Plex
#53
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
I've started backing up some things and getting the hang of how Plex works. There have been some tribulations but nothing too crazy. Everything is currently on the hard drive of my computer, but I would like to set up an NAS.
I've heard good things about Synology (or at least that's it's easy for beginners like me) and am looking at a few. Not knowing much of anything about this, it's overwhelming. Are there any specs that I need to pay particular attention to? Certain minimums that I should look out for? Any suggestions? I won't say that price is no object, but I don't mind investing in something now so that I won't have to pay later.
I've heard good things about Synology (or at least that's it's easy for beginners like me) and am looking at a few. Not knowing much of anything about this, it's overwhelming. Are there any specs that I need to pay particular attention to? Certain minimums that I should look out for? Any suggestions? I won't say that price is no object, but I don't mind investing in something now so that I won't have to pay later.
#54
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Plex
The two big processor intensive things I can think of are transcoding and recording live TV. If you're not doing much of either, there's really no need to go too crazy.
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clckworang (01-12-22)
#55
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Re: Plex
Agreed. And you can usually bypass transcoding, assuming your client devices can be set up to receive original quality video and audio. Check those settings to be sure, but it shouldn't be a problem.
I love having a NAS for Plex along with using it as a repository for all my personal stuff, too. Synology is great, IMO, and there are lots of good how-to videos on YouTube for familiarizing yourself with their devices.
I will say... if you go the NAS route, make sure to pick one that isn't too much larger (in terms of empty bays) than what you reasonably think you will need. Try to estimate just how much storage you think you'll use, along with the cost of, say, 2x or 3x 12TB drives vs. 5x 8TB drives.
I ended up with a 5-bay NAS, and I'm extremely happy with it, but that's not ideal for everyone.
I love having a NAS for Plex along with using it as a repository for all my personal stuff, too. Synology is great, IMO, and there are lots of good how-to videos on YouTube for familiarizing yourself with their devices.
I will say... if you go the NAS route, make sure to pick one that isn't too much larger (in terms of empty bays) than what you reasonably think you will need. Try to estimate just how much storage you think you'll use, along with the cost of, say, 2x or 3x 12TB drives vs. 5x 8TB drives.
I ended up with a 5-bay NAS, and I'm extremely happy with it, but that's not ideal for everyone.
Last edited by Dan; 01-12-22 at 04:42 PM.
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clckworang (01-12-22)
#56
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
I knew things were going too smoothly setting things up. I have the automatic update library options selected, but Plex isn't making the updates. Ugh. Setting this up isn't fun, but I know it will be worth it.
Oh, very good to know as I'm not planning on using it for that.
I've got about 4,000 titles, the bulk Blu-rays, so I'm trying to avoid thinking about how much space I'll need to backup that much.
Agreed. And you can usually bypass transcoding, assuming your client devices can be set up to receive original quality video and audio. Check those settings to be sure, but it shouldn't be a problem.
I love having a NAS for Plex along with using it as a repository for all my personal stuff, too. Synology is great, IMO, and there are lots of good how-to videos on YouTube for familiarizing yourself with their devices.
I will say... if you go the NAS route, make sure to pick one that isn't too much larger (in terms of empty bays) than what you reasonably think you will need. Try to estimate just how much storage you think you'll use, along with the cost of, say, 2x or 3x 12TB drives vs. 5x 8TB drives.
I ended up with a 5-bay NAS, and I'm extremely happy with it, but that's not ideal for everyone.
I love having a NAS for Plex along with using it as a repository for all my personal stuff, too. Synology is great, IMO, and there are lots of good how-to videos on YouTube for familiarizing yourself with their devices.
I will say... if you go the NAS route, make sure to pick one that isn't too much larger (in terms of empty bays) than what you reasonably think you will need. Try to estimate just how much storage you think you'll use, along with the cost of, say, 2x or 3x 12TB drives vs. 5x 8TB drives.
I ended up with a 5-bay NAS, and I'm extremely happy with it, but that's not ideal for everyone.
![LOL](/images/smilies/lol.gif)
#57
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Plex
4,000 movies will use a ton of space. But Hard Drives are only getting bigger and cheaper, so it's much more economical than when I built mine. I had to go 15 drives because 3TB was as large as they came ten years ago, but with 20TB drives out now you could do a ten drive system and store all your media. Depending on budget, I'd also be tempted to just go five and store what you can knowing you can gradually upgrade to larger drives and within five years you'll have enough space to store everything.
#58
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
I've been plugging away on the backups and making slow but steady progress. I finally have Plex seeing nearly everything, but the TV stuff requires a lot of inputting. Going through my DVDs alphabetically, I've hit Beavis and Butt-head and a potential delay. They're all individual little episodes 5-7 minutes each. Ugh. I'm thinking ahead to things like Looney Tunes. Double ugh. Does anyone have any tips or shortcuts for formatting or naming? Or is it just a long slog?
The movies are SO much easier to do. Just create the folder and throw the file in there, no renaming required. This task already seems daunting enough without thinking about some of these discs that are looking like absolute time sucks.
The movies are SO much easier to do. Just create the folder and throw the file in there, no renaming required. This task already seems daunting enough without thinking about some of these discs that are looking like absolute time sucks.
#59
Moderator
Re: Plex
https://www.1-4a.com/rename/
It takes a few minutes to learn how to use it, but it's pretty simple.
I forget exactly how I did it. But I probably named all the files 1.mkv, 2.mkv, 3.mkv, etc. Then put them all together in a folder. Then set it to rename everything in the folder "Beavis.and.Butthead.S01EXX.1993.480p.mkv". And have it replace "XX" with increasing numbers. So "1.mkv" would turn into "Beavis.and.Butthead.S01E01.1993.480p.mkv". Make sure you include the year. That makes it easier for Plex to identify it.
Once you get the hang of it, it's quick and easy.
Here's some additional info:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/nam...tv-show-files/
Last edited by TheBigDave; 01-24-22 at 01:28 AM.
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clckworang (01-24-22)
#60
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
It's been years since I've done it. I used some freeware that does bulk renaming. Here's what I used:
https://www.1-4a.com/rename/
It takes a few minutes to learn how to use it, but it's pretty simple.
I forget exactly how I did it. But I probably named all the files 1.mkv, 2.mkv, 3.mkv, etc. Then put them all together in a folder. Then set it to rename everything in the folder "Beavis.and.Butthead.S01EXX.1993.480p.mkv". And have it replace "XX" with increasing numbers. So "1.mkv" would turn into "Beavis.and.Butthead.S01E01.1993.480p.mkv". Make sure you include the year. That makes it easier for Plex to identify it.
Once you get the hang of it, it's quick and easy.
Here's some additional info:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/nam...tv-show-files/
https://www.1-4a.com/rename/
It takes a few minutes to learn how to use it, but it's pretty simple.
I forget exactly how I did it. But I probably named all the files 1.mkv, 2.mkv, 3.mkv, etc. Then put them all together in a folder. Then set it to rename everything in the folder "Beavis.and.Butthead.S01EXX.1993.480p.mkv". And have it replace "XX" with increasing numbers. So "1.mkv" would turn into "Beavis.and.Butthead.S01E01.1993.480p.mkv". Make sure you include the year. That makes it easier for Plex to identify it.
Once you get the hang of it, it's quick and easy.
Here's some additional info:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/nam...tv-show-files/
#61
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Re: Plex
I don't know what the hell happened, because I didn't change anything on my end at all, but I added a couple recently acquired movies to my library and Plex cannot find them in any of its databases. This makes no sense, because one of them is a new copy of a movie I already had in there, that it found without a problem. But now, with this new copy, it's like the movie doesn't exist. I've tried 'obscure' titles as well as popular ones now, and nothing.
I've tried searching online, but I'm not finding any good results. I even followed the Plex naming scheme where I include the IMDB or TMDB ID# in the filename, in curly brackets just as they say, and still nothing. This sucks.
I've tried searching online, but I'm not finding any good results. I even followed the Plex naming scheme where I include the IMDB or TMDB ID# in the filename, in curly brackets just as they say, and still nothing. This sucks.
#62
Moderator
Re: Plex
That happens from time to time. Sometimes there's a minor update that breaks the matching. It's usually fixed in a day or two.
In the meantime, open Plex on your computer. Find your movie and click on the 3 dots in the lower right corner. Select "Fix Match" and under Search Options put the IMDB number (including the "tt") in the Title section. That should bring it up.
In the meantime, open Plex on your computer. Find your movie and click on the 3 dots in the lower right corner. Select "Fix Match" and under Search Options put the IMDB number (including the "tt") in the Title section. That should bring it up.
#63
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
How do people handle different versions of films on Plex? Are they accessible if you put in the same folder? The PG-13 versus unrated versions of Drag Me to Hell play very different. I'd want both accessible, likewise for titles like Almost Famous or LOTR. Or what about 3D films? I suppose a separate library for 3D is an option, but I wouldn't want a separate unrated or director's cut library. How do any of you handle it?
#64
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Re: Plex
So, I save two MKV files, one with each version, and add them both to the library. After they get matched to the correct title, they'll appear as one listing only. I don't like that. So I select the option to 'split' them, and it'll create two listings of the same title. At that point, I edit the titles to add "TC" or "DC" to the end of the title, and I change the artwork on one of them so they aren't identical.
Probably not the best way to go about it, but it works for me. Looks like this:
Probably not the best way to go about it, but it works for me. Looks like this:
![](https://i.imgur.com/OBntD1X.jpeg)
#67
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Re: Plex
Same folder. No matter what, Plex doesn't auto differentiate between different cuts, so it treats them as one movie, but just different copies. Using the Split option, though, you can edit the displayed text and images so they appear unique.
It takes a bit of fiddling to get used to it.
It takes a bit of fiddling to get used to it.
![LOL](/images/smilies/lol.gif)
#68
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
Same folder. No matter what, Plex doesn't auto differentiate between different cuts, so it treats them as one movie, but just different copies. Using the Split option, though, you can edit the displayed text and images so they appear unique.
It takes a bit of fiddling to get used to it.![LOL](/images/smilies/lol.gif)
It takes a bit of fiddling to get used to it.
![LOL](/images/smilies/lol.gif)
I'm glad I don't have more stand-up shows because those don't seem to play as well with the system - at least how I try to categorize. I think it prefers you to call them movies, but I see them as TV since most premiered on HBO. It doesn't seem to like individual entries in TV and wants multiple episodes nested in order to show up in a TV library. I was lucky to find on TVDB that someone had nested George Carlin HBO specials. That was the only way I finally got those to show up right. The individual ones from others are still an issue.
#69
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Plex
Same folder. No matter what, Plex doesn't auto differentiate between different cuts, so it treats them as one movie, but just different copies. Using the Split option, though, you can edit the displayed text and images so they appear unique.
It takes a bit of fiddling to get used to it.![LOL](/images/smilies/lol.gif)
It takes a bit of fiddling to get used to it.
![LOL](/images/smilies/lol.gif)
#70
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Plex
Plex mostly ignores metadata, and just matches on the main movie. I manipulate all of my media in a different program, so my movies are in different folders, but plex still matches on a single movie release. I think it's because, as far as plex is concerned, it's just looking at Movies, not at individual releases (Director's Cut vs. Thetrical). For example, if you go to IMDB and look up Brazil 1985, there's not separate listings for each movie releases.
#71
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Plex
Plex mostly ignores metadata, and just matches on the main movie. I manipulate all of my media in a different program, so my movies are in different folders, but plex still matches on a single movie release. I think it's because, as far as plex is concerned, it's just looking at Movies, not at individual releases (Director's Cut vs. Thetrical). For example, if you go to IMDB and look up Brazil 1985, there's not separate listings for each movie releases.
#73
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Plex
I finally updated my Synology to the latest version (DSM 7) and the Plex app is completely different. Took it several hours to do whatever it needed to do to change all my media, so just a heads up if anyone else hasn't updated yet, make sure you don't want to watch anything immediately. Also don't use the version synology pulls up automatically, I have no idea why but it's some kind of beta version.
#74
DVD Talk God
Re: Plex
If you use Plex, they alerted their consumers they had a data breach. Change your passwords
#75
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Plex
They claim the passwords are salted and hashed but you should go ahead and change them anyway. And generally speaking when it comes to them, don't use one you use on other sites.