Plex and File Structure/Naming Conventions

[danny_w]

I'm new to Plex and thought that I understood the section in the manual regarding file/directory naming and layout, but after doing a scan it is obvious something is wrong. I keep all of my videos as VIDEO_TS folders, and the Plex manual says to put the folders inside of other folders named for the movie according to IMDB. I have my movies separated by movie type, followed by collection (if any), followed by movie name, followed by the VIDEO_TS folders as such:

Action
---James Bond
------Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
---------VIDEO_TS
------------vobs
------Die Another Day (2002)
---------VIDEO_TS
------------vobs
------Dr. No (1962)
---------VIDEO_TS
------------vobs
------(movie title)
---(collection name)
Comedy
---(collection name)
------(movie title)
...

After scanning/scraping, I ended up with total nonsense (several listings for COMEDIE and several others, they had movies underneath them but you couldn't tell anything from the labels). Is the multi-level directory structure the issue here? Do all movie directories have to be at the root level?

 

[phairphan]

As you've discovered, the scrapper isn't going to work correctly with VIDEO_TS folders and this directory structure. The only way to use your current structure is to convert the VIDEO_TS folders into disc images (iso or img). Alternatively, you can keep them as VIDEO_TS folders, but they really need to be at root. Check out the Plex wiki for further explanation.

 

[danny_w]

As you've discovered, the scrapper isn't going to work correctly with VIDEO_TS folders and this directory structure. The only way to use your current structure is to convert the VIDEO_TS folders into disc images (iso or img). Alternatively, you can keep them as VIDEO_TS folders, but they really need to be at root. Check out the Plex wiki for further explanation.

I found that if I convert that same VIDEO_TS folder to am MKV (using Make MKV) it plays perfectly. And if I name it the same as I had named the VIDEO_TS it also scrapes the same information. If I use MKV can I use a full directory structure? I haven't seen any way so far to select genres in Plex (but I expect there is a way); all VIDEO_TS folders had to be at the root level for the scraper to work correctly.

 

[phairphan]

Yes, if you convert everything to mkv files, you can keep your current directory structure. Plex will scrape based on the file name of the mkv and not the name of the directory, as with VIDEO_TS sources. You'll have to turn on recursive scanning.

I don't use genres, so there may be a way. Someone else will have to chime in on that.

 

[Oneness]

Danny - Sorry I didn't get back with you on your last post...
Anyway, I have my movies as Video_TS files and here is how I have my directory (I will only give the subdirectories on the Video partition):

1 TB External Hard Drive: 3 Partitions
Music
Bootable OSX
Video
--TV Shows
--Movies (this is my .avi, .mkv, .m4p movies)
--DVD (this is my Video_TS movies)
-----3:10 to Yuma (2007)
-------Video_TS folder
-----Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
-------Video_TS folder
-----etc........

Now, when you go into PLEX and set up your sources I found that I had to navigate inside the folder I wanted PLEX to scan for PLEX to scan my movies correctly - so instead of just pointing PLEX to the DVD folder in my Video partition (when I did this I got 124 movies that were scanned as 'Dad's Army' - a 1960's British comedy!!) I actually navigated (inside of PLEX in the 'Add Source' section) to '3:10 to Yuma' (my first movie in the the DVD folder) and selected that as my source. Once I did this the pathway that appeared in the 'Source' section was 'users/Ted/Video/DVD' even though I had actually navigated to the first movie in my DVD folder and selected it. My movies scanned correctly after doing it this way and they all play correctly. Also, once I pointed PLEX to my DVD folder I added another source that pointed to my MOVIES folder and named both of these sources 'Movies'. I then added another source that pointed to my TV SHOWS folder and of course named that 'TV Shows'.

As far as genres go if you are in PLEX and go to 'Watch My Movies' you can push the 'right arrow' key on the your keyboard and it will bring up an option to sort movies by 'genre', 'year', 'type' and other stuff.

Hope this helps.

 

[danny_w]

Danny - Sorry I didn't get back with you on your last post...
Anyway, I have my movies as Video_TS files and here is how I have my directory (I will only give the subdirectories on the Video partition):

1 TB External Hard Drive: 3 Partitions
Music
Bootable OSX
Video
--TV Shows
--Movies (this is my .avi, .mkv, .m4p movies)
--DVD (this is my Video_TS movies)
-----3:10 to Yuma (2007)
-------Video_TS folder
-----Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
-------Video_TS folder
-----etc........

Now, when you go into PLEX and set up your sources I found that I had to navigate inside the folder I wanted PLEX to scan for PLEX to scan my movies correctly - so instead of just pointing PLEX to the DVD folder in my Video partition (when I did this I got 124 movies that were scanned as 'Dad's Army' - a 1960's British comedy!!) I actually navigated (inside of PLEX in the 'Add Source' section) to '3:10 to Yuma' (my first movie in the the DVD folder) and selected that as my source. Once I did this the pathway that appeared in the 'Source' section was 'users/Ted/Video/DVD' even though I had actually navigated to the first movie in my DVD folder and selected it. My movies scanned correctly after doing it this way and they all play correctly. Also, once I pointed PLEX to my DVD folder I added another source that pointed to my MOVIES folder and named both of these sources 'Movies'. I then added another source that pointed to my TV SHOWS folder and of course named that 'TV Shows'.

As far as genres go if you are in PLEX and go to 'Watch My Movies' you can push the 'right arrow' key on the your keyboard and it will bring up an option to sort movies by 'genre', 'year', 'type' and other stuff.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, I'll have to try that. So your DVD video_ts movies play correctly from the library, without having to browse to them? I had given up on Plex completely because it wouldn't play my video_ts folders even if I browsed to them. What version of Plex are you using? What version of OS X?

 

[Oneness]

Thanks, I'll have to try that. So your DVD video_ts movies play correctly from the library, without having to browse to them? I had given up on Plex completely because it wouldn't play my video_ts folders even if I browsed to them. What version of Plex are you using? What version of OS X?

I am using PLEX 0.8.2 and Snow Leopard.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'browse', but yes I go to either 'Watch My Videos' or 'Watch My Movies' and 'browse' thru my movies and hit play and PLEX plays them without any problem.

Be sure and when you add your source and then choose the 'Set Content' field that you choose 'Browse by folder' and do not choose 'Scan Recursively'