Add option to the global settings for live DVR and for individual recordings to allow for a backup copy of the recorded program/film with commercials before processing with comskip to remove commercials. This could be a simple copy and rename of the file with commercials appending an suffix such as " - commercials" to the filename. This would be stored in the same folder as the one with commercials removed. Another option to automatically delete the backup copy after nn days (0 for no deletion) could also be added to free up disk space.
This would be useful if the comskip processing removed program/film data as well as commercials so that the original version with adverts could be viewed to see the missing part of the video.
What worked well for me in the past was getting Commskip to add chapter marks at the end of the commercial break. Minimises the storage space, original data preserved and one click takes you to the end of the adverts. Just a thought …
This is why there is an option for a post processing script. You can have the script do whatever you want, duplicate for archives, remove commercials, mark commercials as chapters, transcode to new format, etc.
Your idea isn’t a bad one, I just think the plex team needs to fix known bugs before they add more features.
Can you do this from with PLEX or would you need Comskip/MCEBuddy to set the chapter marks. Also, are chapter marks supported by the built-in PLEX viewer and for all video filetypes?
Yes, I thought of this. I will have a go at adding a post-processing script that just copies and renames the file. I assume that the post-processing script is called before the comskip processing.
Currently, I use MCEBuddy to do the commercial removal and this allows me to keep a copy of the original video file as well as the cropped version. It is however, an extra step that could be done within PLEX. When the program is setup within PLEX to record, I have separate libraries for TV programs/films with and without commercials.
Also, I believe that this is a global option and all files will be post-processed. In the UK a lot of live TV is broadcast without commercials by the BBC and therefore requires no commercial removal processing. I will therefore have to ascertain the source directory to make the decision to backup the file if it contains commercials.
The reason I suggested this is that it should be quite a simple change and if the automatic file deletion is left out, it becomes even simpler. Also, for those of us with the knowledge and skill, a post processing script is quite easy to write but not all users will have this ability or maybe the time to do it.
I used to use Commskip / MceBuddy to make the chapter marks. Plex media player supports skip to next chapter as a single keystroke. I think the reason I stopped using that solution was that Plex wasn’t releasing the tuner until the post process had completed and when native support for Commskip was added I naively assumed the chapter marking would soon follow. I haven’t had a good experience with the Plex solution to date but haven’t got round to tinkering with the installation. Bigger fish to fry with the EPG changes at the moment !
Are you saying that PLEX doesn’t release the tuner until any post-processing script has completed?
I regulary have programs queued to record one after the other, if it doesn’t release the tuner until after the post-processing scripts has completed that would be a disaster.
I’m in the process of writing a post processing script to create a backup copy of programs with commercials before the program has the commercials removed by comskip. I’ll pay close attention to see if this causes problems with back to back recording on the same tuner.
I too have had to put that in the background at the moment with the EPG changes. It seems like shifting sand at the moment. I have backup machine that I use to test changes and they seemed to have nailed it for me yesterday by allowing the selection of regional EPGs here in the UK that was accurate. I migrated the live machine today and that facility has disappeared leaving just a UK wide EPG and now some of the channel numbers atre out or mis-labelled!. I know it’s beta at the moment but if they plan to go live on the public channel at the end of the month they’re cutting it fine.
From what I understand and have seen, plex does release the tuner, but when you look at usage it will report that it is still using a tuner. I run my server on a raspberry pi, so my post processing can take some time. I have seen plex report 12 of 2 tuners used while starting new recordings.
