Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- media:content_structure [2026/01/02 20:14] – privacyl0st
+++ media:content_structure [Unknown date] (current) – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{htmlmetatags>
-metatag-description=(Complete Plex automation guide using Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Jackett, Overseerr, Unmanic, and NVENC-enabled NVIDIA GPUs)
-metatag-robots=(index,follow)
-metatag-og:title=(Plex Automation and NVENC Hardware Transcoding Guide – Trash Panda Wiki)
-metatag-og:description=(Step-by-step Plex automation and NVENC encoding guide)
-}}
-====== Media Library Structure Best Practices ======
-A clean, predictable directory structure is the **foundation** of a stable media ecosystem. Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, and other automation tools all assume certain filesystem behaviors — and fighting those assumptions leads to broken imports, duplicate media, and long-term frustration.\\
-This guide covers **directory layout best practices only**. File naming conventions, renaming rules, and application-specific settings are covered in their respective guides.
-===== Design Goals =====
-A well-designed media library structure should:\\
-  * Be unambiguous to both humans and automation tools
-  * Prevent media type overlap
-  * Scale cleanly as libraries grow
-  * Survive rebuilds of Plex or automation services
-  * Avoid brittle, one-off layouts
-The goal is **boring predictability**. If you ever need to re-point Plex or rebuild the ARR stack, the filesystem should require **zero rethinking**.
-===== Core Principles =====
-Follow these rules universally:
-  * One media type per top-level directory
-  * One logical library per directory tree
-  * No mixed media types in the same path
-  * No temporary or in-progress data in final library paths
-  * Automation tools manage contents — not humans
-Violating these rules almost always leads to:\\
-  * Misidentified media
-  * Incorrect imports
-  * Broken Plex metadata
-  * Difficult troubleshooting
-===== Recommended Top-Level Layout =====
-At the highest level, media should be separated by **type**, not quality, codec, or source.
-Example:
-  * /media/movies
-  * /media/tv
-  * /media/music
-These paths should be treated as **final destinations only**. Nothing enters these directories unless it is ready to be consumed by Plex.
-===== Movies Directory Structure =====
-Movies should live in a **flat but organized** hierarchy.
-Recommended structure:
-  * /media/movies/Movie Title (Year)/
-      * Movie Title (Year).ext
-Why this works well:\\
-  * Plex expects one movie per directory
-  * Radarr manages movies at the folder level
-  * Prevents subtitle and extra file collisions
-  * Makes manual inspection trivial
-Avoid:\\
-  * Nesting by genre
-  * Nesting by resolution (4K, 1080p, etc.)
-  * Grouping multiple movies in a single directory
-Quality and format decisions belong to **automation profiles**, not filesystem layout.
-===== TV Shows Directory Structure =====
-TV content is inherently hierarchical and should reflect that clearly.
-Recommended structure:
-  * /media/tv/Show Name/
-      * Season 01/
-          * Episode files
-      * Season 02/
-          * Episode files
-Why this works well:\\
-  * Plex relies on season-based hierarchy
-  * Sonarr expects one show per root folder
-  * Enables clean season upgrades and replacements
-  * Keeps specials and extras manageable
-Notes:\\
-  * Season folders should always exist, even for single-season shows
-  * Specials should be handled using standard season conventions
-  * Avoid dumping episodes directly into the show root
-===== Music Directory Structure =====
-Music libraries benefit from **strict separation and consistency**, especially when managed by automation tools.
-Recommended structure:
-  * /media/music/Artist/
-      * Album/
-          * Track files
-Why this works well:\\
-  * Plex Music expects Artist → Album hierarchy
-  * Lidarr manages artists and albums cleanly
-  * Preserves album-level metadata and artwork
-  * Avoids cross-artist collisions
-Additional guidance:\\
-  * Multi-disc albums should live under the same album directory
-  * Compilations can be handled via artist naming rules
-  * Soundtracks should be treated as albums, not playlists
-===== Separation of Download, Staging, and Final Media =====
-Never allow automation tools to download directly into final library paths.
-Instead, maintain **three conceptual zones**:
-  * Download directory (temporary, incomplete)
-  * Staging/import directory (post-processing)
-  * Final media library (read-mostly)
-Only the final library paths should be exposed to Plex. This separation ensures:\\
-  * Clean libraries
-  * Predictable imports
-  * Easy recovery from failed downloads
-  * No partial or corrupted media appearing in Plex
-===== Permissions and Ownership =====
-Ensure consistent permissions across all media paths.
-Best practices:\\
-  * Plex and automation tools should have read/write access
-  * Avoid mixing ownership models
-  * Prefer group-based permissions
-  * Avoid per-file manual permission changes
-If permissions require constant fixing, the structure is likely wrong upstream.
-===== What This Guide Intentionally Does NOT Cover =====
-This page does **not** cover:\\
-  * File naming formats
-  * Episode numbering schemes
-  * Metadata agents
-  * Quality profiles
-  * Import and rename settings
-Those topics are covered in:\\
-  * Sonarr configuration guide
-  * Radarr configuration guide
-  * Lidarr configuration guide
-  * Plex library configuration guide
-Keeping these concerns separate prevents overlap and confusion.
-===== Design Philosophy Recap =====
-A good media library structure should be:\\
-  * Obvious
-  * Boring
-  * Automation-friendly
-  * Easy to rebuild against
-If your automation stack disappeared tomorrow, you should be able to:\\
-. Reinstall applications\\
-. Point them at the same directories\\
-. Resume operation without reorganization\\
-If the filesystem gets out of the way, the ecosystem works as intended.