Show names for audio tracks and subtitles in MP4 files

[natefarious]

This is a specific feature request of a previous request which is now a closed topic, and which looks like it was only implemented for MKV files from what I can tell:

https://forums.plex.tv/t/show-names-for-audio-tracks-and-subtitles/73435

99% of my library is MP4 files, for many reasons. The primary reason is that I embed metadata in all my MP4 files and I have prioritized embedded metadata over all other metadata sources for every one of my libraries. Some of my libraries have large numbers of files which do not have metadata available for the titles (such as titles with great obscurity, concerts, or things from the web), and all of my metadata is hand-checked on a per-file basis and often edited before it goes into my library, which would not be easy (or in some cases possible) if I were to rely on internet sources of metadata (I don’t have the time to correct everyone else’s mistakes in all the metadata sources out there, but I do make corrections/suggestions and fill in the gaps when I can). The tool I use for adding and editing metadata in my MP4 files is Subler:

https://subler.org

I have yet to find a functional equivalent for MKV, and MP4 as a file format also allows greater portability of all my libraries in the event that Plex someday no longer fulfills my needs. I also know of no tool which would allow conversion of all of my MP4 files into MKV files while bringing over all my metadata.

All my audio tracks and subtitle tracks are named appropriately. The most frustrating side-effect of this lack of reading MP4 track names is that picking an commentary audio track is a guessing game in Plex, as the MP4 track names are not exposed in the GUI:

and are not even exposed in the Media Info, either in the GUI or in the XML:

<Stream id="1318722" streamType="2" selected="1" default="1" codec="aac" index="1" channels="2" bitrate="257" language="English" languageTag="en" languageCode="eng" audioChannelLayout="stereo" profile="lc" samplingRate="48000" streamIdentifier="2" displayTitle="English (AAC Stereo)" extendedDisplayTitle="English (AAC Stereo)"></Stream>
<Stream id="1318723" streamType="2" codec="aac" index="2" channels="2" bitrate="128" language="English" languageTag="en" languageCode="eng" audioChannelLayout="stereo" profile="lc" samplingRate="48000" streamIdentifier="3" displayTitle="English (AAC Stereo)" extendedDisplayTitle="English (AAC Stereo)"></Stream>

while the audio tracks have very clear and simple names which other software can read and use without issue:

I realize some people may not have libraries as organized as mine, so I can understand having a default behavior of ignoring MKV/MP4 track names, but there should definitely be an option to read and display them in the GUI.

[TheoR]

This is my top annoyance at the moment.

[Lost-Dingo]

I was coming here to ask if there was a way to do this. I just tried it by renaming a track in MP4Box, and it looks like I was successful when I play the file in an external video player. Plex, however, showed no change (after the Plex Dance and all that, to be sure).

Hopefully this occurs eventually but given I am only the third vote in two years…!

[tom80H]

I suppose that’s because a number of Plex apps actually support this. So you might need to be more specific on where you’re missing it.

Included

Here’s two examples from the web app and Plex for iOS (“Surround 5.1” is the track title in this example).

Missing

Not included in the audio selection dialog in Plex HTPC

[Lost-Dingo]

Hi Tom, thanks for answering this!

I don’t see it any of the clients I have access too, which are the Plex web app and desktop app, Roku, and Android phone.

I wonder if I made an error when naming it? The second Audio track does show up as Commentary when played in Media Player Classic and I can also find it in MediaInfo in File Explorer, however I can’t see it anywhere in the Media Info section on Plex (just shows both Audio Tracks as having the same Displat and Extended Display Title of “English (AAC Stereo).”

I only named the second audio track when I put the .mp4 through MP4Box.

Any ideas? How did you go about naming your Audio tracks in your .mp4s?

Thanks for your time!

[tom80H]

I just double-checked if the details might only be visible on the movie‘s main page. In fact I’m seeing it also in the player’s on-screen-menu during playback etc…

@Lost-Dingo

How did you go about naming your Audio tracks in your .mp4s?

On macOS, using Subler / Handbrake.
They’re also showing for MKVs.

[Lost-Dingo]

It isn’t visible for me in either the main page or the playback menu.

I unfortunately can’t use Subler as I do not have a Mac, which is a shame as I hear it is a good program!

Sorry, just to confirm, are the files you are talking about MP4s or MKVs? I knew they worked for MKVs already, which is what I used to have, but I changed to MP4s for maximum compatibility. Until you commented, everything I had read elsewhere (and here) has suggested the audio track names showing in Plex are an MKV-only thing.

[tom80H]

I think I checked with a mp4 file but can only verify after work.

[Lost-Dingo]

Thank you, that would be much appreciated!

[tom80H]

it appears I had remuxed all those files to mkv… so my previous response might be off topic / out of context.

[Lost-Dingo]

No problem, thanks for trying anyway Tom!

[natefarious]

The names of audio tracks and subtitle tracks in MP4 files are ignored by every Plex client I have tried. I just confirmed that it is still the case for these versions: web (4.149.0), iOS (2025.24.0 (1235)), macOS (1.110.0.351-4e48eb83), or Windows (1.110.0.351-4e48eb83). Can you please address this issue? It shouldn’t involve a lot of dev time, since it sounds like Plex already does this for for MKV files. If you want to see how the track names are read from MP4 files, take a look at the VLC source code on github.