Is it possible to have 2 versions of the same show appear in the TV Shows Library as separate shows?

Plex Media Server Metadata & Adding Files
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Server Version#: 1.31.0.6654
Player Version#: Web 4.101.1

I have two versions of Friends (1994). The DVD version I ripped has all of the episode out takes stitched into the show. Whereas the Blu-ray version I ripped has all of the episodes. I prefer the higher resolution but my wife prefers the extra content.

Originally I had all of the files organized withing the same folders like this:

/Friends/Season 01/Friends - s01e01 - The Pilot - 0480p AVC1.mp4
/Friends/Season 01/Friends - s01e01 - The Pilot - 1080p HEVC.mkv

Plex was smart enough to recognize the two different versions and it would always default to the higher resolution. If my wife wanted to watch the DVD version, she could simply select the version but when it autoplays the next episode it defaults back to the higher resolution version.

I thought I would seperate the versions into their own folders like this:

/Friends DVD/Season 01/Friends - s01e01 - The Pilot - 0480p AVC1.mp4
/Friends/Season 01/Friends - s01e01 - The Pilot - 1080p HEVC.mkv

It doesn’t auto match the episodes in under “/Friends DVD” but when I performed a “match fix” it groups them all together again.

So, my question is either: “Is it possible to have 2 versions of Friends (DVD & BD) present in the TV Shows library as separate versions?”

Or, my question is: “Can you dictate a particular version as preferred so auto-play will maintain a watching experience?”

Ideally auto-play would automatically choose subsequent videos based on the version you just watched.

Thanks,

-Rubaware

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If they remain combined afaik all apps will always choose the one of higher quality version first.

After it groups them together you can do a “split apart” https://support.plex.tv/articles/201018248-merge-or-split-items/ You can then edit metadata to give one a different title like “Friends DVD”

However they will not be considered separate “editions” which is only supported in Movie libraries right now. it will mark both as watched since they will both still have the same GUID ( meaning if you watch half of episode 1 of the DVD version the other 4k version of episode 1 will be marked as half on your account as well

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I was unaware of the “split-apart” feature. This is exactly what I want. This was the first time I’ve used the forums; I’m impressed. Thanks for the speedy turn-around.

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Not sure if it will help with your specific problem, but one thing to consider is that you can have multiple libraries of the same type on the server. For example, I got three TV Shows libraries and three Movies libraries, one each for stuff I watch for myself, one each for my partner, and one each for stuff we watch together. At least across different seasons of the same show it used to work, the same show was listed in each library, and only the episodes of that path. Not sure how it would work with watched states though for the same episode but that’s an issue you probably will have in any other setup as well.

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Thanks! I hadn’t thought of that, that would likely solve my problem too. For now BigWheel’s suggestion is working. This forum is very friendly and responsive. I really appreciate it!

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there is another somewhat older thread about versioning and TV shows: Multiple Versions (TV Episodes)

I like the solution of creating a “1080” folder for those TV series I’ve ripped from blu-ray as a workaround. that way both versions show up in searches and I can choose which one I want to see.

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