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My Synology is DS423+ version 7.2.2-72806 Update 1. I use Chrome. Plex also is opened from Synology and uses Chrome. Chrome software is updated.
On occasion I will use Handbrake and convert MKV video files to MP4 before uploading to Synology for a TV series/season. For example,
TV Show / Hogan’s Heroes / Season 01/ File name might be:
Hogan’s Heroes - s01e01 - The Informer.mp4
and it will display the episode properly after uploading to Synology.
Up until the last week or so, Plex would correctly display it. I have converted to MP4 on several series/seasons/episodes in the past year or more and it always displays properly. For some reason, it stopped displaying properly. I watch it post in Plex with a couple new series/episodes I have ripped to MKV and converted to MP4 (I have settings set to Scan library automatically and run a partial scan when changes are detected), and it will correctly display the title above. HOWEVER, after a few seconds Plex changes the display to “Hogan’s Heroes - s01e” and the rest of the episode number and episode name is missing. I have checked the properties, and while the General tab shows the proper file name, the Details tab only shows the Hogan’s Heroes -s01e. I understand that it would be better to have the full name there, but the other seasons/episodes converted to MP4 all have the same naming structure and they display fine as I said.
I disabled the settings (Scan/changes detected) and tried it that way. I first moved the episode out to a folder Plex doesn’t see and then did scan library, empty trash, optimize database, clean bundles. Then moved the episode back to the folder in Synology (or uploaded again). On occasion, I was able to get the proper full episode to display the title. I ended up enabling these settings again.
I’m at a loss as to what changed. Handbrake settings haven’t changed. Prior to enabling the settings noted above, everything worked great. And enabling these two settings was only something I did in the past couple of weeks. I did NOT have those enabled.
I’ve thought about removing all the files from Chrome in Windows and/or uninstalling and reinstalling Chrome again but seems like there’s something in Chrome perhaps that is making things not display correctly but I can’t see where or what to check in Chrome.
Plex will read and prefer embedded metadata from MP4/M4V files if configured to do so. If the information is incorrect, Plex may not correctly recognize or display the files.
You’re a genius. That worked! I only did it on the TV shows, meaning I only unchecked the Prefer local metadata.
I have two quick follow up questions:
Do you have any idea why this happened? Meaning the TV series/episodes I uploaded the converted to MP4 files displayed the episodes properly. But it’s only in the past short amount of time that this didn’t work the same.
If I were to re-enable that Prefer local metadata, would Plex revert back to the improper display of the episodes?
That was a pretty easy fix.
I’ve learned a lot but still have more to learn but just curious as to why Plex stopped displaying the episodes in MP4 I recently uploaded, while earlier MP4 episodes uploaded earlier this year, kept displaying properly. Strange.
Most likely the software you used to rip the disc to MKV files inserted “Hogan’s Heroes - s01e” into the title field of the MKV container. Handbrake copied it to the title field of the MP4 container.
Yes, if you re-enabled Prefer Local Metadata, Plex would try to read it. Note that the setting says “prefer,” so it will take precedence over the info Plex pulls from TMDB/TVDB (and IMDB for movies).
How to prevent this from happening?
The easiest is to transcode into a MKV container instead of MP4, since Plex does not read metadata from MKV files. FWIW, the MKV container is more flexible than the MP4 container. It supports some audio & subtitle formats not supported by MP4. See Comparison of video container formats.
If you need/want the MP4 container, at some point you need to verify the metadata and correct it if it is not. This can be done at several points - when ripping, when transcoding, or before adding to Plex.
When ripping the disc, check the title field before creating the MKV files. Leave it blank or insert the full episode name.
After ripping the disc, use MKVToolNix Header Editor to correct any bad metadata info.
When transcoding with Handbrake, do not select “Passthru Common Metadata” on the Summary tab.
As mentioned earlier, when transcoding with Handbrake, convert to a MKV container instead of MP4. Plex does not read metadata from the MKV container.
Use Mp3tag or similar tools to edit metadata in the MP4 file before adding it to Plex.
If on a Mac, use Subler to edit/import metadata into MP4 files.
Use MediaInfo to verify info in media files. It is also very useful to see info such as bitrate, audio/video/subtitle formats, etc.
There’s other tools that can be used, in addition to the ones I mentioned. Basically, find the tools you like then find the process that works best for you.
