dvr-ms to Xvid conversion

[Inker]

Originally Posted by mlipman

Thanks for the feedback.

While MediaPortal does have xVid conversion, it doesn't allow editing of the dvr-ms files prior to conversion, and (I think) doesn't allow scheduling of conversions (which will be in my next release).

Eventually, I want to move to a client-server model, so that you can view & edit files across the network, but do the actual processing on a different machine.

If you find any bugs or have enhancement suggestions, please post them to sourceforge for me.

Very nice indeed. I'll give this a shot.

Suggestion:
- Use comskip or showanalyzer to run over the file prior to converting and cut out commercials this way.
- "watch folders": define folders you would like to watch for changes (as in a new file created) and check that folder say every 30 mins? If a new file is detected, it should check its filesize, wait 5 minutes and then check its filesize again. Only if the filesize stayed the same should it start converting, this way running recordings will only be converted once the recording has finished.
- regarding the client server model. Why not just add shared folders to the watch folders? easiest solution i think.
- allow the user to define the process priority of the job (default to low or something)
- add the converted show back to the MP database (allow for setting of the location of the TV database file (multiple?). This way, you could even add converted files back to the tv database across a network (if the mp/database folder is shared) and add the recording to multiple mp boxes/databases across the network -> point the filelocation to the shared folder
- does it support two pass encoding?
- possibly delete the original file if conversion was succesful

Forgive me if anything like this is already in. I admit I havent tried it yet, but am intrigued by its potential. Also I hope you support .ts once ts support in MP is stable :-)

Inker

[CHli]

- does it support two pass encoding?
- possibly delete the original file if conversion was succesful

these two are already in.

[mlipman]

Originally Posted by Inker

- Use comskip or showanalyzer to run over the file prior to converting and cut out commercials this way.

Currently you can use the editor to manually cut out commercials - how well do comskip & showanalyzer work? (I am unfamiliar with both of them)

Originally Posted by Inker

- "watch folders": define folders you would like to watch for changes (as in a new file created) and check that folder say every 30 mins? If a new file is detected, it should check its filesize, wait 5 minutes and then check its filesize again. Only if the filesize stayed the same should it start converting, this way running recordings will only be converted once the recording has finished.

I had thought of this one, and it's on my list of things to do.

Originally Posted by Inker

- regarding the client server model. Why not just add shared folders to the watch folders? easiest solution i think.

I was planning on using shared folders, but it would be good to be able to add/remove from the queue remotely and edit files remotely (using an smb share) - This would also allow an MP plugin to be developed to control the queue.

Originally Posted by Inker

- allow the user to define the process priority of the job (default to low or something)

- currently always runs as low (except for some directshow things that seem to run themselves as normal no-matter what I do). I figured that this would always be a low-priority task.

Originally Posted by Inker

- add the converted show back to the MP database (allow for setting of the location of the TV database file (multiple?). This way, you could even add converted files back to the tv database across a network (if the mp/database folder is shared) and add the recording to multiple mp boxes/databases across the network -> point the filelocation to the shared folder

- good idea

Originally Posted by Inker

- does it support two pass encoding?

- it only supports 2 pass encoding (it doesn't support 1 pass)

Originally Posted by Inker

- possibly delete the original file if conversion was succesful

- deletes the original and intermediate files when you click the "clean up" button.

Originally Posted by Inker

Also I hope you support .ts once ts support in MP is stable

That's my plan - I am an MP user myself :-)

Thanks for the feedback.

[mlipman]

- Use comskip or showanalyzer to run over the file prior to converting and cut out commercials this way.

I checked on showanalyzer, and it looks like it would be supported. Showanalyzer can create .EDL files that cut out the commercials, and dvrbox supports .EDL files.

I haven't tried it though!

PS: Version 0.2 is now out.

[ASiDiE]

This program is looking sweet. I am hoping we could use Showanalyzer or comskip before or durning the coverting process. This would really add to what MP has to offer. I was looking at showanalyzer and he is going to be adding .ts support. I think this will work out great once we get the .ts back in MP. Does anyone know if comskip currently can process a .ts file?

[mlipman]

You can run showanalyzer (I believe) on the dvr-ms before adding it to the queue. DvrBox will then use the generated .edl file.

Aren't comskip & showanalyzer the same thing? That's how it looked to me when I checked on google.

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by mlipman

You can run showanalyzer (I believe) on the dvr-ms before adding it to the queue. DvrBox will then use the generated .edl file.

Aren't comskip & showanalyzer the same thing? That's how it looked to me when I checked on google.

It seems that one of the comskip developers named Jere_Jones created ShowAnalyzer to make some money with it:
ShowAnalyzer is an external utility that identifies the location of commercials in recorded shows. It is designed to be a replacement for comskip.

ShowAnalyzer can be run in one of two different modes:
1) Free
2) Normal (not free)

And Erik Schanze took the job to support comskip:
Comskip is a 3rd party commercial detection engine written by Jere_Jones and Malore. Further development is done by Erik to make Comskip also usable under a broader set of conditions.

Regards
Ralph