Plex

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  • NAS Compatibility [1]

How-To

Fix film metadata / bad matching

  • Go in server library.
  • Select movie, then Fix match....

If movie has several versions available, and one of these is not correct:

  • Select first split apart.

See also this post about upgrading the matching agent.

Use Plex add-on in Kodi

Advantage of using the Kodi add-on is that it has (currently) better direct play support (in particular AC3 audio).

To install Plex add-on in Kodi [2],[3]:

  • Go to Kodi add-on menu
  • Select Download, Videos Add-Ons.
  • Select Plex.
  • Install.

Some settings to consider:

  • Make sure direct play is enabled.
  • Make sure H365 is enabled if supported.
  • Set plex add-on to autostart when Kodi starts (to avoid to navigate to that add-on every time).

Prevent transcode with AC3 / EAC3 audio on Nvidia Shield TV

Although the NVidia shield TV supports AC3 / EAC3 natively, it is transcoded by the support [4], [5]

To prevent that:

  • Use Plex add-on in Kodi, instead of the Plex app on the shield.
  • ???

More on DirectPlay:

Naming convention

References [6]

Recommended folder structure:

   /Media
      /Movies
         movie content
      /Music
         music content
      /TV Shows
         television content
Basic Naming - separate folder
   /Movies
      /Avatar (2009)
         Avatar (2009).mkv
      /Batman Begins (2005)
         Batman Begins (2005).mp4
         Batman Begins (2005).en.srt
         poster.jpg
Basic Naming - standalone files (slower scanning)
   /Movies
      Avatar (2009).mkv
      Batman Begins (2005).mp4
Split across multiple files
Use MovieName (release year) – Split_Name.ext, where Split_Name is cdX, discX, diskX, dvdX, partX or ptX.
   /Movies
      /The Dark Knight (2008)
         The Dark Knight (2008) - pt1.mp4
         The Dark Knight (2008) - pt2.mp4
Subtitles
Must enable the local media assets scanner. Recommended formats are SRT, SMI, SSA (or ASS).
Use
  • MovieName (Release Date).[Language_Code].ext or
  • Movies/MovieName (Release Date).[Language_Code].ext
  • Movies/MovieName (Release Date).[Language_Code].forced.ext
   /Movies
      Avatar (2009).mkv
      Avatar (2009).en.srt
   
   /Movies
      /Avatar (2009)
         Avatar (2009).mkv
         Avatar (2009).eng.ass

Troubleshooting

Issue with playing Lucy

  • Trying to play Lucy (H265 HEVC AC3) on Shield TV -> can't play (error).
  • Looking at the server log, we see there are errors in the transcoder.
  • We also see that server says directplay is disabled
1382:Dec 20, 2020 00:42:18.545 [23009] DEBUG - [Transcode] MDE: Lucy (2014): Direct Play is disabled
1383:Dec 20, 2020 00:42:18.545 [23009] DEBUG - [Transcode] MDE: Lucy (2014): media must be transcoded in order to use the hls protocol
  • When forbidding transcoding on server, shield refuses to play as well (with another msg, but that basically says server tried to transcode but was refused to).
  • It seems transcoding is forced with Shield Plex App because of AC3 audio / E-AC3 audio [7], [8].
  • One solution is to use Plex addon on Kodi [9].
  • Maybe another solution is to install Plex beta app from Plex.
  • In Kodi addon:
  • Select appropriate Plex Server.
  • Make sure direct play is enabled (default).
  • Enable H265 direct play (disabled by default).
  • Optionally, set Plex addon to autostart (when kodi starts, so that to jump to Plex addon directly).
  • ... Turns out that the audio track had a delay, so likely was corrupted in some way.

Miscellaneous issues

  • 'Enhanced' - French SRT subtitles not showing.
  • 'Ghost in the Shell' - can only play french audio, without subtitle.
  • 'Lucy' - Cannot play AC3 audio. Turns out there was an issue in that track anyway (delay).
  • Keep transcoding AC3 media.

To Do

  • Shield TV - Play with Shield audio passthrough settings. See if that enables the direct play of AC3.