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

[JREkiwi]

New version available for download

(1.5.1)
- Fix Detailed Info toggling in SageTV 6.3
- Changes to be more compatible with the L/R arrows in the MiniGuide import (Install this import after the MiniGuide import)

John

[happo2000]

I can't seem to get the 'Comskip Playback Options' under 'Setup -> Detailed Setup -> Customize' after doing the STVi import. SageTV/System restart does not help.

I freshly installed SageTV 6.3.5 and am using the default STV. The only things besides the videos that were from my older (6.2) install of SageTV are 'Sage.properties' and 'Wiz.bin' and 'Wiz.bak'. I've tried downloading the default STV again and import into that. But no luck. Opening the SageTV3-1.xml after the import and doing a search does yield entries for 'Comskip Playback Options'.

Any ideas?

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by happo2000

I can't seem to get the 'Comskip Playback Options' under 'Setup -> Detailed Setup -> Customize' after doing the STVi import. SageTV/System restart does not help.

I freshly installed SageTV 6.3.5 and am using the default STV. The only things besides the videos that were from my older (6.2) install of SageTV are 'Sage.properties' and 'Wiz.bin' and 'Wiz.bak'. I've tried downloading the default STV again and import into that. But no luck. Opening the SageTV3-1.xml after the import and doing a search does yield entries for 'Comskip Playback Options'.

Any ideas?

Make sure you get the latest Comskip. 1.51. And then start from SageTV3.xml and import it into that one. Don't reimport into one that already has it. Not sure if that works properly.


Gerry

[happo2000]

Yeah. I am using ComSkip Playback v1.51 and am trying to import into the default STV. Please note that SageTV does not acutally import the STVi information into the original file, it creates a new file ( in this case SageTV3-1.xml ), copies the currently active STV ( in this case SageTV3.xml ) into it, then imports the Comskip_playback_151.stvi into it. Then sets the newly created xml as the active one.

[JREkiwi]

Did you put the df_sageutils.jar file into the JARS directory?

What version of Java are you running? I included the latest version of df_sageutils, which may require Java 1.6, which is the best Java version to be using anyway

John

[happo2000]

Yes, I do have the df_sageutils.jar in the proper directory. But the java version is still 1.4.x. I'm pretty sure that is the issue. I'll try updating the java version and let you know.

Yes, it worked. Thank you very much.

[Big Jeff]

Has anyone gotten this to successfully work on the MAC CLIENT???

If so what did you do to get it to find the CS files?

Thanks,
Jeff

[bcjenkins]

Mac client Windows server? If so, I think you'll run into issues getting this to work, although I can't say that I have tried it. This will only work if the client can see the edl files alongside the mpg files. I think this falls into the same reason why ripped DVD playback doesn't work.

B

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by Big Jeff

Has anyone gotten this to successfully work on the MAC CLIENT???

If so what did you do to get it to find the CS files?

Thanks,
Jeff

When you record your TV shows are they being recorded to a UNC path? The CS files must be made available through a file share and AFAIK your Video Recording Directories must also be UNC paths.

I have a single recording that was made prior to switching my server to UNC paths and the CS data is only available to the client on the server.

[Big Jeff]

By UNC you mean, \\servername\volume\path\ instead of V:\TV\??? I tried that before on the Sage Server box and it didn't work, BUT the last bit of information you gave suggested maybe why. Its not that it didn't work, I had no new recordings with the UNC paths. I need to switch to UNC paths, let it record and process them, THEN see if it will work.

Thanks!

[bcjenkins]

Please see my posting above. The comskip plugin does not care if it was processed via UNC or via direct path. The problem is most likely tied to the fact that \\server\share\dir\file does not translate on a Mac. I have been through this on the linux side.

B

[Big Jeff]

Well thats not good news. Hopefully things will be addressed so that we can.

Jeff

[bcjenkins]

Send it in as a request. If you'd like a little acronym mumbo jumbo try:

Dear SageTV,

I am running a mixed client/server environment and I need help with cross-platform file access. Since SageTV is already implementing jcifs, would you please consider updating your library and implementing the cifs uri as an access methodology. According to the jcifs API documentation, this should allow universal access through the file://server/share/ syntaxing.

Humbly,

Your Esteemed Patron

B

[Steve52]

Using the comskip plugin adds a button to the drop down menu in sage recordings. When you click on a recording you get the standard options like watch, record, etc. and one that says "Delete Comskip File". Does this work only if you are using comskip? I am using Showanalyser. When I click on this button nothing noticeable happens. The commercial marks are still in the timeline.

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by Steve52

Does this work only if you are using comskip? I am using Showanalyser. When I click on this button nothing noticeable happens. The commercial marks are still in the timeline.

No, this works if you are using Showanalyser.

Sounds like your clients do not have rights to delete the files. From a client see if you can delete \\server\share\videoname.edl or drive:\path\videoname.edl

John

[Steve52]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

No, this works if you are using Showanalyser.

Sounds like your clients do not have rights to delete the files. From a client see if you can delete \\server\share\videoname.edl or drive:\path\videoname.edl

John

You were correct. Thanks! I had forgotten to check the box that lets other users change files, and since I really wasn't sure showanalyser would work correctly with the plugin I never thought about that.

[jpaddock3000]

I upgraded my STV to 6.3 and this wonderful plug-in to 1.5.1 (I don't know how people watch commercials anymore). Now Sage doesn't appear to know when there is a commercial until after the show has finished recording. It use to be that if I hit pause on live tv long enough for a commercial to have finished, it will automatically skip it. Now it doesn't. I haven't changed any of my settings. Any ideas on why this doesn't work? Sorry if this issue was posted earlier in this forum, but I didn't have the time to read through 21 pages.

Thanks

[ke6guj]

That is because your SageClient can't see the .txt files directly. If you look at the recording info for the show, it would show somehting like E:\SageTVrecordings\MythBusters-BoomLiftCatapult-3284882-0.mpg. That is the location it was recorded on the server. The client lookf for E:\SageTVrecordings\MythBusters-BoomLiftCatapult-3284882-0.txt locally and can't find it so no comskip.

Your options are to either map the E: on the server to a mapped E: drive on the client so the path to E:\SageTVrecordings\MythBusters-BoomLiftCatapult-3284882-0.mpg is valid, or start using UNC paths on the server. Tell the server to record to \\Server\SageTVrecordings and then when the client goes to look for the comskip files, it will look in the \\Server\SageTVrecordings folder instead of the local E:\SageTVrecordings folder.

edit: the server will stream the mpg file to the client but doesn't stream the other stuff like the .txt or .edl file, so the client needs direct access to the recording folder.

[Jeraden]

woops, I realized it was something like that reading earlier in the thread and deleted my message, but you were busy replying. Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, I still can't seem to get it to work. HRM.

I'm giving that a shot now with mapping drives!

Ok, guess I'm out of luck on all my existing recordings. They were all recording to E:\sage\. I can't map the E:\ drive locally because its already in use. I switched the server to use UNC paths, but looking at the file details of everything already recording, they all still have the direct drive/path listed. I'm guessing there is no way to update them all to use the UNC path now. Oh well, at least future recordings will hopefully work!

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by Jeraden

woops, I realized it was something like that reading earlier in the thread and deleted my message, but you were busy replying. Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, I still can't seem to get it to work. HRM.

I'm giving that a shot now with mapping drives!

Ok, guess I'm out of luck on all my existing recordings. They were all recording to E:\sage\. I can't map the E:\ drive locally because its already in use. I switched the server to use UNC paths, but looking at the file details of everything already recording, they all still have the direct drive/path listed. I'm guessing there is no way to update them all to use the UNC path now. Oh well, at least future recordings will hopefully work!

There is. Look for numerous threads on moving from mapped to unc. If you have both locations in SageTV defined for recordings; shut down sagetv completely including stopping the service. Move the recordings to the new path or manually edit the Sage.properties file and remove the reference to e:

B