Plex does not recognize mkv and avi files I have added to my server in the past few weeks

Plex Media Server Metadata & Adding Files
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1

I have recently had mkv and avi files shared with me. I put them in the same folders I normally use. When I scanned my movie files in the Plex app, nothing was added. This was never a problem until a few weeks ago. When I switch the desktop (or web) app, to folders view, I am able to navigate to the new folders. But when I open those folders, it says “Empty Folder”. This might be a naming issue, but I tend to think otherwise since I had not had this issue previously and it is only the most recent files added that are giving me trouble.

2

Best verify against the support article on why certain media isn’t found.
My 1st guess tends to be file naming (e.g. movies named like tv-show episodes or vice versa). With Windows there should usually be no permission problem (assuming the server is running under your Windows user account).

3

I read the support article before I posted. I think I followed protocol, but I am not sure. While reading it, I felt like I need to know more than I do about technological protocols. However I do not think that formatting is the issue. I’ve been creating folders in Plex for a year or two now. This problem only started in the past few weeks.

I can say that the file naming and tagging seems to follow the same protocols for the many mkv (and a few avi) files that I have used with Plex in the past without incident… Some have been for movies while others have been TV shows (some with multiple seasons).

I have never had issues with permissions.

Is there any way to converse with a tech support person directly, either by phone or chat? That way I can find out exactly what is wrong and learn how to correct it if the problem is actually one of my own making. I can also find out if there is an update or a new app that I need to download to make it work with Plex. It’s very frustrating to have to scroll through FAQ lists that never seem to match my exact situation. This forum is a tad better, but I still find myself frustrated. The reply I got was very vague and seems to assume that I didn’t name the files correctly without telling me what I did wrong. It seems obvious to me that if I named the files incorrectly, even after reading the article on file naming, that I need more help than the article offers. I would happily allow a tech support person from Plex access my server (i.e. share my screen) to see what I am doing wrong or if there is some other problem.

Also, no offense intended, but the responder did not even address the possibility that something else is wrong, even though I stated that this has only occurred on files added in the past few weeks. That was meant to imply that there was a real possibility that something else is wrong here.

Thank you to tom8OH and anyone else that offers any assistance.

Paul

4

I also see another issue. I created a folder named TV shows as per the protocol and then placed two TV shows in those directories. Both of these were ones that I added to Plex in the past few weeks. But when I go to the Plex Home screen, there is no option for TV shows other than Plex-provided shows. I have a “Movies” space and a “Music” space. How do I add TV to this (and pin it to the menu?

5

Well… it appears I had missed the hidden meaning of what you were implying with that phrase. To me, your emphasis was on “not being sure it might be a naming issue” – especially as you were going out of your way not to give a specific naming example but referring it as “kind of how I used to name other files” :wink:

Have you already checked your server logs for obvious error messages when adding new files? Those could give you some hints (e.g. if your database has been corrupted).

6

I downloaded the server logs. I can’t upload it all. It won’t do the folder and there are MANY files more than the five I can upload with this message, including MANY from yesterday and today. Is there a specific file I should be looking for? I attached the most recent file.

Plex Media Server.log (2.9 MB)

Thanks,

Paul

7

Attach the entire zip file, not the individual log files.

8

Here is the entire zip file, as requested. Thank you.

Paul

Plex Media Server Logs_2021-11-29_18-04-40.zip (5.6 MB)

9

I take it this is about the scan from Sunday on X:\Media\Movies\?
Can you verify the files aren’t actually added as duplicates of some other items in your library?

From the looks of it you’re pointing your library to a buch of plain MakeMKV outputs, e.g.

X:\Media\Movies   <- the folder linked to your library
  Neil Young Archives DVD [10]
    DVD10 - Journey Through the Past - A Film By Neil Young
      title_t01.mkv

With this naming, Plex is likely to throw the newly added file together with any existing “title_t01” video in your existing library.

If this is the actual main video of that DVD, you might want to consider naming it like this:

X:\Media\Movies   <- the folder linked to your library
  Journey Through the Past (1973)
    Journey Through the Past (1973).mkv
10

I’m more concerned with the recent downloads. Most important one I want to check on is “The Beatles - Get Back”. The second one is “The Beatlles Cartoons”. The cartoons one has sub-folders by season with the avi files. I converted those to mkv files using JRiver and placed those in the main directory. None of these files are visible in Plex. I have attached my latest log zip file.

I’m not really concerned with the Neil Young Archives. I have been able to view those (although they are hard to find because of the naming protocols I used back when I added those.

Plex Media Server Logs_2021-11-30_18-08-17.zip (5.5 MB)

Thank you.

Paul

11

It appears you’re trying to mix movie and episode based content. Plex won’t be able to handle that… movie type libraries won’t deal with tv-show based content and vice versa.

I’m quite surprised you got any matches with that naming/organization(slight exaggeration).

12

I tried making a copy and putting those in a new folder called TV shows. That didn’t work either. There is no folder section in the Plex interface for TV shows. I assume there is a way to create that, but I don’t know how to do that. I actually mentioned this in an earlier message. That is why I wanted to speak with someone on the phone (or at least a chat). I just had too many questions regarding what was wrong. Please reread my third post, which deals with the issue we are discussing. It might also help if you reread the first two. I know I was going from subject to subject but that is because I was so confused as to what the problem was. I don’t find this interface too user friendly. Keep in mind that I am 58 years old. I’ve used computers for my entire adult life, but these past few years I have found that I am not as proficient as I used to be with new systems. Plex would come under that umbrellla. I have no trouble tagging my music that I play through JRiver Media Center. Yet Plex often doesn’t handle those correctly. That’s why I don’t use it for my music. I find JRiver simpler and more direct in its approach. I started using both at the same time. So go figure.

Best,

Paul

13

You seem to expect that Plex is automatically creating a tv show library as soon as you create a folder named “TV shows” on your hard drive.
That’s not how it works.

You need to explicitly create the library and point it to the “TV shows” folder. The actual name of the folder doesn’t matter, btw.

How this is done can be found in the documentation. Creating Libraries | Plex Support

14

Thanks. I got that now.

15

After figuring out how to add a library (my IT guys added the ones for ripped or downloaded music and movies when they set me up with Plex).I got it to work with the Get Back series. However, for some reason, the Beatles Cartoons are labeled as Beatles Anthology and only include the first season. Anthology is not included in the library. The cartoons of my childhood only includes the first season and they are labeled as part of the Anthology., which is still viewable under the movies tab.

How do I get these straightened out. I have provided the latest log files.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I’m getting close to understanding this.

Plex Media Server Logs_2021-12-01_13-35-49.zip (5.3 MB)

16

Plex Documentation → Your Media → Naming and Organizing Your TV Show Files

Current naming:
X:\Media\TV Shows\The Beatles Cartoons\The Beatles - S01E02 - Do You Want to Know a Secret If I Fell.mkv

  • Change the folder name to match the show title as listed on TheTVDB.com. The Beatles instead of The Beatles Cartoons.

  • Add the year to the TV show folder name and file names. This helps Plex distinguish it from the five other TV shows with “Beatles” in their name.

Edit: Add season folder, as @OttoKerner mentions.

X:\Media\TV Shows\The Beatles (1965)\Season 01\The Beatles (1965) - S01E02 - Do You Want to Know a Secret If I Fell.mkv

  • You can also add the show ID from TheTVDB or The Movie Database to the folder name. This tells Plex which specific show you are adding to the system. It can help when there are multiple TV shows with similar names.

  • If you choose to add the show ID, it must be inside curly braces.

X:\Media\TV Shows\The Beatles (1965) {tvdb-75993}\Season01\The Beatles (1965) - S01E02 - Do You Want to Know a Secret If I Fell.mkv

  • Plex Dance the TV show after modifying the naming.
1 Like
17

You’re missing the Season folder level. Don’t omit it, even when the show only has one season.

18

Thanks for noticing that. I completely missed it.

19

Thanks for all the help guys. All good now.

20

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