What to do after deleting commercials?

[pfile]

if one were to use the .edl files created by channels to remove commercials and re-export the file (using, say, LosslessCut), what actions are necessary afterwards?

i assume at a minimum one should remove the .edl sidecar file, but it seems that channels is keeping the commercial skip info in its database as well (so maybe it would just reappear.) also i assume channels is tracking the file duration. does "regenerate video index" take care of this? or is there some other housekeeping task to run?

IOW how to make sure channels knows the new file duration is shorter and any comskip info should be discarded?

thanks, rob

[chDVRuser]

Here's what I do

Edit Commercials - mark all blocks as program

Now a lot less clicking, but not as easy as clicking a button or two. Created a script I manually run after removing ads and replacing the original recorded file. Of course this is based on current undocumented API's. # Remove the commercial markers from Channels POST /dvr/files/{FileID}/comskip/edit?source=local --data-raw "[]" # Refresh metadata to update duration PUT /dvr/files/{FileID}/reprocess # Regenerate Video Index PUT /dvr/files/{FileID}/m3u8 Posting the windows command file I…

After doing this the commercial markers will be removed in the Channels database, the .edl file will be updated, the duration will be updated, the video index gets regenerated and the item is marked as Verified.

[racameron]

@pfile

if one were to use the .edl files created by channels to remove commercials and re-export the file (using, say, LosslessCut), what actions are necessary afterwards?

You basically have 2 options: delete the original and import the new versions; or, replace the original with the new one in situ.

The safest way is the first. You use your video editor of choice to create a version of the recording without commercials. Then you save that file into an appropriately named location that you have added as "Personal Media" to be imported into Channels. After that, you can delete the original recording (with commercials) from within Channels.

[pfile]

@chDVRuser @racameron thanks for the advice.

if you replace the file in-situ i assume you always have to execute the commands @chDVRuser has given, right?

i'm in the middle of transitioning servers and i have a backup server making recordings right now. so shortly i'm going to gain some experience with importing recordings which i've trimmed the commercials out of. getting used to LosslessCut's interface is going to take a minute. when the EDL is slightly wrong it's not straightforward to edit them in there, at least not immediately so.

[chDVRuser]

@pfile

if you replace the file in-situ i assume you always have to execute the commands @chDVRuser has given, right?

Correct, I use that Windows script once or twice each day for things I want to keep in Channels DVR without ads. You could also do those steps manually in the Channels DVR web admin UI (Edit commercials, refresh metadata, regenerate video index).

I chose that method since Imports aren't always perfectly matched and for me it's easier using the script than checking each import for a good match.

[mjitkop]

@chDVRuser

I chose that method since Imports aren't always perfectly matched and for me it's easier using the script than checking each import for a good match.

+1