Hi all,
I use multiple device types to watch my Plex content. Roku is my preferred with iPhone and PC second. If I pause a show on one Plex client and try to resume play on another device the show does not always display in the “Continue Watching” section. If I login with the same credentials, does Plex have the ability to know where a show was left off so it can be resumed on a different client? I seem to be having trouble with this.
I can’t reproduce that issue. I do it all the time and, for me, it works as expected, but I do ‘stop’ the video on the last app/device, then it’s ready at the spot I left it on the next app/device. Not sure if that makes any difference.
If you log in with the same plex credentials you will certainly be able to continue watching from each device progressively.
I do this all the time.
Thanks for the quick responses. At least I now know that I should be able to resume my show on another Plex client without searching and restarting again. I will try what Tony suggests and stop the video before I go to the other device. I have been pausing the video so maybe stop will work better.
Is there a way to clear cache so to say so all my Plex clients will start keeping track properly? In other words, I have several devices that are logged in with the same credentials but some are not showing the correct “last viewed” location. How do I get them all on the same “last viewed” location? BTW, my Plex Server is on Version 1.5.5.3634.
The ball is in your court @SiscoPlex - this sounds like something right outside my wheelhouse.
So are you saying that it’s just not showing up in “continue watching”, or if you navigate to the movie it will not resume where you left off? You should certainly be able to resume where you left off.
If it’s the continue watching, it’s likely dependent on the client. I don’t believe most (any?) will actually poll the server to see if this should be updated so it’s likely just that the UI hasn’t checked if there is new information to display. You might be able to go into one of your libraries and back out to have it refresh the list however.
@jgkurz said:
Is there a way to clear cache so to say so all my Plex clients will start keeping track properly? In other words, I have several devices that are logged in with the same credentials but some are not showing the correct “last viewed” location. How do I get them all on the same “last viewed” location? BTW, my Plex Server is on Version 1.5.5.3634.
There is no cache. During playback, the progress is reported back to your server automatically. There are some rare occasions when the playback progress doesn’t get back to the server, but we would need to see your PMS logs to see if this is the case.
@adamskoog said:
So are you saying that it’s just not showing up in “continue watching”, or if you navigate to the movie it will not resume where you left off? You should certainly be able to resume where you left off.If it’s the continue watching, it’s likely dependent on the client. I don’t believe most (any?) will actually poll the server to see if this should be updated so it’s likely just that the UI hasn’t checked if there is new information to display. You might be able to go into one of your libraries and back out to have it refresh the list however.
Mine does. Continue Watching - as the name might suggest - continues watching, but do normally have to ‘load’ a client app to continue watching on something else. Perhaps at that time it’s gets whatever it needs to continue watching something where something else left it in progress.
I just logged to Plex from a Chome browser. When I click on the Activity icon it says there is one activity that is paused. That activity is a show that I watched two days ago and paused. Let’s call it S9E4. I have since watched other shows that are not present in “On Deck” or “Continue” Watching". These were S9E5 and E6 from my iPhone. It looks like Now Playing isn’t getting updated.
It sounds like you’re running non-compliant files. That’s one way to achieve unusual, unexpected and unpredictable behavior and this issue would qualify in that regard.
Maybe it’s time we got a full set of log files:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200250417-Plex-Media-Server-Log-Files
Drag zip file to message window and drop it.
Logs uploaded. Thank you
@jgkurz said:
I just logged to Plex from a Chome browser. When I click on the Activity icon it says there is one activity that is paused. That activity is a show that I watched two days ago and paused. Let’s call it S9E4. I have since watched other shows that are not present in “On Deck” or “Continue” Watching". These were S9E5 and E6 from my iPhone. It looks like Now Playing isn’t getting updated.
Something’s not right. A show that’s been paused that long should have been removed by PMS. And yes, having something left on pause will mess up the progress tracking if you then watch that same episode on another client.
My Roku’s, iPhone app, and Chrome all have a pause button, not a stop button so that probably isn’t the cause.
Are their settings soemwhere where I can adjust the time a show is in “Now Showing”?
@jgkurz said:
My Roku’s, iPhone app, and Chrome all have a pause button, not a stop button so that probably isn’t the cause.
True, but once you exit out of the playback screen, it will become a stop. I meant more along the lines of putting something on pause, then leaving the client on that page and you walking away. This will eventually stop playback too at some point, but it won’t be immediate.
Are their settings soemwhere where I can adjust the time a show is in “Now Showing”?
There is no “Now Showing” screen. If you mean Now Playing, no, you cannot change it. This is what PMS thinks is currently being played. These entries come on and off as PMS is informed of what is going on.
@jgkurz said:
My Roku’s, iPhone app, and Chrome all have a pause button, not a stop button so that probably isn’t the cause.Are their settings soemwhere where I can adjust the time a show is in “Now Showing”?
I found the “Weeks to consider for On Deck” setting. I have it set to two weeks.
I also noticed that I have the same episode showing up twice in the Activity list. I went back 30sec later and the duplicate was gone. I would think that is correct behavior. I agree that is seems like my progress tracking is not working properly.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
True, but once you exit out of the playback screen, it will become a stop. I meant more along the lines of putting something on pause, then leaving the client on that page and you walking away. This will eventually stop playback too at some point, but it won’t be immediate.
Interesting. I will pause then exit Plex on my Roku’s to see if that help.
@jgkurz said:
Logs uploaded. Thank you
As I look down through your scanner log what I see is a lot of Non-Compliance.
Picking one at random:
K:\My Video\Movies-TV\ <— which one of these TV Folders is your TV Show Library?
…TV\ <--------------------------------?
…Battlestar Galactica\ <----- Ok, Plex will default to the correct BG…
…Battlestar Galactica (2003) - 1x11 - Colonial Day.mkv <---- not only is that file name non-compliant, you’re also missing a Season Folder and if you’re trying to confuse Plex with that (2003) you may have succeeded.
K:\My Video\Movies-TV\TV\ <---- I dunno, what exactly is going on over there?
…Battlestar Galactica (2003)\ <— Good
…Season 01\ <---- there we go
…Battlestar Galactica (2003) - S01E11 - Colonial Day.mkv
Note 1 and it’s a big one. You can’t have TV Shows and Movies in the Same Library. Moving on.
Plex defaults all calls for Battlestar Galactica to Battlestar Galactica (2003), so you don’t really need (2003), but if you are going to add it the Show Folder would be the right spot. I’m told you don’t need a (2003) in the file name, but my OCD won’t allow me to fix the folder and not fix the file name.
Your TV Show Library can only contain TV Show Folders. I’m not sure what that extra TV folder is, but if it’s inside your TV Show Library - that won’t cut it.
S01E11 is the season/episode call
What I would try at this point is make sure all your devices are logged in to the same user account as well as your server.
Then I would create a brand new library and pick a show with the least amount of episodes in it then drag that show to your desktop - somewhere Plex can’t see what you’re doing. Delete that show from your current library.
Update Libraries
Empty Trash
Clean Bundles
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200392106-Library-Actions
Now fix that show bringing it into compliance:
K:/TV Shows/ <— for grins, let’s name the New TV Show Library folder that. Create the Library and aim it at that folder.
…The TV Show/ <---- named like it appears at TVDB: http://thetvdb.com/
…Season 01/
…The TV Show - S01E01.xxx
…The TV Show - S01E02 - Episode Name Optional.xxx
Drop that show into the new library folder and update libraries.
When that’s done and Plex has found it - should be almost instantly providing you have named it correctly - play some of an episode - at least 90 seconds - then stop it. Move to another client/device and refresh it by clicking your username and from the dropdown click your server.
See if you don’t pick up where you left off, but do tell what actually happened.
Thank you Tony. I know I need to do some work with the BSG files. You obviously took signifcant time to provide this advice. I am grateful for the guidance. I actually purchased FileBot recently for renaming.
The recent issues that started this thread were with MASH episodes.
Not really time consuming, but I would like for you to resolve this issue so that makes it worth any time I spend trying to help you.
And how is that ‘test’ library coming and the test of your resume?
It’s interesting that you mention MASH - FileBot is of no help for that one. The name used at TVDB is MAS*H and, of course, 3 of those 4 characters are illegal in Windows, but hand naming them MASH does get an instant match providing you use this structure:
A TV Show Library/
…MASH/
…Season 01/
…MASH - S01E01.xxx
That was arrived at by using some test episodes in a test show and referring to the past experiences of myself and others. Sometimes you just have to try some things and find out which one will work.
Regarding FileBot, in general, I used to spend a lot more time than I wanted to doing this stuff by hand - no more, but the odd ‘fix’ is still necessary. Recently I discovered ALL of my Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes were out of compliance for some reason. I picked up the entire show from it’s main folder and dropped it into the left pane of FileBot, folders and all. In under 5 seconds more than 100 episodes were repaired. That makes FileBot the #1 Plex companion as far as I’m concerned.
i have found the “resume” failing lately
I can be watching a show on the ATV and quite watching at at say 15min in…
then later in the bedroom turn on chrome and from the flex app on my phone it shows the orange bar that is where I’m up to… but when i press play, chrome displays what is starting, even shows the orange bar that means it should resume, but just plays from the beginning of the show
this happens to me all the time lately
