Getting Started

Getting Started

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Contents

About this Documentation

This documentation was written based on using Plex's default skin, MediaStream. If you are using a different skin, some of the navigation terms will vary.

Minimum Requirements

Please make sure your system meets the Minimum Requirements for running Plex.

Installation

Installation is straightforward and easy:

  1. Go to our Downloads page and get the latest version
  2. Open the downloaded DMG file and copy Plex to your Applications folder.
  3. (optional) Go to your Applications folder and drag the Plex application to you dock for easy launch.

Sparkle has been integrated with Plex to provide software upgrades from within the interface. Settings for this can be found in Configure the System -> Network -> Update which will allow you to manually check for new updates or schedule when to check for new updates.

Setup

Once you have Plex up and running for the first time you are ready to set it up.

Basic Operation

Plex is a Media Center application and as such is set up to work in a home theater environment. For best results operating Plex, use of a keyboard (keyboard guide), Apple Remote (Apple Remote Guide) or Harmony Remote (Harmony Remote Guide) is suggested. Using a mouse is not suggested as it will not allow you to navigate easily through Plex. By default, the mouse is deactivated in Plex. You can re-activate your mouse by navigating to Configure the System -> System -> Input Devices -> Enable Mouse.

For information on the finer points of using the Plex interface, click here.

Basic settings

Select "Configure the System" on the main page to take you to the main settings page. This is where the options are found to modify Plex. For a more in depth description of settings see the Configure the System section.

Setting Region

You can set your region and language settings in Configure the System -> Appearance -> Region.

Setting Screen Resolution

You can control the resolution for Plex in windowed mode. The windowed resolution for Plex can be found at Configure the System -> System -> Displays. Most users will want to set this option to Full Screen to make best use of their TV's native display. This also allows Plex to always launch in full screen mode. You also have the option to cycle between windowed and full screen mode by either using cmd+F or the \ key.

Correcting overscan

On some TVs your computer won't be able to display an image on the entire screen. There is an "overscan" option in OS X (Preferences -> Displays -> Options) but this causes the image to be cropped on the sides. Plex can compensate for this overscan by calibrating your display.

  1. In Plex navigate to Configure the System -> Appearance -> Screen -> Video Calibration
  2. Using the Arrow keys move the top right corner marker until it is perfectly aligned with the top right corner of your screen.
  3. Hit return and do the same thing for the bottom right corner marker
  4. Hit return again and align where you would like subtitles to be placed.
  5. Hit return again and make sure the rectangle in the middle is a perfect square (get out ruler)

When you are done press escape to go back to setting menu.

For displays that do not have inputs that match the computer resolution pixel for pixel (DVI, VGA, etc.), use of an application like SwitchResX will be needed. An advanced tutorial can be found here for users that require it.

Setting up Plex for AC3/DTS

There are two ways to connect your Mac to your audio system. The first method is analog, using a 3.5mm Stereo Plug. Using this method, the audio device built into the Mac will output two channel sound, with pre-amplification and OS controlled variable volume. Most receivers will accept a 3.5mm stereo to dual RCA Connectors ( The common red and white plugs ), however it might be necessary to use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo cable if you are using a HTIB (Home Theater in a Box) or other Proprietary system.

The other method of connecting your Mac is via a digital TOS-link connection. Majority of Mac computers ( iMac, Mini, Macbook/Pro) output a digital TOS-link connection via the same 3.5mm headphone jack. Standard TOS-link digital optical cables will not fit the connection without an adapter. A Mini-Optical/Tos-link adapter must be fastened to properly utilize the digital output of the Mac. The benefit to using this digital connect is that the full multichannel encoded formats encoded in DVDs and other media ( such as Dolby Digital and DTS ) can be passed to a decoding device such as a Receiver or Audio Processor. When using the digital connection, the internal amplification of the sound board is disabled, forgoing volume control within OSX.

Click here for information on advanced audio setup.

Setting up your remote controls

Guides to setting up and using the following remote controls can be found on our wiki:

Setting Up Sources

Sources are how Plex finds your media. By default a few sources are provided: The Music, Movie and Pictures folders in your home folder. You can add more sources for external drives, remote shares and internet streams. See the #Setup_Sources section for more detail.

Using Plex

Using Mediastream: Plex's Default Skin

Plex is packaged with a skin developed by Team Razorfish called MediaStream. This section will help you get started using this great skin. This guide assumes that you are using the default configuration of MediaStream. The details in this guide may vary slightly if you have begun changing skin settings.

Navigation Basics

Keyboard keys for basic navigation:

  • "Esc": Go back.
  • "C": Show options (contextual menu).
  • "Enter" or "Return": Enter current selection OR show player controls during video or music playback.
  • "Up", "Down" arrow keys: Scroll through lists.
  • "Right", "Left" arrow keys: Scroll through lists and show hidden panels.

Navigation Controls: Home Screen

When you start Plex, you are brought to the MediaStream home screen. On the left is the main navigation blade. You can navigate to different selections by pressing the up arrow or down arrow keys on your keyboard or remote. When a section is selected, pressing the right cursor brings up a sub section for that section. Pressing enter (or return) on a selection will bring you to that section. When you are in a section, pressing Esc on your keyboard (Menu on the Apple Remote) will take you back to the home screen.

Navigation Controls: Sections

Once you have made a selection on the home page, you are brought to one of the section pages. Depending on the view you have selected for that section will determine how the cursor keys function. If you have a list view enabled that uses the up and down cursor keys to scroll through a list, then pressing the right cursor will display the "View Options" panel from the right side of the screen. If you are using a view that uses the left and right cursor keys to scroll through cover art, then pressing the up cursor displays the "View Options" panel.

Movies, TV Shows, and Video Sections

When Plex is launched for the first time, the Movies and TV Shows sections are set to be in Library Mode. This means that if you go to the Movies and TV Shows sections before you have gone through the process of adding your media and scanning it to the Library, you will not see anything in these sections. The Videos section however is set to be in File Mode. Use the Video section to add all of your Movie and TV Show sources and to scan them into the Library. Once the scan successfully completes, your Movies will display in the Movie section and your TV Shows in the TV section. The Video section will remain as an area to view your sources and files in File Mode.

MediaStream Settings

There are a variety of user-controllable options available to determine how MediaStream looks and functions. These range from custom background on the home screen, to determining the items visible on the navigation blade, to what information is available on the various media views. This information can be found by going to Configure the System -> Skin.

Using Plex File Mode

Until you scan your media into the library, your media can only be accessed in the Videos section using File mode and will not display in the TV or Movies section by default. File mode will display your media folders and files as they are on your drive after you have added your sources. Navigate to a file and press enter to start a video, play music or display a photo. File mode is a simple representation of your files and will not include any information retrieved from an online database such as the tvdb or IMDB.

File mode behaves the same way Finder does. If you press enter on a folder, it opens the folder. If you press enter on a file, it will open a file. When using VIDEO_TS folders in File Mode, you will need to enable Stacking in the View Options Panel to be able to play these folders with one click. Another way to play VIDEO_TS folders is to select the folder, press C to bring up the context menu and press play on the menu.

Using Plex Library Mode

Browsing your media using Library mode enables Plex to present your media in a more organized visually appealing way. Library mode is great for wowing guests and organizing a large library. To turn on library mode you can access it by entering videos or music and choosing the "library" menu item on the View Options panel. It is important to note that until you have scanned your media nothing will show in Library mode. Read the Adding Your Media to Plex section for more information.

Note: You need to use Plex Media Server to get the most of your iTunes, iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom libraries. Find out more

Library mode for movies

Using library mode to view your movies enables Plex to display movie posters and other movie information such as synopsis, cast, IMDb rating and year. While browsing your movies in library mode, press I on the keyboard (or hold play on the apple remote) to get information on the movie you are selecting. See the #Adding Your Media to Plex section for further details on the correct way to setup your media to use the Library mode.

If your media library is composed of Video_ts folders, then Library Mode is your best option. Once your folders have been added to the Library they will begin playing with a single click.

Library Mode for TV shows

Using library mode to view your TV shows enables Plex to display TV show artwork and episode thumbnails as well as the episode summary, the original air date, etc. While browsing your TV shows, press I on the keyboard (or hold play on the apple remote) to get information on the TV Show you are selecting. When browsing individual episodes, pressing I on the keyboard (or holding play on the apple remote) displays information about the episode you are selecting. See the #Adding Your Media to Plex section for further details on the correct way to setup your media to use the Library mode.

Library Mode for Music

Using library mode to view your music enables Plex to sort your music by genre, artist, album, songs, years, top 100, recently played albums, recently added albums, compliations, playlists and music video. It also gives you the ability to search for music by specific criteria. See the #Plex and Your Music section for more information about how Plex scans music into the library.

Watching Videos

Videos can be played by selecting them with the cursor and pressing enter on your keyboard or play on the apple remote. If you want to close a video you are watching, press X on the keyboard or hold down menu on the apple remote. Additional Keyboard and Remote controls

On Screen Display

When watching videos, there are several video, audio and bookmark settings that can be controlled. Press enter on the keyboard or menu on the apple remote to bring up the On Screen Display. Changes made to the audio and video settings can be made on a per video basis or can be applied to all videos by selecting "Make Changes Default for all Videos" at the bottom of the audio and video settings windows.

Stacking

Stacking allows you to seamlessly watch videos that are separated into several files. There are two ways to enable stacking. If you are using File Mode, go to the View Options Panel and enable stacking. If you are using Library Mode your files and directory structure should follow: 

 Movies (Source)
   Batman Begins (2005)
     Batman Begins (2005)-CD1.mkv
     Batmen Begins (2005)-CD2.mkv
   No Country For Old Men (2007)
     No Country For Old Men (2007)-CD1.avi
     No Country For Old Men (2007)-CD2.avi

After you scan the files into the Library, pressing play on the movie will treat the multiple files as one file.

Subtitles

Subtitles can be toggled on and off by pressing S on the keyboard. You can also access subtitle controls by accessing the audio settings in the On Screen Display.

Listening to Music

Music can be played by selecting a music track and pressing enter on your keyboard or play on the Apple remote. Press X on the keyboard to stop the track from playing. To stop playing the track using the Apple remote hold down the play button to bring up the On Screen Display and press the stop button.

Music Visualizations

Plex comes packaged with several different visualization options including the option to use the visualizations used with iTunes. In addition to using the visualizations that come packaged with Plex and iTunes, you can download additional visualizations and install them in ~/Library/iTunes/iTunes Plug-ins/. The next time you start Plex, the new visualization will be available to be chosen.

iTunes Visualizations are available from a variety of places to download. A google search for iTunes Visualizations will provide many options. One site in particular you can use is: (http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/ipod-itunes/visualizers)

Users can also make their own visualizations as described here: (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071106105251487&query=iTunes%2Bvis)

Note about using iTunes visualizations: When using iTunes visualizations, you are not able to access the music player onscreen menu. iTunes visualizations run in their own window that overrides Plex skins.

Viewing Photos

In order to view your photos in Plex, you need to add a Photo source the same way that you add a video source.

  • Press enter on the keyboard (Play on the Apple remote) will open the photo.
  • Press X on the keyboard (hold Menu on the Apple remote) to close the photo.
  • Zoom in to a photo by pressing 1 through 9 on the keyboard. When zoomed in, use the cursor keys to move the photo around the screen. Pressing 0 (zero) will reset the photo on the screen.

Plex Media Server

Plex Media Server is an application developed by the Plex Developers to bridge the gap between Plex and many of the popular Apple media applications. Plex Media Server allows you to manage your music, podcasts and non-DRM quicktime video in iTunes and your photo library in iPhoto, Lightroom or Aperture and use Plex as your playback/display application. Organize your music library in iTunes using the ID3 tag features, add your album artwork and manage your playlists and podcasts. Use iPhoto, Aperture or Lightroom to edit your photos, manage event photo albums, and add keywords. Navigate to the music or photo sections to access your iTunes, the video section to view your video podcasts or the photo section to view your photo library. Plex Media Server will retrieve the information and send it back to Plex. When you view a playlist or select a photo album in Plex, the information is delivered from the appropriate library back to Plex. There is no need to scan your libraries and then continually rescan each time you add new media to your collection. Updates to your library, new music and playlists or photo albums will automatically be seen by Plex. It's as simple as that.

Another feature of Plex Media Server is the ability to add library sources to Plex from other computers on a network running Plex Media Server. Not only can you add library sources from computers on your internal network, you can add your friends' libraries as sources and see and play their media over the internet. You are able to access the remote library in Plex as if it was your local library. That includes having access to their cover art, playlists and podcasts, photo albums, events, keywords, etc.!

Since Plex Media Server is a separate application, it does not use any of the features or settings of the music library included in Plex. This means that the settings found in Configure the System -> Music -> Library will have noeffect on your music library when using Plex Media Server. Currently Plex Media Server is compatible with all Macs running OS X 10.5 only (it's aUniversal Binary).

Please Note: Plex Media Server sources are meant to be used separately from any of the Plex music or video libraries. As such, users are encouraged to not scan the iTunes source into the Plex Music Library. The two are meant to be used independent of each other.

Starting/ Stopping Plex Media Server

Starting and stopping Plex Media Server is as easy as launching or closing Plex. Plex Media Server can be disabled by going to Configure the System -> System -> Media Server. There is also a setting to have Plex Media Server always run whether Plex has been launched or not. This feature is beneficial for those running file servers that Plex Media Server will need to communicate with. System resources can be saved by not having to run Plex alongside Plex Media Server.

Setting up Plex Media Server Sources in Plex

For fresh 0.7 installations your iTunes and iPhoto libraries will be added as sources. For users upgrading from previous versions you can setup your PMS source manually. Setting up Plex Media Server sources is as easy as navigating to the appropriate section and selecting "Add a New Source." In order to access libraries saved on a server or another computer on your network, both computers must be running Plex Media Server. Currently, Plex Media Server is an OS X application only. Libraries saved on non-OS X machines will not be able to accessed by Plex Media Server at this time.

Adding Local Libraries: To add local libraries saved on your local system add the following in the Add Source window. These local sources will be added by default in new installations.

  1. iTunes: plex://localhost/music/iTunes
  2. iTunes Videos: plex://localhost/video/iTunes
  3. iPhoto: plex://localhost/photos/iPhoto
  4. Aperture: plex://localhost/photos/Aperture

Regardless of where you save your libraries on your local system, Plex Media Server checks the most recently accessed libraries and includes them in the database. Moving the library files from their default locations will not break their link to Plex Media Server.

Adding Libraries on Your Home Network: Let's say the IP address of your other computer is 192.168.1.2. Substitute the word localhost in the above example with 192.168.1.2 (e.g. plex://192.168.1.2/music/iTunes.) Change 192.168.1.2 to match the IP address of the computer with which you want to connect. For best results, make sure the computer you are connecting to is set with a static ip address.

Using a NAS with Plex Media Server

There are a few things that users should be aware of when using a NAS with Plex Media Server sources. If you choose to keep your iTunes, iPhoto, etc. libraries on your NAS, you need to be sure that the local applications on the machine you are trying to use Plex on have accessed the library files on the NAS. Plex Media Server will check the preference file of the application locally to get the correct path to the library files on the NAS.

Users should be aware that there have been documented issues with users having trouble updating their iPhoto library when their library is on a windows formatted NAS connected via SMB.

Connecting to Computers Over the Internet

  1. The owner of the library you are trying to connect to will have to be running Plex Media Server.
  2. The owner of the remote network you are trying to access will need to enable port forwarding for port 32400 for outside access to the server, similar to what is done for Bit Torrent clients. (http://portforward.com/routers.htm)
  3. If the target computer doesn't have a static IP address OR permanent DNS entry, you might want to look into a service like DYNDNS
  4. Speed of streaming might vary depending on the remote computers internet connection speed.

File Types

  1. Audio: Any audio file type or video podcast file that can be played by iTunes can be played in Plex using Plex Media Server. This includes mp3, AAC, Applelossless and even iTunes Music Store purchases containing DRM. In order to be able to play iTunes Music Store purchases, the user must be authorized in iTunes to play those files. Music files that can not be played in iTunes are not accessible by Plex Media Server at this time. For these file types, the Plex music library can be used.
  2. Video: Video podcasts only. The Plex video library can be used for other video formats.
  3. Photos: Any of the various images files that currently work with Plex

Using iTunes Categories

When you select the iTunes source in the Music section, you are presented with a variety of different ways to sort your iTunes Music Library. This includes the ability to sort by artist, album, genre, year, etc. If your music files do not have that information entered into their ID tags, they will not show up in the corresponding category in Plex.

Adding Your Media to the Plex Library

There are two ways to display your media in Plex. File mode is basically the same as viewing your files in Finder. It shows you a listing of your files based on the sorting option you choose. Library mode allows you to filter through your video media by genres, title, year, actors, directors and studio. Similar options are available to filter through your music as well. In order to be able to utilize all aspects of the library, the following steps are required.

Note: To add your iTunes, iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom libraries you need to use Plex Media Server. More info here

Setup Sources

Setting up your sources is required to have Plex see your media and then know how to add the media to the Library.

Setup a video source on an external drive

You can setup a video source in Plex to see your movies on an external drive. You can set a source using the following steps:

  1. Sources : In Plex go to either the Movie or TV section. You should see your sources listed along with a "Add Source" Button
  2. Path : You can manually enter the path to your source here, for example a Drive called Media with a folder called Movies in it would be /Volumes/Media/Movies

You are allowed to enter multiple paths for a source, so if you have Multiple drives with Movies on them you could also add /Volumes/Media 2/Movies

This is an example of what it would look like:

actual size
actual size

Setup a video source on a remote machine using SMB

If you have a windows computer with videos shared on it you can setup Plex to access the video files from this share. First you will need the following information:

  • IP address of the computer hosting your files (this should be [static] and not [dynamic])
  • Username and password required to access your share
  • Name of share

Once you have this information do the following to add a SMB share:

  1. Sources : In Plex go to Videos. You should see your sources listed along with a "Add Source" Button
  2. Choose Browse then Add Network Location...
  3. Fill out he fields as follows:
    • Protocol: Windows Network (SMB)
    • Server Name: IP address of your host
    • Shared folder (i.e. Movies)
    • Username: Username that has access to share
    • Password: Password for user
  4. Plex will check to ensure all your information is correct
  5. When you are done give this share a name

Setup a music source on an external drive

You can setup a music source in Plex to see your music on an external drive using the following steps:

  1. Sources : In Plex go to the Music section. You should see your sources listed along with a "Add Source" Button
  2. Path : You can manually enter the path to your source here, for example a Drive called Media with a folder called Movies in it would be /Volumes/Media/Music

You are allowed to enter multiple paths for a source, so if you have Multiple drives with Music on them you could also add /Volumes/Media 2/Music

Note: Adding iTunes libraries in Plex is done with Plex Media Server.

Setup a music source on a remote machine using SMB

If you have a windows computer with music shared on it you can setup Plex to access the video files from this share. First you will need the following information:

  • IP address of the computer hosting your files (this should be [static] and not [dynamic])
  • Username and password required to access your share
  • Name of share

Once you have this information do the following to add a SMB share:

  1. Sources : In Plex go to music. You should see your sources listed along with a "Add Source" Button
  2. Choose Browse then Add Network Location...
  3. Fill out he fields as follows:
    • Protocol: Windows Network (SMB)
    • Server Name: IP address of your host
    • Shared folder (i.e. Music)
    • Username: Username that has access to share
    • Password: Password for user
  4. Plex will check to ensure all your information is correct
  5. When you are done give this share a name

Set Content - For Video Sources

If you would like Plex to be able to retrieve artwork and information from online databases, you need to tell Plex which database to use for video sources. This feature in Plex is called the Scraper. For the majority of users, selecting IMDb for movies and theTVDB.com for TV shows will produce the best results.

Plex Scraper Settings for Movie Sources

After you have selected a source in the "Add Video Source" window, click the "Set Content" button next to the OK button. You will notice that this button remains grayed out until you add a directory to the source. In the Set Content Window select the down arrow on the upper right corner of the screen. You can cycle through the list of available scrapers by pressing enter (play on the Apple Remote) when the arrow is selected. Press enter until you get to the list of Movie scrapers. Press down to highlight IMDb and press enter (or play on the Apple Remote). Below that is a list of Plex Scraper Settings:

  1. Run Automated Scan: Automatically scan the files located in the source when you click OK
  2. Use Folder Names for Lookups: Tells the scraper to scrape the name of the folder instead of the files located in the folder. This is imperative when scraping VIDEO_TS folders.
  3. Folder Contains a Single Video: the scraper assumes that the source will contain multiple video files. This option tells the scraper that the source contains one file.
  4. Scan Recursively: Scans sub folders two levels down or lower for video files (automatically set for TV shows). Not recommended for VIDEO_TS folders

IMDb Scraper Settings

The Settings button at the bottom of the Set Content window contains a list of IMDb settings. For best results, edit the following options:

  1. Enable Movie PosterDB
  2. IMDB Poster & Actor Thumb(s) Size: Change this to 1024
  3. Enable IMPAwards
  4. Enable Trailer

Plex Scraper Settings for TV Show Sources

After you have selected a source in the Add Video Source window, click the "Set Content" button. In the Set Content Window, press the down arrow on the upper right corner of the screen until you get to the list of TV Show scrapers. Press down to highlight theTVDB.com and press enter (or play on the Apple Remote). Below that is a list of Plex Scraper Settings:

  1. Run Automated Scan: Automatically scan the files located in the source when you click OK
  2. Folder Contains A Single TV Show: Plex automatically assumes that each source contains more than one TV Show. This setting tells Plex that the source contains a single TV show.

Note: TV sources are automatically set to scan recursively.

Naming your Video files

The scraper retrieves information from the online databases based on how your video files are named. There is a specific way you must name your movie files and a specific way you must name your TV shows and episodes for a scraper to function correctly.

Naming Movie Files/Folders

For the scraper to work correctly you must include in the file name the year the movie was released. If you are using single files like .avi, .mkv or .vob for each movie, name the movie file as it is named on IMDb. For instance, Batman Begins would be "Batman Begins (2005).avi". If you are using video_ts folders or have a folder with multiple video files in it, then name the folder "Batman Begins (2005)" and have the video_ts folder or multiple files inside that.

Some movies have slightly different titles in different countries (sometimes due to the languages used). In most instances, IMDb will list and recognize these alternatives. However, one of these alternatives will be the 'main' name on IMDb and you might want to use for your own preference one of the alternatives. When the IMDb scraper is used it will use the main one in the Plex library display, but you can later after it has successfully scraped the movie, select it and edit the title. It will still keep the rest of the scraped information.

Some characters are not recommended to be used in the file/folder names. For example on a Mac it is not possible to use a : (colon) symbol even though a movie and IMDB might list this. Using a - (hyphen) instead is acceptable. For example "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" is not possible but "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged me" is. Also accents, umlauts, etc. will not work either. For example Aprés Vous will not work properly, but Apres Vous will work.

Editing Incorrectly Scraped Titles

Films that were initially released in country other then the United States first (for example) and have a different title then when released may not display the correct title in Plex. Using the American title will likely return the correct movie but the title displayed in Plex will likely be foreign title.

This is because one movie may have multiple titles, even when only released in one country. For example some low budget or cable movies may change the name when released on video from what it was when released initially in theaters or on television. To correct this you need to be in file mode, bring up the context menu, and edit the file title to what you want it to be.

NOTE: making this change does not change the actual file name on your hard drive but only the reference in Plex. Thus when reinstalling Plex from scratch this information will be lost and you'll need to re-edit the title again.

There are more complex ways to correct this so that the change is permanent - please see "creating .nfo files". (LINK NEEDED)

Directory Structure for Movies

The structure of your movie directories will have an impact on how successful the scraping process goes. The easiest way to ensure that scraping is successful is to keep as flat a directory structure as possible:

Movies (Source) 

Batman Begins (2005).avi
  No Country for Old Men (2007)
     VIDEO_TS
  The Dark Night (2008)
     The Dark Night Pt1.avi
     The Dark Night Pt2.avi

If you add directories between the root of source and your movie folders/files, this could create issues when scraping.

Single File Movies If your movie library is solely comprised of single file movies, then you have the choice whether you would like to use a separate directory for each movie or not. Having a combination of single files and files in folders will also work. You can have your movie file and any complimentary files for your movies (.nfo, subtitles, etc.) in the same folder. If you decide to use folders for your these types of movies, make sure you have the "Use Folder Name for Lookups" option selected in the Set Content window.

Directory Example:

Movies (Source) 

  Batman Begins (2005).avi
  No Country for Old Men (2007)
     No Country for Old Men.avi
     No Country for Old Men-fanart.jpg
     folder.jpg
  The Dark Night (2008)
     The Dark Night Pt1.avi
     The Dark Night Pt2.avi

VIDEO_TS Folders When you set the content for your source, it is imperative that you select the "Use Folder Name for Lookups" option for VIDEO_TS folders to scrape correctly. If you do not select this option, it will try to scrape all of the files in the VIDEO_TS folder, instead of the folder name itself. When using VIDEO_TS folders your directory structure should look like the following for the scraper to work correctly:

Movies (Source) 

 Batman Begins (2005)
  VIDEO_TS
   all of the files
 The Dark Knight (2008)
  VIDEO_TS
   all of the files

Do not select "Scan Recursively" for sources that contain VIDEO_TS folders as the scraper will try to scrape all files in the VIDEO_TS folder. It is also important that you do not try move the video_ts files from the VIDEO_TS folder to the movie folder.

Combination of Single Files and VIDEO_TS The scraper will work correctly if you don't use folders for single movie files and have VIDEO_TS folders. The following example is also acceptable:

Movies (Source) 

  Batman Begins (2005).avi
  No Country for Old Men (2007)
     VIDEO_TS
  The Dark Night (2008)
     The Dark Night Pt 1.mkv
     The Dark Night Pt 2.mkv

Naming TV Shows

For TV episodes to be scraped correctly, each episode must be an individual file. If your TV shows are currently in video_ts folders, the scraper will not be able to separate the episodes. For the scraper to work correctly, you must separate each episode into it's own .vob file. When an episode is scraped correctly, it will download episode information as well as an episode thumbnail. A good resource for finding episode order and titles is thetvdb.com.

For TV shows use the following naming and directory structure:

TV Source 

 Heroes
    Season 1
       Heroes - S01E01.vob - (S01E01 stands for Season 1, Episode 1 - using 1x01 is also acceptable)
       Heroes - S01E02.vob
       Heroes - S01E03.vob
    Season 2
       Heroes - S02E01.avi
       Heroes - S02E02.mkv
       Heroes - S02E03.avi

You don't need to have this naming convention, you can create you own naming convention with a bit of work, the Changing_TV_Show_Naming_Conventions page will help with this.

The scraper sees specials as season 0. For instance, the Heroes episode Countdown to Season 3 would look like:

TV Source 

 Heroes
    Season 0
       Heroes - S00E01.avi

It is not required to include the episode name in the file for a scraper to work properly. If you choose to include the episode name use one of the following naming structures: 

Heroes - Nothing to Hide - S01E07.vob
Heroes - S01E07 - Nothing to Hide.vob

For single files that contain 2 episodes (2 hour specials) you can use the following format, this will link both E1 and E2 to the same file in library mode.

Heroes - S02E01-02.avi

Scanning Movies & TV Shows

After you have completed adding your media to Plex, you need to scan your media into the Library. Go to your list of sources and highlight the source you want to scan. Press C (hold menu on apple remote) to bring up the Contextual menu and select "Scan for New Content". Plex will scan your files and add them to the Library. Select "Scan for New Content" when you an individual movie or TV show selected will only scan that one movie/ TV show and not the entire library. This is useful when it is not necessary to scan the entire source again (adding episodes to a TV show.)

Update Library on Startup Go to Configure the System -> Video -> Library to access this setting. When Plex is restarted, the Library will automatically be rescanned.

Scanning TV Show Remakes

There is a known problem that the first time you scan your library, the scraper will return incorrect information for TV show remakes. Information and artwork for the original shows (Battlestar Galactica 1978, Doctor Who 1963, etc.) is returned instead of the correct information and artwork for show remakes (Battlestar Galatica 2003, Doctor Who 2005, etc). After your initial scan has completed, take the following steps to correct the problem:

  1. Browse to the top level of the TV Show in question
  2. Press I on your keyboard to bring up the show information window
  3. In the show information window, press the refresh button
  4. Select yes to update info for all episodes
  5. Select the correct show from the new list that is presented

The correct show and episode information will scan for the current episodes as well as any future episodes. The only time you will need to repeat this process is if you have to rescan your library from scratch. You will also need to update the artwork for the show by going back to the show information window and pressing the thumb button to select the correct artwork.

TV Theme Music

The TV Theme Music feature plays TV show theme songs in the background when you navigate to the top level of a TV show. Plex automatically adds the music when when the TV show is scanned into the library. Music files hosted by Plex will not exceed 30 seconds in length as to abide by copyright restrictions.

Adding Local TV Theme Music

Users can create and use their own background music instead of using scraped music or when scraped music is not available. The scraper will only search for TV theme music if a local file doesn't exist. Follow these steps to use local music:

  1. Files must be in mp3 format only.
  2. It is not necessary to fade the music at the beginning and end of the mp3. Plex will fade the background music in and out for you.
  3. The file name should be theTVDB.com ID number for the show. For example, the ID for the show Lost is 73739. The file name should then be 73739.mp3.
  4. Files should be save in ~/Library/Application Support/Plex/Background Music/Themes/
  5. Go to the TV source inside of Plex, press C (Menu on the Apple Remote) to bring up the contextual menu and select "Scan For New Content."

The new TV theme music will be added and played the next time you access that TV show. Local theme music that has been added by the user will not be overwritten when Plex scrapes for theme music. Also, only one music file can be used per TV show.

Submitting TV Theme Music

User created background music can be submitted to themes@plexapp.com. Submitted files will be previewed by the Plex team and the best background music will be chosen to be used by the scraper. At this time, one background music file will be used per TV show. The following guidelines must be met for the background music file to be considered:

  1. Files must be in mp3 format only.
  2. The file must not be longer than 30 seconds. Any files even a little over 30 seconds will be returned to the sender to be corrected. This restriction is based on copyright rules and is not an arbitrary number.
  3. Do not include music fades at the beginning and end of the file.
  4. File name must be TV Show Name - TVDBID.mp3 (example: Lost - 73739.mp3)
  5. Files must not exceed 256 kbps.
  6. Email file to themes@plexapp.com with a brief description of the file and why you are submitting it if it is a duplicate

TV Themes List

Plex Music Library

Currently there are two ways to add your music in Plex. If you use iTunes with your music library, you can use Plex Media Server to access your iTunes library inside Plex. Adding music files that are not supported by iTunes can be added by using the Plex Music Library.

The way Plex scans music into the Library is a little different than how information is retrieved for video files with the scraper. Plex uses the tag embedded in each track to add information to the library and does not retrieve information from an external database. File names are not used as part of the scanning process. If a music file does not have a valid tag, it can not be added to the library. You can edit your tags using iTunes or any other tag editing software. Plex does access Allmusic.com but only to retrieve artist and album artwork.

Adding Music to the Library

Once you have added your music source(s), press the C button (or hold down menu on the Apple remote) to bring up the context menu for the music source. Select "Scan item to Library" to scan all music in the source. The length of time this process will take depends on how large your music library is.

After the initial scan is completed you can activate the library from the music section. If you make changes to tracks in a specific album or artist after the initial scan, it is not necessary to rescan the entire library. Shut off library mode and navigate to the specific album or artist. Once you have selected the album or artist, press the C button (or hold down menu on the Apple remote) and select "Scan Item to Library." Plex will only scan what you have selected. It is important to note that you can not bring up the context menu with the "Scan Item to Library" option while in library mode.

Adding Album Artwork to the Library

Plex gives you the option to use Allmusic.com to retrieve artist and album artwork. If you choose not to use this option, Plex also supports embedded album artwork in music files. Some file types such as APE, Ogg, and Flac do not support embedded album art in the tags. In order to have album artwork for files such as these, you must include an image file called folder.jpg in the folder for the album.

Background Music

This feature allows you to select specific music files that you would like to be played while navigating throughout Plex. Once Plex is launched, the music files are played at random until Plex is told to play another music or video file. The background music will pause and continue playback once the media file you selected has stopped playing.

Background music must be copied to ~/Library/Application Support/Plex/Background Music/Main. Any music file that can be played in iTunes, including iTunes Music Store purchases can be used for this feature. Settings to enable Background Music and set the seperate volume control can be found at Configure the System -> Music -> Background.

Installing Skins

After you have installed Plex and opened it for the first time, a series of directories are created located at ~/Library/Application Support/Plex. Downloaded skins should be copied to the ~/Library/Application Support/Plex/skin directory. Inside the /skin directory, create a folder for the skin you are installing and place all relevant skin files inside that directory. For example: 

 /user/
   /Library/
     /Application Support/
       /Plex/
         /skin/
           /Aeon

If you have multiple skins that you would like to install, the directory structure should look like this: 

 /user/
   /Library/
     /Application Support/
       /Plex/
         /skin/
           /Aeon
           /Back-Row
           /Incidious

You will not see a directory for the default skin, MediaStream, as it is packaged with the application. If you decide to install a new release of MediaStream before it is packaged with Plex, you will see MediaStream listed twice in the list of installed skins in Configure the Skin -> Appearance. Plex thanks all of the skinners who have worked so hard to create such visually appealing, useful interfaces!

Using an Installed Skin

To access installed skins go to Configure the System -> Appearance -> Skin. You should be able to cycle through the list of skins you have installed. Once you select a skin, Plex requires a few seconds to change the interface.

Plex Skin Settings

On the Configure the System -> Appearance -> Look and Feel page are several settings related to Plex's interaction with the skin. Whether some of these settings will be active is up to the skinner.

Plex Skin Settings

Skin-Defined Settings

The skinner has the option to include a variety of custom settings with their skin. The way these settings are presented vary from skin to skin. They are usually found in the Configure the System -> Skin menu. These settings can vary from setting custom backgrounds for the different menu items, to the size clock used on the home page.

Using Mediastream: Plex's Default Skin

Applications

Launching Applications from Plex

Launching external applications from within Plex is as easy as navigating to the Applications section and adding the application as a source. Select the "Add Source" button and select the application you want to launch. When a new application is launched, Plex closes until the opened application is closed.

This feature can be used to launch applications such as EyeTV, Frontrow or DVDPlayer. Users who like to play DVDs in Plex can use this as a work around until DVD playback has been improved.

Removing Applications from Plex

To remove an application from Plex, highlight the application and press C on the keyboard (hold down menu on the Apple remote) to bring up the contextual menu. Select "Remove Source" to remove the application from the launch list.

Retrieved from "http://wiki.plexapp.com/index.php/Getting_Started"