Comskip Poll

[mightyt]

I have used Nielm's Comskip import along with Jere Jones’ DirMon and ShowAnalyzer with my Sage Server 2.x and 4.x servers. Now I am embarking on 6.x and see that there are several Comskip options.

So, my question is "Which is currently the easiest to install & configure and the most accurate Comskip?"

1. Commercial Advance Beta Release (included in several STVs, or...)
2. Utility: ShowAnalyzer by Jere Jones
3. comskip varient by malore
4. Comskip utility by erik
5. Commskip batch file for creating XVID and 2 pass version by roxy99
6. Commercial Skipping in Linux
7. Comskip Monitor by Steep

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by mightyt

I have used Nielm's Comskip import along with Jere Jones’ DirMon and ShowAnalyzer with my Sage Server 2.x and 4.x servers. Now I am embarking on 6.x and see that there are several Comskip options.

So, my question is "Which is currently the easiest to install & configure and the most accurate Comskip?

1. Commercial Advance Beta Release (included in several STVs, or...)
2. Utility: ShowAnalyzer by Jere Jones
3. comskip varient by malore
4. Comskip utility by erik
5. Commskip batch file for creating XVID and 2 pass version by roxy99
6. Commercial Skipping in Linux
7. Comskip Monitor by Steep

I have never heard of options 1 or 3. Don't use linux, not interested in 2 pas yet. Leaving SA and Comskip. I tried SA, was having issues with it and found it too complicated to setup, etc. I am running Comskip with Comskip monitor now. CSM is an application similar to dirmon.

B

[gplasky]

I picked number 7. But it's really number 7 AND number 4. Comskip Monitor is the service that will run and monitor the directories for recordings. Similar in function to SA but easier (some think) to configure and use. Comskip Monitor USES comskip. erik had picked up the ball and ran with the programming and improving of comskip from Malore, original creator of it. I get excellent skipping both on SD and HDTV recordings from my HD Homerun.

Gerry

[jbarr]

The only tools I have tried is the combination of DirMon2, ShowAnalyzer, and the ComSkip Playback plugin, and I have had great success. For easily 95% or more of shows we record, the combination works very, VERY well. Yes, there are a few shows that end up with either extra skip sections or not enough, but for the vast majority of shows that we regularly record, this combination is extremely accurate. Here's a "short list" of the shows that we regularly record for which this combination works almost 100% of the time with almost 100% accuracy:

Star Trek: TNG
Star Trek: Voyager
Dirty Jobs
How It's Made
Modern Marvels (This sometimes cuts off the "trivia" clips before commercials)
Famous
Biography
John Ratzenberger's Made in America

Some tips:

1. I set the process throttling settings in DirMon2 to allocate 25% processes to each job, with a maximum of 50% processes available. This means that it will process up to two files at a time, in the background on my without affecting multiple concurrent recordings and simultaneous playback. If I didn't do this, the system resources would get hammered affecting playback.

2. Play around with the ShowAnalyzer settings that control how far into the show or how far from the end of the show to "ignore" when processing. I have mine set to somewhere between 90 and 120 seconds. This means that all the stuff before a show starts (or ends) and within the first couple minutes (or last couple minutes) don't get processed. We'd much rather have to navigate through these sections manually than miss content that may otherwise have been improperly processed, or that we may classify as non-commercial content.

3. We have SageTV's FF/REW/FF2/REW2 set as follows (all in seconds): FF=60; REW=60; FF2=30; REW2=7. The FF/REW settings let us fly through a show quickly, and the FF2/REW2 settings mimic ReplayTV's settings letting us navigate with decent precision.

4. If you are using the Comskip playback plugin, don't forget that the Right and Left arrows will jump you forward and backward from one cut mark to another. Very nice.

5. Finally, look at BobPhoenix's excellent Video Editor plugin. This lets you tweak the cut .EDL cut files as needed.

[Fluffdaddy]

I was using and happy with comskip by malore, but Comskip Monitor by Steep is the bomb

[LJSSageUser]

Number 7, Comskip Monitor is the best thing for comskip since buttered toast.

[ldavis]

Well, I voted for none since I no longer use any Comskip. When I did, I used SA w/ Dirmon. This worked great for SD but now that I am completely HD it no longer works very well. It is not Jere's fault. If I load one of his .vprj files into VideoRedo the cuts are almost perfect every time but when use with Sage the skips do not happen exactly where they are supposed to(Off by several seconds sometimes) so I end up reaching for the remote anyway.

The only reason I posted is to ask for input from others. I would like to use SA again but not unless I can drastically improve my expereince within Sage.

[roxy99]

comskip monitor for me. So easy to set up and always running in the background and I never have to think about it.

[MeInMaui]

Originally Posted by ldavis

Well, I voted for none since I no longer use any Comskip. When I did, I used SA w/ Dirmon. This worked great for SD but now that I am completely HD it no longer works very well. It is not Jere's fault. If I load one of his .vprj files into VideoRedo the cuts are almost perfect every time but when use with Sage the skips do not happen exactly where they are supposed to(Off by several seconds sometimes) so I end up reaching for the remote anyway.

The only reason I posted is to ask for input from others. I would like to use SA again but not unless I can drastically improve my expereince within Sage.

Are you generating .txt or .edl files? I'm using .edl file generation in SA 0.8.8 with the built in .edl file support in SageMC. HD Commercial skipping is quite accurate for me. I believe .edl files define the commersial segments using the actual time, whereas the .txt file define frame count, which appartently results in reduced accuracy. HTH

Aloha,
Mike

[ldavis]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

Are you generating .txt or .edl files? I'm using .edl file generation in SA 0.8.8 with the built in .edl file support in SageMC. HD Commercial skipping is quite accurate for me. I believe .edl files define the commersial segments using the actual time, whereas the .txt file define frame count, which appartently results in reduced accuracy. HTH

Aloha,
Mike

I use .edl, but not with the success that you apparently get.

[blade]

A lot of people love comskip monitor, but last I heard it could only launch one instance at a time. Not a problem for some people, but if you want to process multiple shows at once go with Dirmon2.

I'm sure if this has changed someone will correct me.

[AngelofDeth]

Comskip Monitor is definetly the easiest. It takes about 5 minutes (not including updating Sage to actually skip commercials), and the default install works really great. But it does lack some features of Dirmon, such as being able to run multiple instances, or being able to skip certain channels/shows (such as premium stations)

[camus]

I use Comskip Monitor.

I think it will run multiple instances of comskip, at least it appears that way.

I have noticed much difference switching for .txt to .edl files.

It is very easy to set up.

Originally Posted by AngelofDeth

But it does lack some features of Dirmon, such as being able to run multiple instances, or being able to skip certain channels/shows

I have been thinking of checking Dirmon out for this very reason, 50% of my recordings are commercial free.