcoding.
Well, optimizing media with builtin software transcoder is slow, really slow, then the quality is bad.
I’d like to use Handbrake to transcode, then to manually add transcoded files as optimized versions.
I found metadata for optimized versions in the database com.plexapp.plugins.library.db, within the table versioned_metadata_items:
I used to do this all the time when one user I shared with had the world’s slowest internet connection. Had to create a low-bitrate 480p stereo only version for them. The app they used (Roku) auto-magically always chose the correct version for them.
Now, I sometimes do the reverse, and make a x265 version, that has higher quality (and smaller filesize) for those that have apps that can use that codec.
I had this really ratty DVD. Awful.
I had just gotten the new Handbrake Version: 1.3.0 and looked through the filters for grins, saw Lapsharp, used it’s default, and… wait a minute… what happened?
I have no experience with that filter, still the result indeed might look better in the end. The new Shield can also do upscaling, which improves the subjective impression of the video. So handbrake might be able to do so too. Still this is not a trivial task and the Shield claims to use AI for it (haven’t seen it myself).
I have all that stuff turned off on my TV, makes the picture mushy and too much “telenovela-like”. Might work for low resolution stuff though as Juice said, you probably take anything you get for such crap
Modern TV have scalers that are improving every year with more intelligent processors, yes great news as free 4k content is still very limited. Unfortunately they are not perfect on old media but a welcomed addition. There true intention is to bridge the gap of free to air Television resolution to much large 4k TV’s of today. As Coxeroni and Jason have stated a lot of image improvement settings may assist in some content from 25+ years ago but will have an adverse effect on more recent content with at least 720p Resolution.
As were discussing Plex on these forums, Juice suggestion is the best solution, yet not the only solution.
The point is:
If, for some reason, you want a nice small ‘Version’ of an item at the best looking 480p @ 1050kbps you’ve ever seen - HB and the standard Plex/Version Merge is at least one way to get it.
Plex Optimizer is dumb.
Convenient - but really dumb.
Did you try that?
If I put both files in the same folder with the same naming logic you detailed Plex shows both, it can’t detect they’re different versions of the same title.
You may have some conditions that prevent it, like one of the movies being matched with another agent, but if you Plex Dance them both, they’ll be found and matched under your current agent (if they have names that can be matched) and should meld themselves together automatically.
If they are matched with different agents, you can just “Fix Match” on the newest version and use the “Options” button to select the agent you previously used. Or Fix match on the both, and select the agent you are currently using. Either way, they should merge.
Don’t know if that’s quicker than Plex-dancing it, but you get to keep watched status, etc. and it’s not thrown in as a new addition in the movie library.
LOL - I remembered that after I posted, but Didn’t bother to correct it.
A trick I use when upgrading or adding a second version, is to Fix Match and make sure it’s set to my current agent (Plex Movie) before I add the second version. That way it just works on the first attempt.
