Keep an Optimized version and delete the original video

General Discussions
1

Is it possible to create an optimized version of a video and then delete the original?
I have tried but whenever I delete the original, the optimized version disappears as well.
I am running Plex on a Synology NAS with an Apple TV and it struggles with transcoding. I would like to convert everything permenently and only keep the converted file.
I know there are programs like handbrake etc, but seeing as Plex can do this already and with new files that are added to my library, it seems like the logical solution.

Cheers,
Lad

2

Already talked about in a couple of threads.

You may want to follow this thread:

3

Thanks for the answer but I don’t see any solution in that thread or any other threads I could find.
Does anyone know exactly what the behaviour should be by design?
Is it possible to add the above as a new feature?

4

I think the intended behavior is to keep the original and optimized version, that way when a client requests a format not already pre-transcoded, it will transcode from the original media file.

5

@LadintheUK said:
Thanks for the answer but I don’t see any solution in that thread or any other threads I could find.
Does anyone know exactly what the behaviour should be by design?
Is it possible to add the above as a new feature?

I didn’t say it had an answer, did I. I said you should follow that thread. The OP in that thread is tryong to do exactly what you want to do. The person answering in that thread is a Plex employee (MovieFan.Plex), therefore probably going to be fairly knowledgeable.

And, if you had actually searched you would have found this thread, a feature request (took me all of 30 seconds to find it):

https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/200499/feature-request-keep-the-optimized-movie-version-only

or this one:
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/201047/allow-deletion-of-original-file-keeping-optimized-version
which was marked as a duplicate request.
Have a great day.

6

Wow what a friendly response rsava…
I was actually thankful for your first response and that you took the time to respond a second time, thank you again. My apologies if that wasn’t clear.

7

I also use Optimized versions of the original and just delete the original, if I was too lazy to use handbrake ;p.
What you wanna do is after optimizing it with Plex app, goto the optimized media folder, and move it (dont copy it) next to the original media, then just rename it same as original and delete the original media.

I kinda use this method for all my pre-roll videos that plays before movies.