Server Version#: 1.26.1.5762
Player Version#: 4.76.1
Tuner Make/Model: HDHR3-CC
Guide/Lineup name: Verizon Fios Burlington
Using XMLTV?: No
Channel number/Name: 576 NESNHD
I’m not really sure what seems to have gone wrong with my set up.
I’ve been using the Veritas1000 PDST setup for some time to properly process, sort, name and ‘no spoiler’ thumbnail my Boston Bruins recordings. Some time about 2 weeks ago the DVR recorded files stopped processing. When I looked into the issue it appears Plex stopped recording the metadata from the EPG guide for the event into the files. Since PDST uses the metadata to process, it was failing entirely. The proper EPG data is present when checking the guide before recording, but after recording it’s not being saved to the file.
For troubleshooting, I have since removed 100% my DVR setup, specific recording Library, and all scheduled upcoming recordings and recreated them without change in behavior. No NHL events I’m recording are retaining any metadata as far as I can tell. So the title, any description, nothing is saved. The file is saved with the proper DVR recording name, IE. NHL Hockey (2008) - 2022-04-26 04 00 00 - Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins.ts, but the rest of the metadata I’ve been getting for well over a year now is just not present and the Episode title in Plex is simple the recording date of 2022-04-26.
To test I tried recording a few random kids shows just to determine if it was a DVR issue or perhaps just NHL. The first attempts last week stored nothing on those shows, then yesterday after the server updated I did see a new show retained the EPG guide data properly. However NHL events after that test are still retaining no metadata from the EPG.
I’m not really sure what to try here because I hadn’t changed anything when this all stopped working, so I have to assume it was a server side change that’s causing this.
Thanks in advance.
As an aside I’m also still one of those folks directly affected by the loss of the ability to record events for a single sports team. So I can only either record all NHL events or individually added events to record. Using the All Events from Boston Bruins option never finds anything to record. Not sure this is related, but it’s quite an issue I wish could be resolved as I think we’re going on well over a year now of this being broken.
As a last-ditch effort I setup the NHL schedule to record all events, in hopes that might work. I’ll know shortly.
I guess I’ll roll back to 1.25 until they sort this, but it’s just frustrating because I can’t quite understand what other DVR problem was potentially solved by this “breaking change.”
I try not to be negative, but I’ve been using Plex DVR since it came out, and after so many years, it still feels like Beta sometimes with random things that continually break with various updates. When it works it’s great, but seems like something always seems to be broken somewhere. EPG issues, recording series issues, scrubbing issues, metadata issues, …
I’ve had a few recordings I set since I downgraded to 1.25 and all the metadata is transferring from the EPG to the recorded content which it wasn’t doing in 1.26.
The NHL event recorded last night (which happened to be a Bruins game) did in fact record and store the EPG data correctly, I checked about 5 minutes after the recording finished (still on 1.26). PDST completed it’s import… then at some later point, the store EPG metadata was wiped from the original recording. I’m starting the suspect the Scanner/Agent is responsible for this mess. Seems very strange that it would choose to blank a metadata record if it’s finding no compatible result.
In other news a second game (not Bruins) recorded after the Bruins game did record, and either never grabbed the metadata or it was gone before PDST could process it. So it sits as a date named episode in my DVR directory. The filename is still correct, so Plex knows what it’s called at some point, then later makes a choice to clear the metadata in direct contradiction to the filename.
If I may ask what Scanner/Agent combo are you using for your DVR recording library? I’m currently using Plex Series Scanner and Personal Media Shows, which is what I was using before this mess and troubleshooting started.
Another game is recording tonight, so I will give 1.26 one last go before I revert to 1.25.
As far as your general feeling about the DVR… I agree. At times it’s been great, other times it seems as if something significant breaks every other point revision update. If I knew it was addressing some other significant issue, I would be more forgiving, but it never seems like that’s the case, and we keep taking one step forward and three steps back every new release. The fact that specific team recording is still broken is hard to comprehend, especially when league recording obviously works.
One last note: Unless I’m mistaken, didn’t clicking the recorded title from within the DVR Schedule list previously take you to the recorded item within the library? Now it’s only popping up the prompt that includes the “Modify Recording” and “Close” options while noting the recording was “Aired” and “Recorded Successfully.” It no longer appears to be doing that, further supporting that Plex is somehow completely divorcing the recording from the EPG data. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, this was the first year I was able to record and scrub through NFL recordings with it mostly working, but then I couldn’t record by team. Seems to always be something…
On your last part, mine is taking me to the recording from the DVR schedule, at least using Plex for Windows App and Android app. EDIT Somebody just posted the same thing you are talking about, so maybe it’s another bug…
Thanks for the info. I tried a few different Scanner/Agent options when this first started, but got no change in outcome.
My DVR library is only for recordings and at the moment I’m only recording NHL games, nothing else.
If you haven’t looked into the PDST stuff, it’s amazing once you get it working especially for generating No Spoiler artwork for the games. It even handles multipart playoffs quite well, as long as the EPG needed is present: IE Game 2. It will work for all sports, but might require more initial work for less common ones.
All the artwork is generated by using SVGs of the team logos (which you just source from Wikipedia), and background colors are chosen automatically in PDST with allowances for personal preference. He hasn’t maintained it for some time, but it’s awesome. My only real complaint is NHL games go across year boundaries so the seasons aren’t “accurate”. I was using SportsScanner before this, but I got tired of needing to rename the files to match.
I’ll update after the scheduled recordings tonight, maybe I’ll get a little more insight from either success or failure. I’m deluding myself into believing the small point update that hit this morning might have fixed it.
Zero joy on last night’s games, the single episode that properly processed a day ago must have been pure luck in timing. I just rolled back to 1.25. I’ll report back fingers crossed.
Hoping to get this sorted since playoffs are starting tonight. Sure would be nice if the Devs chimed into (or at least publically acknowledged exist) these DVR issues. Problems that someone over there is incidentally causing, but rarely if ever seem to get resolved.
It would seem the reality is we are on our own if we encounter DVR issues that are outside the scope of concern for the larger DVR audience’s use.
