[Suggestion] CF-Generated Thumbnails

[Black Hole]

Yes, I know we can already ask the WebIF to generate thumbnails.

My problem is that I rarely reboot my machines (unless they crash), so my recordings generally have no thumbnails at all (until I play them, and then it's too late).

Could we have an auto-process option to create the standard thumbnail on any recordings it finds without one, and/or a Sweeper test+action to do so?

 

[Trev]

+1

 

[MymsMan]

It should be quite trivial to do using a fixed offset into the programme
(but that does not mean I am volunteering)

 

[Trev]

(but that does not mean I am volunteering)

And I was just going to suggest if it was that easy, then get on with it.

 

[Black Hole]

Yes, it just needs something in the scheduling to trigger the existing thumbnail generator.

 

[prpr]

My problem is that I rarely reboot my machines (unless they crash), so my recordings generally have no thumbnails at all (until I play them, and then it's too late).

Likewise. But I've noticed that thumbnails haven't been created after a reboot either - it only happens when selecting Play.
(Both my machines have crashed this week while I've been away - but my networked remote controlled power sockets came to the rescue - yay!)

 

[Black Hole]

I agree, but IIRC there is some stage in the startup process which generates them - maybe it's a full cold start.

 

[af123]

IIRC, they are generated during shutdown.

 

[Black Hole]

That makes sense. Mine reboot or cold start, but rarely go through the shutdown process.

 

[Luke]

It should be quite trivial to do using a fixed offset into the programme

An off-set would probably be OK if all the programmes were padded the same amount or all used AR reasonably successfully. With a mix of the two then deciding on the length of the fixed off set would be a bit tricky.

 

[Trev]

So how does the stock S/W do it? Not very well in my experience.

 

[Black Hole]

All I'm asking for is a thumbnail, not the best thumbnail. As far as I can see, the standard thumbnail is a frame about 1s into the recording.

 

[af123]

All I'm asking for is a thumbnail, not the best thumbnail. As far as I can see, the standard thumbnail is a frame about 1s into the recording.

Is that true for padded recordings too? It wouldn't be too hard to do padding+1s in that case.

 

[Black Hole]

Yes, it was padding recordings I was assessing.

 

[MymsMan]

Is that true for padded recordings too? It wouldn't be too hard to do padding+1s in that case.

Or first bookmark (ARbookmark or Detectads) - I have noticed that thumbnails on DA cropped programs are usually reasonable because they are in the opening scenes of the programme rather than the preceding ads - the first bookmark would give similar results for those that don't use cropping

All I'm asking for is a thumbnail, not the best thumbnail.

In the past I have suggested using theTVDB episode images (where available) as a source of better quality thumbnails but that idea was discounted because of the need to do image format conversion

 

[Black Hole]

It would be very nice if the broadcasters set a "thumbnail frame" flag.

 

[MymsMan]

It would be very nice if the broadcasters set a "thumbnail frame" flag.

I think you are entering cloud cuckoo land now

Does such a thing exist in the DVB specs? Even if it did what are the chances of the broadcasters getting it "right" when often they get the basics wrong.

 

[Black Hole]

My point stands.

 

[xyz321]

I do wonder if it might be useful to have the thumbnail generated at the playback point.

 

[Trev]

Too late!