Hi
I have a couple of DVDs which are only available as one .mkv per chapter and there are approx 20 chapters (they’re both training DVDs), so I’ve arranged them as a TV show - this is so that I can easily switch between specific chapters for reference.
These DVDs are pretty esoteric and unlikely to have an entry at TVDB or anywhere similar.
This works great, except that the names in the files are not being picked up, although the naming convention seems correct and I’ve followed instructions for removing/empty trash/etc. The filenames include the episode name, but in Plex they just appear as “Episode 1”, “Episode 2”, etc
The file names are:
TV Shows/
Lets Grow Mushrooms/
Season 01/
Lets Grow Mushrooms - S01E01 - Growing Mushrooms on Brown Rice Flour.mp4
Lets Grow Mushrooms - S01E02 - Grain Preparation.mp4
… etc …
I’ve edited the shows by hand to add the titles, but I would really like my other training DVD (and future DVDs) to pick up the title from the filename automatically.
Any idea how I can make this happen?
I’m running Plex on Mac OSX
Cheers
John
You just never know - unless you look - they have improved the search. I put in ‘let’s’ and found it in the list:
http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=251679&lid=7 - Let’s Grow Mushrooms
There’s no fan art for the background and no descriptions/synopsi for e1 (that’s as far as I got), but it’s there and has a poster image.
A TV Show Library/
…Let’s Grow Mushrooms/
…Season 01/
…Let’s Grow Mushrooms - S01E01.mp4
FileBot (link in my signature - may not be a MAC version) can handle that for you automatically or manually in seconds.
What FileBot can’t do is remove possible embedded metadata in the Title Field of MP4/M4V files. Plex will read this info and prefer it over a perfect file name/structure (you probably don’t have any of those yet), but you can combat that situation by moving Local Media Assets to the bottom of every agent list you can find. All tabs in Shows and Movies here:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200241558-Agents
Just drag LMA to the bottom of the list and drop it. If you do have embedded metadata this will cure the issue, if you don’t it won’t matter. LMA will do what it has to from the bottom.
Renaming/restructuring is best performed OUTSIDE the library and you’ll need to write a new bundle for the show (see Note below) so The Plex Dance® was invented:
The Plex Dance®:
- remove show from library - all of it
- update library
- 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 into library
- update library
All Steps. In Order. No Shortcuts.
Note: Since the show was probably never matched, naming and structuring it properly may cause it to snap right in. If not, Plex Dance®.
You don’t even have to put the episode names in there, its just a waste of time, s00e00 works without episode names.
@Chewits said:
You don’t even have to put the episode names in there, its just a waste of time, s00e00 works without episode names.
I would advise against that. I once did that the first couple of months of using Plex and had to recover from a catastrophic RAID meltdown. Luckily I was able to recover the media, but only the media files. The folder structure was gone. Tens of thousands of files in a single folder.
I had to screen a crap load of episodes because of generic names I had(no title year or episode names).
And many of the episodes had to be auto-renamed with (1), (2), (3), (4), etc because they did not have unique names. I couldn’t tell which episode was which show. A few shows like…
Battlestar Galactica 1978 ↔ Battlestar Galactica 2003
Doctor Who 1963 ↔ Doctor Who 2005
The Flash 1990 ↔ The Flash 2014
And about a half dozen more.
AT the very lease, include the release year of the series in every episode.
@NewPlaza said:
@Chewits said:
You don’t even have to put the episode names in there, its just a waste of time, s00e00 works without episode names.
I would advise against that. I once did that the first couple of months of using Plex and had to recover from a catastrophic RAID meltdown. Luckily I was able to recover the media, but only the media files. The folder structure was gone. Tens of thousands of files in a single folder.
I had to screen a crap load of episodes because of generic names I had(no title year or episode names).
And many of the episodes had to be auto-renamed with (1), (2), (3), (4), etc because they did not have unique names. I couldn’t tell which episode was which show. A few shows like…
Battlestar Galactica 1978 ↔ Battlestar Galactica 2003
Doctor Who 1963 ↔ Doctor Who 2005
The Flash 1990 ↔ The Flash 2014
And about a half dozen more.
AT the very lease, include the release year of the series in every episode.
I had no idea that could happen. I tagged the episodes correctly now. Thanks for the heads up, NewPlaza.
@NewPlaza said:
I would advise against that. I once did that the first couple of months of using Plex and had to recover from a catastrophic RAID meltdown. Luckily I was able to recover the media, but only the media files. The folder structure was gone. Tens of thousands of files in a single folder.
Compliant Files named thusly:
I Love Lucy - SXXEXX.XXX
Could have been recovered and restructured instantly with something like, hummm, let me think… oh…
FILEBOT!
In seconds.
Filebot also retrieves the episode name and correctly places it in the file name and that’s why so many of us have that name in there… because 9 out of 10 Doctors agree FileBot is much better at curing what ails ya than a poultice made of dung, road kill and mashed up insects.
…A few shows like…
Battlestar Galactica 1978 ↔ Battlestar Galactica 2003
Doctor Who 1963 ↔ Doctor Who 2005
The Flash 1990 ↔ The Flash 2014
And about a half dozen more.
AT the very least (fixed that for you - lol), include the release year of the series in every episode.
Not doing so would be foolish, 'cause Plex can’t deal with first run ‘Versions’ without the (YEAR) and even though current run ‘Versions’ don’t require the name - due to Plex’s Epic Mishandling of what used to be A SIMPLE PROCEDURE, namely using the same name THEIR ONLY TV SHOW DATABASE USES - its still a good idea to allow Filebot to name things as they’re named at TVDB and then add (YEAR) where necessary.
Reference Material and light reading for the mentally non-impaired (apparently Plex isn’t in this group):
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/254362/tv-series-name-matching-research
Plex did their own research on this ‘Version’ issue.
Found out they had coughed up a hair-ball.
Have yet to correct their error convinced ‘The Wrong Way is Better’ - or are unable to do anything about it for fear of messing up Plex DVR (or something).
@JuiceWSA said:
Could have been recovered and restructured instantly with something like, hummm, let me think… oh…
FILEBOT!
In seconds.
No it couldn’t. FileBot would have been totally useless in the recovery process.
@JuiceWSA said:
A SIMPLE PROCEDURE, namely using the same name THEIR ONLY TV SHOW DATABASE USES - its still a good idea to allow Filebot to name things as they’re named at TVDB and then add (YEAR) where necessary.
where necessary? Bulls@#t. Should be, always include the year
@NewPlaza said:
@JuiceWSA said:
Could have been recovered and restructured instantly with something like, hummm, let me think… oh…
FILEBOT!
In seconds.
No it couldn’t. FileBot would have been totally useless in the recovery process.
You’ll have to explain that one to me.
@JuiceWSA said:
A SIMPLE PROCEDURE, namely using the same name THEIR ONLY TV SHOW DATABASE USES - its still a good idea to allow Filebot to name things as they’re named at TVDB and then add (YEAR) where necessary.
where necessary? Bulls@#t. Should be, always include the year
Now, in the new days - The Post-Plex Apocalypse days, it’s probably sound reasoning and FileBot can only help so much in these new days. Manual Labor will have to be called in.
In the good old, Pre-Plex Apocalypse days you just used the name TVDB uses.
FileBot is built for that. It goes to TVDB and gets the name they use. Easy.
Plex didn’t like the way that was working (so well) and they decided it would be better to change the rules of the game we’re playing.
@JuiceWSA said:
You’ll have to explain that one to me.
I got lucky. I had access to some expensive hardware and software that was able to scan the unmountable, and completely broken RAID and extract the contents. I was very, VERY fortunate. The RAID broke because of drive failure. Two drives to be exact. I learned a good lesson… not to be a cheap ass on drives.
Anyhow. The OPs question is due to the long ass lag in which Plex downloads the required metadata(episode names, release date, rating, etc…) The fact the episodes are found and are in order is good. Give it a few days and Plex will start to fill in the blanks.
