Plex doesn't recognize my home videos

General Discussions
1

I’ve saved them as MPEG-4 files but they don’t show up in my plex library. Is there another format I should be saving them in and if so what is it?
Thanks for any help.

2

Home Videos - for the most part - should be placed in an ‘Other Videos’ Library Type. Plex won’t try to match them with online databases, so they won’t have to be named and structured so that online databases can deal with them. Files can be named so badly they’re invisible to Plex if put in Movie or TV Show Library Types.

Do you mean MPEG-4 or do you mean MP4?
Huge Difference, but if named and structured properly Plex would be able to see them, at least.

https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/categories/200028098-Media-Preparation
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200288926-Creating-Libraries

Regarding MP4/M4V files - in general - and the naming/structuring of media:

FileBot (link in my signature) can handle that naming and structuring for you automatically or manually in seconds.

What FileBot can’t do is remove possible embedded metadata in the Title Field of MP4/M4V files. Plex will read this info and prefer it over a perfect file name/structure (you don’t have any of those yet), but you can combat that situation by moving Local Media Assets to the bottom of every agent list you can find. All tabs in TV Show and Movies here:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200241558-Agents
Just drag LMA to the bottom of the list and drop it. If you do have embedded metadata this will cure the issue, if you don’t it won’t matter. LMA will do what it has to from the bottom.

Renaming/restructuring is best performed OUTSIDE the library and you’ll need to write a new bundle for the show so The Plex Dance® was invented:

The Plex Dance®:

  1. remove show/movie from library
  2. update library
  3. empty trash
  4. clean bundles
    https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200392106-Library-Actions <— update library, empty trash, clean bundles
  5. bring names and structures into compliance/ or the ultimate bundle reboot operation
  6. replace corrected show/movie into library
  7. update library

All Steps. In Order. No Shortcuts.