Thanks for the insight, Otto.
MB’s apparent method of using discs to differentiate data streams, sides, layers, or what-have-you is reasonable. Personally, I just use subfolders, so the only practical difference is that their system is ordinal and mine is nominal, categorically speaking. If adding someone else’s arbitrary ordering to my unordered content would magically allow Plex to properly differentiate the files, I’d adapt to it. But if Plex doesn’t match to that level of specificity, the effort would be a waste.
I have two main reasons for (in most cases) retaining all layers/stream of all things ripped (e.g., keeping the CD layer when the stereo SACD layer has identical but superior content):
- Resolution differences versus where/how/why I’m playing the content
- If I’m at home and listening on some sort of hi-fi equipment, I’ll usually opt for the high-resolution data.
- In the case of SACDs, the high-resolution content is saved in DSD form (*.dsf so tagging is possible)
- This format can be finicky, to say the least, when transcoding to PCM.
- Not all clients support DSD/DSF playpack.
- If I’m in the car and using Plexamp, I’ll want the CD version because it’s lower bandwidth.
- Even more importantly, I don’t want to be distracted or confused by any surround-sound options because they definitely won’t sound right. Downmixing 5.1 or 7.1 to stereo always sounds goofy, usually being faint/quieter compared to a normal stereo or mono mix.
- Not all seemingly identical layers are actually identical
- I’ve seen a good number of cases where one of the layers (usually the CD layer or disc) contains bonus tracks, so throwing away the CD layer would be disadvantageous.
- DVD-A, DVD-V, DualDiscs come to mind.
- Now, in DVD-V and DualDisc cases where they offer two different higher-resolutions of AC3 content (e.g., 640 kbps and 448 kbps), I do ignore the lesser one (hence the “most cases” exception from before).
- DVD-A, DVD-V, DualDiscs come to mind.
- Disk space is cheap enough and the time required to grab the additional data is small enough where it’s still convenient to just make a comprehensive rip on the chance that the content could indeed be unique or useful
- …only to find out years later that Plex and MB aren’t as detailed as you’d like them to be.
- …only to find out years later that Plex and MB aren’t as detailed as you’d like them to be.
- I’ve seen a good number of cases where one of the layers (usually the CD layer or disc) contains bonus tracks, so throwing away the CD layer would be disadvantageous.
While those cover cases where one disc or one product contains multiple discs with unique or potentially unique discs, layers, data streams, etc., there is also the more common scenario of simply owning multiple copies of the same album. Considering remasters, they can sound noticeably different or contain many different tracks. How can I request for Plex to upgrade the level of detail it uses for matching content?
Leaving things as they stand today, it sounds like the only feasible approach to separating multi-channel and high-resolution content from standard resolution stereo content is to not point Plex at the main library at all: Keep it hidden and create separate hierarchies of symbolically linked folders and have Plex create separate Music Libraries based on those symlink libraries. How can I request for Plex to differentiate between standard and high-resolution content, as well as channel count?
Let’s be honest - by the time I’d finish the project, I’d be well over 100,000 files and 5TB: Instead of meticulously inching through and rewriting that many files to update ID3 tags, which will be very prone to error, How can I request for Plex to support .plexmatch files containing Musicbrainz IDs?
