I cannot get plex to get the metadata (episode description) for any of the season 2 episodes of Stranger things.
I have tried the “Plex Dance”, multiple times.
Each of the episodes, are named properly out of Sonarr, “Stranger Things-s02e01-Chapter One- Mad Max.mkv” etc…
In Plex the Episodes are name "Stranger Things / Season 2 / Episode 1 / Chapter 9: Mad Max (not the chapter 9, not 1), is that the problem, if so, how do I fix it?
It should work if you put the episodes in a Season 2 folder under the original Stranger Things. It should not be a separate entry.
I find when I have errors like this, I just look up the show on the TVDB and title my files to match. Works every time.
It is not a separate entry, it is named as “Season 2” under original “Stranger Things”.
Directory Structure is;
\Videos\TV\Stranger Things\Season 02\Stranger Things-s02e01-Chapter One- Mad Max.mkv
You need a space around your dashes and you need to lose the dash in the episode name.
Stranger Things - S02E01 - Madmax.xxx
Is close enough. For now.
Too many dashes freaks out Plex.
Then you’ll find out there is no description for Madmax at TVDB. Mine doesn’t have one either and that’s probably because Plex only updates their dam proxy once a week or some crazy ****.
Then you’ll find out later they’re still trying to get it right at TVDB cause some mouth breather entered incorrect info to begin with.
When filebot matched my season 2 a few days ago the mouth breather had e01 labeled Chapter Nine.
Much idiocy at play right now.
Eyewitness News Flash (Edit):
The correct info is at TVDB (finally). Filebot (link in my signature) will now name them properly (see below).
If you want it to show up in Plex you’ll have to copy and paste during an edit 'cause Plex thinks it’s cool enough to update their proxy once a month.
This didn’t work, sorry. I have many episodes with that same format (no spaces around the dash), Season 1 is like that.
The name is from thetvdb, which Sonarr uses, the second dash in the episode name, is just the replacement for “:” (not allowed in windows).
I tried the plex dance again, and have even tried removing the “Episode One-” part as you suggested, same thing.
Plex still finds no episode description, and Plex labels the episodes as Episode Nine, Episode Ten… etc.
I don’t understand how this is, as thetvdb is not named like that, unless it was, and there is some caching going on.
In settings on PMS, go to agent settings and select TV shows tab. Then tvdb. Now move the local media assets agent down to the bottom (but don’t unselect it).
Now refresh the show. It might need the Plex Dance but maybe not. Anyway this should work.
Reason: your files have wrong metadata in them, and the local media assets agent placement dictates how highly Plex will prioritize your metadata.
I already have local media assets below tvdb.
@WayneBilger said:
This didn’t work, sorry. I have many episodes with that same format (no spaces around the dash), Season 1 is like that.
You can play this game with Plex - or you can submit to it’s will.
The ‘funny’ (not ha, ha funny) thing about non-compliance is it may work sometimes - right up until the time it doesn’t work.
Compliance works today, tomorrow and always:
Here are the rules - the choice to follow them or not is totally up to you:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200220687-Naming-Series-Season-Based-TV-Shows
The name is from thetvdb, which Sonarr uses, the second dash in the episode name, is just the replacement for “:” (not allowed in windows).
You should ‘remove’ special characters - not ‘replace’ them with something else. Filebot does this to perfection - as shown in the image of a perfectly working Show Structure above (with caveats)
I tried the plex dance again, and have even tried removing the “Episode One-” part as you suggested, same thing.
Plex still finds no episode description, and Plex labels the episodes as Episode Nine, Episode Ten… etc.
I don’t understand how this is, as thetvdb is not named like that, unless it was, and there is some caching going on.
(the caveat - a big one) As mentioned, TVDB has the right info now - The Plex Proxy (the thing that holds the TVDB info you actually get) lags days/weeks/months behind - because they simply don’t update it often enough.
https://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=season&seriesid=305288&seasonid=679296&lid=7
It you follow that link and look, it should be fairly apparent TVDB (the real one) has the correct info. If you rename/restructure correctly and Plex Dance Properly you’ll also note Plex’s TVDB Proxy has not yet updated to the correct info.
I forgot this important step to counteract the bundle bug that has plagued Plex since it became Plex and it’s important to do all the steps, in order, as written, or it simply doesn’t work:
The Plex Dance®:
- remove show/movie from library - all of it
- rescan library files
- empty trash
- clean bundles
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200392106-Library-Actions <— update library, empty trash, clean bundles - bring names and structures into compliance/Move LMA/etc
- replace corrected show/movie into library
- rescan library files
All Steps. In Order. No Shortcuts.
@JuiceWSA, I firmly believe you have the The Plex Dance® instructions on hotkey. lol
@AmazingRando24 said:
@JuiceWSA, I firmly believe you have the The Plex Dance® instructions on hotkey. lol
Well… Duh… 
A bookmark to a previous post (that I keep editing when Plex moves controls and behavior around in an effort to keep us confused) - but yea… you’re right.
lol
That list of helpful ‘Bookmarks’ is quite long actually.
Like I said, I have tried it both ways.
I just tried again, renamed the files ‘exactly’ as you said, did the plex dance exactly as described, and same thing.
Episodes in Plex come up as S2 \ E1 \ Chapter Nine: MADMAX… to Chapter Ten…etc. Not Chapter One: MADMAX…, Chapter Two…etc as they should be.
Having trouble with reading comprehension?
Until Plex updates their TVDB PROXY - nothing can change.
Get it?
Plex’s TVDB Proxy is the place where Plex Users get TVDB Info. Plex users don’t go to ‘the real’ TVDB to get info - they go to the TVDB Proxy. Until Plex decides to update that Proxy Server with current TVDB info - nothing will change.
If the frequency of that PROXY update is annoying you - and it should - you’re pretty much like everyone else - stuck with bogus info - unless you want to copy and paste from ‘the real TVDB’ to your episodes in a manual edit. If I get really annoyed I’ll do it, but since I finished Stranger Things S02 last night there are other things about Plex that are annoying me more.
@JuiceWSA said:
Having trouble with reading comprehension?Until Plex updates their TVDB PROXY - nothing can change.
Get it?
Jesus, thanks for you help and everything, but the friggin attitude wasn’t necessary.
If TVDB PROXY was the problem the whole time, why would you bother to tell me that my naming scheme was wrong, which it is not, and that was what the problem was… sheesh.
@WayneBilger said:
@JuiceWSA said:
Jesus, thanks for you help and everything, but the friggin attitude wasn’t necessary.
Sorry - I get that from my Dad - who pretty much did the same thing when HE HAD TO REPEAT HIMSELF!
If TVDB PROXY was the problem the whole time, why would you bother to tell me that my naming scheme was wrong, which it is not, and that was what the problem was… sheesh.
Your naming scheme is wrong, Dood.
As clearly illustrated in the online instructions - linked here again for your reading pleasure:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200220687-Naming-Series-Season-Based-TV-Shows
And I quote - for impact:
/TV Shows
/Grey's Anatomy
/Season 01
Grey's Anatomy - s01e01.avi
Grey's Anatomy - s01e02 - The First Cut is the Deepest.avi
Grey's Anatomy - s01e03.mp4
/Season 02
Grey's Anatomy - s02e01.avi
Grey's Anatomy - s02e02.mkv
Grey's Anatomy - s02e03.m4v
I don’t just make this stuff up off the top of my head - or in an attempt to annoy users.
I quote 100% Compliant File Names and Structures because those work EVERY SINGLE TIME while Non-Compliance can’t be relied upon. It may work. It may work for a while. It could stop working at any time.
It’s just ‘easier’ to do it right once - than to roll the dice.
That’s all I’m sayin’
You do what you want.
No it’s not, but don’t worry about it. The dash is in the episode name, tell me in there where it says there can’t be a dash in the name (Check out the show ‘24’).
I did put extra spaces around the dashes, but I would be willing to bet it makes no diffrence whatsoever, why would it, and I have had it like that for 10 years, has never made a difference.
I not going to get in the conversation of file names and such but what OS are you running?
And what does the metadata in the file look like? You can open it in VLC or something. Does it say chapter 10 there?
@d2freak said:
And what does the metadata in the file look like? You can open it in VLC or something. Does it say chapter 10 there?
If it’s not an MP4/M4V file embedded metadata won’t make a bit of difference. Plex doesn’t read or react to internal metadata in MKV files - at all.
If Plex users have MP4 files - or ever plan to use one in their careers - Moving Local Media Assets to the bottom of ALL their Agent Lists in Shows and Movies is a good idea, but I think the files in question here are MKV files. They could contain The Gettysburg Address and it wouldn’t matter in the slightest.
Windows 10, and correct, tey are mkv files and Local Media Assets are moved to bottom for shows and movies anyway.
