Video summary

New Plex Feature: TV Show Editions - Keep Multiple Versions of the Same Show in Your Database!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Main tech/product update: Plex “TV Show Editions”

  • Plex now supports keeping multiple editions of the same TV show in your library—similar to how Plex already handles movie editions.
  • Each edition can display an edition label (e.g., “4K Blu-ray version”, “DVD”, “Laser Disc Community”), letting you distinguish different releases of the same series/version set.

Example/analysis used in the tutorial

The speaker uses Deep Space Nine to demonstrate why editions matter:

  • DVD release (example quality: 480p)
  • Community-enhanced effort for the LaserDisc versions, which the speaker notes looks better than the DVD releases

Result: both releases can show up as separate entries/editions within the Plex TV show library.

How to set up editions (two approaches)

  1. File-system based method (recommended “bulk” setup)

    • Plex can detect editions based on how you rename folders using the edition label.
    • Workflow:
      • Rename each season/show folder to include the edition label (e.g., “edition: laser disc community” vs “edition: dvd”).
      • Then run a manual library scan / re-index.
    • Outcome:
      • Plex creates two separate versions of the same TV show, each with its edition label.

  2. Plex web interface method (label via Plex)

    • Alternative approach if you don’t want to manage folder naming:
      • Add/load one version first.
      • In the Plex web client, open the show → Edit → set the edition label.
      • Add the second version’s files and rescan.
      • Repeat the editing to apply the second edition label and optionally update artwork.
    • Outcome:
      • Editions still appear separately in the Plex library even if you staged content one version at a time.

Poster/artwork differentiation (important compatibility detail)

  • If a Plex client doesn’t support edition labels, Plex will still show two versions, but without the labels.
  • Plex recommends using different posters so users can tell editions apart on clients where edition metadata isn’t shown well.

Platform + licensing notes

  • Plex Pass required: This feature is a Plex Pass capability and won’t work on the free server tier.
  • Viewer compatibility: If the server account uses Plex Pass, viewers can still see the editions—even if they don’t have Plex Pass—so long as the server is connected to a Plex Pass account.

What the speaker demonstrates

  • Applying edition labels for TV shows (and noting the same general concept applies to movies).
  • Ensuring edition labels appear on supported devices, and adding posters when labels may not be visible.

Main speaker/source

  • Lon Seidman (speaking in the video; Plex-sponsored segment)
  • Plex documentation/support article referenced for setup instructions (Plex website)

Original video