Comskip timing with TS files and EDL

[sub]

When you get to teh commercial break time, if you are using EDL, you know at that point how much "real" time has passed, since you are playing the file. For example, at the 1222 commercial, the timeline is at 21:02 or so, but real time and EDL time are at 1222 (20:22). Could you not look at real time elapsed up to that point, and adjust the timeline based on that?

Of course, if one skipped ahead in the file, perhaps that information is lost.

As soon as you've skipped, that isnt going to work. So it would only help you at the start of the very first commercial break, which prompts a skip...

Alternatively, could you use any of COmskip's information (say in the csv file) to "know" more about the file?

I have no real interest in having the timeline correct for timeline sake. It is only for COmskip, so perhaps someting that "fixes" the timeline based on Erik's output information?

Sorry, I wont be looking in external files for this stuff. I may come up with some other scheme that improves things though.

[ceandra]

I guess for now I'll try DVR-MS again. Its biggest problem, if I remember, was that if the timeline was corrupt it would stop recording and all recording to that point was lost/unreadable. TS will stop recording but whatever is recorded is playable.

I don't want to give up Comskip feature, but right now on TS it is un-useable. IF DVR-MS won't work, I'll go back to TS and disable Comskip.

Chuck

[ElihuRozen]

If this happens only on a single channel, there is some way to have comskip use a different ini file for a any shows recorded on a specific channel. If you look at the example PostRecording.bat, I think it demonstrates it. You could create a comskipCBS.ini. Is there some setting to tell it to do a negative padding of 30 seconds at the beginning of each commercial? I know there is a setting to add padding at the beginning or end of a commercial, but I don't know if you can use a negative number.

[ceandra]

While a good thought, the problem is that the lead time needed varies commercial to commercial. In the show that I am using as an example, there are three commercial breaks in the first half hour, only one in the last. The timeline runs almost twice normal speed during a commercial. Therefore, it gets ahead by about 45 seconds in the first half hour, but gets much closer to "normal" by the time the break midway through the last half hour. I guess if I set a padding of 60 seconds I could see the rest of the show, but then woudl have to skip ahead manually or see up to a minute of commercial. May be marginally better than no COmskip.

Chuck

Chuck

[Chet]

I seem to be having the same problem. Was there ever a solution or workaround?

Mine seems to get more and more off after each set of commercials. Would the local commercials not being broadcast in HD have something to do with it?

[erik]

Do you use .edl output and have you disabled .txt output

output_edl=1
output_default=0

Its possible they are switching between 1080i and 720P or 480P
Comskip counts the full frames it decodes to know where it is. So 2 1080i fields should count as 1 frame. This should result in a constant frame rate unless they switch to something like 60Hz 720P during commercials while the rest is in 30Hz (29.97) 1080i.

When its mpeg output (not h.264) you can help me check by setting
output_timing=1
in comskip.ini and mailing me the zipped larged recordingfilename.timing.csv file

[dennit]

I'm going to drop in here and say that I'm seeing the same problem. Comskip seems to be doing a good job of acurately detecting the commercials, but the playback is off, skipping and returning at the wrong time - presumably for the reasons above. Unless I'm missing something, if I stick with .ts format (for multirecord) I'm going to have to give up comskip.

Comskip knows the frame number of the commercials, but playback doesn't (at least not in .ts format) I think to keep the wife happy I'm going to have to go back to dvr-ms for a while, unless someone thinks there's a solution?

[ceandra]

I have been using DVRMS since I brought this up, and the comskip breaks are dead on. I think they were good under prior version with Haili player. I think Sub will get it worked out eventually, but I agree, comskip is more important than multi record.

Chuck

[gf404]

This is probably not related, but I have been having timeline problems with one particular channel and the TS Mux. The channel has a teletext stream that appears to be playing havoc with the timeline. Does the channel you guys are having problems with have a similar stream?

[dennit]

This is probably not related, but I have been having timeline problems with one particular channel and the TS Mux. The channel has a teletext stream that appears to be playing havoc with the timeline. Does the channel you guys are having problems with have a similar stream?

I've only tested on two channels, both local HD/QAM. As far as I know, the problem is on all channels, but I haven't tested them all. I have no idea if there is a teletext stream on either of these channels. Since switching back to dvr-ms, the comskipping is working correctly again. I suspect from sub's comments that the only fix for .ts record/playback would be to track frames during playback and use those to do the skipping, but that sounds like a fairly major change.