Comskip won't work for AMC

Here you can ask your questions on how to use Comskip for the detection of commercials. Also questions on how to remove commercials are welcome
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John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

I've tried several shows on AMC, but Comskip doesn't skip the commercials.
When I drop the recorded AMC TV file on the Comskip.exe or the Comskip GUI.exe, the console window shows this repeatedly.

Header missing
encrypted stream detected decoding will likely fail
Last message repeated 10 times

Comskip works so far for other network stations I've tried it on.

I have Direct TV Harrisburg, PA.
My computer, Qosmio X875, runs Win 8.1.
Any ideas?

Thanks,
John
erik
Site Admin
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Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2005 3:49 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by erik »

Comskip is not able and will NEVER be able to process encrypted or copy protected streams.
marvin-miller
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:43 am

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by marvin-miller »

I'm using component out from my set top box and this removes all encryption. My AMC recordings are flawless. Zero commercials :mrgreen:
John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

My trusty Qosmio G25 running WinXP with it's built-in TV tuner and component outs connected to it does skip commercials, but my Qosmio X875 (no internal TV tuner) is connected by S-Video via a USB Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 9950 to another satellite box and doesn't skip commercials. The only other option for the TV tuner is composite video....I could give that a try and see what happens. I record on both computers as a backup. I know the older one will die someday.
Thanks to the both of you for answering my question.

John
marvin-miller
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:43 am

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by marvin-miller »

I have no idea what those things are (qosimo?) but the point is, encryption, historically, does not 'travel' over component video. It does over HDMI and I'm guessing it may work over S-Video but unless things have changed recently, component out has always stopped encryption cold :mrgreen:
John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

Qosmio is a laptop Toshiba computer.
I have to correct myself. The old Win XP Qosmio computer records through S-Video, not component video (as I originally posted), but it skips commercials, whereas the newer Win 8.1 Qosmio computer also records through S-Video, but won't skip copy-protected shows. It must be the format that the Win XP Windows Media Center records in, dvr-ms vs the format that the Win 8.1 records in, .wtv. In fact, the copy protected TV shows won't convert from .wtv to dvr-ms. I thought that if I could convert, then it might skip...but forget about that!

I couldn't find a USB TV tuner for a computer that records to component video.
Thanks
John
marvin-miller
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:43 am

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by marvin-miller »

I record and process in .WTV - no issues - but I am using component out to the DVR. It was the easiest/fastest way to work around the issue.
erik
Site Admin
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Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by erik »

An (external USB) tuner connected to TV source (Cable, Terrestrial or Satellite could record from analog (meaning no digital encoded transmission but PAL or NTSC) or digital (ATSC or DVB-C/T/S) depending on the type of tuner and the available input signal.
What comes out of the tuner could be the same (MPEG2 or H264) but the only the digital input formats could be encrypted.
The output connection to the external world could for all types of tuners still be HDMI, Component video or S-Video independent of the input format.

A good test to see if a recording is encrypted is to try to convert it to another format or to play back on another computer. If that is not possible the recording is probably encrypted.
The comskip log file with in the comskip.ini file
verbose=10
will list all kind of warning message when it detects a possibly encrypted recording.
John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

"The only other option for the TV tuner is composite video....I could give that a try and see what happens."

I tried this for an AMC show and it was copy protected, too, so I assume the the Comskip wouldn't work on it either. I couldn't convert it to dvr-ms, as further evidence that Comskip wouldn't work.
I recorded it on a Win 7 HP2000 laptop, which doesn't have DVRMSToolbox and donator's Comskip installed on it because I don't plan on using this computer to watch TV shows.
I didn't want to change the TV settings in WMC on the Qosmio X875 computer for this experiment....it's a bit of a pain.
Thanks so much for your imput.
BTW-What kind of DVR is that and how do you get Comskip to work with it?
Thanks,
John
marvin-miller
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:43 am

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by marvin-miller »

If you're referring to me I'm using Windows 7 as the DVR and it's using component in. HDCP does not travel over Component In. Therefore, no protection issues. I record probably 5 hours or more per day, all day, every day. I have about 750 recorded Movies and many series on file. Most of those channels were protected :lol:

Signal comes in from wall, goes to Set Top Box (actually a cable company DVR) which has component out. Component out goes to Windows 7 PC and Hauppauge Colossus. Because the HDCP has been stripped by the component out there's no issue with Comskip due to removed HDCP protection.

You can also get HDMI HDCP 'strippers' that don't forward the HDCP protection.

There's an interesting discussion on that in this thread;

http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/3341 ... ers/page21

So, if you can use Component Out - you're laughing. If you can use HDMI, it should still work but would require one of the HDMI 'strippers' and HDMI in and out.
John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

Thanks.
John
marvin-miller
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:43 am

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by marvin-miller »

BTW, I ended up with 'banding' from using component in. It seems there was some interference getting into the component lines and it was showing up as a slowly moving band that travelled vertically up the screen. I'd seen it before and it was caused by bad cables (this was my second set).

I finally ditched component in and went to straight HDMI in and HDMI out to the TV. My signal is encrypted so previous efforts at using HDMI resulted in no video. Prior to the changeover I ordered up the HDMI splitter that I mentioned above. I'm pleased to say it works perfectly in that it drops the encryption :lol:

Video quality went up considerably due to HDMI being better then component and it made the connections at the rear of the computer much better as there is no longer a giant clump of component lines.

I'd highly recommend going HDMI. I think the splitter cost me about $50 or less and it drops encryption like a bad habit.
John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

"I'd highly recommend going HDMI. I think the splitter cost me about $50 or less and it drops encryption like a bad habit."

Please tell which one you got. Thanks,
John
John
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: Comskip won't work for AMC

Post by John »

Thanks so much.
John
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