These are the notes I made for why there's still a case for using an override comskip.ini file.
Plus added a few comments for posting.
Some background for those not familiar.
Override comskip.ini file - In order to change the way comskip (Detect Commercials) works in Channels DVR, the devs allowed us to create our own override comskip.ini file that totally replaces the default one used by Channels DVR. The contents of this ini file determines how comskip detects commercials and what files it outputs. Feature request: Comskip ini access - #12 by tmm1
New comskip.ini API - using curl you can add or delete individual comskip.ini settings that Channels DVR will add (append) to its default settings and use when detecting commercials (with limitations, first setting encountered rules). Way to send ComSkip request to server - #11 by tmm1
First, I want to express my appreciation to the devs for surfacing the thread count setting in the UI and creating the new comskip.ini API. (Way to send ComSkip request to server - #11 by tmm1)
TL;DR or for those who knew this, in comskip.ini only the first setting declaration is used.
Quoting the tuning.html in the comskip distro
Comskip is rather picky on how you format the ini file. No spaces before of after the '=' are allowed. Multiple occurrences of any setting can exist anywhere in the file but only the first will be used. There is no way to 'comment out' a setting.
So, if a setting appears more than once, it will only use the first occurrence.
Override comskip.ini file - When comskip runs it will use the settings within your override comskip.ini file instead of the default Channels DVR comskip.ini.
NEW API - stores PUT comskip.ini settings in the Channels DVR settings database and appends them to the default Channels DVR comskip.ini settings when comskip runs. You can see the settings you added at http://x.x.x.x:8089/settings This means if you use the API intending to change a setting that Channels DVR declares in its default comskip.ini, you lose.
Here are the current Channels DVR comskip.ini settings that can only be overridden using an override > comskip.ini file.
verbose=10
detect_method=123 ;; everything but scenechange
punish_no_logo=0
cc_correct_type_modifier=1
length_nonstrict_modifier=1.5 ;; required before below due to comskip.ini parsing bug
combined_length_nonstrict_modifier=1
min_show_segment_length=222
min_commercialbreak=45
use_existing_logo_file=0
logo_fraction=0.39
delete_logo_file=1
output_vdr=1
output_edl=1
output_ffmeta=1
output_ffsplit=1
lowres=1
I want to override min_commercialbreak
, so I'll still use the override comskip.ini file to do that.
I think they made the right choice in how this works. If you want total control, use the override comskip.ini file.