Server Version#: 4.145.1
Player Version#: Plex for LG, Client version 5.91.0, Platform version 4.10.0
I am transitioning to Plex from a very old configuration no longer in existence. Without doing anything special, as in, not changing my TV show or movie folder/file naming structure, I installed Plex Server on my QNAP NAS TS-451D2 and installed the player on my LG TV. The installers ran fine. I set the server to scan my TV and movie libraries and all seemed well. Movies seem to be working with the old naming structure and, at first, TV shows seemed to be working fine. Fine as-in, I chose one TV series (Early Edition) to watch with 4 seasons. I watched all episodes in seasons 1 through 3 with no problem. I watched all episodes in season 4 without issue except the second to last episode. When I select that episode to watch, a completely different episode from a completely different show (Battlestar Galactica) plays. I checked the file naming syntax of that second to last Early Edition episode and it matches all other successfully played Early Edition episodes.
So, I tried other TV shows and found that, with the exception of the Early Edition show, Plex displays all other shows as being Battlestar Galactica.
Here is my current TV show folder/file naming structure. For clarity, also shown is my movie folder/file naming structure. Note that I have both TV shows and movies separated into “genre” folders. Movies are playing fine with this structure but TV shows are not. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks. I did read through support articles before I posted my question. I was hoping that I could keep the structure as-is meaning, that I could keep my “genre-type” folders as I did with the old app that I used to use. The old app allowed the on-screen display of the genre folders and let me assign a JPG as a background to each genre folder.
I understand that I can add each of my genre folders to the library but, it was (would be) easier just to assign “TV Shows” to the library then after selecting Movies or TV Shows each of the genre folders would be displayed with a corresponding background image denoting each genre. I guess I’m just lazy. Easier to just add one folder “TV Shows” (or Movies) to the library then each of the genre folders.
This goes to one fundamental difference between Plex and many other media players. Plex does not use the underlying file system for metadata, it uses its online matching system and online data sources for metadata. You can create similar things within plex using either collections or smart collections. Smart Collections use the metadata from online sources to group things together, and basic collections allow you to group things together based on whatever criteria you want.
One of the other perks of Plex Collections is that a show can be in 2 different groups. Take for example the classic 1966 TV show Star Trek it is Science Fiction, Action, Adventure and Drama. Using a file system method you would have to pick whichever one you think is most appropriate. With some shows that is easier than others. With Collections you can add the show to all of them and not worry about it.
Next I have to learn how to properly get a background image for each of the TV show and/or movie folders, i.e., a background image for the Action genre folder, an image for Adventure, then also an image for each show/movie folder such as an image for “The Rat Patrol” series folder, etc.
