Need Suggestions for converting shows to mkvs

[bigbill]

For years I have been converting shows via ffmpeg and batch files. Lately the mini client is having issues with those files so I am moving toward using the built in convert and the new sagetvtranscoder.exe from Josh.

I see that I can transcode favorites right inside the favorite menu and even put them in a different folder. That is awesome!

What I want to do is have them automatically convert after hours, not right away. Anyone know of a way to do that, maybe a command I could use from Taskmanager.

I used to be able to control it when I was running an external ffmpeg, but now thats not working right anymore.

[KryptoNyte]

Do you cut out commercials first, or do you just encode the original file commercials and all?

[bigbill]

I don't bother with comskip or editing commercials anymore, I just use the 30 second skip. So no, we just encode the original file. -Bill

[KryptoNyte]

This isn't the solution you were looking for, but just a thought. Have you ever considered not encoding your TV programs, and just purchasing a hard drive large enough to deal with the file sizes? Or is there some other reason that you have to have mkv media files?

[Striker:WG]

Look into Handbrake. I run it via a Docker on Unraid, so it watches a folder and anything that gets dropped in there gets automatically transcoded.

I know it has support for command line calls, so I imagine you could setup some type of a scheduled batch command that would scan and encode files rather than having it start as soon as a file is detected, or you could automate the timing of moving the files into a watched folder for transcoding.

[bigbill]

Plenty of drive space. I transcode the files so they can be sync'd to our motorhome while traveling, usually via Cellular connections. So bandwidth usage is the main reason I want a 6gb file to become a 1 gb file. I don't transcode anything when we are at home 6 months out of the year. -Bill

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by Striker:WG

Look into Handbrake. I run it via a Docker on Unraid, so it watches a folder and anything that gets dropped in there gets automatically transcoded.

I know it has support for command line calls, so I imagine you could setup some type of a scheduled batch command that would scan and encode files rather than having it start as soon as a file is detected, or you could automate the timing of moving the files into a watched folder for transcoding.

I am running windows, I will look at handbrake again, it always seemed like an interactive type of program that I would use occasionally. I never thought about it having a command line. -Bill

[VCRUser]

If you don't use the built-in conversion functions, how do you get the converted files recognized as recordings with metadata matching the original? That's the main reason I run my conversions via the built-in process.

I use the web interface for that, as I find it more convenient than the Sage UI for these. I also trim out any starting/ending padding (I get those times by using VLC, then put into a spreadsheet so I know the starting/ending number of seconds to specify. Then before I delete the original, I check that the conversion went ok. Sometimes there's an issue and I need to re-do it.

I have lots of storage, but even more recordings.

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by VCRUser

If you don't use the built-in conversion functions, how do you get the converted files recognized as recordings with metadata matching the original? That's the main reason I run my conversions via the built-in process. I use the web interface for that, as I find it more convenient than the Sage UI for these. I also trim out any starting/ending padding (I get those times by using VLC, then put into a spreadsheet so I know the starting/ending number of seconds to specify. Then before I delete the original, I check that the conversion went ok. Sometimes there's an issue and I need to re-do it.I have lots of storage, but even more recordings.

Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. I just put them into my "videos" folder and use Videos/folders to find and watch them. As they are going to a different sagetv instance they wouldn't show in the recordings unless I changed that in BMT. Which occasionally I do for the wife's shows. -Bill

I am kind of getting resigned to using the internal convert. Just wish I could find a way to run is via a scheduled job instead of immediately after a recording finished like it does when setup in the Favorites page.

[wayner]

I have used my own process using Handbrake and SJQ in the past and the metadata was preserved. But I think I kept the ID number in the file name. There also can be an issue about the file date/time that can screw up the timeline - I think I needed to touch the file to fix that or to set its date/time of creation to the same as the original file.

[Malfunction]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

Do you cut out commercials first, or do you just encode the original file commercials and all?

How would you cut out the commercials, other than hand editing the videos?

[KryptoNyte]

I used VAP in conjunction with SageTV and VideoRedo.
https://videoredo.net/msgBoard/index...or-program.41/

This was for TV shows. VAP basically took the video files in any specific directory, renamed them per the parameters that I configured in VAP for friendly filenames that I liked (using theTVdb for accurate episode names), ran comskip on them, then queued them in a list of files waiting for me to review each for accurate commercial detecting. Once I reviewed the files for comskip accuracy and manually adjusted the way I liked it, the files then went into a second queue where they awaited file creation (without commercials) and ultimately a batch file process that would launch and re-encode each file one after the other using Handbrake.

I got this down to where I could review and correct commercial cuts on a list of 20 shows in about 10 minutes, then just before bed I would start VAP on the secondary processing list, where it would actually perform the final commercial cutting and encoding (with Handbrake). The next morning there would be 20 fully encoded TV shows in the final directory, where I would manually sort them into a TV show archive. It sounds involved, but once it's set up, I would run it once a week or so, so about 10 to 15 minutes of user intervention per week. The computer was a fairly powerful machine for encoding purposes, but it operating as my SageTV server so it was on 24/7 anyway.

[Foggy]

Per the web site:

"VideoRedo is no longer available for purchase!
Unfortunately the owner and founder of VideoReDo, Dan Rosen, passed away unexpectedly in September. For now all sales, support and development have been halted while his family decides what to do with the company. "

[wayner]

That totally sucks, and if it was six months ago it doesn't sound good. I wonder why they don't just Open Source it, the way that Narflex Open Sourced SageTV?

edit - Reading a little bit more it seems like it is very unlikely that VRD will be taken over by anyone else. There was one developer but he had to find another job and Dan Rosen's wife doesn't seem to know what to do. There also appeared to be lots of knowledge that only rested with the founder so it seems like it isn't that easy to put things back together.

[phelme]

Originally Posted by bigbill

What I want to do is have them automatically convert after hours, not right away. Anyone know of a way to do that, maybe a command I could use from Taskmanager. .

this is the kind of thing SJQv4 was created for, and I still use it for that, converting all my favorites to MKV's after midnight, since as you said, the Android mini client has some problems (with transport stream files for me). I use it along with a tweaked version of EvilPenguin's old MediaShrink toolset to actually handle the conversions. You can point MediaShrink to use the latest ffmpeg stuff.

can one still install SJQ? I don't even know.

Edit: I don't remove commercials but use the ComSkip tool to create the commercial location file. unfortunately, the Android Mini Client seems to have problems with this on occasion and I think is what is responsible for the play marker to skip to the beginning of a recording on occasional playback.

[graywolf]

can one still install SJQ? I don't even know.

yes you can. did it for a new install i did several weeks ago.

[bigbill]

I just looked at SJQ in my plugin menu. 2 of the 3 plugins say "Not Compatible" -Bill

[jusjoken]

Originally Posted by bigbill

I just looked at SJQ in my plugin menu. 2 of the 3 plugins say "Not Compatible" -Bill

I believe if you look at the plugin details it will tell you why its not compatible

k

[bigbill]

Doesn't say why its not compatible. At first I thought it was "Has a web site" but that's just below it on the compatible ones too.

Do I just install the Sage Job Queue Agent? None of the website links work, is there a document on whats needed?

Its very odd, but the release notes only go to October 2011 but at the last modified time is January 2022.

-Bill

[jusjoken]

I have not installed it in a long time but the most recent changes I made to make it work with the new Jetty Web server which you need. Start with installing that of its not already installed or current. Check out the thread on the web server for details.

k