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Manual Intro skip in mkv


elpoolet

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elpoolet

Hi everybody

I'm guessing how to create manual Intro markers in the chapters of the mkv ?

Is there a way to achieve this ?

Before trying to create chapters with names "Intro Start" and "Intro End".
The main advantage of this is that if I move files (wich is relatively often at home), as the chapters are embeded in the mkv, the intro markers follows the moving.

I saw in the "ChapterAPI plugin" that it's possible to create markers for "CreditsStart". Is it also possible to create this one in the chapters of the mkv ?

Many thanks

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rbjtech

On the same instance of emby, where the item id stays the same, you can move the file where you like and the associated chapters will remain with it.

However, as you have identified - because the Intro details are held in the emby database (only), then you lose them if you attempt to use the file elsewhere.

Some discussion has taken place on getting the Intro details into the NFO files (if you use them), but the idea of writing the Intro data back into the source file has never really been discussed.

Is it possible ? - yes, it's relatively easy to get the existing chapters (if any), merge in the Intro chapters (and end credits) and write it back - mkvpropedit will do that without even re-writing the file.

However, it starts to get complicated when you have existing (non emby) Intro chapters already there - as you now have two 'Intro's' - and there is no way for the code to realistically know that it is an 'Intro' short of using a language based lookup of everything resembling 'Intro' ...

Adding @Cheesegeezer for his thoughts ...

 

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elpoolet

Hi @rbjtech

My initial thought was something like : 
If there's a chapter file (or info) embedded in the container (mkv or mp4),
If there's a chapter named "Intro Start" AND there's a chapter named "Intro End" then use this information

So, use the embedded info only if both Start and End markers are present.

otherwise, use the DB information if calculated.

This method would be interesting ie for the "Manifest" (2018) series which have a recap at the start of each episode, wich is a bit annoying when you start watching a new episode.

 

any thought @Luke or @Happy2Play

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elpoolet
4 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, yes in theory that's possible.

In theory, theory and practive are the sme, but in practice, not :)

Do you think it would be possible to include that feature in a short future release ?

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rbjtech
1 hour ago, elpoolet said:

Hi @rbjtech

My initial thought was something like : 
If there's a chapter file (or info) embedded in the container (mkv or mp4),
If there's a chapter named "Intro Start" AND there's a chapter named "Intro End" then use this information

So, use the embedded info only if both Start and End markers are present.

otherwise, use the DB information if calculated.

This method would be interesting ie for the "Manifest" (2018) series which have a recap at the start of each episode, wich is a bit annoying when you start watching a new episode.

 

any thought @Luke or @Happy2Play

Recap's are a whole new issue.

Because they are unique - and you cannot guarantee the Intro starts immediately after them, then you have now introduced an 'unknown'.

There are solutions out there - such as TeamB's API Plugin that would be well suited to identifying 'recaps' for each episode - BUT without the rest of the emby system being able to catagorise it as a 'recap' and act accordingly, it's of no real use unfortunately.

If the recaps bother you - then simply chop them out the video .. 🤪

Edited by rbjtech
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elpoolet
16 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

Recap's are a whole new issue.

Because they are unique - and you cannot guarantee the Intro starts immediately after them, then you have now introduced an 'unknown'.

There are solutions out there - such as TeamB's API Plugin that would be well suited to identifying 'recaps' for each episode - BUT without the rest of the emby system being able to catagorise it as a 'recap' and act accordingly, it's of no real use unfortunately.

If the recaps bother you - then simply chop them out the video .. 🤪

@rbjtech
My goal is not to chop them (cause sometimes, after weeks of not following a show in example, I like to view this recap), but to bypass them when I want, by clicking on the button "Skip intro"...
if these markers are manually created, I don't even see what would be the problem.
I know that the devs will have to deal with many of unsollicited, and even stupid behaviours like

 - 2 start markers, but only 1 End !
 - the start marker with time greater than end marker
 - the end marker at the end of the video...

and so on

my proposition is to completely deactivate any sort auto-intro detection as soon as there's manual markers

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elpoolet

additionnaly, I consider recaps as Intros.. 

but you're right it could be 2 separate items, and a whole new issue...
Perhaps adding the possibility to create 

 - intro markers "IntroStart", "IntroEnd"
 - recap markers "RecapStart", "RecapEnd"

without detection but the ability to add these markers manually into the charpter file...

And if nothing in the chapter file, looking in the DataBase for that...

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rbjtech
17 minutes ago, elpoolet said:

additionnaly, I consider recaps as Intros.. 

but you're right it could be 2 separate items, and a whole new issue...
Perhaps adding the possibility to create 

 - intro markers "IntroStart", "IntroEnd"
 - recap markers "RecapStart", "RecapEnd"

without detection but the ability to add these markers manually into the charpter file...

And if nothing in the chapter file, looking in the DataBase for that...

Yep - nobody is disagreeing with your logic - but having been an integral part of the original Introskip plugin design and implementation - I can tell you that it is a LOT more involved than you probably realise.

If emby could recognise 'recaps' (manually added as you say) in the same way it recognises 'intro' markers now - then there are all sorts of possibilities to be had.  ie rather than bring up 'Skip Intro' it brings up 'Skip Recap' ..

Technically, the emby chapters dB has been created so the 'MarkerType' can be anything, it is not fixed - so it's easy enough to add new marker types - the big sticking point is the CLIENTS - unless they recognise the markers, then it's all pointless as I said earlier.

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  • 4 months later...
moses19850

Hi,

I tried to follow the whole discussion, but I still don't know, if it's possible to use existing chapters for SKIP intro or not? Can you please tell if it works and how?

Currently I'm recording tv-shows and afterwards I add a chapter maker after the intro (only this one) in my mkv files with mkvtoolnix.

Thanks.

Edited by moses19850
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Hi.  No, Emby uses special markers for this purpose which it enters using its algorithms.  But, how would you get intro skip with only one marker anyway...?

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elpoolet

Hi @moses19850

The way I find to deal with that is to use the ChapterAPI plugin to add markers, and to use the (paid) Intros Backup plugin which backup intros markers, so when I move files, I use this plugin to restore chapters markers...

To date, AFAIK, there's no way to achieve manual markers embedded in mkv's...

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  • 2 weeks later...
Cheesegeezer

So… if i can chime in after ma wee mention…

1. Use intros backup plugin that writes these marker to json and nfo files. Then you can restore them using the same plugin.

2. Write the detected intros directly to the chapter table in the mkv file using mkvtoolnix but you would have to rely on the server detection to identify those and write them to the chapter database.

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