Sonarr: Multiple files one episode

[SonarrBot]

We already support multiple episodes in one file, so why not multiple files per episode.

Users should be able to choose how many files they want per episode and later change it, which would keep the best n episodes.

Should be able to run a clean-up that would trim each episode down to 1 episode, keeping the best quality per the quality profile.

[markus101]

Do we want to support split episode files (a single episode split into multiple files, part 1, part 2, etc).

[Taloth]

Looks like this issue is about multiple qualities.

As for your question, I would avoid split files.

[markus101]

Yeah, only semi related, split files are definitely a different overall problem. Sounds like a problem for mkv merge.

[ragingpastry]

Supporting multiple qualities in Sonarr would be huge for me. I currently use an Xbox-One and an Amazon Firestick to stream Plex. I like to grab the highest quality available for shows (1080p). This becomes a problem when playing through the firestick as I can only play 720p and below (others refuse to play at all).

Having the ability to grab 2 versions of an episode without having to manually download the 2nd version would be a great feature.

[harleyg321]

@ragingpastry If your plex server doesn't have the power to transcode to 720p in real time, you could use the media optimizer in plex to pre-transcode to 720p until sonarr supports multiple qualities.

[ragingpastry]

@harleyg321 thank you. This might be the solution I will have to use in the meantime

[misakitchi]

I want Multiples Qualities for one episode too! Please! :)

[ThatWhiteMonster]

It would be great if Sonarr didn't delete the lower quality if the cutoff is set on higher one and the higher one is downloaded.

For example, right now If I want 720p and 1080p to exist "simultaneously", I set the cutoff on 1080p and if Sonarr replaces 720p with 1080p I just recover the 720p from the recycle folder and put it back where the 1080p is. Sonarr still thinks he has 1080p and I have both to avoid the transcoding in Plex.

That would be a great feature to cut out the hassle described above. Especially considering the fact that running multiple instances of Sonarr is not supported.

[Taloth]

... I just recover the 720p from the recycle folder and put it back where the 1080p is. Sonarr still thinks he has 1080p and I have both to avoid the transcoding in Plex.

You really shouldn't do that, I'm not sure, but iirc each series refresh (12h) it will swap between em and get mediainfo.

[Deihmos]

This would be a great feature to have. I could keep an SD for mobile viewing without having to stress my cpu to convert the video.

[andreas-woelfl]

This would be a really good feature. My CPU is too weak to transcode 4k to 1080. It would be awesome to keep these two qualities so i can stream the 1080 versions to my mobile devices

[JSKershaw]

I would be interested in knowing how to have Sonarr support a single episode in 2 parts or more. Prime example was the new season of Celebrity apprentice when the first episode was split into two 45 minute episodes. Plex handles the multi-part episode by adding S01E01 - Part 1 and S01E01 - Part 2.

[Taloth]

@JSKershaw Sonarr doesn't support multiple parts for a single episode. And I don't see that getting 'fixed' anytime soon.

Also, Apprentice is a horrible example, look at it... scene mostly releases as S08, tvdb calls it S15. The first 2h episode got released by one group as HDTV S08E01E02, others released it as simply WEB S08E01.

[mcfaul]

I would love multiple copies for a single episode.

This has only become an issue for me now that I am getting more 4k content. i'd like to keep the 1080p copies for plex to stream for most of my devices, but also have the 4k there too for the devices that support it. only keeping the 4k version is an option but means that most of the time it would be spending quite a lot of cpu time transcoding it down to 1080p

[turly]

Chiming in to say that downloading multiple qualities of a single episode would be extremely handy!

[ghost]

My spin on multiple files per episode is a tad different -- some shows will have multiple editions:

• Shows that were cropped when aired to 4:3 but released on DVD as 16:9
• Remastered: Some shows (e.g. Seinfeld) were released on DVD as SD 4:3 but were recently remastered and re-released in 16:9 HD for the web.
• Censored/uncensored: South Park, for example, seems to have censored and uncensored versions
• Other?

Having the option to, for example, have both the older and remastered versions of a show or collect the censored and uncensored versions would be quite neat but isn't a 'burning desire'.

[eb98jdb]

This would be amazing

[19wolf]

Is this a thing that's happening?

[CollinChaffin]

I agree with what @ragingpastry said I too have an absolute need and should not be forced to throw away valuable transcodes and I have too been doing exactly what @ThatWhiteMonster does and copying back the lesser. However, as @Taloth pointed out - it winds up 12 hrs later being a total crap-shoot when Sonarr re-scans. It WILL either delete ALL metadata for one of the copies to the DELETEDITEMS, and if I didn't win the lottery for that one it winds up throwing away the higher quality one's and keeping the lesser.

I've even tried doing this manually:

1. Place each set of episodes in folders like this:
   Falling Skies | --Season 01 | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.Bluray.x264.mkv --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.Bluray.x264.xml --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.Bluray.x264.nfo | --Season 01 - Bluray720p | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.mkv --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.xml --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.nfo

After 12 hrs, however, it will in many cases, look like this:
Falling Skies | --Season 01 | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.Bluray.x264.mkv | --Season 01 - Bluray720p | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.mkv --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.xml --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.nfo
Even more dangerous:

Do the above, but one at 720p.Bluray.x264 at only 300mb size with tiny bitrate for mobile, and the other at 4gig at max bitrate but 1080p.HDTV.x264 that looks like this:
Falling Skies | --Season 01 | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.HDTV.x264.mkv (4 GIGABYTE size max bitrate!) --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.HDTV.x264.xml --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.HDTV.x264.nfo | --Season 01 - Bluray720p | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.mkv (only 300mb file size lousy bitrate for tiny mobile) --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.xml --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.nfo

After 12 hrs, however, it will in many cases, look like this and Sonarr shows the crappy Bluray in it's ep list over the huge HDTV:
Falling Skies | --Season 01 | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.1080p.HDTV.x264.mkv (4 GIGABYTE size max bitrate!) | --Season 01 - Bluray720p | --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.mkv (only 300mb file size lousy bitrate for tiny mobile) --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.xml --Falling.Skies.s01e01.Live.And.Learn.720p.Bluray.x264.nfo

And in both cases above, my Plex is fine and finds and presents both copies but like @Taloth said, that 12hr mark and one of the above metadata files get removed in Sonarr. The Bluray overriding HDTV even in case of such crappy bitrate must just be a hard-coded preference in Sonarr? That's more of a side issue but I was curious.

I can see it would be a much bigger undertaking to add the ability for Sonarr to download the second (or for that matter third, fourth, etc. where does the line get drawn?) episode, but I'd be satisfied if Sonarr could just leave alone existing metadata all together. Have I missed it is there already a setting to tell Sonarr to monitor a show but do overwrite existing metadata? Or, is the concern there that show's existing episode metadata changes after being added? I thought that once Sonarr sees the metadata that it won't ever go back out to actively pull it down again anyway, so if that's the case then perhaps simply adding a "no overwrite existing" metadata switch is a more realistic feature request?

[internety1]

Is there any update about option to add multiple quality ?
also is there an option to add in Episode naming just quality without source or add source as a second ?
as 720p BluRay instead BluRay-720p ?

[Lonli-Lokli]

I believe that issue with several qualities per episode should be moved to another thread - this is about multiple files for one episode (like part 1, part2).
I really cannot get why this feature is missed.

[markus101]

This is about multiple qualities for a single episode.

We do lot plans to support split files (multiple files that make up one episode). It’s a complicated problem without a wide spread need (gone are the days of VCDs and combining multiple files into one is not a complicated endeavour).

[ravensorb]

Bumping this up -- seems like there is a fair amount of interest?

[gimpyestrada]

Ditto, it would be great to have multiple profiles per episode.

[dausruddin]

Yeah, would be great.

[brandonscript]

Do we have a dedicated ticket somewhere for supporting multiple qualities per episode? There's another ticket about supporting both HDR and SDR versions, but I can't seem to find a general ticket about multiple qualities.

[markus101]

That's the point of this issue...

This is about multiple qualities for a single episode.

Closing comments on this issue until someone is actually working on it, recent comments are just noise. If you're interested in working on this feature, you can discuss with us on discord. Updates to this issue will be made when there is something to comment on, a lack of comment meaning there is no update.