Actually my hunch is that it really doesn’t matter what file type it is. I am fairly certain that Plex keeps track of files with ad skips in its own database files and stores the ad skip data there also.
Like it does with subtitles. Sure you can sidecar an .srt file to a video and get subtitles. But if you use Plex to download a subtitle it’s hidden away somewhere. Plex then looks to it’s database to find that subtitle information. The subtitles are not added to the original file nor sidecar in an .srt with the original file.
I imagine it is the same with ad skipping. Plex’s database files contain the file information, including ad skipping data. The video file itself does not contain that information. So you can use most types of video files from MPG to MP4 to TS.
In my question I am looking to be able to tell Plex if a file is a recording so it will do the detection process. But I don’t want every file I have scanned and processed. Just the ones I identify.
Your question is slightly different. But I think I might be able to help you if you are missing what I think you are missing.
Video previews and intros are separate processes. Intros are actually really creative. It uses the shows Intro music. It finds a sound pattern identical in most episodes of a particular season and therefore can accurately ID the intro in each episode of that season (there is a bit more to it, but that is a rough explanation.)
Ad detection is a different beast which uses a bunch of little tricks. Like finding network logos (commonly not displayed in commercials), Content rating logos (usually after commercials), black frames, volume changes, etc. And I do believe that both Plex and Channels use an application called Comskip. Their site says the files it can process are MPEG2, h.264, mpg, ts, dvr-ms, wtv. But cannot do copy protected recordings.
In Plex ad detection is only run on libraries that have ad identification set to “for recorded items” or “for all items”. Enable intro detection and enable video preview thumbnails are separate options. I suspect your problem is actually you have enable video thumbnails selected, enable intro detection selected, and ad detection disabled.
For you I would go to your library of choice, select manage library, select edit, select advanced. At the bottom of the box make sure ad detection is set to For All Items. This will scan every video in the library, so use with caution if you have a large library (which is why I am asking about manually marking files). Also remember it takes a fairly long time to do the ad detection. Sure it is just a couple of minutes a file. But that ads up with a lot of files. Also remember that ad detection is not run in real-time, it is a post process with data stored in a separate file or database someplace. Usually an .edl. And it’ll only be run at at a scheduled time (or when added) if setup in server settings. So make sure you got scheduling enabled in settings.
Hope that helps.
As for me, my OP still hopes for an answer to manual marking.
