Plex Shows No Metadata

[kumquat]

Is anyone else finding that Plex (which sounds great in theory) is refusing to pull any of the metadata they have encoded into their files with Meta X/Z and/or by hand in iTunes? I have about 500 movies and 3 times that TV episodes all of which I have meticulously added metadata and artwork to and Plex refuses to add any of it. Why do people like this software? It's useless. Did it actually pull the metadata when it was an app and not just web based for Macs? There's no way I'm re-adding all that metadata/artwork. I was excited to use it because my TV has a front end for Plex build in. And my Mini communicates with it wonderfully. But it's hideous without artwork and useless without metadata. Can XMBC communicate with an LG MediaLink front end?

 

[Darby67]

Have you taken a few minutes to take a look at the Plex FAQ? Pretty simple and many of your questions would be answered there. You could even post a question on their forum. I have no problems with Plex, as long as your agents set-up is correct and you have named your files in the proper format.

 

[waw74]

Why do people like this software?

I like it because it works for me.
and also seems to work for quite a few others.

It's useless.

guessing it's not the software that's the problem.

when it was an app and not just web based for Macs?

it's all web based now, no matter on what OS you're running the server on.

 

[kumquat]

If the software works, why is there thread after thread after thread, post after post after post, going back years about how Plex cannot properly scrape metadata? It simply does not work and hasn't for a long time, if ever. A program which is supposed to scrape metadata and fails to do so on over 3,000 media files all of which already have metadata embedded is a failure of a product.

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Have you taken a few minutes to take a look at the Plex FAQ? Pretty simple and many of your questions would be answered there. You could even post a question on their forum. I have no problems with Plex, as long as your agents set-up is correct and you have named your files in the proper format.

Darby, my files are in the correct format and yes I've read their FAQ. The software doesn't work. The scraper doesn't work. It's useless.

 

[waw74]

It simply does not work

for you.

Have you checked you agents, in order to use embedded tags, you need to have "local media assets" enabled, and probably at the top of the list for best results.

You'll have much better luck using the naming guide


in looking back at your original post, I think I may have found part of your problem...

is refusing to pull any of the metadata they have encoded into their files with Meta X/Z and/or by hand in iTunes?

iTunes doesn't modify the files, it only adds the metadata to it's own library database. so the files are tagless.

for easy tagging i recommend identify

 

[Darby67]

If the software works, why is there thread after thread after thread, post after post after post, going back years about how Plex cannot properly scrape metadata? It simply does not work and hasn't for a long time, if ever. A program which is supposed to scrape metadata and fails to do so on over 3,000 media files all of which already have metadata embedded is a failure of a product.

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Darby, my files are in the correct format and yes I've read their FAQ. The software doesn't work. The scraper doesn't work. It's useless.

You are correct, there are many posts going back years, but the vast majority, if not all come down to user error. When naming formats, set-up of agents and proper separation of movies vs. tv shows are finally shared by people complaining, there is always something set incorrectly. Intermingling movies and tv and incorrect file naming structure are common.

Instead of complaining, share exactly what you have movies and tv shows like, your agents etc. Bottom line is Plex just works, it takes some time to follow the rules necessary: crap in, crap out. Far from useless.

 

[kumquat]

You are correct, there are many posts going back years, but the vast majority, if not all come down to user error. When naming formats, set-up of agents and proper separation of movies vs. tv shows are finally shared by people complaining, there is always something set incorrectly. Intermingling movies and tv and incorrect file naming structure are common.

Instead of complaining, share exactly what you have movies and tv shows like, your agents etc. Bottom line is Plex just works, it takes some time to follow the rules necessary: crap in, crap out. Far from useless.

I have 400 accurately titled mp4 movies with all of their metadata intact in a file called Movies. Plex shows metadata for none of them nor any artwork. You want me to list them all? For TV shows, it gives no art for 90% of the episodes and sometimes a very short and often incorrect episode description with no, little or incorrect metadata for the actors, director, writers, etc. Again, these mp4s, too, all have their artwork and full metadata imbedded and are organized by episode number, season, show and finally in a folder called TV Shows. There is no user error at play. Plex does not work. It cannot scrape metadata. It does not perform the function it is supposed to perform. And the developers do not care. And for some reason people are fanatical about a completely non-functioning piece of software. Plex is garbage.

 

[Idgit]

Works nearly perfectly for me. Once and a while I get a movie that Plex won't recognize but if I 'touch' the file in the Terminal, it scans.

You clearly have something messed up in your setup. Do you have each movie in its own folder with the movie year in parentheses? Are the TV series in each of their own folders?

I have 400 accurately titled mp4 movies with all of their metadata intact in a file called Movies. Plex shows metadata for none of them nor any artwork. You want me to list them all? For TV shows, it gives no art for 90% of the episodes and sometimes a very short and often incorrect episode description with no, little or incorrect metadata for the actors, director, writers, etc. Again, these mp4s, too, all have their artwork and full metadata imbedded and are organized by episode number, season, show and finally in a folder called TV Shows. There is no user error at play. Plex does not work. It cannot scrape metadata. It does not perform the function it is supposed to perform. And the developers do not care. And for some reason people are fanatical about a completely non-functioning piece of software. Plex is garbage.

 

[Darby67]

I have 400 accurately titled mp4 movies with all of their metadata intact in a file called Movies. Plex shows metadata for none of them nor any artwork. You want me to list them all?

Sure, as mentioned months ago, please share. Guessing by how you described "a file called Movies" that it is 100% user error. Let's see names and total folder hierarchy: a screen shot of all of it would do the trick. You should also screen shot your agent prefs.

No fanaticism here, I use Plex because it just works flawlessly. User error looks to be the culprit.

 

[blevins321]

Works perfectly for my 856 movies and 101 complete TV series (~7000 files over ~500 folders totaling 4.2TB). With the exception of the occasional foreign movie poster, I've never had a problem with any of it. I even subscribed to become a lifetime member