Plex General Discussion And Troubleshooting Thread (1 Viewer)

[John Dirk]

If Plex is inserting a frame from the film it usually means it hasn't matched the film. For me that's usually because I didn't have a year in the title, or it was the wrong year.

I think you're right but, if a film was previously matched, why would it automatically change to unmatched. Or maybe I somehow updated the poster but never properly matched the title? I do remember in many [if not most] cases, the year was indeed missing.

I'm not sure what you mean here. I use mkv almost exclusively and there's I've not run into anything that Plex limits for mkv's. If you were trying to add your own image to an mkv file, then you can do that using the utility MkvToolNix (it's free); although I've never had to do that to keep a selected poster in Plex (I use it to add a poster to some of my home videos).

I was referring to manually selecting poster art, as had been suggested back in post #3. With MKV's the poster choices are automatically pulled from the web [presumably TMDB] which removes the option to use local art but not to select manually from the options presented. I haven't heard of MKVToolNix but I'm not interested in manually editing every title anyway. Now that I understand how to do so, I'll start enabling the Lock option on title and poster fields whenever I touch them going forward.

I'm still learning about Plex and hope library maintenance will become simpler once I have a better grasp.

 

[Al.Anderson]

I think you're right but, if a film was previously matched, why would it automatically change to unmatched. Or maybe I somehow updated the poster but never properly matched the title? I do remember in many [if not most] cases, the year was indeed missing.

It could unmatch if tvdb or TMDB was edited after your previous scan; but I'd guess your 2nd option is more likely.

With MKV's the poster choices are automatically pulled from the web [presumably TMDB] which removes the option to use local art but not to select manually from the options presented

It pulls from the web for other file types too.

I just did a quick test and put a new mkv and mp4 file in 'movies' with local artwork. It grabbed the local artwork for both types of files. So far, so good. (Agent: Plex Movie, Use Local Assets: Y) When I removed the local artwork and re-Scanned it correctly used the DB artwork for the mkv - BUT - did not replace the mp4 artwork. Next I Refreshed Metadata and it removed the local artwork but used what looks like your random frame! I had to do the Plex Dance (remove the file, scan, re-add the file, scan) to get the default artwork again for the mp4. So yeah, not perfect.

I agree that once you settle in you'll get used to it and it won't take as much effort. Except for Music, I'm constatly fussing with my CD artwork.

 

[John Dirk]

I just did a quick test and put a new mkv and mp4 file in 'movies' with local artwork. It grabbed the local artwork for both types of files. So far, so good. (Agent: Plex Movie, Use Local Assets: Y) When I removed the local artwork and re-Scanned it correctly used the DB artwork for the mkv - BUT - did not replace the mp4 artwork. Next I Refreshed Metadata and it removed the local artwork but used what looks like your random frame! I had to do the Plex Dance (remove the file, scan, re-add the file, scan) to get the default artwork again for the mp4. So yeah, not perfect.

I agree that once you settle in you'll get used to it and it won't take as much effort. Except for Music, I'm constatly fussing with my CD artwork.

When I started with Plex [and pretty much ever since,] the vast majority of my efforts went into building up my various libraries. I'm at a pretty good place on that front, so now I'm trying to spend some time studying support articles, etc., to learn how to get the most out of it. This thread was created with that in mind and has already been quite helpful. If others are using it relatively pain-free then I'm confident I will get there in time.

 

[Nelson Au]

Hi John, I’ve subscribed to this thread!

I started used Plex about 5-6 years ago. The time has flown by. I’ll be interested in learning more about yours and others hardware set-up if that’s not outside of the bounds of this topic. I’m reaching a point of considering a NAS.

I like the ability to now access so much of my blu ray and DVD collections as I’ve converted them to MKV files!

 

[John Dirk]

Hi John, I’ve subscribed to this thread!

I started used Plex about 5-6 years ago. The time has flown by. I’ll be interested in learning more about yours and others hardware set-up if that’s not outside of the bounds of this topic. I’m reaching a point of considering a NAS.

I like the ability to now access so much of my blu ray and DVD collections as I’ve converted them to MKV files!

Hi Nelson,

Not out of bounds at all as far as I'm concerned. I have a Synology 923+ NAS with a current compliment of (3) 12TB drives in Synology's Hybrid RAID configuration. This gives me about 22TB of available storage.

I use my HTPC as the Plex server. The NAS can also handle Plex server duties but it's hardware is nowhere near as powerful as my HTPC. I started with an NVidia Shield Pro for my main client but soon found the Plex HTPC app provided about the same functionality and got rid of the Shield.

I underestimated the learning curve for library building and maintenance. I now wish I'd spent some time familiarizing myself with file naming conventions, etc. before I started adding content, but we live and learn. I'm up to about 400 feature films and 30 or so TV shows now and still have at least 14TB available. I'll probably get a Plex Pass at some point just to support continued development, although I see no practical need for it.

 

[ScottHM]

I’ll be interested in learning more about yours and others hardware set-up if that’s not outside of the bounds of this topic. I’m reaching a point of considering a NAS.

I'm running Plex Server as an app on my TrueNAS Scale NAS. The hardware for my NAS is a Dell PowerEdge T430 server I've had since 2016. I recently upgraded the server's CPU and RAM from the original 8-core processor and 32GB RAM to a 14-Core processor and 128GB of RAM for about $200. I'm running eight 12TB HDDs in a RAIDZ2 configuration (similar to RAID 6) for about 60TB of usable storage. I have over 12,000 video files on the server using about 23TB of storage.

I'll probably get a Plex Pass at some point just to support continued development, although I see no practical need for it.

I got a Plex Pass a year or so ago when they had a discount, and the feature I like the best is the ability to have different editions of a film side by side on the server. This page explains about that: Plex movie editions.
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[John Dirk]

I'm running Plex Server as an app on my TrueNAS Scale NAS. The hardware for my NAS is a Dell PowerEdge T430 server I've had since 2016. I recently upgraded the server's CPU and RAM from the original 8-core processor and 32GB RAM to a 14-Core processor and 128GB of RAM for about $200. I'm running eight 12TB HDDs in a RAIDZ2 configuration (similar to RAID 6) for about 60TB of usable storage. I have over 12,000 video files on the server using about 23TB of storage.

Oh Yea!!!

The computer geek buried [not so deep] inside me longs for additional cores, terabytes and RAM but I can't really justify these things for my setup. I doubt I'll ever fill up the remaining space I have as I also plan to prune my library over time. Of course, when the time is right, that's not gonna stop me from filling up the remaining bay in my NAS with at least another 12TB.

Fortunately I can indulge vicariously through fine folks such as yourself!

 

[Nelson Au]

Hi Nelson,

Not out of bounds at all as far as I'm concerned. I have a Synology 923+ NAS with a current compliment of (3) 12TB drives in Synology's Hybrid RAID configuration. This gives me about 22TB of available storage.

I use my HTPC as the Plex server. The NAS can also handle Plex server duties but it's hardware is nowhere near as powerful as my HTPC. I started with an NVidia Shield Pro for my main client but soon found the Plex HTPC app provided about the same functionality and got rid of the Shield.

I underestimated the learning curve for library building and maintenance. I now wish I'd spent some time familiarizing myself with file naming conventions, etc. before I started adding content, but we live and learn. I'm up to about 400 feature films and 30 or so TV shows now and still have at least 14TB available. I'll probably get a Plex Pass at some point just to support continued development, although I see no practical need for it.

Thanks John!

My set-up is a mid 2012 Mac Pro 12 core, the last tower before the cylinder was introduced. This is what I started my Plex journey with. It’s been updated with a SSD start up drive earlier this year as the original drive was going bad. I liked this computer for now as it can handle 4 hard drives internally. One drive is now an SSD as I said for the start-up and keeping files I’m working on for fun and work. There are two 14TB drives now that are nearly full, so I third drive will likely be added. I’ve been experimenting with Google Chrome and Firefox for web browser duty for Plex. Mostly using Firefox now. The Mac’s OS is limited as it’s so old, the modern OS are not supported on this Mac, so I had to use third party web browsers. The Mac Pro has a Pioneer blu ray drive in the second drive bay where I rip blu rays.

From the Mac, it’s serving two Apple TV’s connected to my large screen displays and a couple of iPad Pro’s.

In the near future, I want to learn what Blu ray drives I can use to rip 4K UHD discs. in looking at the Plex forums, there is a lot of drives, but they need firmware updates to make them capable of ripping 4K UHD discs. It’s a bit overwhelming and confusing. And as I noted above, I want to look at replacing my Mac as the server with a NAS and possibly using a newer Mac, maybe Mac Mini as the computer so it’s a dedicated computer for Plex.

One of the problems I’ve been having before I changed to the SSD drive in the Mac is once a week, when I try to access a movie or TV show via the Apple TV running Infuse, it says it can’t access the server. I had to shut down my Mac and start-up and then it’s working again. Also after a few days, MakeMKV will loose the blu ray drive. The only fix is to again shut off the Mac and start-up and then it can see the drive again.

I’ve also seen Plex replace some movie posters and TV show art too. I’ve replaced the art manually Amd it’s been ok.

Overall, the system is running better with the SSD start-up drive. But still have the issue of the blu ray drive going missing requiring a restart. This has been a real game changer for me as now I can easily watch TV shows much more conveniently! By the way, initially Plex allowed me to watch the extra content I ripped from the movies such as featurettes and shorts. But I see now I need to upgrade my Plex to unlock at capability.

 

[ScottHM]

I didn't think i really needed those resources for Plex either, but I've seen a marked improvement in performance since upgrading, particularly in scrolling through my films or when skipping through a video looking for a scene. But that may just be a side effect of TrueNAS being a lot happier.
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[Nelson Au]

I'm running Plex Server as an app on my TrueNAS Scale NAS. The hardware for my NAS is a Dell PowerEdge T430 server I've had since 2016. I recently upgraded the server's CPU and RAM from the original 8-core processor and 32GB RAM to a 14-Core processor and 128GB of RAM for about $200. I'm running eight 12TB HDDs in a RAIDZ2 configuration (similar to RAID 6) for about 60TB of usable storage. I have over 12,000 video files on the server using about 23TB of storage.


I got a Plex Pass a year or so ago when they had a discount, and the feature I like the best is the ability to have different editions of a film side by side on the server. This page explains about that: Plex movie editions.
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Scott, thanks for the hardware info for your set-up. I’ll be researching that info!

 

[Nelson Au]

Hi Nelson,

Not out of bounds at all as far as I'm concerned. I have a Synology 923+ NAS with a current compliment of (3) 12TB drives in Synology's Hybrid RAID configuration. This gives me about 22TB of available storage.

I use my HTPC as the Plex server. The NAS can also handle Plex server duties but it's hardware is nowhere near as powerful as my HTPC. I started with an NVidia Shield Pro for my main client but soon found the Plex HTPC app provided about the same functionality and got rid of the Shield.

I underestimated the learning curve for library building and maintenance. I now wish I'd spent some time familiarizing myself with file naming conventions, etc. before I started adding content, but we live and learn. I'm up to about 400 feature films and 30 or so TV shows now and still have at least 14TB available. I'll probably get a Plex Pass at some point just to support continued development, although I see no practical need for it.

John, I’ll be researching the hardware items in your system as I gather more intelligence! Thanks!

 

[JohnRice]

In the near future, I want to learn what Blu ray drives I can use to rip 4K UHD discs. in looking at the Plex forums, there is a lot of drives, but they need firmware updates to make them capable of ripping 4K UHD discs. It’s a bit overwhelming and confusing. And as I noted above, I want to look at replacing my Mac as the server with a NAS and possibly using a newer Mac, maybe Mac Mini as the computer so it’s a dedicated computer for Plex.

There are a couple guys on the MakeMKV forum who sell drives with the reverted firmware already installed. I looked into it, and the process of downgrading firmware was too cryptic for me, especially on a Mac.

Just keep in mind the amount of space UHDs take up.

 

[Nelson Au]

There are a couple guys on the MakeMKV forum who sell drives with the reverted firmware already installed. I looked into it, and the process of downgrading firmware was too cryptic for me, especially on a Mac.

Just keep in mind the amount of space UHDs take up.

Thanks John. Agreed the process of doing the firmware was putting me off. Maybe after I investigate it more, it won’t seem so intimidating. That’s cool you found some people who sell the drives with the firmware installed.

And yes, if I do convert UHD’s, I’ll need to be mindful of the drive space. This is one reason I hope new UHD’s come with a blu ray too included. But this is no longer always the case. So that’s why I’m interested in ripping a UHD. One can also downconvert the UHD rip to a 1080 version. But I’d want to keep the UHD rip too. So still, there is the problem of storage space.

 

[ScottHM]

...still, there is the problem of storage space.

Speaking of storage space, I do hope everyone has a backup of their Plex libraries. I, for one, would HATE to have to re-rip any significant portion of my video library (a lot of my old WB DVDs have since become unplayable). I have four 8TB USB HDDs attached to my PC (I bought them during sales) and the files and folder structure of my Plex libraries are spread out across those four drives. Everything is ripped at my PC, and I copy the video to my NAS and then to a backup drive. It's a bit more money and trouble, but it gives me some peace of mind.
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[John Dirk]

My set-up is a mid 2012 Mac Pro 12 core, the last tower before the cylinder was introduced. This is what I started my Plex journey with. It’s been updated with a SSD start up drive earlier this year as the original drive was going bad. I liked this computer for now as it can handle 4 hard drives internally. One drive is now an SSD as I said for the start-up and keeping files I’m working on for fun and work. There are two 14TB drives now that are nearly full, so I third drive will likely be added. I’ve been experimenting with Google Chrome and Firefox for web browser duty for Plex. Mostly using Firefox now. The Mac’s OS is limited as it’s so old, the modern OS are not supported on this Mac, so I had to use third party web browsers. The Mac Pro has a Pioneer blu ray drive in the second drive bay where I rip blu rays.

I'm a lifelong PC guy and know virtually nothing about the MAC world but I suspect the majority of your issues are likely emulation based. Plex for HTPC is available natively on MAC OS 13.13 or later, according to the Plex site. I have not been able to get hi res audio to play using the browser version.
Regardless of your platform, however, 28 TB of data with no RAID protection is something I'd be looking to remedy as fast as possible. I gave up on the idea of ripping UHD discs. Easier to just pop in the physical disc or look into a streaming alternative.

 

[John Dirk]

I didn't think i really needed those resources for Plex either, but I've seen a marked improvement in performance since upgrading, particularly in scrolling through my films or when skipping through a video looking for a scene. But that may just be a side effect of TrueNAS being a lot happier.
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What resources are you referring to?

I do feel Plex is inexplicably slow at times, considering I have a 1GB Internet connection. For example, when I select a title, it can take upwards of 30 seconds before all of the metadata is available and the title is ready to play. I figure this is probably on their end as the data is coming from the web. My 923+ does support NVMe drives but I haven't yet confirmed whether or not this would provide a significant boost in performance. Need to find my bottleneck before I start trying to eliminate it.

 

[ScottHM]

when I select a title, it can take upwards of 30 seconds before all of the metadata is available and the title is ready to play. I figure this is probably on their end as the data is coming from the web.

I don't think so. It initially pulls from the web but then it's stored on the Plex Server. See here.

I think in my case the upgrade from 32GB of RAM to 128GB of RAM made the most difference, but this is probably due to the way TrueNAS and its ZFS file system works. But... the CPU might also have a larger impact than I imagine, as i went from an 8-core/8-thread CPU to a 14-core/28-thread CPU. I would suggest monitoring the RAM and CPU utilization of your HTPC while it's browsing and playing videos. Also, is you Plex Media Server installed on spinning discs or SSD?
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[Nelson Au]

Speaking of storage space, I do hope everyone has a backup of their Plex libraries. I, for one, would HATE to have to re-rip any significant portion of my video library (a lot of my old WB DVDs have since become unplayable). I have four 8TB USB HDDs attached to my PC (I bought them during sales) and the files and folder structure of my Plex libraries are spread out across those four drives. Everything is ripped at my PC, and I copy the video to my NAS and then to a backup drive. It's a bit more money and trouble, but it gives me some peace of mind.
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Regardless of your platform, however, 28 TB of data with no RAID protection is something I'd be looking to remedy as fast as possible. I gave up on the idea of ripping UHD discs. Easier to just pop in the physical disc or look into a streaming alternative.

That’s a fair concern. I put many hours of time into ripping TV shows and going through the effort to properly title them with season and episode number and title. Plus all the effort to title the supliments materials in the movies. So yes, this is why I’m wondering about an external enclosure to place several drives in so that some of the drives could be back-up.

And yes, for 4K UHD discs, I watch them then old fashioned way.

 

[John Dirk]

I don't think so. It initially pulls from the web but then it's stored on the Plex Server. See here.

I think in my case the upgrade from 32GB of RAM to 128GB of RAM made the most difference, but this is probably due to the way TrueNAS and its ZFS file system works. But... the CPU might also have a larger impact than I imagine, as i went from an 8-core/8-thread CPU to a 14-core/28-thread CPU. I would suggest monitoring the RAM and CPU utilization of your HTPC while it's browsing and playing videos. Also, is you Plex Media Server installed on spinning discs or SSD?
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My Plex server is running on a Windows 10 system with the following basic hardware:
=====================================================================
System Manufacturer ASUS
System Model All Series
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4690K CPU @ 3.50GHz, 3501 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 2205, 2/12/2015
SMBIOS Version 2.8
Embedded Controller Version 255.255
BIOS Mode UEFI
BaseBoard Manufacturer ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
BaseBoard Product Z97-AR
BaseBoard Version Rev 1.xx
Platform Role Desktop
Secure Boot State On
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 16.0 GB
Boot drive 250 GB SSD with about 113GB free
====================================================================

Given my Synology 923+ and the NVidia Shield both include native Plex server apps [and have vastly inferior hardware compliments] I assumed my HTPC would be overkill.

I noticed tonight, and on other occasions, when I start Plex for HTPC, even if I step away while it loads, the film I select sometimes starts with choppy playback. It normalizes within a few seconds but it's there. I'm thinking the NAS is somehow causing this as it's slow outside of Plex duties as well. Being new to Synology, I wasn't really sure what to expect performance wise. One of these days I'll hopefully have enough spare time to do a deep dive.

 

[ScottHM]

My Plex server is running on a Windows 10 system with the following basic hardware...

You're right, that should be more than enough I think. If you're experiencing slowdowns and pauses only on the HTPC and everything else plays back fine I would look into any AV software you have loaded. You may want to try and exclude those drives or folders that contain your media from scans.

I noticed tonight, and on other occasions, when I start Plex for HTPC, even if I step away while it loads, the film I select sometimes starts with choppy playback. It normalizes within a few seconds but it's there. I'm thinking the NAS is somehow causing this as it's slow outside of Plex duties as well. Being new to Synology, I wasn't really sure what to expect performance wise. One of these days I'll hopefully have enough spare time to do a deep dive.

I'm not very familiar with Synology either. I do use one at work as a backup target for my desktop, but I rarely have need to read from it.
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