Server Version#: 1.23.1.4571 & 1.23.1.4602
This has actually been occurring at least since switching to the new Plex Series scanner, possibly before that (I didn’t check before). Plex completely ignores the embedded release date in MP4 files for TV show episodes. It pulls in other metadata just fine, such as Episode Title, Description, and embedded title card art. But Release Date is always ignored, even if there isn’t a release date in The Movie DB (which is what I’ve got as a default source for episode matching).
This is especially a problem for Season 0 episodes/Specials. For example, the show Scrubs had 12 webisodes that aired during Season 8, but these weren’t on TMDB at all until I added them a few weeks ago. Prior to adding them, I relied on embedded metadata in my files to display the correct episode info. But without that release date, Plex won’t cue up the Webisodes at the appropriate time during Season 8. If the release date is there, then it would cue up Specials in Continue Watching section at the appropriate time in between regular season episodes. Without it, the viewer has to already know the correct place to stop watching the regular season and navigate to a particular Special and watch that.
I noticed this about the same time I switched to the new Plex Series Scanner, which was around a month after it was available for all. It was still occurring this morning on Server Version 1.23.1.4571 on Mac, and still occurring after updating just now to 1.23.1.4602. I don’t know if this was happening prior to the switch.
