Recording thumbnails - resolved! :-D (1 Viewer)

[Wo0zy]

Thanks for doing this pilehave.

My recordings thumbnails (or lack there of) has been a bit frustrating.

Are you still using the code you quoted earlier or have you tweaked it for the tests?

All the best,

Mick

 

[pilehave]

I tweaked the code a bit more. This is what I have so far, a cleanup is needed

Index: VideoThumbCreator.cs
===================================================================
--- VideoThumbCreator.cs	(revision 28214)
+++ VideoThumbCreator.cs	(working copy)
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 {
   public class VideoThumbCreator
   {
-    private static string ExtractApp = "mtn.exe";
+    private static string ExtractApp = "ffmpeg.exe";
     private static string ExtractorPath = Config.GetFile(Config.Dir.Base, "MovieThumbnailer", ExtractApp);
     private static int PreviewColumns = 2;
     private static int PreviewRows = 2;
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
       // Params for mplayer (outputs 00000001.jpg in video resolution into working dir) -vf scale=600:-3
       //string ExtractorArgs = string.Format(" -noconsolecontrols -nosound -vo jpeg:quality=90 -vf scale -frames 1 -ss {0} \"{1}\"", "501", aVideoPath);
 
-      // Params for mtm (http://moviethumbnail.sourceforge.net/usage.en.html)
+      // Params for mtn (http://moviethumbnail.sourceforge.net/usage.en.html)
       //   -D 8         : edge detection; 0:off >0:on; higher detects more; try -D4 -D6 or -D8
       //   -B 420/E 600 : omit this seconds from the beginning / ending TODO: use pre- / postrecording values
       //   -c 2 / r 2   : # of column / # of rows
@@ -136,13 +136,7 @@
         postGapSec = 600;
       }
       bool Success = false;
-      string ExtractorArgs = string.Format(" -D 6 -B {0} -E {1} -c {2} -r {3} -b {4} -t -i -w {5} -n -P \"{6}\"",
-                                           preGapSec, postGapSec, PreviewColumns, PreviewRows, blank, 0, aVideoPath);
-      string ExtractorFallbackArgs = string.Format(
-        " -D 8 -B {0} -E {1} -c {2} -r {3} -b {4} -t -i -w {5} -n -P \"{6}\"", 0, 0, PreviewColumns, PreviewRows, blank,
-        0, aVideoPath);
-      // Honour we are using a unix app
-      ExtractorArgs = ExtractorArgs.Replace('\\', '/');
+
       try
       {
         // Use this for the working dir to be on the safe side
@@ -150,16 +144,19 @@
         string OutputThumb = string.Format("{0}_s{1}", Path.ChangeExtension(aVideoPath, null), ".jpg");
         string ShareThumb = OutputThumb.Replace("_s.jpg", ".jpg");
 
+        string ExtractorArgs = string.Format(" -ss {0} -itsoffset -5 -i \"{1}\" -vframes 1 \"{2}\"", preGapSec, aVideoPath, OutputThumb);
+        string ExtractorFallbackArgs = string.Format(" -ss 60 -itsoffset -5 -i \"{1}\" -vframes 1 \"{2}\"", preGapSec, aVideoPath, OutputThumb);
+
         if ((LeaveShareThumb && !Util.Utils.FileExistsInCache(ShareThumb))
             // No thumb in share although it should be there
             || (!LeaveShareThumb && !Util.Utils.FileExistsInCache(aThumbPath)))
           // No thumb cached and no chance to find it in share
         {
-          //Log.Debug("VideoThumbCreator: No thumb in share {0} - trying to create one with arguments: {1}", ShareThumb, ExtractorArgs);
+          Log.Debug("VideoThumbCreator: No thumb in share {0} - trying to create one with arguments: {1}", ShareThumb, ExtractorArgs);
           Success = Utils.StartProcess(ExtractorPath, ExtractorArgs, TempPath, 15000, true, GetMtnConditions());
           if (!Success)
           {
-            // Maybe the pre-gap was too large or not enough sharp & light scenes could be caught
+            // Maybe it takes more than 15 seconds to create the thumbnail, try fallback arguments
             Thread.Sleep(100);
             Success = Utils.StartProcess(ExtractorPath, ExtractorFallbackArgs, TempPath, 30000, true, GetMtnConditions());
             if (!Success)
@@ -172,7 +169,7 @@
           Utils.KillProcess(Path.ChangeExtension(ExtractApp, null));
           try
           {
-            // remove the _s which mdn appends to its files
+            // remove the _s which mtn appends to its files
             File.Move(OutputThumb, ShareThumb);
           }
           catch (FileNotFoundException)

 

[powermarcel10]

Hello,

the solution doesn't work for me anymore, because the tweaked TV.dll file is not compatible with MP 1.2.1. Can you compile it maybe? Because this solution works like a charm for me!

 

[01-0077]

Hello,

the solution doesn't work for me anymore, because the tweaked TV.dll file is not compatible with MP 1.2.1. Can you compile it maybe? Because this solution works like a charm for me!

Same problem here, a new version of the tweaked dll would be great.

Thanks.

 

[pilehave]

If any of you would like to try the solution I had on my problems, you are more than welcome.

It uses ffmpeg to create the thumbnails. It doesn't have the blur-detection of the old thumbnailer, but I haven't found that to be an issue yet. It has created thumbnails of all of my +500 recordings.

You need two files:

- replacement Utils.dll
- ffmpeg.exe

Put Utils.dll in C:\Program Files (x86)\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal (remember to make a backup of your existing Utils.dll first!)
Put ffmpeg.exe in C:\Program Files (x86)\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\MovieThumbnailer

This should be enough. MediaPortal keeps track in the database what files failed to generate a thumbnail, so new files won't be re-created automatically. If you want this you need to edit the MySQL/ MS SQL database (let me know, and I'll explain).

Both files are attached. The ffmpeg.exe is for 64-bit only! Get a 32-bit version from http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/

I'm not sure if you also need a replacement Core.dll, but I don't think so!

 

[01-0077]

Thanks pilehave,

I assume this solution is only good if you use MP TVServer, I'm using FTR.

John.

 

[pilehave]

Thanks pilehave,

I assume this solution is only good if you use MP TVServer, I'm using FTR.

John.

I would think so, I believe FTR creates its own TV-thumbnails. The Util I posted is used by MP to create thumbnails not only for TV, but for videos as well.

 

[01-0077]

Yes FTR generates its own thumbnails using mtn. I believe FTR uses either a different version of mtn or different mtn switches to TVServer. I have found FTR is more successful at producing recorded tv thumbs for our HD channels than TVServer but its still not 100%. Is it possible to run ffmpeg on a recording from a command line?

 

[pilehave]

Yes FTR generates its own thumbnails using mtn. I believe FTR uses either a different version of mtn or different mtn switches to TVServer. I have found FTR is more successful at producing recorded tv thumbs for our HD channels than TVServer but its still not 100%. Is it possible to run ffmpeg on a recording from a command line?

Yes it is.

It uses these args:

string ExtractorArgs = string.Format(" -ss {0} -itsoffset -5 -i \"{1}\" -vframes 1 \"{2}\"", preGapSec, aVideoPath, OutputThumb);

which translates into something like

ffmpeg.exe -ss 720 -itsoffet -5 -i "path/to/videofile" -vframes 1 "path/to/thumbnailname.jpg"

All of this is trivially explained in ffmpeg Documentation

 

[01-0077]

Thanks pilehave, the reason I asked was because I couldn't get the version you posted to run from a command prompt. Is it 64 bit, I'm on x86? I downloaded a 32 bit version and it works a treat.

I found the ffmpeg documentation in one of your earlier posts. Quickly found out that for a performance boost to make sure the -ss argument is before the -i, this way ffmpeg jumps straight to that position without decoding first.

A while back I had a play with a filewatcher app which monitors a folder and when a file is created will call another program to run on the file. I used this with mtn with limited success (due to mtn), but I might have a go with ffmpeg and see how it goes. This runs as a service and I can just disable thumb generation in FTR.