"Prefer local metadata" library setting needs refinement

[tangentsoft]

Server Version#: 1.23.3.4707
Player Version#: n/a

On updating to this version of PMS, I noticed that doing a Refresh Metadata on a title that previously had cast images downloaded from a metadata source causes all of them to disappear, giving the “gray initials in a bubble” fallback.

I traced this to the above setting in my movie’s Library → Advanced tab. Apparently the fact that I have a cast list in this movie’s MP4 metadata causes it to no longer pull actor images from IMDB and TMDB as it used to.

I tried unchecking that setting, and the cast images came back after another Refresh Metadata call, but it’s now ignoring values from my MP4 tags entirely on matched movies.

That led me to my second workaround attempt: uncheck this setting, then use Subler to remove the Cast tag from one of the MP4 files exhibiting the problem. That worked, allowing the remaining tags to appear as-is in Plex after a Refresh Metadata call, since the cast list and their images now could come only from the metadata source. Still, it seems a little drastic to throw away the local cast list just to force Plex to download the cast images.

Even if that’s desirable behavior for some users, which I can understand, surely there’s also a call for merging metadata as it used to? MP4 metadata can’t provide cast images, so even if you take the cast names from the MP4 file, there seems to be no good reason to then ignore cast images from the metadata source for matched movies.

If I’m dreaming, what I really want is per-field tristate control over all this, letting me say something like:

• Studio comes from only the local metadata; no local Studio, no value, even if the metadata source provides it
• Ditto cast list, but give separate control for cast images: for each local name that matches the name in the remote metadata, give me that cast member’s images, but don’t add any additional cast beyond what I’ve listed locally.
• Release Date is overwritten with the remote value if available; I’ve decided it’s more likely correct than my value
• Merge others: crew lists, etc.

This is with Scanner & Agent set to “Plex Movie”, if that matters.

[SE56]

Where do you have you Metadata agents ranked, if you prefer local over TMDB

https://support.plex.tv/articles/200241558-agents/\\\https://support.plex.tv/articles/200241558-agents/

[tangentsoft]

By “rank” do you refer to the “Source Priority” section of the linked article? (Your link’s broken, but I figured out what you meant.) The word “rank” doesn’t appear on that page, so I’m reduced to guessing here.

The web UI appears to have changed significantly since that article was published, because “Plex Movie” doesn’t appear in the settings menus at all now:

Is there some way I’m supposed to get “Plex Media” in the list, and if so, should it go below “Personal Media” or what?

If you’re suggesting that I switch from the “Plex Movie” agent to “The Movie Database”, I tried that, and it doesn’t really help. While I do want TMDB data to supplement my local MP4 tags, I also want IMDB data when TMDB doesn’t have the data I want. There appears to be no way to control those priorities with the new “Plex Movie” agent.

[SE56]

You can use the Legacy Agent

[tangentsoft]

The legacy agent appears to have the same bug.

I tried it with the following priority list and with the first two values swapped, both of which resulted in gray initials in gray bubbles:

Even had it worked, I don’t especially wish to miss out on all the new features or gamble on this old agent remaining available.

[Scott-M]

I am having the same issue.

A brief history: Prior to the new movie agent, cast images would never get pulled if a mp4 contained a metadata tag for Cast. So switching back to the Legacy Agent won’t pull the cast images because it never did.
When the new Plex agent was released this changed. Most local mp4 metadata tags would be honored, and the cast list/images would be brought in (finally!!! I’ve wanted this for so long!)

Something changed in the past few weeks (at/or prior to PMS 1.23.3.4707), and now I’m back to cast images getting wiped away when refreshing metadata on movies.

I have tried a few suggestions (Clearing agent cache, turning off intro detection, etc.) with no change. This appears to be a regression, something has changed in the Plex Movie agent recently.

Plex Movie is no longer an editable agent in the server settings. The support article that explains Agent Settings shows it as an option, but it is no longer there. Metadata Agents | Plex Support

[Scott-M]

@BigWheel is this a known issue?

1. The Plex Movie Agent not showing in the metadata agent settings.
2. Cast images not being populated if the Cast tag exists in the mp4/m4v file (which was how the old Legacy agent functioned)

Edit: Removed first point because I found in the support article where the new agent is now managed at the library level.

[wingcomm]

Yes, its an intentional change it seems and the Plex staff seems pretty insistent that the issue is that I’m not following their prescribed library management hierarchy…

Plex 1.23.3.4707 not processing Album Compilations with Various Artists anymore. Assigns Track Artist to Album Artist

Server Version#: 1.23.3.4707 Player Version#: N/A I just upgraded to 1.23.3.4707 and Plex is no longer processing Albums with Various Artists anymore. Instead, it is creating a new Album with each Track Artist being the Album Artist… I have 100+ new albums for what should just be 3 albums…

Manual Album Artist Changes Unmatches Music

Background: I’ve manually added album artists for a large number of albums in order to have them appear in certain “artists” when browsing by artist. Examples being Soundtracks, Video Games, Kids Music, Broadway, Disney, etc, etc. I know it’s an odd way to organize, but the family enjoys being able to go to a particular artist to hit all soundtracks for example. The Issue: I am no longer able to update the Album Artist for an album without the entire album unmatching and losing other metadata…

[Scott-M]

Respectfully, the discussion here is about the new Plex Movie agent, not music.

After skimming through those links, I can see some similarities in terms of how matching has changed. However, I do not think the issues are directly related aside from it involving Prefer Local Metadata.

[tangentsoft]

Bump. Still an issue in 1.23.5.4841, just now downloaded.

[Scott-M]

I think we have our answer

New Plex TV Show agents

@Scott-M If you have prefer Embedded metadata enabled the new agent will use the cast list in the file. It cannot grab images for those.

Which would mean the original behavior we were seeing from the new Plex Agent was a bug and not intentional.

[drzoidberg33]

The previous behaviour was mixing in our cloud tags with local tags, and using those images.

The issue with this was that it was also adding actors to the list that weren’t from the embedded tags which most people using embedded tags would find to be undesirable behaviour.

The “Prefer local metadata” will now use only the things passed in from the local file.

You may want to throw your vote into a feature request that handles the behaviour you want, there is one here for allowing edits to the cast lists: Feature Request: Edit Cast Lists

[Scott-M]

Good to know. Thanks for that clarity.
I will definitely cast my vote.

[tangentsoft]

I don’t mind if the local cast list takes precedence over the remote one, but why should use of a local cast list cause remote cast images to be disregarded? If both sides agree that Joe Blow is in the cast, and the remote metadata source has a profile photo for Joe Blow, why is the only way to get that to delete my local cast list?