STV Import: Comskip Playback for Default STV (v1.5.4 30/August/2008 for SageTV 5/6)

[hemicuda]

first thing I would check is

C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\STVs\SageTV3\Externals\comskip.cmd

(that's where mine is anyway) and make sure the paths to comskip.exe and comskip.ini are correct to your install. Then make sure the comskip stvi settings know where comskip.cmd is located.

In the comskip folder is a file to help you tune the ini file to your tuner characteristics. you need to add "output_default=0" and change "output_edl=0" to "=1" as well since edl works better than txt in most cases. you might also want to set the live_tv option = 1 in the ini.

Somewhere in this thread or the comskip thread I've posted exactly what the paths are in my cmd file. I'd also look into the Comskip Monitor thread. It and Dirmon2 have a couple of quirks to get them to work just right, but it depends on your style which is easier to setup. Of course, Dirmon2 is more flexible on the surface than CSM.

Good luck. hope this helps.

[Tander]

Thanks for the response Hemicuda! I took a look at comskip.cmd, and there is no place for a path there... so I'm left wondering where it looks to find comskip.exe. Maybe I didn't "install" comskip.exe properly... I just copied it into the SageTV directory. I'm wondering if I needed to do something to make it globally available to my system.

But again, I appreciate your response, and at least gave me some areas to look at.

Tom A

[JREkiwi]

Tander, if you just put the comskip.exe and ini into the STVs\SageTV3\Externals directory and it should work for you.

And as hemicuda mentioned
in the comskip.ini

add
output_default=0

set
output_edl=1

John

[Tander]

Thanks to both John and Hemicuda! I seem to have it working now. Putting it in your externals folder worked.... that was going to be my next try...

Apparently I am an idiot... I skimmed your sample file (comskip.cmd) and tended to skip over your REM's.... a bad habit, I admit, but probably due to my lack of sleep and lunacy. I have no idea why I was unable to specify an absolute path to the comskip files, but no problem, it works now in your folder!

If I understand things right, I can disable the "Start on Watch", and still start things manually prior to watching. (Yes, I set up the path for your comskip.cmd). The main function of the "Start on Watch" then is for programs I haven't scanned yet to be run on the fly... correct?

Also, since I'm doing it manually, is there an easy way to tell when it is done? ie., does your "cs" logo get attached to the listing when it is completed, or when the first EDL file has started generating?

The reason I ask is it seems to take a long time to scan my files, but then again I'm recording at Max Quality, Mpeg-2 PS, probably gross overkill. (I'm recording shows in HD OTA... but my monitor's max resolution is only 1280 x 1024.) it would be awsome if there was a way to show a progress bar during the scan, but then again I may be the only person alive doing it manually!

Anyone have any idea how monitor quality matches up to recording levels? ie., would a lower level recording still max out my monitor resolution? I'll ask in another area of the board, but thanks again for all the help to both John and hemicuda, and John... KUDOS on the STV!

Tom A

[JREkiwi]

Tom, Yes you can disable the "Start on Watch", and still start things manually prior to watching.

The "cs" logo gets attached to the listing when the EDL file has been created, which is not long after comskip starts scanning.

Comskip should scan considerably faster than it takes to play the video, and should have the first commercial break detected before you get to it. Probably best to have "live_tv=1" in the ini file.

Personally, I just use Comskip Monitor to run comskip while shows are recording, which is much gentler on the system. It's very easy to setup and just chugs away in the background.

John

[hemicuda]

John has a point. I used to wrestle with various settings on both programs (mainly Dirmon2) to get them to delay processing til the show was done. After a time I learned that comskip works quite well processing WHILE the show is recording. and as a bonus it doesn't consume hardly any resources that way as opposed to 100% for 10-20min if it waits for the show to end.

If you get into UNC paths in your setup you'll need to manually edit the csm.properties file to add those paths. There's not yet a way to input them from the CSM setup app. Also, you'll need to go into Services in Windows to change the user CSM runs under to an account w/ R/W permissions on that share. It'll hold that user though until you re-run the setup.bat script. There are posts from me in the CSM thread about this.

[Tander]

Thanks again. I'm thrilled to have gotten things working, and actually stayed up till about 5am testing and watching! I'll be doing some fine tuning tonight... but I feel I'm definately on the right road now...

Thanks
Tom A

[JREkiwi]

New version available to download

(1.3.9)
- Enable/Disable Autoskip from a playing video's options panel will now only Enable/Disable Autoskip while that video is playing

John

[Tander]

Weird... up until a day or two ago, I could put Sage in Standby, and manually run Comskip (Using the menu item) on a recorded show, and it would cruise along at 75-80 percent, and run fairly quickly. Now all of a sudden, whenever I put Sage in standby, if I look at my Task Manager, ComSkip will run INCREDIBLY slow, like 4%.... if I go back and bring Sage active, it cranks back up to about 40%, and Sage runs at 40% (of CPU activity).

Any ideas on whats happening? I'm not running any manager, either dirmon or comskip manager yet, as I'm debating about installing the DVD burning STV and it requires Dirmon.... right now I'm just doing things manually, so I want comskip to crank along...

Thanks in advance.

Tander

[JREkiwi]

Comskip does run at low priority, but that doesn't explain the change that you are experiencing. If you wanting comskip to "crank along" then you could modify the comskip.cmd in the externals directory and remove the -n from the comskip.exe command, or you could use the attached already edited one. Just replace the one in the externals directory

FYI. Dirmon and Comskip monitor aren't mutually exclusive. I run Comskip Monitor to run comskip and Dirmon for evilpenquin's DVD burning

John

[Tander]

Cool..... that will solve my hesitency... I will go ahead and install both. I need to start burning some DVD's to back up my shows.

I'll try the change in the cmd file and see if that helps. (Right now I'm comskipping 24... still running, (I just discovered the slow running...)

Not sure what changed.... but appreciate the help! Hopefully I can get Comskip monitor running in the next day or so so I don't have to wait on Comskip to do it's job.

Thanks again!

[Tander]

Great STV by the way! I haven't installed your update yet, but it jogged my memory.... A day or two ago, I disabled the autoskip on a show I was watching after I got to the end and realized ComSkip blew past the next weeks preview, so I disabled it and went back and watched the end again, ... so that may have tweaked something somewhere.

I'll install your update..... that might help as well...

Sage can really fill up your plate I'm also working on using the SGraphRecorder to get the Svideo inputs going on my ATI HDTV wonder card. (Support says there is a bug in their (ATI) drivers, but I think I can work around it...)

Then once done there on to EvilPenquins STV... I have a feeling one never stops tweaking with Sage , but that's half the fun!

Thanks Again

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by Tander

A day or two ago, I disabled the autoskip on a show I was watching after I got to the end and realized ComSkip blew past the next weeks preview, so I disabled it and went back and watched the end again

In a situation like that, you don't need to disable autoskip to watch something thats been skipped. Just use the left arrow button and it will skip back to the last skip point and automatically temporarily disable autoskip and play without skipping.

John

[Tander]

Thanks John. For some reason that wasn't working for me, but I was using the "back" on my ATI Remote. which was taking me past the break point, then jumping at the break point. I'll try the left arrow on the keyboard tonight. More than likely it's not a bug or error from your STV, probably just an unfortunate "collision of events" in my system between the remote, Sage, and all the tweaking I've been doing.

Thanks Again

[JREkiwi]

Updated the download

(1.4.0)
- Removed the left/right skip block if Video Info was displayed and stop info toggling
- Added Marker icons to Version 6 Browser view

1.3.8 introduced a block to left/right skipping if the Video Info was being displayed because left/right are used for toggling the Expanded Video Info on/off. That's proved to be a pain, so I've unblocked the skipping and disabled Expanded Video Info toggling if left/right skipping is enabled and a comskip file exists. Expanded Video Info will be enabled if it was disabled, although I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

John

[Tander]

Great! I'll give it a run later tonight.... That should help

Tom A

[bcjenkins]

Hi John,

First, thanks for you continual work on the plugins. Your commitment is truly appreciated. I am attaching a screen shot showing the available recordings. I am not sure why, but the CS icon is noticeably smaller than the others. Any thoughts?

TIA

B

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

I am not sure why, but the CS icon is noticeably smaller than the others. Any thoughts

B, I've slipped a change into the download, so try that. It does seem to be more noticeable on a placeshifter client, but it is a squeeze to get an extra marker into the space for 2. I don't use that view so I hadn't really noticed it. I can probably fix it up better though.

John

[bcjenkins]

Hi John,

Maybe looks bigger? Attached. Also, I am not sure if this matters, but I am using a newer df_utils from one of the other imports.

B

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

Hi John,

First, thanks for you continual work on the plugins. Your commitment is truly appreciated. I am attaching a screen shot showing the available recordings. I am not sure why, but the CS icon is noticeably smaller than the others. Any thoughts?

TIA

B

I noticed this too and thought that maybe it was just me

I updated the image definition using Studio and it looks much better now.

Here is the process I followed:

1. Search for the string "Add to THEME ORGANIZER"
2. Expand the "Add to THEME ORGANIZER" node until you find the "ComSkip Icon" buried underneath (it's about 6 levels deep, but easy to locate)
3. Right click on "ComSkip Icon" and select properties
4. Set the following properties:
a. Anchor X = 0
b. Anchor Y = .5
c. Fixed width = 1
d. Fixed height = .5
5. Save

I am by no means a Studio expert (I'm not even a novice), so feel free to tell me if the above is wrong.