[mythtv-users] commercial flagging idea - commercial "fingerprinting"

[Matt]

On Apr 12, 2005 12:02 PM, Chris Petersen <lists at forevermore.net> wrote:
> 
> You've obviously never recorded late-night foodtv.  I have recorded
> several episodes of Good Eats that are 10 minutes of show, 8 minutes of
> commercial, 12 minutes of show (or so).  Granted, not different
> networks, but definitely different than other versions of the same episode.

This is true.  I record Good Eats anytime it's on... I have over 100
episodes "mythed" =).  I know that sometimes late at night they
sometimes have no commercials.  Still, that doesn't mean that the same
philosophy wouldn't.  Lets say the same episode ran with commercials,
then a few months later, ran commercial free.  The fingerprint would
identify pre-commercial footage and post-commercial footage.  If the
commercial doesn't exist, first off mythcommflag would not mark it as
a commercial anyway.  Second, it could take the additional
"fingerprint" and use some logic code that says "look, if there was a
commercial break here based on the fingerprint, then how come it would
be 0 seconds long?  Ignore".  Or something to that effect

> 
> You also have to remember about all of those damn popup ad things that
> channels are adding in now, so you'd need to limit your fingerprint to
> only certain regions of the screen.  

I don't think that'd be as big as a concern as you think.  I know
exactly what you are saying, but also take in to account that audio
would/could be used in the fingerprint too.  Just as in musicbrainz,
if I have a MP3 of a song that was recorded for a studio track... if I
upload the finger print, it'll match extrememly well (99% lets say) to
the studio track MP3, but it might match 60% to the accoustic version,
and 80% to the remix, etc...  Either way, as long as you continue to
think of it as a way to strengthen the existing mythcommflag job, and
not as a replacement or the main factor then you should be fine.... at
least in theory =D

> You'd also have to take
> brightness/contrast/etc into account, since users will have those set
> differently for recording.

True, but still don't think it'll make a HUGE difference.  Few
percentage points here or there.  The more people that upload their
fingerprints, the smarter the overall fingerprint for the show gets.



> Cool idea, though.

Thanks... now only if I could code =D