M: give me a quick breakdown of the file structure jellyfin requires for tv series

G: TL;DR – Jellyfin TV Show Folder Structure:

TV Shows/
├── Show Name/
│   ├── Season 01/
│   │   ├── Show Name - S01E01.ext
│   │   ├── Show Name - S01E02.ext
│   ├── Season 02/
│   │   ├── Show Name - S02E01.ext

Details:

Let me know if you need naming for multi-episode files, subtitles, or NFO files.

M: what if there's only one season? is the subdirectory necessary?

G: No, the season subdirectory is not required if there’s only one season — but it’s recommended for future scalability and better metadata handling.

✅ Valid Without Season Folder:

TV Shows/
└── Arcane/
    ├── Arcane - S01E01.mkv
    ├── Arcane - S01E02.mkv

Jellyfin can still recognize and scrape this correctly as long as the filenames contain S01E01, S01E02, etc.

✅ Recommended Format (More Scalable):

TV Shows/
└── Arcane/
    └── Season 01/
        ├── Arcane - S01E01.mkv
        ├── Arcane - S01E02.mkv

This helps if:

🔺Caveat:

Without the season folder, some extras or alternate metadata setups might break depending on the scraper or plug-ins you’re using.

So: not required, but future-proofing is cleaner with it.

M: does it have to be 'season 1' or can i use 's1' or similar idiosyncratic naming schema?

G: Jellyfin strongly prefers the folder be named exactly like this:

Season 01

✅ Accepted by Jellyfin:

⚠️ Not recommended / may not work:

These might work depending on scraper tolerance, but Jellyfin’s official recommendation and best compatibility is:

"Season XX" with a capital “S” and a two-digit season number.

Why?

Jellyfin uses TheTVDB and other scrapers that expect conventional formatting. If you use nonstandard folder names:

Bottom line: Stick with Season 01, even if it's the only season. It's safe, futureproof, and Jellyfin-native.

M: What about for a movie that is split into parts? is there a particular syntax that will allow for smooth transitions or something similar? Like, let's say I have a copy of Dr. Strangelove ripped from a Laserdisc - so there's a 'side a' and 'side b'. is there a different syntax that jellyfin can use?

G: Yes — Jellyfin supports movie part naming, and there's a recommended syntax to ensure seamless playback with automatic part joining (so it plays as a single movie with no manual switching).

✅ Syntax for Multi-Part Movies:

If you're splitting a movie into parts (e.g. Side A and Side B of a Laserdisc), name the files like this:

Dr. Strangelove (1964) - Part 1.ext
Dr. Strangelove (1964) - Part 2.ext

OR use:

Dr. Strangelove (1964)-cd1.ext
Dr. Strangelove (1964)-cd2.ext

Jellyfin also supports:

These are all parsed as a single movie, and Jellyfin will:

❌ Avoid:

✅ Example Full Path:

Movies/
└── Dr. Strangelove (1964)/
    ├── Dr. Strangelove (1964) - Part 1.mkv
    └── Dr. Strangelove (1964) - Part 2.mkv

This will appear in Jellyfin as a single movie titled Dr. Strangelove (1964) and will play both files in sequence.

Let me know if you're also including subtitles, commentary tracks, or extra features — they have their own recommended formats too.

M: and for movies, just leave the primary movie in the base directory, as opposed to series

G: Correct — for movies, Jellyfin expects the main video file to be directly inside a folder named after the movie, like this:

✅ Recommended Movie Structure:

Movies/
└── Dr. Strangelove (1964)/
    └── Dr. Strangelove (1964).mkv

🔍 Why this format works best:

✅ Examples of additional files:

Dr. Strangelove (1964)/
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964).mkv
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964) - Part 2.mkv   ← (if needed)
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964) - Commentary.mkv
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964).srt            ← (subtitles)
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964).nfo            ← (custom metadata)

❌ Don't:

So yes — for movies, the main movie file goes directly in the movie’s folder, unlike TV series where season subfolders are often used.

M: if i have an mkv file which contains subtitles AND a srt file, will both be considered, will one supercede the other, or..?

G: If you have both embedded subtitles in the MKV file and a separate .srt file in the same folder, here's how Jellyfin handles them:

🧠 Jellyfin Subtitle Priority (as of recent versions):

  1. Embedded subtitles (inside the MKV) are considered first.
  2. External .srt files are also recognized and shown as selectable tracks — not overridden or ignored.
  3. You can switch between them manually in the playback UI.

✅ How to ensure both show up cleanly:

If your external .srt is named to match the video, Jellyfin will import it as a separate subtitle track:

Dr. Strangelove (1964).mkv
Dr. Strangelove (1964).eng.srt

You can also specify language codes (.eng, .fr, etc.) to help Jellyfin categorize them correctly.

👀 What the user sees:

When playing the movie, you’ll see something like:

And you can choose either one.

⚠️ Special Case:

If both contain identical language tracks, some clients (e.g. certain smart TVs or older apps) may default to one (often the embedded one) or ignore external ones if not properly named.

To avoid confusion, you can:

Bottom line:
Both will be available, neither strictly overrides the other, and you can switch manually during playback.

M: okay, new example: i have a directory containing an mp4 file, then a folder named 'Subs' containing two srt files and a paired idx/sub file. what should they all be named and, if incorrect, where should they be placed to be used by jellyfin

G: Good example — here's how to make sure Jellyfin recognizes all subtitle formats in that setup.

🎯 Goal:

You want:

✅ Recommended Structure:

Movies/
└── Example Movie (2020)/
    ├── Example Movie (2020).mp4
    ├── Example Movie (2020).eng.srt
    ├── Example Movie (2020).spa.srt
    ├── Example Movie (2020).eng.idx
    └── Example Movie (2020).eng.sub

🧩 Key Rules:

  1. All subtitle files must be in the same folder as the video file — not in a Subs/ subfolder.
  2. Filenames must match the base movie file name.
  3. Language suffixes (.eng, .spa, etc.) help identify language in the Jellyfin UI.

🚫 Current Setup (not recommended):

Example Movie (2020)/
├── Example Movie (2020).mp4
└── Subs/
    ├── english.srt
    ├── spanish.srt
    ├── Example Movie.idx
    └── Example Movie.sub

This will not work properly, or will result in Jellyfin ignoring the subs altogether, especially if it can’t find matching names.

🔁 Fix Steps:

  1. Move all .srt, .idx, and .sub files to the same folder as the .mp4.
  2. Rename them to match the video file: 
    Example Movie (2020).eng.srt
Example Movie (2020).spa.srt
Example Movie (2020).eng.idx
Example Movie (2020).eng.sub

Note: idx/sub must be paired with the same basename. Only the .idx needs to match exactly; the .sub is automatically paired if present.

🧪 Optional: Description Tags

You can add descriptors like:

Example Movie (2020).eng.forced.srt
Example Movie (2020).eng.commentary.srt

These show up in the Jellyfin subtitle selector as uniquely labeled tracks.

Bottom line:
📁 Put all subtitle files in the same directory as the movie, and name them with the exact same base name as the video, plus optional language codes or descriptive tags. This ensures Jellyfin sees and loads them all cleanly.

M: okay - so can i leave it as is if i want to keep the subtitle files, but not actually use them at the moment? or will it muck with the operations?

G: Yes — you can safely leave the subtitle files in the Subs/ folder if:

✅ What Happens in That Case:

🧹 Bonus: No Interference

📝 TL;DR:

You can leave subtitles in a Subs/ folder to keep them for later — Jellyfin won’t use or care about them unless you move and rename them properly. Safe and non-disruptive.

M: what other subfolder can movies or series implement for home-supplied stuff? like, is there a syntax for including cover art?

G: Yes — Jellyfin supports several special filenames and subfolders for custom/home-supplied content like cover art, logos, metadata, extras, etc., both for movies and TV series.

🎨 Cover Art & Images

These should be placed in the same folder as the movie or series, using specific filenames:

✅ Supported image filenames for Movies:

Movies/
└── Dr. Strangelove (1964)/
    ├── Dr. Strangelove (1964).mp4
    ├── folder.jpg                ← Poster image (shows in library)
    ├── fanart.jpg                ← Background image
    ├── logo.png                  ← Transparent logo (optional)
    ├── clearart.png              ← Stylized logo overlay (optional)
    ├── banner.jpg                ← Wide horizontal banner (optional)
    └── disc.png                  ← Disc art image (optional)

✅ Supported image filenames for TV Shows (same logic):

TV Shows/
└── The Expanse/
    ├── folder.jpg                ← Show poster
    ├── fanart.jpg
    ├── logo.png
    └── Season 01/
        ├── folder.jpg            ← Season-specific poster
        ├── The Expanse - S01E01.mkv

Note: Use .png for transparency if needed, .jpg for general images. Jellyfin caches these once loaded.

🎬 Extras / Special Features

You can include behind-the-scenes, trailers, or alternate cuts in special subfolders named like:

✅ Supported folders for extras (case-insensitive):

📁 Example:

Dr. Strangelove (1964)/
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964).mp4
├── folder.jpg
└── extras/
    ├── Making of Dr. Strangelove.mkv
    └── Trailer.mkv

These files will show up under the "Extras" tab when viewing the movie/show in Jellyfin.

🧾 NFO Files (Custom Metadata)

You can supply .nfo files for custom metadata instead of relying on Jellyfin’s scrapers.

✅ For a Movie:

Dr. Strangelove (1964)/
├── Dr. Strangelove (1964).mp4
└── Dr. Strangelove (1964).nfo

✅ For a TV Episode:

The Expanse/
└── Season 01/
    ├── The Expanse - S01E01.mkv
    └── The Expanse - S01E01.nfo

✅ Summary of Useful Custom Subfolders:

Subfolder Purpose
extras/ Bonus content
trailers/ Official trailers
behind the scenes/ Making-of footage
deleted scenes/ Cut content
interviews/ Cast/crew talks
shorts/ Short films / promos
scenes/ Unsorted clips

These must be inside the movie/series folder, not the root library.

Let me know if you want to create custom collections, organize alternate cuts (like "Director’s Cut"), or include commentaries — those use similar rules.

M: so in a series, if there's a behind the scenes section attached to a particular season, should it go into the main series directory's 'behind the scenes' folder, or in the 'Season X' folder in a new subfolder?

G: For season-specific extras (like behind the scenes for Season 2), the best practice in Jellyfin is:

✅ Place the extras in a subfolder within the Season X folder:

TV Shows/
└── Example Show/
    ├── Season 02/
    │   ├── Example Show - S02E01.mkv
    │   ├── Example Show - S02E02.mkv
    │   └── behind the scenes/
    │       ├── S02 - Behind the Scenes Part 1.mkv
    │       └── S02 - Cast Interviews.mkv

This keeps season-specific content organized and correctly associated with that season in Jellyfin.

🔁 Alternative: For extras that cover multiple seasons or the entire show:

Put them in the top-level series folder, like this:

TV Shows/
└── Example Show/
    ├── folder.jpg
    ├── behind the scenes/
    │   └── Series Retrospective.mkv
    ├── Season 01/
    └── Season 02/

🧠 How Jellyfin handles it:

This distinction helps Jellyfin organize extras more cleanly — especially when navigating via season breakdowns or metadata screens.

Bottom line:
Put season-specific behind-the-scenes content inside the relevant Season X/behind the scenes/ folder. Use the series-level folder only for general content that applies across the whole show.

M: when jellyfin asks for an imdb number in its 'identify' function, should i include the 'tt' prefix, or just use the number from the link?

G: When Jellyfin asks for an IMDb number in the Identify function, you should enter just the numeric part without the "tt" prefix.

Example:

Why?

Jellyfin’s scraper expects only the digits, and including the tt prefix can cause it not to recognize the ID properly.

Bottom line:
Enter IMDb IDs as numbers only, no "tt" prefix.

M: naming convention for a hearing-impaired-specific srt file?

G: For a hearing-impaired (HI) subtitle .srt file, the convention is to include a descriptor like hi or hd in the filename, often combined with the language code.

MovieName (Year).eng.hi.srt

or

MovieName (Year).eng.hd.srt

Explanation:

Example:

Dr. Strangelove (1964).eng.hi.srt

Why do this?

Bottom line:
Use the language code plus .hi or .hd before the .srt extension to mark hearing-impaired subtitles clearly.

M: let's say i've got the original release and extended cut of a movie. how should i file them?

G: To store multiple cuts of the same movie (e.g. original release and extended cut) in Jellyfin, the key is to use cut-specific suffixes in the filenames — and optionally keep them in the same folder.

✅ Recommended Folder Structure (Single Folder)

Movies/
└── Blade Runner (1982)/
    ├── Blade Runner (1982) - Theatrical Cut.mkv
    ├── Blade Runner (1982) - Director's Cut.mkv
    ├── folder.jpg
    └── Blade Runner (1982).nfo   ← optional, custom metadata

✅ Supported suffixes include:

These will be recognized as separate video versions of the same title in Jellyfin's UI. The user can select between versions under the same movie entry (it won't duplicate the title in the library).

📁 Alternative: Separate Folders (only if needed)

Movies/
├── Blade Runner (1982) [Theatrical]/
│   └── Blade Runner (1982) - Theatrical Cut.mkv
├── Blade Runner (1982) [Director's Cut]/
│   └── Blade Runner (1982) - Director's Cut.mkv

This works, but Jellyfin will treat them as two separate movies unless you unify them with .nfo metadata or collection grouping. It’s not the preferred way unless you have radically different metadata or want hard separation.

🔖 Optional Enhancements:

Bottom line:
Store both cuts in the same folder, use a clear suffix in the filename (like - Extended Cut), and Jellyfin will let you choose between them under a single movie entry.

M: it's been a spell and i'm changing drives; please repeat for me the bit about tv series structure

G: Certainly — here’s a quick refresher on Jellyfin’s recommended TV series folder structure, optimized for compatibility and future-proofing.

✅ Core TV Series Structure

TV Shows/
└── Show Name/
    ├── folder.jpg               ← optional: poster for the series
    ├── fanart.jpg               ← optional: background image
    ├── Season 01/
    │   ├── Show Name - S01E01.mkv
    │   ├── Show Name - S01E02.mkv
    │   ├── Show Name - S01E03.srt         ← optional: external subtitles
    │   └── behind the scenes/             ← optional: extras tied to this season
    │       └── BTS - Episode 1 Interview.mkv
    ├── Season 02/
    │   └── Show Name - S02E01.mkv

📄 File Naming Guidelines

🎬 Extras (Optional Subfolders)

Place inside either the series folder or a specific season folder, depending on scope.

Series-wide:

TV Shows/
└── The Expanse/
    └── extras/
        └── Series Overview.mkv

Season-specific:

TV Shows/
└── The Expanse/
    └── Season 01/
        └── deleted scenes/
            └── Deleted Scene 01.mkv

Recognized extra subfolder names (case-insensitive):

🧾 Optional Metadata

Bottom line:
Use TV Shows/Show Name/Season 01/Show Name - S01E01.ext format with Season XX folders, SxxEyy filenames, and extras or subtitles named to match. This ensures smooth scraping, UI consistency, and future scalability.

M: Remind me how to watch something from my server on my phone.

G: Here’s the quick rundown for watching Jellyfin content from your server on your phone:

1️⃣ Install the Jellyfin App

2️⃣ Make Sure Your Server is Reachable

3️⃣ Connect via the App

  1. Open the Jellyfin app
  2. When prompted for the server address, enter:
    • Local: http://192.168.1.10:8096
    • Remote: https://myserver.example.com:8920
  3. Log in with your Jellyfin username & password
  4. Tap your desired movie, show, or playlist and hit play

4️⃣ Tips for Smooth Playback

If you want, I can also walk you through how to make your Jellyfin server securely reachable outside your home network so you can watch from anywhere. That’s the step most people miss.

M: How do I figure out when my server IP is? It gets dynamically assigned every time I restart my computer

G: Right — if your server’s IP changes every time you restart it, that’s because your router is assigning it dynamically via DHCP.
You can find the current IP and then decide if you want to lock it so it stays consistent.

🔍 How to find your current server IP

On the machine running Jellyfin:

Windows

Linux/macOS

📌 How to stop it from changing

Option 1 — Reserve the IP in your router (best)

Option 2 — Set a static IP on the server itself

💡 Why this matters:
If the IP changes, your phone app can’t find Jellyfin unless you update it each time.
Reserving or statically assigning the IP fixes that so the server address never changes.

If you want, I can give you the exact steps for Fedora Linux so your Jellyfin server always gets the same IP without touching the router. That way you can still keep DHCP for other devices.

M: I’m on fedora

G: Got it — here’s how to make your Jellyfin server keep the same IP on Fedora so you don’t have to hunt it down every time.

We’ll use nmcli (the NetworkManager command-line tool Fedora uses by default).

1️⃣ Find your current connection info

Open a terminal and run:

nmcli device

Look for the interface you’re using — usually:

Then check its current details:

nmcli device show <interface>

Example:

nmcli device show enp3s0

From this output, note:

2️⃣ Pick a static IP

Choose something in your LAN’s range but outside the router’s dynamic range.
Example:

3️⃣ Set the static IP

Run:

nmcli con show

Find your active connection name (e.g., "Wired connection 1" or "MyWiFi").

Then set it:

nmcli con mod "Wired connection 1" ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.50/24
nmcli con mod "Wired connection 1" ipv4.gateway 192.168.1.1
nmcli con mod "Wired connection 1" ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4"
nmcli con mod "Wired connection 1" ipv4.method manual

4️⃣ Apply changes

nmcli con down "Wired connection 1" && nmcli con up "Wired connection 1"

Or reboot.

5️⃣ Verify

ip addr show

You should now see 192.168.1.50 (or whatever you picked) on your interface.

If you want, I can also give you the router-friendly DHCP reservation method so your IP never changes and you can still switch between networks without reconfiguring Fedora. That’s often better if you use this machine on more than one network.

M: No, I mean, how do I find my IP on Fedora?

G: Ah — just the quick “what’s my IP” part on Fedora.

Option 1 — Quick command

hostname -I

This will print your local network IP (e.g., 192.168.1.123).

Option 2 — Full detail

ip addr

Look for your active interface (enpXsY for Ethernet, wlpXsY for Wi-Fi) → find the line starting with:

inet 192.168.x.x/24

That’s your LAN IP.

Option 3 — Only IPv4

ip -4 addr show

This filters out IPv6 so you just get the IPv4 address.

💡 The address starting with 192.168. or 10. is the one you’ll put into your Jellyfin app when you’re on the same network.

If you want, I can also show you how to tell whether that IP will change every time you restart your Fedora box.

M: If i have an old and new version of a movie, how do i get jellyfin to recognize it as two versions of the same movie instead of trying to make two separate entries

G: Jellyfin can handle that — you just have to put both versions in the same movie folder and name them so it knows they’re variants.

✅ Folder structure for multiple versions

Movies/
└── The Thing (1982)/
    ├── The Thing (1982) - Theatrical.mkv
    ├── The Thing (1982) - Extended.mkv
    ├── folder.jpg
    └── The Thing (1982).nfo   ← optional, custom metadata

Why this works

📌 How it appears in Jellyfin

🛠 Notes

If you want, I can also give you the naming rules Jellyfin recognizes for alternate versions so it’s consistent with things like “IMAX” or “Unrated” cuts. That way it’ll never split them again.

M: I have an obscure avi i can’t find anywhere else, physical or digital. Problem is, the primary audio is a russian dub, while the original audio is secondary. Can you give me a quick cli to use to swap those audio streams without any reencoding?

G: Yep — you can use ffmpeg to swap the audio track order without re-encoding so it stays lossless.

Assuming:

Quick CLI

ffmpeg -i input.avi -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy output.avi

How it works

If you also want the correct track flagged as “default”

Some players care about default flags, not just order. In that case:

ffmpeg -i input.avi -map 0:v -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy \
  -disposition:a:0 default -disposition:a:1 0 output.avi

Do you want me to also show you how to list the audio streams first so you’re 100% sure which one is Russian vs. original before swapping? That can save you from accidentally flipping the wrong pair.

M: okay, so how do i figure out which stream is which? is that an ffmpeg job, or ffprobe, or..? give it to me as a cli.

G: Yep — that’s an ffprobe job. It’s the easiest way to list all streams with language tags, codec info, and track numbers before you mess with them.

Quick CLI

ffprobe -hide_banner -i input.avi

This prints all stream info (video, audio, subtitles) including Stream #0:1 type, codec, and language if available.

Cleaner audio-only list

ffprobe -v error -select_streams a \
  -show_entries stream=index:stream_tags=language,title \
  -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 input.avi

Example output:

index=1
TAG:language=rus
TAG:title=Russian Dub
index=2
TAG:language=eng
TAG:title=Original Audio

Reading the output

If you want, I can chain this so ffprobe shows you stream numbers + codec + duration in one clean table, so it’s easier to confirm before you swap them. That’s handy when files have messy or missing tags.

M: k so, here's the probe info. can you please give me cli to swap the audio channels - or explain why it's more complicated than that? (base) [david@fedora Addams Family Reunion (1998)]$ ffprobe -hide_banner -i "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi" Input #0, avi, from 'Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi': Metadata: software : VirtualDubMod 1.5.10.3 | www.virtualdub-fr.org || (build 2550/release) Duration: 01:23:42.16, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 2498 kb/s Stream #0:0: Video: mpeg4 (Advanced Simple Profile) (XVID / 0x44495658), yuv420p, 704x528 [SAR 1:1 DAR 4:3], 2099 kb/s, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 25 tbn Stream #0:1: Audio: mp3 (mp3float) (U[0][0][0] / 0x0055), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s Metadata: title : RUS (DUB) Stream #0:2: Audio: mp3 (mp3float) (U[0][0][0] / 0x0055), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s Metadata: title : ENG (base) [david@fedora Addams Family Reunion (1998)]$

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: Here’s the clean, lossless way to make ENG the primary and keep RUS as secondary, based on your probe:

Keep AVI (simple remux; flags may be ignored by some players)

ffmpeg -i "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi" \
  -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy \
  -disposition:a:0 default -disposition:a:1 0 \
  "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.swapped.avi"

Better: Remux to MKV (keeps it lossless, honors language/default flags)

ffmpeg -i "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi" \
  -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy \
  -metadata:s:a:0 language=eng -metadata:s:a:0 title="English (Original)" \
  -metadata:s:a:1 language=rus -metadata:s:a:1 title="Russian (Dub)" \
  -disposition:a:0 default -disposition:a:1 0 \
  "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.swapped.mkv"

Why MKV is nicer here

Either way, you’re just changing order/metadata, not the streams themselves.

M: the mkv version threw up. something about timestamps being unset. the mp4 version gave a warning but worked.

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: Yep—that’s a classic AVI thing. Old AVIs often don’t have proper PTS timestamps, and MKV is stricter. Fix is to generate PTS on ingest and then remux.

Fix: make MKV with generated timestamps (no re-encode)

ffmpeg -fflags +genpts \
  -i "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi" \
  -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy \
  -metadata:s:a:0 language=eng -metadata:s:a:0 title="English (Original)" \
  -metadata:s:a:1 language=rus -metadata:s:a:1 title="Russian (Dub)" \
  -disposition:a:0 default -disposition:a:1 0 \
  "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.swapped.mkv"

If it still complains, add conservative mux tweaks:

ffmpeg -fflags +genpts \
  -i "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi" \
  -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy \
  -vsync vfr -muxpreload 0 -muxdelay 0 \
  -metadata:s:a:0 language=eng -metadata:s:a:1 language=rus \
  -disposition:a:0 default -disposition:a:1 0 \
  "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.swapped.mkv"

Why MP4 “worked with a warning”

ffmpeg -fflags +genpts \
  -i "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.SATRip-ylnian.avi" \
  -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 -c copy \
  -movflags +faststart -avoid_negative_ts make_zero \
  "Addams.Family.Reunion.1998.swapped.mp4"

TL;DR

M: just saying; i'll stick with the mp4. these are the two movies i was talking about before; one of them is just old, but i have a silly soft spot for older stuff, so i want to keep it - but not have it make jellyfin cough out two entries if i have to rescan or whatever. how should i rename them? 'Eraserhead.1977.1080p.BluRay.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX].mp4' Eraserhead.avi

G: Gotcha — you want Jellyfin to see them as two versions of the same movie, not two separate library entries.
That means:

Example

Movies/
└── Eraserhead (1977)/
    ├── Eraserhead (1977) - BluRay 1080p.mp4
    └── Eraserhead (1977) - VHSrip.avi

Why this works

If you want, I can give you a short list of Jellyfin’s “safe” version tag styles so you can apply the same format across your whole library and never get duplicates. That way it’ll look clean but still keep the distinctions you like.

M: i like the original chaos version simply because it can help me retrace the source. i'd like the version tags, but merging the two concepts - tagging the old one but keeping the informative chaos of the new - seems to be self-contradictory.

G: Right — you want the best of both worlds:

That’s not contradictory — it just means the version tag needs to be appended in a way Jellyfin will recognize, while leaving the original filename intact before it.

How to do it

Put both in a single Eraserhead (1977) folder, and append a clear version tag at the very end:

Movies/
└── Eraserhead (1977)/
    ├── Eraserhead.1977.1080p.BluRay.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX] - BluRay 1080p.mp4
    └── Eraserhead - VHSrip.avi

Why this works

Alternate style (more explicit version flag)

Eraserhead.1977.1080p.BluRay.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX] [Version=BluRay].mp4
Eraserhead [Version=VHSrip].avi

Jellyfin ignores the [] contents for matching but uses them for version naming.

If you want, I can give you a mini naming cheat sheet so every multi-version title in your library follows the same “chaos + clean version tag” pattern and still merges correctly in Jellyfin. That would make future rescans totally safe.

M: sure, give me the cheat sheet

G: Alright — here’s your Jellyfin “Chaos + Version Tag” Naming Cheat Sheet
for keeping your scene/source filenames intact and ensuring Jellyfin merges multiple versions of the same title.

Folder Rule

Movie Title (Year)

Example:

Eraserhead (1977)

Filename Rule

  1. Keep original chaotic filename (scene release, web rip tag, etc.) intact.
  2. Add a clear version tag at the very end before the extension: 
    <original filename> - <Version Tag>.<ext>

Version Tag Guidelines

Examples

Movies/
└── Eraserhead (1977)/
    ├── Eraserhead.1977.1080p.BluRay.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX] - BluRay 1080p.mp4
    └── Eraserhead - VHSrip.avi

Movies/
└── Blade Runner (1982)/
    ├── Blade.Runner.1982.Final.Cut.1080p.BluRay.DTS.x264-HQ - Final Cut.mp4
    └── Blade Runner.1982.1080p.BluRay.DD5.1.x264 - Theatrical Cut.mkv

Special Cases

Jellyfin Behavior

If you want, I can make a bash one-liner that will scan a folder of your chaos files and automatically append version tags for you, so you don’t have to hand-edit every single filename. That would make converting your collection painless.

M: are the version tags limited, or can i create my own to be indicative?

G: They’re not limited at all — Jellyfin doesn’t have a fixed list of version tags.
Whatever text you put after - in the filename will simply appear in the UI as that version’s label.

🔹 How Jellyfin handles it

✅ Example of completely custom tags

Eraserhead.1977.1080p.BluRay.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX] - Retail BluRay Remux.mp4
Eraserhead - Laserdisc SATrip 2003 Capture.avi
Eraserhead - Criterion Restoration 4K Color Timing.mkv

In Jellyfin’s “Versions” menu, you’d see:

💡 Tip:
If you use long custom tags, keep the core movie filename identical before the tag so future rescans still merge them.

If you like, I can give you a quick regex rename pattern that preserves your chaos names and appends your custom version tags cleanly, so you don’t have to manually type them for each file.

M: can i get it to show alternate titles along with the primary version? like, the movie i know of as 'dead alive' is generally called 'braindead'. which i have no problem with technically, but if i see other movies labelled as something i'm not expecting, it'll throw me off.

G: Yes — you can make Jellyfin show alternate titles alongside the primary one, but it’s not automatic from the filename.
You have a few options depending on whether you want this just for you or for everyone using the server.

1️⃣ Add the alternate title to the display name (simplest)

Rename the folder and/or NFO title to include both names:

Dead Alive (Braindead) (1992)/

Jellyfin will display exactly that as the movie title in the library.

2️⃣ Use an .nfo file with an <originaltitle> tag

Jellyfin reads .nfo metadata (Kodi-style). You can give it both a primary title and an original/alternate title:

Dead Alive (Braindead) (1992).nfo

<movie>
    <title>Dead Alive</title>
    <originaltitle>Braindead</originaltitle>
    <year>1992</year>
</movie>

3️⃣ Enable “Original Title” display in Jellyfin settings

4️⃣ Combine with version tags

You can keep multiple versions and show alternate names:

Dead Alive (Braindead) (1992)/
    Dead Alive.1992.BluRay - Theatrical Cut.mkv
    Dead Alive.1992.BluRay - Extended Cut.mkv

That way your “Versions” menu still works while your library shows both names.

💡 Recommendation for your case:
If the main issue is “I see a movie listed under an unfamiliar name and it throws me off,” then using Option 1 (folder rename) is the most reliable across all devices — the NFO/original title methods rely on client skins and settings, and not all Jellyfin clients display them prominently.

If you want, I can give you a naming pattern that merges your alternate title habit with your chaos + version tag habit, so they all display consistently in Jellyfin without breaking version merging.

M: i've got it autonaming from online - so i don't want to do anything that requires a manual reset if anything goes wrong, not if there's an alternative choice.

G: Gotcha — if Jellyfin is auto-renaming from online metadata, then anything you do directly to the folder name or .nfo could be overwritten or would require manual intervention later if you rescan.

That narrows your safe options to metadata-layer changes that Jellyfin can keep even after rescans.

The two safest approaches for your case

1️⃣ Enable “Prefer Original Title” in user settings

This tells Jellyfin to display the “original” title field from the metadata provider in addition to or instead of the localised one.

2️⃣ Store an alternate title in the metadata editor

Jellyfin lets you edit metadata for a movie and add an Alternate Title that stays in the database:

This works even if your file is called Braindead (1992) and all online matches use that name — you’ll still see “Dead Alive” in the UI somewhere.

Why not rename the folder or filename in this setup?

If you want, I can walk you through setting up Alternate Titles in Jellyfin so they display in the UI for every version of a movie, without touching the actual files. That way “Dead Alive” and “Braindead” will always appear together.

M: ...which came first, the movie 'what we do in the shadows' or that new zealand supernatural police encounters show?

G: Great question! Here's how it breaks down:

What We Do in the Shadows—the film—came first.

Summary Table

Title / Medium Release / Premiere Date
What We Do in the Shadows (Film) 2014
Wellington Paranormal (TV Series) July 11, 2018

So if you're comparing them, the movie clearly came first—the TV show followed several years later as a spin-off.

Let me know if you want to explore which characters carry over or how the styles compare—I’ve got you.

M: what is the intended use, in jellyfin, of collections versus playlists? and maybe in a similar vein, if i have a group of movies that are a series but not in a particular alphabetical order, how should i go about making them get grouped together or otherwise indicated to be part of a series

G: Here’s the breakdown of Collections vs. Playlists in Jellyfin, plus how to handle movie series that aren’t naturally alphabetical.

Collections

Playlists

Movie series that aren’t alphabetical

If you have a series where alphabetical sorting doesn’t match the viewing order (Mad Max, The Chronicles of Narnia, MCU movies, etc.):

Option 1 — Official “Movie Collection” from Metadata

Option 2 — Manual Collection + Custom Sort Title (Best Control)

  1. Make a Collection in Jellyfin containing all the series movies.
  2. Edit each movie’s metadata and set a Sort Title to force order:
    • Example for MCU:
      • 001 - Captain America: The First Avenger
      • 002 - Captain Marvel
      • 003 - Iron Man
  3. Jellyfin will sort by sort title inside the collection.

Option 3 — Playlist (if you care about viewing order more than browsing grouping)

💡 Rule of Thumb:

If you want, I can give you a step-by-step for setting custom sort titles in Jellyfin so that your series movies will always display in your chosen order without breaking alphabetical listings elsewhere. That way they’ll group cleanly and keep the correct sequence.

M: there was a recent horror movie involving a boogeyman type creature, represented as black scribbles, large, possibly with a hat..?

G: I think you're describing The Boogeyman (2023)—a Stephen King adaptation directed by Rob Savage. In the film, the titular creature is portrayed as a dark, shadowy entity—almost like black scribbles—emerging from the darkness. While the posters feature a sketch-like monstrous hand over a red backdrop, the on-screen manifestation is indeed abstract, amorphous, and uncanny, designed to feed on fear and grief. citeturn0search2

Here's how it matches your description:

If you saw a hat-like silhouette, it might've been a creative interpretation of the Babadook from the 2014 film The Babadook—a tall monster with a top hat, wrought from eerie illustrations. citeturn0search16

Summary:

Let me know if you'd like help finding that hat-wearing nightmare—or want help tracking where to watch these two!

M: no, this might have been australian/new zealand. the thing was a black humanoid - not racially, but like a black dr seuss nightmare

G: Let’s narrow it down—your description of a black humanoid creature, almost like a black Dr. Seuss nightmare, from an Australian or New Zealand horror film might align with one specific project:

The Tank (New Zealand creature feature in development)

Other notable NZ/Aus horror mentions (but less spot-on)

Summary Table

Film / Project Creature Description Status / Notes
The Tank Jet-black humanoid nightmare, practical suit style In development (NZ); matches your “black scribbles” vibe
The Moogai Ghostly or spectral unsettling figure Real psychological horror, but less visually “scribbly”
The Faceless Man Faceless supernatural slasher Doesn’t match scribble-like aesthetic
Throwback Yowie creature (cryptid) More traditional monster, not abstract humanoid design

Best match so far?
The Tank—if the film you're thinking of exists as described—sounds closest to your description. The blending of physical costume, black texture, and practical effects could easily look like a creepy Dr. Seuss nightmare come to life.

If you remember additional details—plot points, character names, release years, or where/how you heard of it—that could help pin it down further.

M: this was sometime after 2017, it was very popular, but i never got around to it. it was titled 'the something-or-other'. it was a proper name, not a commond dictionary word. might have started with a b, though that's not necessarily true.

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: You’re thinking of The Babadook (Australia, 2014). It’s the tall, shadowy, storybook-looking creature with the top hat and long claws—very “black Dr. Seuss nightmare.” It blew up in the late 2010s (memes, think-pieces), which is probably why it feels newer. citeturn0search0turn0search5turn0news12

M: in libreoffice calc, can i sort alphabetically while excluding the "The" at the beginning of the entries from consideration? i can hack a solution but i'd like to know if there's a quick way first.

G: Yep — you can do it cleanly in LibreOffice Calc without having to permanently change your data, but there’s no single “ignore The” checkbox.
You basically give Calc something else to sort by.

Quickest built-in approach

  1. Insert a temporary helper column next to your list.
  2. In the helper column, use: 
    =IF(LEFT(A1;4)="The ";MID(A1;5;LEN(A1));A1)
    • A1 = your original cell
    • If it starts with "The ", it chops it off; otherwise leaves it alone.
  3. Sort using Data → Sort with the helper column as the key.
  4. Delete the helper column when you’re done.

More advanced

If you do this often, you can:

Bottom line:
Calc doesn’t have a one-click “ignore leading articles” like some media library software, but a helper column formula like the above is the fastest non-destructive way to get the effect.

If you want, I can write you a Calc macro so you can just highlight your list and click one button to sort ignoring “The.” That way you don’t have to mess with helper columns at all.

M: can you name a movie for me, i think it starred lance hendriksen (the guy who played bishop in aliens), it was about a guy snowed in at a radio station and something was going on where a certain sound made people go zombie or something...?

G: You're thinking of the 1999 episode "The Sound of Snow" from the TV series Millennium, directed by Lance Henriksen who also starred in Aliens as Bishop. In this chilling standalone episode, Henriksen's character Frank Black watches as a mysterious cassette tape full of weird white noise instigates bizarre deaths—and turning his young friend into a kind of zombie. It's a tense, cold weather thriller that's exactly the type of “sound brings horror” scenario you described citeturn0search1.

To summarize:

Let me know if you'd like help finding that episode or exploring other similarly eerie sound-based stories!

M: no, this was later - it was certainly more than an hour long episode. it may not be him in the movie, but the guy certainly was like him... the point is that it was a tension movie, not gory - the guy was hosting a local radio station or something, you never saw what was going on (at least that i can remember)... i'm having to ask this way because we got interrupted something like 70 minutes in.

G: You're absolutely thinking of Pontypool (2008), a psychological horror film that fits your description perfectly:

The film’s title: Pontypool.

This aligns so closely with your memory—snowbound radio host, strange sounds turning people into zombies, a minimalist, tension-driven narrative—that I’m confident this is the one you were thinking of.

Let me know if you’d like help tracking it down or diving deeper into its themes.