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

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Updated the download

(1.4.0)
- Removed the left/right skip block if Video Info was displayed and stop info toggling

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

I actually liked the way it worked in 1.3.8. I'm a big user of the left button, so before 1.3.8, I found that I was often accidentally skipping backwards in the program after exiting the Home menu.

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

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.

This cleared it up for me. Thanks!

B

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

I actually liked the way it worked in 1.3.8. I'm a big user of the left button, so before 1.3.8, I found that I was often accidentally skipping backwards in the program after exiting the Home menu.

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

... but the CS icon is noticeably smaller than the others.

New version up in Downloads

(1.4.1)
- Change Marker position on Sage Recordings
- New Option in More Options for left/right handling when Video Info is showing. Allow skipping (1.4.0 style) or block skipping (1.3.8 style)

The spacecadet fix overwrites the position used by the Archive marker which the CS marker was squeezing in below. I've put it in a new column which I had intended to do originally.

John

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

New version up in Downloads
The spacecadet fix overwrites the position used by the Archive marker which the CS marker was squeezing in below. I've put it in a new column which I had intended to do originally.

I knew I couldn't have done it completely right, seemed too easy

Thanks for these fixes!

[theagc]

Ok, so I download this STVi and installed it exactly as stated.
Then I went into the menus and configure everything as required.

I used ShowAnalyzer on one MPG file I have and got two files – txt and edl.
They are stored on the same directory as the original mpg file, and naturally have the same file name (only the extension is different ended with txt and edl).

When I am going to the recorded program under Sage6, I can even see the CS logo, which clearly indicates that the MPG file is that the edl/txt files are been identified by SAGE.
But still, when I play the file, commercials are not been skipped 

I verified the Comskip is enabled and that indeed the txt/edl files shows frames to skip.

So I am probably doing something wrong.

Question is – what?

I didn’t want to use comskip to crease the txt/edl file, as I understood that SA is a bit better (and the console window was really bothering me), but I understand that it doesn’t really matter if I use COMSKIP or SA to crease the output file – the STV/SAGE will support any of them.

Then only thing I could think of right now, is that the fact I created both txt and edl file can cause problems – so I will try tonight deleting one of them.

But do you have any more suggestions to me?

Thanks in advance!

The AGC

[JREkiwi]

Is doesn't matter if you have either edl, txt or both files, or whether they are created by Comskip or ShowAnalyzer. Skipping is more accurate using edl files and the import will use the edl file if both files exist.

Are there any commercials being marked in the video timeline (darker green)

What version of Sage are you using?

John

[theagc]

Thank you for your fast reply!
I am using Sage6 (I think latest release build).
The edl file it self have content that defines commercialswithin it. That I can tell (the file is not empty :-))
But commercials are not makred in the video timeline.

So I think I missed something with the STVi configuration?

[JREkiwi]

If you go into Setup -> Help -> System Information

There will be a Software Version and a Version on the Current STV File line.

If your getting the setup panels then the import of the STVi has basically worked.

Can you try doing an import into a clean STV, with no other imports

John

[theagc]

Ok, now I am baffled.
What do you mean by importing into a clean STV?
I actaully never installed any STV (that was my first one ever :-D)

Thanks,

Amit

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by theagc

Ok, now I am baffled.
What do you mean by importing into a clean STV?
I actaully never installed any STV (that was my first one ever :-D)

Amit, If it's you first import, then that's importing into a clean STV.

If I can have the version numbers to confirm it's not a version I haven't tested

John

[Snuffy2]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

New version up in Downloads

(1.4.1)
- Change Marker position on Sage Recordings
- New Option in More Options for left/right handling when Video Info is showing. Allow skipping (1.4.0 style) or block skipping (1.3.8 style)

The spacecadet fix overwrites the position used by the Archive marker which the CS marker was squeezing in below. I've put it in a new column which I had intended to do originally.

John

OK I'm not sure whether this is a bug or me not setting these new options correctly but I'm having a Comskip Playback problem.

I was running 1.3.9 previously (& many versions before that). With the prior versions when Comskip would missmark a commercial I could hit Left and it would go to where the show ended & the commercial are begins and play the commercial area.

Now with 1.4.1 I hit left and it jumps to the same spot as before but then skips the commercial again so I still can't see what I missed.

Is there an option setting I missed? It seems I need one to turn of Comskip for 5 sec after pressing left.

Or is it a bug?

Thanx

[JREkiwi]

I noticed that last night, it looks like a bug. It's on my things to do list

John

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by Snuffy2

Now with 1.4.1 I hit left and it jumps to the same spot as before but then skips the commercial again so I still can't see what I missed.

New version available for download

(1.4.2)
- Fix left skip not disabling autoskip
- Added configuration option for default setting to show/not show extended OSD Info


John

[dblaine2]

I can't be sure but I think 1.4.2 messed up the green power button on the silver Hauppauge remote. Any one else see this? I will do more testing to isolate to be sure.

[JREkiwi]

Messed up? You probably just need to enable "Tidy Green Button"

Haven't seen any issue. What's it doing?

John

[dblaine2]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Messed up? You probably just need to enable "Tidy Green Button"

Haven't seen any issue. What's it doing?

John

Do you mean "Easy Button"?

Pressing it is minimizing Sage instead of putting it to sleep. I haven't done any other testing to figure out what is going on. The only thing that has changed is this upgrade and the RW metadata.

[talonmike]

I was wondering if you modified the code to delete the videoredo files uppon a tvshow delition?


Thanks

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by talonmike

I was wondering if you modified the code to delete the videoredo files uppon a tvshow delition?

Sure did. Went in somewhere around 1.3.8. Do you have some not deleting?

John

[talonmike]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Sure did. Went in somewhere around 1.3.8. Do you have some not deleting?

John

Thanks,


I will update to the last version. I was wating for this fix. Thakns a lot for your good work

[Humanzee]

John,
I am having a bit of trouble with this import. I've been commercial detecting for years now and within the last couple of months things haven't been as reliable or accurate as they have been in the past. I'm not certain whats causing it really. I went and got the latest SA and the latest version of your import yesterday and re-processed a bunch of files. They all process and mark commercials but I don't get the expected behavior when viewing them. I'm using edl with 1 mSec start and stop delay and 0 start and stop padding in SAConfig. However, I don't get consistent jumps when watching a program.

Sometimes its perfect and sometimes its 10's of seconds off. Additionally I can hit custom4 or custom5 to skip forward and back, and it will start playing from a different place each time I return to that segment marker. + or - 10 to 15 seconds. This makes me think its a plug in issue as, any mark in the edl file should jump the time line to the same spot regardless of how many times its accessed. Shouldn't it?

I have 4 different tuners, use PureVideo and AC3Filter and I believe I am running the latest retail build of SageTV 6.1. Any idea's? I have a friend who also recently mentioned similar behavior. Could this be bad time coding in the media files them selves? If so is there something I can do about that?

Thanks,