[WaymonC]

Long time lurker and this is my first post. Thanks to everyone who has helped me understand and appreciate my HR20. I have had very few problems with mine and have enjoyed learning and using it. That is, with one exception...SLIP.

My HR20 Slip Process:
Show segment ends...press 30sec Slip 6-8 times to get through commercial...overshoot commercial end\show resume...hit backwards Slip to find correct spot... ARGH!!!

My ReplayTV 5504 Skip Process:
Show segment ends...press 30sec Skip a number of times until skip indicator shows 3 little dots meaning "don't hit skip ahead again or you'll go past the show resume spot". The video resumes a half-second before the next show segment starts...BEAUTIFUL!!!

Feature Request:
Can the HR20 30sec Slip give a similar indication telling when to stop hitting slip and resuming just before the show starts again? Obviously, the data differentiating commercial from show is in the video stream already.

 

[bwaldron]

Don't see this happening. Content providers and their advertisers would be up in arms. I'm just grateful that the 30-second "slip" is in there at all (though I'd prefer a skip), given the pressures there are not to include such features on DVRs.

I was an early ReplayTV purchaser and fan, BTW.

 

[WaymonC]

Don't see this happening. Content providers and their advertisers would be up in arms. I'm just grateful that the 30-second "slip" is in there at all (though I'd prefer a skip), given the pressures there are not to include such features on DVRs.

I was an early ReplayTV purchaser and fan, BTW.

Yeah - I too love the ReplayTV .

I'm not really asking for anything different as far as what the HR20 user "sees" during slip. I'm only asking that we are allowed to stop slip'ing at the correct point.

 

[mjs31]

Yeah - I too love the ReplayTV .

I'm not really asking for anything different as far as what the HR20 user "sees" during slip. I'm only asking that we are allowed to stop slip'ing at the correct point.

I actually have gotten pretty good with it. Depending on my recordings I will hit the button 3-6 times really quick. I then will see the show start and hit the back button 2 times. Dead on about 95% of the time.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Does anyone know if the Replay is "really" detecting an encoded signal that the end of the commercial is near.

Or is it just pre-looking in the video stream for an "abrupt" change in the video signal (kinda like the standard black 1 or 2 frames) before the program re-starts. (which isn't consistant for every channel, every show)

 

[Clint Lamor]

From what I remember of the replay way of doing it, it looked for an al black screen and this is how is determined it was going from one to other. Earlier versions had issues with over shooting.

 

[marksman]

I imagine it used the same technology that vcrs with commercial skip had and that was just looking for black for a period of time.

 

[dervari]

Does anyone know if the Replay is "really" detecting an encoded signal that the end of the commercial is near.

Or is it just pre-looking in the video stream for an "abrupt" change in the video signal (kinda like the standard black 1 or 2 frames) before the program re-starts. (which isn't consistant for every channel, every show)

I've heard rumors that it listens for the volume increase during commercials.

I believe it uses the black frame method, but IIRC the info is stored at encoding time and used during playback to skip.

 

[WaymonC]

Does anyone know if the Replay is "really" detecting an encoded signal that the end of the commercial is near.

Or is it just pre-looking in the video stream for an "abrupt" change in the video signal (kinda like the standard black 1 or 2 frames) before the program re-starts. (which isn't consistant for every channel, every show)

Earl - Whatever method its using is at least 99% accurate for the several years that I have had the unit. I can't remember the last time it "missed" the commercial ending. FWIW, it works equally well on recorded shows or on paused "live" video.

I'll do a search over on the RepayTV section of avsforum and see what I can come up with.

 

[Tom Robertson]

For those of you who don't remember the days of mono, (just after the days of no color), there was a VCR that skipped commercials by stopping to record mono times between the stereo parts. I do not recall the manufacturer nor how well it worked (I figured stereo commercials were coming soon anyway.)

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Earl - Whatever method its using is at least 99% accurate for the several years that I have had the unit. I can't remember the last time it "missed" the commercial ending. FWIW, it works equally well on recorded shows or on paused "live" video.

I'll do a search over on the RepayTV section of avsforum and see what I can come up with.

I would be curious on how it handles certain shows.
For example, for the last few seasons... I have had to analog capture, and DVD Stargate-Atlantis for my brother in-law. (Comcrap moved Sci-Fi to the digital band... and my father-in-law wouldn't upgrade because he didn't want the boxes).

There where no "black" frames between the commercial and the show... as I would try to chop out the commercials after the Mini-DV capture.

 

[WaymonC]

I would be curious on how it handles certain shows.
For example, for the last few seasons... I have had to analog capture, and DVD Stargate-Atlantis for my brother in-law. (Comcrap moved Sci-Fi to the digital band... and my father-in-law wouldn't upgrade because he didn't want the boxes).

There where no "black" frames between the commercial and the show... as I would try to chop out the commercials after the Mini-DV capture.

I'll record the next episode of SA and see if the feature works correctly and let you know...

 

[bwaldron]

Earl - Whatever method its using is at least 99% accurate for the several years that I have had the unit.

Alas, it worked too well - the lawsuits over the "automatic commercial advance" feature were the beginning of the end for ReplayTV.

 

[kintaro]

Alas, it worked too well - the lawsuits over the "automatic commercial advance" feature were the beginning of the end for ReplayTV.

I think the lawsuit was over the one-button commercial skip, not the 30 sec skip, if I remember correctly. And ReplayTV is still around, albiet in software form for the PC. Hmmm maybe D* should use that instead of their current software.

 

[bwaldron]

I think the lawsuit was over the one-button commercial skip, not the 30 sec skip, if I remember correctly. And ReplayTV is still around, albiet in software form for the PC. Hmmm maybe D* should use that instead of their current software.

Yes, it was over the auto-skip. And yes, they're only mostly dead, but I'm afraid the stand-alone software is too little, too late in the current PC-based DVR market.