For the last few weeks when I add new episodes of current TV series into PLEX, shows that are using the TTVDB agent are pulling incorrect cast data. The main cast is there, but it’s pulling dozens of other names into the main cast that may have made guest appearances over the course of the series (and causing metadata problems across the entire library in the process because they aren’t regular cast members and have no photos).
For example, after adding the latest episode of Law & Order: SVU, PLEX is how showing 200+ actors on the series page (there should be 21 according to TTVDB, but it is including every guest cast ever added to an episode). Similar problems have been happening with other series with current episodes. Any guest actor that was ever entered in an episode of the series on TTVDB is now being extracted by PLEX into the main cast of the show.
Does anyone know what’s going on with this? I use TTVDB as the agent for a lot of long-running series (like SVU) because (1) the entire cast is included with corresponding photos (not just the ones from the current season), and (2) users have some level of control over contributed data (since we can’t edit casts within PLEX). Now, it’s all haywire pulling extra information, and it hasn’t corrected itself after several weeks.
As long as using TTVDB is an option, it should still work properly.
I have no interest in “upgrading” my massive TV library to the new PLEX agent until PLEX gives us prior access to what we are downloading. With the “legacy” agents, we can look online to see exactly what is information, photos, cast, etc. the app is pulling. The idea that we are just supposed to trust the PLEX agent blindly is not acceptable.
Now, if I’m wrong, and PLEX does allow us to view the PLEX agent content online, then I apologize and would love the url to do so. Meanwhile PLEX is not functioning correctly when pulling data from TTVDB.
No. I have 900 + old TV shows, many of them short-lived and not available to stream on PLEX. I’ve been able to go into TTVDB and TMDB and add cast information, episode information and cast photos for each one of them, which means they are accurate. The PLEX agent does not allow us to view or contribute to it. I know that PLEX pulls info from those sites to populate its agent, but there is no way to gage the accuracy until it’s too late (and some shows are simply missing).
Also, the PLEX app doesn’t make it possible to choose the PLEX agent for specific shows under FIX MATCH, it requires you to convert the entire library blindly. So even if I could preview some of them first on PLEX streaming, I can’t pick and choose which shows I want to “upgrade” – I have to upgrade them all.
Plex does not maintain any metadata, its consolidated from multiple sources with IMDB, TVDB and TMDB being the main ones. If you want to influence and contribute then the best way as you are doing is to add on those sites and then eventually it will populate & update into the plex system.
What confuses many is that the modern plex agent/scanner is a SINGLE consolidated metadata source. This is very different to the legacy agent/scanner which would pull from those specific sites but no longer. There is no get metadata from TVDB or TMDB anymore. I also believe TMDB is the default if good metadata for a episode or show exists but don’t quote me on that. I moved over to the TMDB anyhow a while ago as I prefer their system over TVDB.
You can match a show off the IDs from either TMDB or TVDB (for matching only) but its a single metadata experience after that from my understanding. The fix match is used for matching and not picking a source metadata provider. There might be a few exceptions to this but not many.
You can then adjust the episode ordering based on your own media naming in the advanced settings. This is important as TMDB and TVDB have very different episode orders depending on the show (Firefly being the most common folks reference).
Anyhow, what we can agree on is the cast list are a mess for many shows and biggest issue I have with the new scanner but until they fix it (which they continue to say is being worked on) I’ll just have to live with. Otherwise the new scanner/agent is far superior to the legacy one.
I hear you, and I’m open to slowly testing it, but blindly converting my entire library (that has almost entirely correct casts with accompanying photos) seems counterproductive. I’m a person with OCD, and if PLEX admins allowed detail oriented people to contribute to casts, I’d be the first to volunteer.
Meanwhile, the API pulling from TTVDB, which many users continue to use (and is still supposed to be an option of the app) is not functioning properly and needs attention.
As @anon5074910 has already mentioned, PLEX does not maintain metadata information (cast included). You can contribute right now by going to TheTVDB, TheMovieDB and IMDB and creating accounts at each site and then update/correct/add the information (also mentioned by dokuro).
Just be aware that most if not all of those sites might possibly require mod approval and/or the information can be reverted if somebody doesn’t agree.
After making any changes, for the new agents at least, you would need to wait 24-48 hours before the data propagates to PLEX’s combined metadata system before it will be reflected after doing a metadata refresh for that series/movie.
This is correct, unless there are multiple entries, which I see happen more and more frequently, unfortunately. Latest example: All Madden (2021). As of right now, when you do a fix match, there are three separate entries. One reflects what’s on IMDB (the top one without a picture), and a fix match with IMDB ID will match to that entry. A fix match with TMDB will match to one of the other two. This can get really frustrating with TV shows. SCTV and its spin-offs are a good example. As @dokuro knows, I had to remove a bunch of shows after a recent metadata refresh in order to fix them from showing as unmatched (the episodes, not the shows).
Ok, the complete credited cast for SUV was updated including cast photos on TTVDB almost two years ago (by me). And TMDB always pulls only the current season cast (even though all cast is technically listed in other seasons). The PLEX agent is only showing the longest running cast members, not all 21. Something or someone must have set it up to make those distinctions.
