I’ve had few issues recently when adding some mkv files and them not being found by scanning.
Firstly, the grand tour (2016), early episodes renamed using filebot where identified by the scan and placed in the appropriate library within plex, a couple of later episodes where mismatched, but not a big deal to correctly match manually. The latest episode, episode 6, was identified and renamed by filebot correctly, however during the scan this was renamed to this world (2014) episode 6, again not a biggie, but I was then unable to manually correct the mis-match. In an attempt to rescan correctly I moved the grand tour folder physically on the drive, removed the folder from the library (tv shows), updated the library, emptied trash and then physically moved the folder back, added folder to library, and finally updated the library. Now none of the episodes are even being recognised by plex as being present. I have moved the files to another library (other videos) and they are found during a scan (obviously without metadata).
Second problem, I added Leonard Cohen Live in Dublin (2014) - again identified and renamed by filebot correctly - to a library (other videos), and again plex cannot find the file after a scan (this is an mkv file that plays correctly in vlc).
I am carefully following the renaming protocols, and use filebot to name correctly from tvdb and tmdb, and correct any mis-matches manually, but for the life of me I just cannot figure what is going on in these two instances. Please note that all other mkv files are found by the scan, which just makes this all the more frustrating, especially given that the earlier grand tour episodes were initially found by the scan, but now they are not!!
@ChuckPa said:
Please show the file names exactly as you have them, with structure.
I have all GT (2016) episodes to date, also done with FileBot and there are no issues.
File structure is:
K:\avi\Documentaries\Documentaries Misc\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1
Episode names:
The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E01 - The Holy Trinity
The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E02 - Operation Desert Stumble
The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E03 - Opera, Arts, and Donuts aka The Return Home
The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E04 - Enviro-mental
The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E05 - Moroccan Roll
The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E06 - Happy Finnish Christmas
@trumpy81 said:
You don’t mention what system you have PMS installed on or what version OS you are using or the PMS version?
If it is a NAS, then check your file permissions and make sure Plex has access to the folder/s.
If it is a Linux box, check your file permissions and make sure Plex has access to the folder/s.
If it’s a Mac, check your file permissions and make sure Plex has access to the folder/s.
If it’s Windows I don’t have a clue why it would not find the files but do check that the folder/s are not flagged as system folders.
I assume that for The Grand Tour it is named and organised like so:
The Grand Tour (2016)
…|_ Season 01
…|_ The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E01 - Monaco Kingdom of Glamour and Chance.mkv
…
It’s important to include the year so that it is not confused with other TV Series that have a similar name on the TVDB.
Have you checked the PMS logs soon after adding the files in question to see if any clues are left in the scanner.logs or Plex Media Server.logs?
There is a convenient button in PMS settings->server-help to download the logs in a zip file for you. If you find nothing obvious, you can post the logs here.
Note: file attachments may not be working in the forums ATM, if that is the case, then try uploading to OneDrive, Dropbox etc… and post the link here instead.
O/S is Windows 10, files located (as all of my files are) on external hdd (I’ve had no problems with other files). The naming as you have described (please see above) with the year included.
I didn’t know they were filebot plex naming templates!! How do I find them? I have been using the general format of show title S01Eo1 episode title.
I’ll try adding the grand tour files back to my normal tv shows documentary library and re-scan, then I will post the log.
Any ideas regarding the Leonard Cohen file? Plex just does not see it at all even in the other videos library?
If you gave Plex “Documentaries Misc” as the top folder to start scanning, you’re good and the log files will be needed to see what’s going on and verify there is no embedded metadata causing the scanner to misidentify the titles. Embedded names containing ‘junk’ is common with MP4 filess
@ChuckPa said:
If you gave Plex “Documentaries Misc” as the top folder to start scanning, you’re good and the log files will be needed to see what’s going on and verify there is no embedded metadata causing the scanner to misidentify the titles. Embedded names containing ‘junk’ is common with MP4 filess
Yes, Documentaries Misc was top folder for scanning. I’ll post the logs shortly. It’s just frustrating as all other files seem to scan OK, it’s just these!!
Have you checked the PMS logs soon after adding the files in question to see if any clues are left in the scanner.logs or Plex Media Server.logs?
There is a convenient button in PMS settings->server-help to download the logs in a zip file for you. If you find nothing obvious, you can post the logs here.
Note: file attachments may not be working in the forums ATM, if that is the case, then try uploading to OneDrive, Dropbox etc… and post the link here instead.
The part of the plex scanner log that appears to relate to the grand tour is attached (please note that I removed it from the documentaries misc library (other videos), updated that library, emptied the trash, then added the grand tour to documentaries library (tv shows) and updated library).
Here is the plex scanner log for the Leonard Cohen file in the music library (other videos):
Dec 26, 2016 16:09:04.718 [14968] DEBUG - * Scanning directory K:\avi\Music\Leonard Cohen (parent: yes)
Dec 26, 2016 16:09:04.718 [8012] DEBUG - HTTP requesting GET http://127.0.0.1:32400/:/metadata/updateProgressMessage?message=Scanning%20Jean%20Michel%20Jarre
Dec 26, 2016 16:09:04.719 [14968] DEBUG - Adding file for scanner: K:\avi\Music\Leonard Cohen\Leonard Cohen Live in Dublin (2014).mkv
Dec 26, 2016 16:09:04.724 [14968] DEBUG - Skipping over directory ‘Leonard Cohen’, as nothing has changed; removing 1 media items from map.
@trumpy81 said:
Being Windows 10, I really have no idea why Plex is not picking up the files. File permissions generally do not effect Plex on Windows, but it is not impossible if the ACL is messed up somehow.
It may be wise to run ChkDsk on your drive/s to make sure all is in order.
Click on the link I provided, you will find the FileBot templates there.
Thanks will run chkdsk. I have checked file permissions and there are no differences between files recognised and those that are not!! I’ll check out the filebot templaate in your link.
@OttoKerner said:
After trouble with mismatches and subsequent file renamings, it may be necessary to perform the full Plex Dance (all steps of it and in-order)
@OttoKerner said:
After trouble with mismatches and subsequent file renamings, it may be necessary to perform the full Plex Dance (all steps of it and in-order)
Did the plex dance as you suggested, still not found, but then I checked the logs and I have found the files, plex seems to think they are Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures Season 1, and I now have two of each episode in that library (one pat callinan one grand tour). Now I know where they are I can at least fix it manually!!! Thanks Otto
Next to work out where the Leonard Cohen file has been scanned too, as I’m now confident it’s the same issue, time for the plex dance again on that library
Many thanks to all who have helped, it is appreciated.
You could try and use one of the excellent 3rd party plugins that exists in order to help you find the items not matched correctly / missing. Since I’m not an expert on these and unsure of which might help you best I’ll be so lazy that I’ll just paste links and you can have a look for yourself if they might help or not -
No, off it goes again!!! Sorted the previous ones by just removing the Pat Callinan and placing it in a other videos library - not an ideal solution (still can’t understand why plex can scan and match it one minute and not the next).
Now the issue is with James May the Reassembler S02E01. Again renamed correctly with filebot, season 1 named exactly the same and scanned and matched (but not in a season 1 folder). I placed the S01 episodes into a season 1 folder, created a season 2 folder and moved S02E01 into this. Rescanned, emptied trash, now no sign of James May the Reassembler!!! I’ve tracked down S02E01 using the scanner log, it’s been decided that it must be Tony Robinson’s Time Walks S02E01!!! Season 1 has completely disappeared (files still physically on the drive, but I cannot find the new destination for them either in the library or in the scanner logs).
Do I seriously have to keep resolving this issue by moving series into an other videos library just for them to be seen by plex? Sorry, I’m frustrated and don’t have the technical ability or understanding of why exactly this is happening or how I can fix it.
The part of the scanner log relevant to James May the Reassembler is attached.
The solution, just put all of the files into the parent folder and don’t bother with season folders!! Although I’m sure it’s not meant to work that way, but it has scanned and matched all episodes now. Is this a bug?
For ‘James May the Reassembler’ to work correctly, your series library must point to K:\avi\Documentaries
full path K:\avi\Documentaries\James May The Reassembler\Season 1\James May The Reassembler - S01E03 - Electric Guitar.mkv
But then you have another arbitrary subfolder K:\avi\Documentaries\others
where ‘Kate Humble Living with Nomads’ is situated in K:\avi\Documentaries\others\Kate Humble Living with Nomads\Season 1\Kate Humble Living with Nomads - S01E01 - Nepal.avi
Arbitrary subfolders will not work!
And your library must not point to just K:\avi nor to K:\avi\Documentaries\James May The Reassembler either!
Thanks for this Otto. The way my documentaries library is set up, I have added many of the folders individually to the library, so K:\avi\Documentaries\James May The Reassembler is added as an individual folder to be scanned into the library (as is others\kate humble). So K:\avi\Documentaries isn’t actually scanned per se, but is the sum of a number of individual folders scanned to make up the library. I have set it up this way so that I can add or remove specific folders from the library as necessary, and to allow for folders to be held on different hdd but still to be part of the library. I have a seperate documentaries library for movie documentaries, and another set as other videos for documentaries that aren’t scanned correctly or found. It is only lately that these issues have been occurring, so I had assumed that all was OK. Am I to take it from your last sentence “And your library must not point to just K:\avi nor to K:\avi\Documentaries\James May The Reassembler either!” that adding individual folders to a library for scanning is not the correct thing to do?
In the case of the issue I had, with Leonard Cohen, that is in a library K:\avi\music that is scanned as a whole library, but the scan decided this was Mick Fleetwood Blues Band and put it as a duplicate of that file, hence it didn’t show up in the library as being scanned.
I appreciate the assistance, as I am really struggling to understand exactly what is going on with this, as I haven’t experienced a heap of issues like this until recently, especially with James May the reassembler series 1 being scanned correctly, but series 2 didn’t show up, and then, as noted above, they completely disappeared altogether, until I decided to do away with the folders for series 1 and 2, in which case they showed up scanned perfectly!!! Pat Callinan is still not recognised by plex, even though it was until plex decided the grand tour was part of that particular series!!!
OK. Just added The Grand Tour S01E06 to the library, and bearing in mind that I have now managed to scan the other six episodes correctly, but episode 7 hasn’t shown up… The log for the scan is below, in particular I am wondering exactly what do the last three lines of the log that relate to errors actually mean?
#160 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.231 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 1 #161 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.231 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E01 - The Holy Trinity.mkv] #162 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.279 [14656] DEBUG - Path matched, we’re reusing media item 747932 #163 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.335 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 2 #164 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.335 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E02 - Operation Desert Stumble.mkv] #165 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.336 [14656] DEBUG - Path matched, we’re reusing media item 747933 #166 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.388 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 3 #167 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.388 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E03 - Opera, Arts, and Donuts aka The Return Home.mkv] #168 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.389 [14656] DEBUG - Path matched, we’re reusing media item 747934 #169 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.418 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 4 #170 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.418 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E04 - Enviro-mental.mkv] #171 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.419 [14656] DEBUG - Path matched, we’re reusing media item 747935 #172 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.447 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 5 #173 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.447 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E05 - Moroccan Roll.mkv] #174 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.448 [14656] DEBUG - Path matched, we’re reusing media item 747936 #175 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.480 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 6 #176 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.480 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E06 - Happy Finnish Christmas.mkv] #177 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.501 [14656] DEBUG - Path matched, we’re reusing media item 747937 #178 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.601 [14656] DEBUG - * Scanning Season 1 Season 1 Episode 7 #179 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.601 [14656] DEBUG - Looking for path match for [K:\avi\Documentaries\The Grand Tour (2016)\Season 1\The Grand Tour (2016) - S01E07 - The Beach (Buggy) Boys - Part 1.mkv] #180 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.655 [14656] DEBUG - Skipping hash check, no size match for 524962742 bytes. #181 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.655 [14656] DEBUG - No match for hash. #182 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.657 [14656] DEBUG - Checking descendants of Season 1 #183 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.765 [14656] ERROR - Exception inside transaction (inside=1) (…\Library\Episode.cpp:187): Cannot convert data to std::tm. #184 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.766 [14656] ERROR - Exception inside transaction (inside=1) (…\Library\MetadataItem.cpp:2682): Cannot convert data to std::tm. #185 Dec 30, 2016 20:39:01.766 [14656] ERROR - Exception assimilating media item in Season 1: Cannot convert data to std::tm.
@waveydavey said:
Thanks for this Otto. The way my documentaries library is set up, I have added many of the folders individually to the library, so K:\avi\Documentaries\James May The Reassembler is added as an individual folder to be scanned into the library (as is others\kate humble).
This is precisely the problem. If you add individual show folders, Plex is missing one of the required folder levels.
All tv series you want to add into plex must be in a folder, let’s call it K:\avi\Documentaries
in this general folder there must be ‘show’ folders, named exactly like the show is titled when you look it up at TheTVDB.
Adding individual show folders may work to some extent, but it will eventually break once your library grows further and it’ll produce wacky results and a lot of head scratching…
Here is a more detailed HowTo for series (in Plex lingo: ‘TV Shows’):
Take the title as it is used on TheTVDB. If there is something in parentheses, take that too. If the title contains invalid characters (depends on your file system), like § : % *, simply leave them out.
Check the naming and the folder structure of your show. Name the top folder of the show exactly after the title on TheTVDB. No abbreviations. No additional subfolders. No aliases.
Name the episode files according to the above linked naming guide. Use the same title as for the top folder. Show's Title - s01e01 - additional info.ext (‘- additional info’ can be left out)
After you corrected the naming and folder structure, perform the Plex Dance with all files for this show.
