Cast & Crew Images Don't Display As They Should

[parhamsan 12]

4 minutes ago, jaycedk said:

Hmm strange.

The only id that we do not have in common is TheTVDB, mine is blank.

took out TheTVDB Id and here is the result:

 

Same wrong cast, different images lol. May I ask which version of emby server are you using?

[pünktchen 1258]

Does the metadata path and the ids of Jon Bernthal point to Jon Bernthal or Chris Pratt?

[jaycedk 378]

Here is my IDs for Chris Pratt.

[parhamsan 12]

13 minutes ago, jaycedk said:

Here is my IDs for Chris Pratt.

That's a very good point; here is the issue:

 

Manually changed them, the id for the actor is correct but the image doesn't change. does that mean I have to manually change the images and lock them wow!!

 

[jaycedk 378]

Guess that would be the way.

And then lock it.

[parhamsan 12]

Just now, parhamsan said:

That's a very good point; here is the issue:

 

Manually changed them, the id for the actor is correct but the image doesn't change. does that mean I have to manually change the images and lock them wow!!

 

on John Wick the actor is completely wrong cast, but the actor title and sort are correct!

[parhamsan 12]

3 minutes ago, jaycedk said:

Guess that would be the way.

And then lock it.

Wow, that is a lot of work. BTW, may I ask your emby server version. Also you think this is the issue with Emby server or with the Metadata fetchers?

[jaycedk 378]

My server version.

Tbh i'm not sure, I have not experienced the issue my self.

All my files are/folderes are named like this

Folder = Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) {TmdbId-447365}

Video = Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) {TmdbId-447365} [WEBDL-1080p][EAC3 Atmos 5.1][h264].mkv

Subs = Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) {TmdbId-447365} [WEBDL-1080p][EAC3 Atmos 5.1][h264].en.srt

Edited August 4, 2023 by jaycedk

[parhamsan 12]

24 minutes ago, jaycedk said:

My server version.

Tbh i'm not sure, I have not experienced the issue my self.

All my files are/folderes are named like this

Folder = Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) {TmdbId-447365}

Video = Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) {TmdbId-447365} [WEBDL-1080p][EAC3 Atmos 5.1][h264].mkv

Subs = Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) {TmdbId-447365} [WEBDL-1080p][EAC3 Atmos 5.1][h264].en.srt

Thanks for your help, but unfortunately all my people database are corrupted a lot of names don't match. I think after installing a certain server version emby messed up the people database.

The funny thing even after installing a fresh emby server on my desktop, this is still happening, so I am assuming it must be from emby server.

Thanks for your help again. but this definitely has not been resolved!!!

[parhamsan 12]

Hi Luke,

Any idea why this would happen on a new installation of Emby?

Thanks.

[pünktchen 1258]

44 minutes ago, parhamsan said:

Hi Luke,

Any idea why this would happen on a new installation of Emby?

Thanks.

Did you make sure there were no leftovers in "C:\Users\PARHAM\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\metadata\people" for your new installation?

[parhamsan 12]

1 minute ago, pünktchen said:

Did you make sure there were no leftovers in "C:\Users\PARHAM\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\metadata\people" for your new installation?

I am 99% sure but let me do it again just to make sure, maybe I can make a video and share it.

Will keep you posted, thanks.

[pünktchen 1258]

On Windows you can also easily create a portable install. Just extract https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.Releases/releases/download/4.7.13.0/embyserver-win-x64-4.7.13.0.7z to some folder and start it from there.

[parhamsan 12]

3 hours ago, parhamsan said:

I am 99% sure but let me do it again just to make sure, maybe I can make a video and share it.

Will keep you posted, thanks.

Luke,

I can confirm that with the new installation of the Emby Server (obviously on my desktop) the cast and crew are working now. What I Realized is that the structure of the people on the newly installed Emby is different form the my main server:

Fresh install:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\metadata\people

a,b,c,d,....

and under each folder the name-tmdb-xxxxx

 

My Old Server:

I shut down the server deleted the people folder, Executed SQL suggested by freddyfinn

 

UPDATE MediaItems
SET ProviderIds = NULL,
    PresentationUniqueKey = NULL,
    Images = NULL,
    UserDataKeyID = NULL,
    UserDataKey = NULL

And now a lot of cast and crew are finally fixed but still some movies are recognizing the wrong cast:

 

 

Also how do you run a scheduled task to refresh the people? I can't seem to find to add that task?

BTW, the format of the people on the server is just like this:

 

I'm just one step to fix this issue, thanks for the support!!! Please help!

[parhamsan 12]

OK, So this is what I found, there is a corruption in the people database and where they are pointing to:

For example Emby is recognizing the correct cast and crew but the Title and sort title names are different. Also it is still pointing to a location that no longer exists.

Is there any way to Null or reset this filed in the library.db similar to 

UPDATE MediaItems
SET ProviderIds = NULL,
    PresentationUniqueKey = NULL,
    Images = NULL,
    UserDataKeyID = NULL,
    UserDataKey = NULL

Thanks.

 

After I deleted the people folder 

[parhamsan 12]

Ok so I finally fixed the issue.

 

Before going into the details, I take no responsibly if you corrupt your Emby database further more, so you are doing this at your own risk!!! Make sure to backup the files and folders I mentioned in this guide so you can always revert back!!! I just made this guide for dummies like myself :).

All the credit goes to freddyfinn, Carlo, PenkethBoy, Happy2Play, and Luke for making this possible.

This guide is going to be for people who are also suffering from either corrupted/missing peoples images (or people images not loading), or Emby not recognizing the correct cast and crew. I am not going to details why this has happened at first place and concentrate more on how to fix it since I spend so much time on this matter:

1- Before you do anything make sure to backup 2 important files/folders.

a. The first folder would be your "People" or "people" folder located in "C:\Users\(YourUserName)\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\metadata". In my case it was "People" folder. Create a folder on your desktop or anywhere you like and copy the folder (make a backup just in case, later one you will have to delete "people" folder).

b. The Second file (probably the most important file on your Emby Server) is your "library.db" file. This file might be in 2 locations:

C:\Users\(YourUserName)\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\data

or

C:\Users\(YourUserName)\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\data

In my case I had both files but after further investigation (and from the size of the file) I had to mess around and change the database in the "C:\Users\(YourUserName)\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\data" location. See screenshot below:

Ignore the "library.db.org" and "library - Copy.db" files, as those are my backups of each original file in that folder. Make sure to backup both; but for me, as mentioned before the first file with the bigger size had all the Emby database information.

2- Before making any changes to the file, shut down your Emby server. If you reached here you probably know how to do this :).

3- Download DB Browser for SQLite Portable. I downloaded from here:

https://portableapps.com/redir2/?a=SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable&s=s&p=https://github.com/sqlitebrowser/sqlitebrowser/releases/download/v3.12.2/&d=pb&f=SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable_3.12.2_English.paf.exe

If the link doesn't work just open google and search for it. SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable. The file I downloaded was named:

"SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable_3.12.2_English.paf.exe"

Double click on it and open/extract it. You should end up with a folder like this:

SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable.

Inside the folder you should see these files and folders:

The file you want to run is: SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable.exe

Double click the file (run it as admin) and you should see the following, click on "Open Database" or Ctrl+O:

Now locate where you have the library.db file, in my case located in "C:\Users\PARHAM\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\data", and open the file: 

If it says the file is locked that means that your Emby server is still running so shut it down. What I suggest is to copy the file "library.db" on your desktop and then open it so you don't mess around with the original file. Your choice. But again make sure to have a backup of the original "library.db" file somewhere else in case things go south!!!

For simplicity I have copied the original corrupted file on my desktop and I am going to modify it with the program:

When you open the file you are going to see a screen like this:

what you want to change are the contents of the "MediaItems" data, you can expand it for fun to see the contents.

Next, click on "Brows Data" and from the "Table" Drop down select "MediaItems":

Then sort by "items", what we are interested in is data under "type" with "23":

Now scroll down until you see items that have "type" "23":

You can always use the "Filter" Field to search for a certain "people". For example I was having issues with AVATAR 2 movie not showing the correct cast. See below:

As you can see the "Sort title" is correct but the "Path" and the "Title" are pointing to the wrong cast.

So lets Search for "Sam Worthington" in the database, and see the issue:

So in the Database under "type" "23" I have two "Sam Worthington" and the Path for one of them is pointing to "Fernanda Toker". Also "SortName" for both are the same:

So lets fix that! Don't ask me why but this is what worked for me. If you are only having issues with images you might only getaway with executing one "SQL" Command.

Head to the program and click on "Execute SQL":

Now type the following in the field highlighted in Red:

 

UPDATE MediaItems

SET ProviderIds = NULL WHERE type=23

 

An then click on the "Execute all" (looks similar to a Play button) Button (shortcuts are also Ctrl+Return, F5, Ctrl+R):

You should see a confirmation that the command has been executed without errors:

 

Go ahead and type all the command below (one by one). There might be a way to execute all of them (yes there is so see the UPDATE SECTION BELOW) at once but I did this one at a time. So write it down, execute and get the confirmation:

 

1- "UPDATE MediaItems SET ProviderIds = NULL WHERE type=23"

2- "UPDATE MediaItems SET Path = NULL WHERE type=23"

3- "UPDATE MediaItems SET PresentationUniqueKey = NULL WHERE type=23"

4- "UPDATE MediaItems SET Images = NULL WHERE type=23"

5- "UPDATE MediaItems SET UserDataKeyID = NULL WHERE type=23"

6- "UPDATE MediaItems SET UserDataKey = NULL WHERE type=23"

7- "UPDATE MediaItems SET Filename = NULL WHERE type=23"

Do not enter the numbers or the ",  just the text inside the " " and execute one by one.

Explanation of what you are doing here (for example for the "UPDATE MediaItems SET ProviderIds = NULL WHERE type=23" command) : So you are basically "Nullifying" (Placing "NULL") on each entry of the "MediaItems" table where the "type" is "23" and the field is "ProviderIds", and so on.

So after executing all the command you should have "Null" in all the columns "ProviderIds:, "Path", "PresentationUniqueKey", "Images", "UserDataKeyID",  "UserDataKey",  and "Filename" where the "type" is "23" (people).

After you executed all the commands and you got a confirmation that you did not get any errors go ahead and save the changes.

Goto "file", "Write changes" or "Ctrl+S". No close the "DB Browser for SQLite". When asked for "Do you want to save changes made to the SQL tabs in a new project file" click "Discard":

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE (How to UPDATE Multiple Columns with One Command):

If you are interested to set "NULL" to multiple entries at once you can use the following commands (Below is the syntax):

 

UPDATE MediaItems

SET ProviderIds = NULL,
Path = NULL,
PresentationUniqueKey = NULL,
Images = NULL,
UserDataKeyID = NULL,
UserDataKey = NULL,
Filename = NULL
WHERE type=23;

 

Be careful don't use any tab or spaces so technically this should be like this (pay attention to where the commas are);

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now lets confirm that we did everything right.

Open "SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable.exe" and open the "library.db" file that we made changes on the desktop to see the contents. Click on "Brows Data", from "Table" Dropdown select "MediaItems", then sort by "type" again and scroll down until you see "23" under "type" columns. Here as you can see we have "Nullyfied" all the "people" s "Path" entries to "Null". This should be the same for all other columns "ProviderIds:, "Path", "PresentationUniqueKey", "Images", "UserDataKeyID",  "UserDataKey",  and "Filename" for the entries that have "type" "23".

ok, close the "DB Browser for SQLite".

 

4- Again I am giving you the warning you must have a backup of the original "library.db" and "people" folder before doing the next steps in case something goes wrong!!!

Go ahead and copy the "library.db. file that you made changes (in my case the modified file was on my desktop) into your  "C:\Users\(YourUserName)\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\data" folder and overwrite the file (make sure you are overwriting the correct file, the "library.db" file that has the bigger size):

Now goto where your "people" or "People" folder is located (in my case located in "C:\Users\(YourUserName)\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\metadata") and delete the whole folder.

5- Run Emby-Server.

6- Click on "Manage Emby Server" (Gear Icon):

7- Click on library:

 

 

8- Click on 3 dots on the library that you have and click "Edit":

 

9- Make sure you have something for the "Movie Metadata Downloader" highlighted here (your choice) or your TV Shows:

 

10- Now close this windows and goto the library and click on the 3 dots again and click on "Refresh Metadata":

 

10-  Here select "Search for missing metadata", if you have images for movies in your root folder then you dont need to highlight "Replace existing images". Hit Refresh:

 

11- Remember you need to "Refresh metadata" for all your libraries in order for the "Metadata Downloaders" to fetch new cast and crew and their images for all your movies/TV Shows.

12- Depending on your Library Size it might take a couple of hours for all the metadata to be downloaded and refreshed so don't worry if you still see some images not loaded up. At the end, all the "people" metadata and images should get refreshed. If not click on some of them and they should load up.

13- That's all!!! hope this helps someone with the same issue that I had. Here is the image of the "Sam Worthington" that I was having issues before (all fixed up):

Let me know if you have any questions or if I made a mistake on any of the guide!!!

Again, All the credit goes to freddyfinn, Carlo, PenkethBoy, Happy2Play, and Luke and others for making this possible!!!

 

[parhamsan 12]

Ok so it seems the issue keeps coming back after Metadata refresh,

Does anyone have any suggestions other than installing Emby Server from scratch,

See the issue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any idea how to completely wipe my people database and their connections. It seems that I have 2 of the same person with bad connections. There are so many of them so I can manually correct all of them!!!

 

Any suggestions form anyone?

Thanks.