In large libraries there are many instances in which, some movies or tv show episodes, has multiple versions locally.
Say one 720p, one 1080p, or some other differentiating aspect…
Plex allows to manages versions per media file, in the file options,
But if you have multiple such instances it can become a nuisance.
Why not establish a library-wide default version preference (say 1080p), with automatic fallback to a lesser version if present?
Instead of managing versions per file
Unless you manually opt to play a specific version, Plex should automatically pick the most suitable one (if multiple are available).
There’s a lot of different aspects that determine a „version“ beyond just its resolution. There’s different codecs, encoding levels, bitrates, colorspace, HDR vs. SDR… just to mention a few… and that’s just been the video track. Similarly, you’ll have all kinds of aspects in audio and subtitle streams (which won’t necessarily match if you’ve got multiple of those).
It seems impractical to assume there’s a one-size-fits-all model to pick from for an entire library or server-wide.
What is it you’re actually trying to achieve or bypass?
