[mythtv-users] Commercial detection in the UK

[Simon Hobson]

Chris Oattes wrote:

>  > - Any improvements at all to the utterly broken state of commercial
>>  detection in Australia and the UK
>
>If you know of an algorithm that actually works for commercial detection
>in the UK, please write it up so that someone else might implement it.
>Commercial detection is hard, and the UK seems to be far less consistent /
>obvious at advert transitions than the US, which is the reason it is
>"utterly broken" over here.

Indeed, commercial detection is hard for a computer - it's one of 
those things that's "obvious" to us humans (most of the time).

But, I dispute that it's "utterly broken". Yes, it's certainly less 
effective here than I assume it is in the US, but it works well 
enough for enough of the time that I have it on for most of my 
recordings.
It does seem to work very well for US imports (the likes of Ice Road 
Truckers for example), and also for some of our "home grown" stuff 
that seems to follow a similar format (Eddi Stobarts Trucks and 
Trailers for example).

But even where it fails, Myth is easier to use than any other system 
I've experience with - in that a few taps of the "skip forward" key 
will quickly get you to the next segment. Most breaks seem to be 4 
minutes, so with skip forward set to 30s it takes 8 taps to get there 
(and possibly one skip back if you overshoot). You soon learn the 
channels/programs where it's different.

-- 
Simon Hobson

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
author Gladys Hobson. Novels - poetry - short stories - ideal as
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