http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 22nd 2009 8:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 22nd 2009 8:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 9:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 22nd 2009 10:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
-Sean

http://connectedcommuter.com/]]>Oct 22nd 2009 10:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 9:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Yep, in fact I'm running the latest firmware and am able to automatically skip commercials on all of my channels now.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 9:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Ben, can one obtain this new ATI firmware somewhere now? I just switched to CableCard and I'm desperately missing my skipping. ]]>Oct 25th 2009 12:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Sorry but the firmware isn't publicly available, AMD sent me an early release version of the installer so I could write about it.]]>Oct 25th 2009 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
and of course you dont shell out $$$

~Mitchell]]>Oct 22nd 2009 11:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Granted, Myth does it by default... but even the config screens in there aren't this cryptic.

I'll admit, though, the promise of Cablecards on MCE7 is alluring... of course, I'd have to buy new (faster) hardware to run it... which is why I probably won't bother. I can get a TivoHD for cheaper than an MCE7 setup, and with FAR less hassle.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 2:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/I don't know about anyone else, but once I paid for 3 years of service, my two Series3 TiVos cost me way more than my 3 room Media Center setup, and that included two CableCARD tuners at $200 each.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 2:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
No hidden software to pay for!!!!!]]>Oct 23rd 2009 2:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
I wish Myth was Cable-card supported... damn cable industry. Your content is ALREADY being torrented, you morons... locking down the cablecard isn't going to fix that, as ALREADY seen. So stop pissing off customers like me.

Frankly, at this point, I'm considering dumping cable, going OTA digital, and then using Hulu for everything else... Comcast sucks. Cable industry sucks.]]>Oct 26th 2009 9:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Is anyone else having this problem? Could it be related to the extender using a separate user account and/or possibly permissioning?

Would love to get this working, and would definitely spend the $30 for the license of ShowAnalyzer... but not if it doesn't work on extenders. I do 99% of my tv viewing on my Xbox 360.]]>Nov 8th 2009 12:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 12:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
I'm more inclined to convert WTV to DVR-MS and keep using Lifextender.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 8:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
I didn't like it in Vista because it actually cut the commercials out of the file which requires much, much more IO and thus even more of a load on the box.

Not to mention when it messed up you couldn't just turn it off and go back and watch the part it thought was a commercial because that part of the show was permanently deleted.

It also doesn't let you skip commercials on shows that are still recording.

And lastly, yes it used ComSkip instead of ShowAnalyzer which has yet to be updated to supported WTV, so it won't work on 7 unless you want to convert all your shows to dvr-ms first.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 8:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Reading your issues with the program, we just have different viewing habits. Different strokes... :^) I like DVRMSToolBox a lot, I just use it for other purposes.

The purpose of my post was more to say "it would be nice to have some kind of word from the Lifextender guys so we know whether or not to ever expect direct .WTV support." That's all. It's just another tool.


BTW, Lifextender can be configured to use both ComSkip or ShowAnalyzer. Also, original files are placed in the Recycle Bin should I really need them (only ever did a couple of times while first tuning ComSkip).]]>Oct 23rd 2009 9:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
My main concern is that my family and I have absolutely no tolerance for mistakes in regards to identifying commercials. In fact if even one mistake is made, we prefer to manually skip commercials for the rest of the show.

But for me it was really the load on my system. LiveExtender killed the usability for me and there just weren't enough configuration options to make it a workable solution in my house.

I will say that I did use it first simply because it is just so simple to setup.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 9:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
What quality level do you set your recordings to in 7MC? I don't yet have HD (c'mon Ceton!) -- Is there a noticeable different when you get out of SD resolutions?]]>Oct 23rd 2009 9:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 12:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/dvr-ms->cut dvr-ms). DTB doesn't support WTV->cut WTV yet, but it may in a future release.

That said, storage is so cheap; why take the chance that you miss any part of the show? ]]>Oct 23rd 2009 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 9:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 9:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 9:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
C]]>Oct 23rd 2009 9:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 12:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 1:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/First quarter of 2010, Ceton Corp. is coming out with a 4-tuner card that works with encrypted programming as well as non-encrypted. A lot of us are waiting for it to come out as it will, with Xbox's as MCE's, work as a whole-house PVR. That said, it works only with cable and FIOS (not satellite), you do lose the PPV and the on-demand stuff and your house has to be wired with ethernet cable.
Jim
]]>Oct 23rd 2009 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 3:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 3:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/on SD as well as on HD recordings.
I know it would depend on the hardware a lot so a rough estimate would work. Say a 2.4 ghz dual core amd with a single 640gb harddrive. no raid or any of that.

This sounds pretty slick. I used to have replaytv which had it built in. Worked quite well 90% of the time and was easy to override.
]]>Oct 23rd 2009 3:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Yes, I used to have a ReplayTV and configured it to mimic the way it worked. The big difference is my MC has 5 tuners, but I don't have the disk IO to scan more than 2 shows at once. If I only had one tuner like the 5040 I had then it could keep up.

]]>Oct 23rd 2009 3:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Last question, how does sleep mode affect this ?
My media center goes to sleep when not in use (and now with 7 seems to not be able to be woken up anymore by my xbox360, bug?)
It's set for 30 minutes time out.]]>Oct 23rd 2009 3:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 3:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 23rd 2009 8:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
Finished Commercial Detectection
No commercials found
Action did not complete successfully
Total Duration = 00:02:25.5376836

Did I miss a step? Also when I use the ShowAnalyzer nothing happens. The history does not get populated at all.


]]>Oct 24th 2009 12:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 24th 2009 1:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
VLC... I do not have that installed. This is a brand new Win7 Ultimate install with Media Center. I had everything setup standard, with extender to my Xbox 360. I followed the instructions in this post, but won't work. :)

Sorry if I am confused, this is my first time using Media Center. Thanks in advance for your help.]]>Oct 24th 2009 1:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 24th 2009 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/
I tried scanning Jimmy Fallon, and a couple of Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Playback within Media Center works great, but the Channel skipping is just not working... Do the files need to be a certain file type? I am just using the standard settings for Media Center]]>Oct 24th 2009 1:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/Oct 24th 2009 1:49PM