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

[sreckop]

I noticed that SageMC has comskip functionality?
Is this plug in applicable for SageMC and if it is, how to install it?
If not how to check if comskip in SageMC is working
- Srecko

[ke6guj]

Yes, SageMC has comskip functionality.

No, this plugin is not for SageMC.

You can tell if comskip works in SageMC if it skips commercials

But seriously, comskipping in Sage requires 3 steps.
One is to use comskip or showanalyzer to scan a recording for commmercials. The results are saved in a .txt or .edl file.
The second step is to have a program set to trigger comskip/showanalyzer when a new recording is made. You can use comskip monitor or dirmon/dirmon 2.
The third step is to have your STV look for the .txt/.edl file. SageMC does this automatically, or you can use this comskip plugin if you use the default UI.

[sreckop]

I did the first two steps:
Installed comskip
Set it up to run using dirmon2
and then I was asking if I need comskip plugin.

I enabled the plug in SageMC but now I do not know how this is working and if it is actually working.

I prefer to use SageMC plugin only and I will remove comskip and entry in dirmon2, but I wanted to know if this is working and how to test it.

Any suggestion?

- Srecko

[ke6guj]

DOn't use the built-in comskip trigger that is in SageMC. It is old code and unsupported. Preferred way to do comskipping in SageMC is to use comskip/showanalyzer and a directory monitor like dirmon2 to do the triggering.

In SageMC's Comskip options, set "background commercial skipping" to disabled. YOu only need "commercial auto skip" set to enabled.

To test your setup, look in your recording folder and see if you have matching .txt or .edl files that match your recordings. If not, you have an issue with your directory scanner or the actual commercial scanner. Both of those have to work together to generate the .txt/.edl file. If you have those, and aren't getting comskipping in SageMC, then we can troubleshoot that. Are you running SageMC on your main computer, or are you in a server/client setup?

[sreckop]

Ok, thanks
I am using this on my computer for the moment

So I set up comskip through DirMon2
Here are captures.
I also put a capture of my DirMon2 setup and RecordedTV directory

I think that this does not work. Can you please help me in troubleshooting this.

-Srecko

[sreckop]

Here are the captures

[ke6guj]

ok, looking at your screen shots, I see a couple things right off the bat. I don't use comskip, I used showanalyzer so it is a little different, but that command options line in dirmon2 looks wrong. I'd try leaving it blank.

Also, you are recording ot a folder on the C: drive. Normally that is not recomnended, since you should record to a drive formatted with 64k blocks, and formatting C: with 64k blocks is not a good idea with all the small system files.

Try manually running a recording through comskip and see if you get a .txt/.edl file. You did install the comksip program, http://www.kaashoek.com/comskip/ ?

Then watch that recording in SageMC and see if it works. If so, then you just need to adjust dirmon2.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by sreckop

Here are the captures

Your Dirmon setup is wrong. You have no triggers.... and in the options where your ini file should be it's wrong should be comskip.ini and not comskip.exe. One of the triggers should be not exist EDL

[sreckop]

I just used comskip because I saw that people are using it.
I tried running comskip from command line and it works.

I do not mind using showanalyzer if you can help me set it up.

As far as your suggestion on Hard drive, I am planning to put another one for Recorded TV, but for the moment I am experimenting how this works.

I also saw your name on a tread for CC.
It does not work for me so if you can point me to how I can troubleshoot CC, I would appreciate this es well.

- Srecko

[ke6guj]

comskip is fine, don't need to change it. Was just saying that when I was comskipping, I used showanalyzer, so I wasn't fully knowledgeable about it.

I think nyplayer got it nailed, its a setup issue in dirmon2. At least you have confirmed that comskip works and that SageMC will commercial skip if there is a comskip file.

As for CC, post in the CC playback thread, http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23752 and we'll see what we can do to minimze the treadjacking of this thread.

[sreckop]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

Your Dirmon setup is wrong. You have no triggers.... and in the options where your ini file should be it's wrong should be comskip.ini and not comskip.exe. One of the triggers should be not exist EDL

Ok,
What should be triggers?
mpg / edl or txt

I changed the setup.
How I can verify if it is working.

- Srecko

[ke6guj]

I'm not currently doing comskipping, so I don't have a dirmon2 setup to look at. I'd take a look at the main dirmon2 thread for more info, http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...hlight=dirmon2. I see you already posted there, but that is the correct place for dirmon2 questions since you already know that the comskip install works, and you aren't using the comskip playback plugin.

you can verify if it is working by checking the current status tab, and look at the recording folder to see if you are getting new .txt/.edl files. You can also look at the dirmon2 log files for additional info.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by sreckop

Ok,
What should be triggers?
mpg / edl or txt

I changed the setup.
How I can verify if it is working.

- Srecko

The must not exist should be "AND" not "OR" .. everything eklse looks fine

[Wade]

Here's what my dirmon2 setup looks like. Hope it helps.

[LehighBri]

JREkiwi - I noticed the latest beta version of SageTV allows the server to check for .stv file updates. Have you thought about maybe supporting this feature so that we can always be sure we have the latest version of your comskip playback running? Would be a great feature.

[UFGrayMatter]

I have a problem with comskip skipping the commercial about 7 seconds to early. The time of the commercial seems to be marked right correctly on the timeline, but comskip is still skipping before the slider gets to the commercial mark. I then have to hit "right" and then rewind a little.

Any idea on where to start to debug this?

Ryan

[LehighBri]

Originally Posted by UFGrayMatter

I have a problem with comskip skipping the commercial about 7 seconds to early. The time of the commercial seems to be marked right correctly on the timeline, but comskip is still skipping before the slider gets to the commercial mark. I then have to hit "right" and then rewind a little.

Any idea on where to start to debug this?

Ryan

What version of SageTV are you running? I had a similar issue but recently installed the latest 6.4.3 beta and it's working great for me now (note that it is only fixed for NEW recordings after I installed 6.4.3 and not old recordings).

[davidk21770]

Originally Posted by LehighBri

What version of SageTV are you running? I had a similar issue but recently installed the latest 6.4.3 beta and it's working great for me now (note that it is only fixed for NEW recordings after I installed 6.4.3 and not old recordings).

I also saw that problem. It was a timeline problem here. The recordings would play fine as long as I didn't try to skip around. When I tried to skip (or comskip did it's thing), there was a large error in the skip. When I skipped back and forth a bit to find where I belonged, sage figured out the true timeline and started skipping right -- until the next commercial! It was so bad that I used VideoReDo to cut the commercials and didn't use comskip (they were all right on in VideoReDo -- so the problem's in sage). 6.4.3 shows improvement, but it still does it for some shows. Maybe just the ones recorded with the 6.3.x?

[Eckwell]

i too am still havign trouble with the skipping even with 6.4.3. It skips short of the reentry point, and when I hit the BACK button it skips forward a few seconds to hit the true timeline... yes, the BACK button.

[davidk21770]

Originally Posted by Eckwell

i too am still havign trouble with the skipping even with 6.4.3. It skips short of the reentry point, and when I hit the BACK button it skips forward a few seconds to hit the true timeline... yes, the BACK button.

Yep, that was one of the symptoms of Sage figuring-out the time again . I think that forward jump that actually takes you backwards is a correction from where it actually was vs. where it thought it was minus the skip.