Missing Movie: only part 1 shows, though I have files for parts 1 & 2

[RLanger7228 2]

I am in the process of migrating to Emby from Video Station (due to its losing support in future DSM versions).  I added the appropriate shared folders to the Emby Library.  I am manually going through the movie lists, comparing them to make sure each item refers to the correct film, has the correct metadata, images, etc.  The process is a bit tedious, but presumably I will only have to do this once.  Fortunately, I am compulsive enough to have made a spreadsheet with all the content (like a Table of Contents), including IMDB references where possible, which made identifying the correct films infinitely easier..

I have a movie that is in 2 parts, with separate files, titled "Movie - part 1",  and "Movie - part 2".  My Emby movie server correctly automatically identified & indexed part 1, but has ignored part 2, even though part 2 was released several years later & definitely has its own reference in IMDB, etc.  There is not even a separate, incorrectly identified item that I could edit the metadata for (unless automatic indexing completely changed the name so it can't be found in a Search).

 I tried moving the file (and its VSmeta file) using File Station to a non-indexed folder, waited a bit, then moved it back: to force the indexer to recognize it as a new addition.  It still does not appear in the list, and a search for "Movie" still only shows part 1.

The file IS in the appropriate folder, and is findable by search in File Station, but it is not findable in Emby.  Why?  How can I force Emby to recognize the file & show it in the movie list (where I could a least edit the metadata)?

 

I also have a completely different version of this movie, in 3 parts (3 separate files), titled "Movie - disk 1", etc, that are also not showing in Emby's movie list, nor findable in search.  This begs the question: How do I find other movies that might be missing?  I suppose I could have Video Station & Emby open in different tabs, switching back & forth to compare them - also tedious.  But how do I get Emby to recognize the ones that are missing?

[GrimReaper 3670]

1 minute ago, RLanger7228 said:

I have a movie that is in 2 parts, with separate files, titled "Movie - part 1",  and "Movie - part 2".  My Emby movie server correctly automatically identified & indexed part 1, but has ignored part 2, even though part 2 was released several years later & definitely has its own reference in IMDB, etc.

I'm not following this, is that a multi-part movie or two separate movies as part of a franchise? 

[RLanger7228 2]

They are 2 separate movies in 2 separate files.  It is one long story that was made into 2 parts, released 3 years apart.

 

The other version is the same story in 3 parts (also 3 separate movie files), released about 10 years earlier.

Edited Wednesday at 01:18 AM by RLanger7228

[GrimReaper 3670]

Specific example would be required: how are your files and folders named and organized? Have you checked in Part 1 movie detail page if Part 2 was maybe multi-versioned into it, depending on your structure/naming convention used? 

[RLanger7228 2]

file structure:  VIDEOS > ALL OTHER MOVIES > video files themselves

I just looked in the metadata for Movie - part 1: There is only one file in PATH & I see only data references to that movie alone.  How would I see if there were more than one file referenced (multi referenced)?

 

AHA!:  It DOES list part 2 as additional parts in the main data screen for the movie.  The ellipses for part 2 does not list an option to separate it.  How can I get it to appear as a separate film?

 

Also the earlier 3 part version does not appear there at all.  How can I find that one?

Edited Wednesday at 01:31 AM by RLanger7228

[GrimReaper 3670]

Again, it's likely due to your naming convention used - but it's quite hard to speculate based on generalized info provided with no specifics. 

If I had to guess, I'd assume you don't have - at least - (Year) in your movie filename, nor providerId if you'd want to pinpoint it. 

Movie Naming

 

[RLanger7228 2]

Thank you for the naming rules reference.  Because both parts have the same year in the title, that is most likely why they are being grouped together.  Since part 2 was released 3 years later, I will try moving the file out of the indexed folder.  Rename it with the appropriate year in the file name & move it back again.  I will let you know if that works.

 

I will also try that with the other 3 part version to see if that comes up, but the current file names have no year in them.

 

Also, I must say that I am quite impressed and appreciative of your prompt replies!

[RLanger7228 2]

Ok.  I moved part 2 & all 3 parts of the other version out & renamed them (as below) & moved them back:

"Movie 2024 - part 2"  (Original that appears in the main movie listings is "Movie 2021 - Part 1")

"Movie 2000 - Part 1" through part 3 (3 separate files)

 

The 2021 part 2 still appears under the main movie title.  Trying to play it just shows the waiting circle interminably.  Trying to play a different movie that no longer had a file eventually said the media was not available & offered the option to delete it.  So, I went to the ellipses of the part 2 under the main title and manually deleted it.  It is still there, even after refreshing its metadata AND the main title's metadata AND hitting the reload URL button in the browser.

 

The newly renamed 2024 part 2 still does not show up in the main movie listing, nor as a part 2 under the main title.  The renamed 2000 - 3 part version is not showing up either.

 

Unfortunately, I have to get up for work extra early tmrw, so I will have to deal with this tomorrow afternoon.  I will look for your reply at that time.  Thank you again for being so attentive to my questions.

[GrimReaper 3670]

It would really help if you were more specific about which exact movies are those in question, so online databases can be checked. 

Either way, 

13 minutes ago, RLanger7228 said:

"Movie 2024 - part 2" 

"Movie 2021 - Part 1" 

doesn't sound right, it should be something like:

Movie - Part 1 (2021)

Movie - Part 2 (2024) 

or

Movie (2021)

Movie (2024)

if those Part 1 and Part 2 segments are not parts of the official title. 

Ditto for:

16 minutes ago, RLanger7228 said:

"Movie 2000 - Part 1" through part 3 (3 separate files)

 

[RLanger7228 2]

Hi,

     I thought to try moving the files out of the indexed folder again, renaming them the way you suggested above, then moving them back, to see if a different naming convention would solve the problem.  However, when I went to my ALL OTHER MOVIES folder, I found it empty!  I have no idea how that happened, and I will deal with Synology support to look at my logs & try to figure it out.  Fortunately, I have a HyperBackup from which I can restore them, but we are talking about close to 5 TB of data, which will take a while.  Needless to say, I cannot address the missing movie problem with you until I get back my data.  Quite inconvenient.  Weirdest thing.  I will get back to you when the restore is complete.

     In the meantime, I have made a number of custom edits to the Emby version of my collection, the bulk of which was just deleted.  As the films are restored, I assume Emby will see them as new additions & try to reindex them.  I locked the metadata for items that I had edited.  Do you think the metadata I edited will remain intact?  Other folders on my NAS seem unchanged.  Where is the Emby metadata stored?

[GrimReaper 3670]

9 hours ago, RLanger7228 said:

In the meantime, I have made a number of custom edits to the Emby version of my collection, the bulk of which was just deleted.  As the films are restored, I assume Emby will see them as new additions & try to reindex them.

Correct, those will be treated as new items, all previous entries referencing same items would've been removed from the dB. 

9 hours ago, RLanger7228 said:

I locked the metadata for items that I had edited.

That wouldn't apply in this scenario as said above, all previous db references would've been removed at the time items were deleted. 

9 hours ago, RLanger7228 said:

Do you think the metadata I edited will remain intact?

If you save NFOs with your media - yes, otherwise no, they'd be lost unless you have full backup using Backup & Restore plugin which now backs-up your entire programdata folder (or you did it manually). 

9 hours ago, RLanger7228 said:

Where is the Emby metadata stored?

In server metadata folder, varies per platform, you can check exact location/paths for your platform in Dashboard>three-dots menu next to server name>View Server Info. 

Alternatively, if NFOs saved in media folders, they'll contain that as well.

Edited Thursday at 08:21 AM by GrimReaper

[RLanger7228 2]

Hi.  I restored all the video files from a HyperBackup version I had made onto an external HD (at least I HAD a backup).  It took 2 days.  As you said, they were all treated as new items & re-indexed, so I will have to re-edit all the ones I edited before.

Before I ran Emby for the first time after this fiasco, I moved the movies we were talking about out of the indexed folder and renamed them as you suggested, then moved them back:

Movie - part 1 (2021);   Movie - part 2 (2024)

Movie - Part 1 (2000) through part 3

Emby still shows only part 1 as a main movie title, with part 2 as a "sub-movie".  This may be because the backup I restored from still had the old titles, with both having 2021 in the file name.  This time I will make a copy of the movies to the non-indexed folder (leaving the files in the folder for Emby to actually delete) & delete them within emby, so the old indexing will also be deleted along with the files, then return them with the proper naming convention to see if they get indexed properly.

I THINK I FIGURED OUT HOW ALL MY DATA GOT PURGED: When I tried to delete the specific single part 2 video within EMBY, under the main title, I noticed that the dialogue box that told me what would be deleted (screenshot) said "volume1/videos/all other movies", which is the folder from which all the data disappeared.  Odd that deleting a single item would delete an entire folder.  So I CANCELed the deletion.  When I tried to delete the main title itself, the dialogue box said it would only be the single file deleted (though deleting the main title also deleted any reference to part 2).  Search for the title within Emby shows no items (not even the 3 part version).  Though deleted from Emby, the parts 1 & 2 files were still present in the folder in file Station.  Now it seems odd that it deleted an entire folder, but not the individual files.  Inconsistencies in computer behavior frustrate me.  Computers are supposed to follow rules...

I manually deleted the 2021/2024 version files using File Station.  I then moved the properly named copy of those files back into the All Other Movies folder.  They were correctly picked up & identified by Video Station, but no NO titles come up when searching for DUNE within Emby.  Weirder & weirder...  It seems odd to me that they aren't even present improperly identified.

 

On another note:  Can you point me to instructions on how to install (and/or implement) the backup plugin to save future edits?  I had spent over 3 hours correcting improperly identified films, locating thumbnail images, etc.  I would like to make regular backups as I make edits, in case something like this happens again.  I would also like to be able to locate & backup the [Emby setting/metadata backup file(s)] to an iDrive account and a local HD, so placing it(them) in a shared folder/sub-folder already being backed up seems like the best solution.

 

BTW, you said the actual movie title might be helpful:

Dune - part 1 (2021) - IMDB tt1160419.  Dune 2024 - Part 2 - IMDB tt15239678

Dune - parts 1, 2 & 3 (2000).  A TV miniseries - IMDB tt0142032

For whatever it's worth, Video Station identified/indexed them all separately & correctly.

 

I will look for your answer tmrw evening, as I have another early day at work tmrw.  Thank you for your time and patience.

[Carlo 4354]

Hi, you really only want one movie in a folder. Each movie should have its own folder.
You do not want to have media in the root library folder, nor do you want to have nested folder under other folders containing media.

Play it safe and assume if you delete a movie, it will delete the folder containing the movie and any subfolders so that the folder containing the movie can be removed.

Carlo

 

[GrimReaper 3670]

10 hours ago, RLanger7228 said:

BTW, you said the actual movie title might be helpful:

Dune - part 1 (2021) - IMDB tt1160419.  Dune 2024 - Part 2 - IMDB tt15239678

Dune - parts 1, 2 & 3 (2000).  A TV miniseries - IMDB tt0142032

They sure are (and have all of those in my library, don't remeber having any issues, so again it likely comes down to naming convention used):

1. Name those movies:

Dune (2021) [tmdbid=438631]

Dune - Part Two (2024) [tmdb=693134]

2. Dune (2000) is a TV show/miniseries and listed as such with online providers, you can't identify those as movies with neither TMDB nor TVDB, only OMDB is type-agnostic but it's very limited in metadata available so I'd suggest against it, instead:

Name show folder:

Dune (2000) [tvdbid=79551]

Create "Season 1" subfolder within. 

Name 3 parts as:

Dune - S01E01

Dune - S01E02

Dune - S01E03

Place all three files into Season 1 subfolder. 

Move/place Dune (2000) series folder into your TV shows library root. 

3. Scan media library once all steps done. 

(BTW, there's a sequel series Children of Dune (2003) if you wanna follow it up.)

Edited 16 hours ago by GrimReaper

[Neminem 532]

@GrimReaperDo you think @RLanger7228knows that all movies need a /root folder/Movies/Awsome Mover (2019)/Awsome Mover (2019).ext

Something like this.

/Mediaunraid/Movies/Last Man Standing (1996) {TmdbId-9333}/Last Man Standing (1996) {TmdbId-9333}.mkv

I think opp has everything in 

/root folder/

And not divided into movies / series / music ... etc.

@RLanger7228can you show us a screenshot of your folders ?

[GrimReaper 3670]

19 minutes ago, Neminem said:

Do you think @RLanger7228knows that all movies need a /root folder/Movies/Awsome Mover (2019)/Awsome Mover (2019).ext

It is actually not required (it'll simply be treated as multi-movie folder), but it is certainly very much recommended (and as only that structure will allow for certain advanced features) as it'd prevent number of potential issues. 

Im quite positive that OP doesn't have separate folders for each movie but have them all bunched together under Movies root, and I'm basing all my replies on that assumption (Edit: as I am also quite positive that in this particular instance it is only down to (im)proper naming used, as Emby should have no problems importing those two distinct movies in this scenario if correct query was made to the providers/relevant response received.)

19 minutes ago, Neminem said:

I think opp has everything in 

/root folder/

Yes, as said above, I also believe same. 

Edited 14 hours ago by GrimReaper

[Neminem 532]

Ok will watch for the ahh ha moment

[RLanger7228 2]

@Neminem: first screenshot attached  (Disney movies have their own folder for "historical" reasons, not relevant at present).  These folders are under the shared folder VIDEOS (technically, /VOLUME1/VIDEOS/All Other Movies, etc).   All movies are combined "loose" within their respective "master" folders.  TV shows (and documentaries - a separate TV folder) are subdivided into /Individual Show/Season  sub-folders, except for a few shows that I have only one or 2 episodes of, as "examples".  I have been using Synology's Video Station(VS) for 2 years now, and VS was fine with grouped media in a single (or multiple) folder(s), defined as MOVIE or TV in Settings.  Loss of Synology support for it forces me to find alternatives.

Creating individual folders for a catalogue of over 2000 movies (at this point) would be quite an undertaking.  In addition, it would completely mess up a cloud backup to iDrive that I currently have in place, essentially requiring a complete restructuring - a process that might take months over the internet, or a week or 2 if I do an "expedited backup" where they send me a physical HD for a one-time, faster local transfer, but at a significant fee & postal transit time + transfer time x 2 (once at each end).  Initiating this project would be a staggering commitment, and not something I prefer to do unless absolutely required.  I can create individual movie folders for new additions going forward easily enough, though.

Checking Emby today, I see that the 2 current movies (2021 & 2024) have finally been recognized & indexed correctly.  The 3 part 2000 version has been recognized, but not indexed (because it is a TV series, not "technically" a movie).  I can either move it to a TV folder, or just manually edit the metadata for this item.  

What is odd is that only parts 1 & 2 have been recognized as separate movies (with otherwise blank metadata), even though File Station shows all 3 parts as separate files in the same folder.  How long does the indexing process typically take when a new item is added to an Emby defined folder?  Is there a way to "force" Emby to look at & index an individual item?

@GrimReaper: The second screenshot shows the paths, as you suggested above.  I did a File Station search of all shared folders for "EmbyServer", but the search came up empty.  How can I find those folders?  (BTW, thank you for the Children Of Dune reference.  I found it in IMDB.  I will look for the content)

I did a little searching in the Emby knowledge base & found the backup/restore plug-in may suit my needs of protecting all my manual edits.  It could also facilitate transferring settings & metadata to a mirror NAS.  However, this is a "premium" feature & requires a subscription.  Before I invest, I would appreciate reassurance that this will accomplish what I need it to do:  easily backup "custom" metadata & facilitate reliable transfer to a second, remote NAS.  If I could set this up to occur automatically, that would be better.  If I can setup a schedule for it to recur automatically, that would be EVEN better.  If I decide to go the subscription route, I would likely pay for a lifetime license (I dislike the slow, interminable bleed of subscriptions), but want to be confident that Emby is the right way to go.

BTW, what os OP/OPP?