Decrepencies in Time Line between VRD and STV

[starflight]

Hi,

I've been using VRD to mark commercial and sometimes cut them out. I've always noted a time line discrepancies between VRD and SageTV. I use Quickstream Fix first and then use AdScan to find the commercial breaks. Then I use VRD to fix exact breaks and save the vprj file. From the vprj file I run a script to create an edl file.

I've always noticed the VRD displays the total time about 6 - 7 seconds shorter than STV. Also, the cut points will be off by fraction of a second at the start of show and up to 5 - 6 toward the end of the show.

If I cut the commercials out and save the file, the total running time doesn't changed in STV (VRD 24min -- STV 30min). I'll notice the time line count jumps a couple of seconds every few seconds.


I've tried the registry patch file in the FAQ (and rebooted), but newly recorded shows have the same issue. Is there something else to try?

STV V6.5.15.211
Java 1.6.0_13
WinXP SP3 with all the patches.
VRD TVSuite 3.1.5 564 - Aug 5, 2008
HVR-2250 Recording OTA ASTC

[starflight]

It appears that STV is missing a few seconds of a program and mask it by keeping the time line the same length as the EPG program data. STV jumps the time line count in order to mask the program length discrepancy. This is really obvious when the commercial have been cut out using VRD.

For now, in the vprj to edl conversion program, the solution is to roundup the program's real length (in seconds) to the next whole minute and then subtract the program's real length to find the amount of padded time.

At each cut point, use the ratio of cut time divided by the program's real length multiplied by the padded time to determine the amount seconds to pad the cut time.

Now the VRD cut points are spot on for STV.

I'm assuming the missing seconds are the time it takes the tuner to start receiving the program data stream after switching channels. Maybe STV could tune the channel 15 seconds before the start of a program and start capturing the program data stream on the schedule start time. Only if the tuner is not presently recording on a different channel. I did disable the "Always tune channel" from the Customize screen so that should help when the channel has been tuned from a previous program.

Personally, it's corrent to display the time line bar's total time as specified by the EPG program data. But I think the program's true time length should be displayed rather than padding it. Show if 6 seconds, 6 minutes or 12 minutes are missing (the later two are from cutting commercials out) then the program's Green bar length will be shorter than the time line bar's total time.

STV is the beast (sic). Beats the heck out of a Tivo.

Cheers,
Starflight

[starflight]

This is just frustrating. Once the programs are transcoded to an avi file, SageTV now thinks the program is a few seconds longer than 30 or 60 minutes which again throws off the cut marks.

However, VLC, Windows Media Player and Divx all agree the program length in avi file is same length as the original mpg file.

Is there a setting in STV that I've mucked up causing the time line discrepancies?