Hi!
Im new to this community and I seek help from you guys to help me solve this current issue I have:
The main reason I became a PLEX PASS lifetime member is because my son was diagnosed with Autism and part of his ongoing therapy is for him to watch baby Einstein videos: I own the dvd originals but its a pain to play them everywhere we go… they get scratched really bad. I decided to investigate further on making a digital copy of the DVDs and I successfully ripped them and added them to my plex library: HOWEVER:
The way these dvds are recorded forces me to rip two files for each audio track: This means that I need to have a file for the English version and a different file for the Spanish version:
Plex is labeling the episodes correctly but the Issue im running into is that it is merging both episodes and Im not able to split them.
Here is the way they are labeled:
F:\Baby Einstein\Baby Da Vinci - From Head to Toe\S01E24-spanish.mp4
F:\Baby Einstein\Baby Da Vinci - From Head to Toe\S01E24-english.mp4
Any ideas on how I can change things so that plex will allow me to choose which version to play?
Sorry if this has been asked before but I cant find a specific answer to my question:
Thanks in advance!
Multiplex both into 1 file, tagging the languages appropriately.
I find changing the container from MP4 -> MKV (mkvtoolnix / mkvmerge GUI) to be the easiest method for such manipulations.
You can control the timing and even make timing offset adjustments as you tweak it. You can also set a default track in addition to each audio track’s language tag. I find it very convenient for English-German content I do.
Multiplex both into 1 file, tagging the languages appropriately.
I find changing the container from MP4 → MKV (mkvtoolnix / mkvmerge GUI) to be the easiest method for such manipulations.
You can control the timing and even make timing offset adjustments as you tweak it. You can also set a default track in addition to each audio track’s language tag. I find it very convenient for English-German content I do.
Thanks ChuckPa!
Ill try changing the name on the file…if that fails I will multiplex them both!
good day to you sir!
Multiplex both into 1 file, tagging the languages appropriately.
I find changing the container from MP4 → MKV (mkvtoolnix / mkvmerge GUI) to be the easiest method for such manipulations.
You can control the timing and even make timing offset adjustments as you tweak it. You can also set a default track in addition to each audio track’s language tag. I find it very convenient for English-German content I do.
Hi ChuckPa
I tried renaming my files and I can see that plex saw my changes ( but they still show up like this(
I have tried multiplexing them both but turns out that the spanish and english versions have different visual elements.
Any ideas on how to split them apart?
Also, plex added subtitles to them but they do not match the show. is there a way to remove the subtitles?
@jareza said:
The way these dvds are recorded forces me to rip two files for each audio track: This means that I need to have a file for the English version and a different file for the Spanish version:
Plex is labeling the episodes correctly but the Issue im running into is that it is merging both episodes and Im not able to split them.
Here is the way they are labeled:
F:\Baby Einstein\Baby Da Vinci - From Head to Toe\S01E24-spanish.mp4
F:\Baby Einstein\Baby Da Vinci - From Head to Toe\S01E24-english.mp4
Any ideas on how I can change things so that plex will allow me to choose which version to play?
Sorry if this has been asked before but I cant find a specific answer to my question:
Thanks in advance!
Just a quick question, do your video duration checks in with both audio durations? I had old Media that had 2 audios, what I did was add 2 audios to the same Media (you can do that with MKVToolnix) which I then converted using handbrake for some last minute touches.
I ended up having 2 different audio languages on the same media.
Most common one’s would be my Anime series with Japanese and English audio:
But if that’s not what you wanted, you can split them by using this guide and then can add your own poster to your media to differentiate between the two.
Thank you for that detail. I see the contributing factor to what’s happening and probably the source of your difficulties.
Your media isn’t in the required Plex naming structure. As such, there will be difficulties at some point but that’s not my concern right now We can remedy that easily enough.
You will notice how the naming structure you have, while mostly functional, will eventually fail you. The reason for this is two fold:
The Series name at the top implies a grouping
Season structure helps make it easier to manage series with a lot of episodes over many years.
The real information comes from the episode file. Series name {delimiter} SxxExx {delimiter} Optional text/title
I know, a lot to take in.
To help you with the often daunting task of naming media properly, there are tools.
FileBot is a personal favorite and popular. With one ‘renaming format’, any episodes you drop in it will be searched for on the internet & matched (just like PMS does), proper name retrieved, ambiguous results presented to you to select the proper choice (if any), and suggested final naming shown. The beauty of this is, If the final naming is a full pathname X:\TV\{n}\Season {s}\{n} - {s00e00} - {t} (this is a real format spec), it will move the move the files there too. It will create everything needed starting with the name. What PMS sees is a perfect 100% match the very first time. Done.
Thank you for that detail. I see the contributing factor to what’s happening and probably the source of your difficulties.
Your media isn’t in the required Plex naming structure. As such, there will be difficulties at some point but that’s not my concern right now We can remedy that easily enough.
I am working with staff to see how we can do this most effectively and efficiently.
If you’ll be patient with me, I’d greatly appreciate it.
In the interim, I’d like to suggest you read the “Media Preparation” link in my signature to familiarize you with the best way to organize things.
Wow, thank YOU for being patient with me… I have read the guidelines and I see some adjustments I can do here and there.
I can confirm that that is the correct version of the series, I even used that very same page to name my rips, so that plex could identify them
@jareza said:
The way these dvds are recorded forces me to rip two files for each audio track: This means that I need to have a file for the English version and a different file for the Spanish version:
Plex is labeling the episodes correctly but the Issue im running into is that it is merging both episodes and Im not able to split them.
Here is the way they are labeled:
F:\Baby Einstein\Baby Da Vinci - From Head to Toe\S01E24-spanish.mp4
F:\Baby Einstein\Baby Da Vinci - From Head to Toe\S01E24-english.mp4
Any ideas on how I can change things so that plex will allow me to choose which version to play?
Sorry if this has been asked before but I cant find a specific answer to my question:
Thanks in advance!
Just a quick question, do your video duration checks in with both audio durations? I had old Media that had 2 audios, what I did was add 2 audios to the same Media (you can do that with MKVToolnix) which I then converted using handbrake for some last minute touches.
I ended up having 2 different audio languages on the same media.
Most common one’s would be my Anime series with Japanese and English audio:
But if that’s not what you wanted, you can split them by using this guide and then can add your own poster to your media to differentiate between the two.
The files are exactly the same in lenght, but the audio visual elements differ from one version to another.
So I have two files that I cannot merge from the same season and same episode.
This one is a tricky one
Im attaching a thumbnail of both versions so you can see what im talking about…
and now you know how to say and write nose in Spanish… first lesson is free of charge =)
You will notice how the naming structure you have, while mostly functional, will eventually fail you. The reason for this is two fold:
The Series name at the top implies a grouping
Season structure helps make it easier to manage series with a lot of episodes over many years.
The real information comes from the episode file. Series name {delimiter} SxxExx {delimiter} Optional text/title
I know, a lot to take in.
To help you with the often daunting task of naming media properly, there are tools.
FileBot is a personal favorite and popular. With one ‘renaming format’, any episodes you drop in it will be searched for on the internet & matched (just like PMS does), proper name retrieved, ambiguous results presented to you to select the proper choice (if any), and suggested final naming shown. The beauty of this is, If the final naming is a full pathname X:\TV\{n}\Season {s}\{n} - {s00e00} - {t} (this is a real format spec), it will move the move the files there too. It will create everything needed starting with the name. What PMS sees is a perfect 100% match the very first time. Done.
wow… that is A LOT to take in… I sincerely thank you for helping me out, and as I write this reply I will start implementing what you suggested and will let you know!
is PMS an acronym for Plex Media Server? Sorry for my stupid question but im really new to this whole scenario.
Interesting that you put .spa.mp4 That doesn’t work for episodes. For Movies? Yes but not for episodes.
The caveat is if the language code ‘SPA’ was tagged on the audio track. PMS will read .spa as the optional text (title) spa.
The difficulty with being 100% consistent across both episodes and movies is how each is named.
Movies use a “Name (Year)” convention at IMDB and TheMovieDB
Episodes use a “Series SxxExx” convention at TheTVDB.
Where it gets confusing is when series names, just like movie names, are recycled.
The Flash (referring to 1996) and The Flash (2014)
For The Flash (2014) it must be named that way to get the correct one from TheTVDB.
Here is an example:
[chuck@lizum Season 01.131]$ pwd
/syno/tv/The Flash (2014)/Season 01
[chuck@lizum Season 01.132]$ ls -1
The Flash (2014).S01E01.City of Heroes.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E02.Fastest Man Alive.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E03.Things You Can't Outrun.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E04.Going Rogue.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E05.Plastique.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E06.The Flash Is Born.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E07.Power Outage.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E08.Flash vs. Arrow.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E09.The Man in the Yellow Suit.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E10.Revenge of the Rogues.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E11.The Sound and the Fury.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E12.Crazy for You.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E13.The Nuclear Man.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E14.Fallout.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E15.Out of Time.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E16.Rogue Time.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E17.Tricksters.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E18.All-Star Team-Up.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E19.Who Is Harrison Wells.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E20.The Trap.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E21.Grodd Lives.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E22.Rogue Air.mkv
The Flash (2014).S01E23.Fast Enough.mkv
[chuck@lizum Season 01.133]$
You will notice how the naming structure you have, while mostly functional, will eventually fail you. The reason for this is two fold:
The Series name at the top implies a grouping
Season structure helps make it easier to manage series with a lot of episodes over many years.
The real information comes from the episode file. Series name {delimiter} SxxExx {delimiter} Optional text/title
I know, a lot to take in.
To help you with the often daunting task of naming media properly, there are tools.
FileBot is a personal favorite and popular. With one ‘renaming format’, any episodes you drop in it will be searched for on the internet & matched (just like PMS does), proper name retrieved, ambiguous results presented to you to select the proper choice (if any), and suggested final naming shown. The beauty of this is, If the final naming is a full pathname X:\TV\{n}\Season {s}\{n} - {s00e00} - {t} (this is a real format spec), it will move the move the files there too. It will create everything needed starting with the name. What PMS sees is a perfect 100% match the very first time. Done.
wow… that is A LOT to take in… I sincerely thank you for helping me out, and as I write this reply I will start implementing what you suggested and will let you know!
is PMS an acronym for Plex Media Server? Sorry for my stupid question but im really new to this whole scenario.
Yes. PMS == Plex Media Server. When you type as much as we do all day, including the pathnames /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/...... there are some things work abbreviating
Also, PMP (Plex Media Player), RokuPlex… the list goes on lol
When learning filebot (or ‘TheRenamer’) I suggest you practice and gain confidence with sample / test files.
Don’t risk your live media. Also, for as fast as either can put stuff in shape, they can scramble the heck out of it just as easily.
Also, I recommend drag&drop of one series at a time. It makes ambiguity resolution during your first pass through MUCH easier. If you’re not careful when dropping in a lot, You’ll mislabel something and then be months sorting it out.
@ChuckPa
I finally finished doing everything you told me to: Like you said: PMS did not match the episodes… I had to manually match them (by pointing it to thetvdb and erasing the Spanish / English part of the title so that I could get a match.)
I started with the english version first.
Then added the spanish version to the mix and PMS did not match it with the english version, had to do this manually.
however i did not get to steps 6, 7 and 8 (the splitting, locking and setting languages)
@jareza said: @ChuckPa
I finally finished doing everything you told me to: Like you said: PMS did not match the episodes… I had to manually match them (by pointing it to thetvdb and erasing the Spanish / English part of the title so that I could get a match.)
I started with the english version first.
Then added the spanish version to the mix and PMS did not match it with the english version, had to do this manually.
however i did not get to steps 6, 7 and 8 (the splitting, locking and setting languages)
Thanks
=)
Ok, That was the one thing I didn’t want you to do (renaming) and should have explained better. I apologize.
As you saw, PMS didn’t match. When that happened, what you should have but didn’t know because I forgot to explain, is “Fix Incorrect Match”, leaving the file names exactly as they were “(English)” and “(Spanish)”
In “Fix Incorrect match” you pick the real TVDB name it presents. That information goes in the DB with the file names as you have them. That’s the important part.
When “(Spanish)” is added, repeat the “Fix incorrect match”. Yes, you’re going to temporarily tie the two together in the database because they use the same TheTVDB ID number… However, one change to apply in that ‘edit’ is the language. This is what flips it to Spanish.
Now, you have the Spanish version tagged Spanish, and the English is at its default English.
You can do this even for items which already exist, correctly matched in the library.
@ChuckPa
Sorry, I did not explain myself correctly;
I did not rename anything on the folder structure, I had to remove the word “english” part on the tittle since if I did not I could not pinpoint pms to download the Data on the Baby Einstein show.
Once removed I could set PMS to download baby einstein data from thetvdb
Same with the spanish version, but then I changed the languaje and I had two separate shows (one in english and one in spanish, so in a way the end result was the one we were expecting?
Or should the word english not be removed from the tittle, if it is not removed then im presented with this screen:
@ChuckPa
Thanks for your support ChuckPa!
I have marked this as answered and now I can choose which version I want to play.
Sorry for my delayed update but my son can be a handful sometimes!
all the best!
