I am trying to create a Movies Library. I prefer using my own folder.img and backdrop.img so I am setting the Agent to Personal Media. As soon as I do this my library is automatically changing to an “Other Videos” library. The problem is that on my home screen videos and movies are shown differently - video thumbnails are wide, movies are poster size. So it’s cropping all my posters. How do you create a real Movie library using my own local assets?
There is no need to set the primary agent to Personal Media.
because if you do that, the library becomes a ‘Other Video’ library.
Just ensure that ‘Local Media Assets’ is in the topmost position (which is the default) in your agent configuration.
If you have your movie library set to ‘Plex Movie’ as its primary agent, then verify the top position of Local Media Assets under
Settings - Server - Agents - Movies - Plex Movie
Whichever agent is placed in the top most position there, has the first chance to supply certain metadata. Only if the first agent fails to do so, the next agents get their chance to supply their metadata.
‘Local Media Assets’ deals with all ‘sidecar’ files like poster.jpg, wallpaper.jpg, subtitle.srt etc pp as well as embedded textual metadata in mp4/m4v files.
Does Plex even have the ability to see and react to embedded metadata in anything other than Music or MP4/M4V files?
Local artwork behaves exactly as expected with LMA at the bottom of the list providing the artwork is placed in accordance to the Plex guidelines for doing so. I’ve got a few hundred items requiring local artwork and all items behave exactly as expected - using this artwork instantly - with LMA at the bottom of every Agent list I have.
LMA’s ability to perform it’s duties from it’s low position also doesn’t get in the way when bogus embedded metadata in MP4/M4V files prevents Plex from matching/listing/naming items correctly due to this bogus information.
I may be missing something, but don’t we spend a whole lot of time telling users to move LMA to the bottom of those lists? I know I do - and the success rate is phenomenal!
@JuiceWSA said:
Does Plex even have the ability to see and react to embedded metadata in anything other than Music or MP4/M4V files?
We are talking about prioritizing sidecar poster.jpg over those delivered by the online agents.
This is only possible by moving LMA to the top position. Otherwise the poster which is selected by default is one from the online agents. Exactly what OP does not want.
Local artwork behaves exactly as expected with LMA at the bottom of the list providing the artwork is placed in accordance to the Plex guidelines for doing so. I’ve got a few hundred items requiring local artwork and all items behave exactly as expected - using this artwork instantly - with LMA at the bottom of every Agent list I have.
This artwork is only used instantly if all the other agents above are failing to provide artwork. Otherwise there is a bug or at least an unexpected/non-specified behaviour.
I stand corrected as my test reveals with LMA in it’s ‘preferred’ lower position:
F:\Movies\Westerns
…Monte Walsh (1970) [1080p].mp4
…Monte Walsh (1970) [1080p].jpg
On a Plex Dance TMDB provides the stock poster, but Charlie is in the list of posters to be selected:
I still believe I’d rather select it - if needed - as opposed to what is sure to happen if I neglect to properly bathe an MP4 file before it’s addition to a Library and LMA is in the top slot.
Note: After the ‘photo-op’ I deleted Charlie’s artwork and auto update went right back to the TMDB stock poster image so it still works as expected - to a suitable degree, at least.
