Will Plex play a subtitle track ripped to MKV with no external source?

Plex Media Server
1

I’ve updated the server, and configured the language/subtitle setting for subtitle tracks to always be detected, and auto-select subtitle to “always enabled”. I’ve accessioned an MKV folder ripped by EaseFab without any subtitle options (which would burn subtitles into the images). Under Player, I have the default choices for subtitles. I updated the server today.

The video and audio are correct, but I have not been able to get subtitles to display. Am I missing something?

2

Plex supports embedded and external subtitles.

The subtitles are embedded in the MKV file, correct?

Please provide the Plex XML information for a movie (attach as .txt or .zip) or text output of MediaInfo for one of the movie files.

See Investigate Media Information and Formats for details on gathering the information.

3

All I see in the directory is all the MKV track files. Is something wrong with scanning?

4

Please provide the Plex XML information for one of the movies (attach as .txt or .zip) or text output of MediaInfo for one of the movie files.

The Plex XML information shows how Plex sees the file - what video/audio/subtitles it contains, etc.

5

Here is info.xml. Subtitles.xml is an empty file. Looks like scanning never happened.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

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6

I think you accessed the wrong URL or used some exotic web browser which is suppressing webpage source code. The “meat” is missing from the XML.

Try using mediainfo
Once it is installed, analyse the file, then go to:
File - Export - Text (Advanced mode)

7

Here is the most recent XML within the library name. The file structure is:
Root Library Directory
Track1.mkv
Track2.mkv
Is Plex expecting something else?

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MediaInfo
    xmlns="https://mediaarea.net/mediainfo"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="https://mediaarea.net/mediainfo https://mediaarea.net/mediainfo/mediainfo_2_0.xsd"
    version="2.0">
<creatingLibrary version="20.03" url="https://mediaarea.net/MediaInfo">MediaInfoLib</creatingLibrary>
<media ref="C:\Users\leath\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Metadata\Movies\d\5170f2ed5e639076b7855134a5b8ae416e1cd06.bundle\Contents\com.plexapp.agents.localmedia\Info.xml">
<track type="General">
<FileExtension>xml</FileExtension>
<FileSize>562</FileSize>
<StreamSize>562</StreamSize>
<File_Created_Date>UTC 2020-03-08 01:27:58.878</File_Created_Date>
<File_Created_Date_Local>2020-03-07 21:27:58.878</File_Created_Date_Local>
<File_Modified_Date>UTC 2020-03-08 01:27:58.878</File_Modified_Date>
<File_Modified_Date_Local>2020-03-07 21:27:58.878</File_Modified_Date_Local>
</track>
</media>
</MediaInfo>
8

I don’t know what you exported from mediainfo, but it is not what we need.
There is zero information about your media files in there.

You should not point mediainfo to the XML file inside of the Plex data folder.
Instead, point it to the media files themselves - i.e. the mkv files.

9 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MediaInfo
    xmlns="https://mediaarea.net/mediainfo"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="https://mediaarea.net/mediainfo https://mediaarea.net/mediainfo/mediainfo_2_0.xsd"
    version="2.0">
<creatingLibrary version="20.03" url="https://mediaarea.net/MediaInfo">MediaInfoLib</creatingLibrary>
<media ref="H:\Surreal\The Prisoner\THE_PRISONER3_Title_01_01(Whole Film).mkv">
<track type="General">
<UniqueID>57849731138926906698342593718044834392</UniqueID>
<VideoCount>1</VideoCount>
<AudioCount>1</AudioCount>
<FileExtension>mkv</FileExtension>
<Format>Matroska</Format>
<Format_Version>2</Format_Version>
<FileSize>1107648928</FileSize>
<Duration>3021.357</Duration>
<OverallBitRate>2932852</OverallBitRate>
<FrameRate>29.970</FrameRate>
<FrameCount>90550</FrameCount>
<IsStreamable>Yes</IsStreamable>
<File_Created_Date>UTC 2020-04-22 22:01:54.548</File_Created_Date>
<File_Created_Date_Local>2020-04-22 18:01:54.548</File_Created_Date_Local>
<File_Modified_Date>UTC 2020-04-22 20:58:40.499</File_Modified_Date>
<File_Modified_Date_Local>2020-04-22 16:58:40.499</File_Modified_Date_Local>
<Encoded_Application>Lavf53.24.2</Encoded_Application>
<Encoded_Library>Lavf53.24.2</Encoded_Library>
</track>
<track type="Video">
<StreamOrder>0</StreamOrder>
<ID>1</ID>
<UniqueID>1</UniqueID>
<Format>AVC</Format>
<Format_Profile>Baseline</Format_Profile>
<Format_Level>3</Format_Level>
<Format_Settings_CABAC>No</Format_Settings_CABAC>
<Format_Settings_RefFrames>1</Format_Settings_RefFrames>
<Format_Settings_GOP>M=1, N=12</Format_Settings_GOP>
<CodecID>V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC</CodecID>
<Duration>3021.355</Duration>
<BitRate_Nominal>2800000</BitRate_Nominal>
<Width>720</Width>
<Height>480</Height>
<Sampled_Width>720</Sampled_Width>
<Sampled_Height>480</Sampled_Height>
<PixelAspectRatio>0.889</PixelAspectRatio>
<DisplayAspectRatio>1.333</DisplayAspectRatio>
<FrameRate_Mode>CFR</FrameRate_Mode>
<FrameRate_Mode_Original>VFR</FrameRate_Mode_Original>
<FrameRate>29.970</FrameRate>
<FrameCount>90550</FrameCount>
<Standard>NTSC</Standard>
<ColorSpace>YUV</ColorSpace>
<ChromaSubsampling>4:2:0</ChromaSubsampling>
<BitDepth>8</BitDepth>
<ScanType>Progressive</ScanType>
<Delay>0.033</Delay>
<Encoded_Library>x264 - core 120</Encoded_Library>
<Encoded_Library_Name>x264</Encoded_Library_Name>
<Encoded_Library_Version>core 120</Encoded_Library_Version>
<Encoded_Library_Settings>cabac=0 / ref=1 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=dia / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=4 / chroma_me=0 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=6 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=0 / weightp=0 / keyint=12 / keyint_min=7 / scenecut=0 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=12 / rc=abr / mbtree=1 / bitrate=2800 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.50 / qpmin=3 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=3 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00</Encoded_Library_Settings>
<Language>en</Language>
<Default>Yes</Default>
<Forced>No</Forced>
<extra>
<Duration_Source>General_Duration</Duration_Source>
</extra>
</track>
<track type="Audio">
<StreamOrder>1</StreamOrder>
<ID>2</ID>
<UniqueID>2</UniqueID>
<Format>AAC</Format>
<Format_AdditionalFeatures>LC</Format_AdditionalFeatures>
<CodecID>A_AAC-2</CodecID>
<Duration>3021.357</Duration>
<Channels>2</Channels>
<ChannelPositions>Front: L R</ChannelPositions>
<ChannelLayout>L R</ChannelLayout>
<SamplesPerFrame>1024</SamplesPerFrame>
<SamplingRate>44100</SamplingRate>
<SamplingCount>133241844</SamplingCount>
<FrameRate>43.066</FrameRate>
<Compression_Mode>Lossy</Compression_Mode>
<Delay>0.000</Delay>
<Delay_Source>Container</Delay_Source>
<Language>en</Language>
<Default>Yes</Default>
<Forced>No</Forced>
<extra>
<Duration_Source>General_Duration</Duration_Source>
</extra>
</track>
</media>
</MediaInfo>
10

According to this, there are no subtitle tracks present in the file. You need to rip again, this time making sure that the subtitle tracks are not disabled.
Use makemkv this time. (google it)

Please peruse https://support.plex.tv/articles/categories/your-media/
as well. The folder name of a movie should consist of the official movie title and the release year in parentheses.
If you want to add bonus material, name their files as shown in here https://support.plex.tv/articles/200220677-local-media-assets-movies/

11

Thanks.