New to IceTV, and have pre-ordered the Skippa at the original offer...
Couple of queries:
1/ Can I use the IceTV sub on other devices, with this purchase?
2/ If so, can it be setup on Windows Media Centre?
3/ Also, if so, can I start using it now? (Don't think so?)
I don't understand the stuff on my "My Recorders" page about converting the account (Widget Account Restrictions). Will I break stuff if I convert...? And if I convert, and CAN use on WMC, can I do that (at least to some degree) without a full account?)
So many questions.... :-)
Thanks.
The information provided so far is that the IceTV EPG and the IceTV Skippa subscriptions are tied to particular unit.
The ordinary subscription allows you to have up to 5 devices (recorders) including PC based media centres. As the result of various special offers I have taken advantage of over the years, my subscription does not expire until August 2019.
My brain has stopped working so I cannot (at this stage) make (meaningful) comments on the other matters mentioned in your post.
Ian
Quote from: HORNETSTER on July 14, 2015, 09:43:02 PM
New to IceTV, and have pre-ordered the Skippa at the original offer...
Couple of queries:
1/ Can I use the IceTV sub on other devices, with this purchase?
2/ If so, can it be setup on Windows Media Centre?
3/ Also, if so, can I start using it now? (Don't think so?)
I don't understand the stuff on my "My Recorders" page about converting the account (Widget Account Restrictions). Will I break stuff if I convert...? And if I convert, and CAN use on WMC, can I do that (at least to some degree) without a full account?)
So many questions.... :-)
Thanks.
The subscriptions included with each SKIPPA™ only work with that 1 SKIPPA™. If you wanted to use IceTV with another device you would need a single-device subscription for that device (if available for that device model) or a regular multi-device subscription that works with all supported devices.
If you have a free phone-app-only account the SKIPPA™ will convert it into a full account when the SKIPPA™ first connects to your account.
You can convert your account from a widget account (free phone app only account) to a 3 month trial account, and start using IceTV with Windows Media Center, assuming your PC has a TV tuner card or USB TV tuner. When you receive your SKIPPA™ and you log it in to your account the SKIPPA™ will add it's own subscription within your account.
IceTV reps,
I have a query regarding the AutoSkip feature
Do completed recordings automatically get processed for Autoskip in the background
Would be nice to have this explained whether a user has control over the process or if it's done automatically.
Looking forward to the skippa shipping next Monday 8)
Quote from: Vortical on July 23, 2015, 03:06:25 AM
...
Do completed recordings automatically get processed for Autoskip in the background
...
My understanding is that processing of Autoskip is all done on the IceTV servers. The Skippa just downloads a skip list: start skip at 00:05:02; end skip 00:07:55; start skip 00:22:31; end skip 00:25:18; ...
It's unlikely to be more than a few hundred bytes, even for a movie.
Prl if that's the case then I don't understand this remark in the skippa FAQ.
A. AutoSkip takes about one and a half times the duration of a recording. If you keep recording another program during the processing time, AutoSkip may take a little longer.
Why is that your understanding?
As the Skippa reps have said that Skippa will check for a license once or twice a day I imagine that indicates that the ad skip processing with be on your local Skippa unit.
Plus if it was as you suggest that would mean they would have to process every show on TV all over OZ all the time, including all the outback and rural stations, which is a big and unnecessary task. Also if they are processing and sending time checks like that I imagine it would make them more vulnerable to legal action.
Quote from: Rat on July 23, 2015, 03:40:12 PM
Why is that your understanding?
It's my memory of what we were told at the show and tell day way back.
Quote from: Rat on July 23, 2015, 03:40:12 PMAs the Skippa reps have said that Skippa will check for a license once or twice a day I imagine that indicates that the ad skip processing with be on your local Skippa unit.
How does that follow?
Quote from: Rat on July 23, 2015, 03:40:12 PM
... Also if they are processing and sending time checks like that I imagine it would make them more vulnerable to legal action.
How would it be less of a legal problem for an individual? The Copyright Act exception for domestic recording is very narrow, and doesn't include the making of derivative works, which is where I'd guess (IANAL) any application of copyright might come into play.
Because if they were sending you the timers for ad skip for each show that your box records then wouldn't it be easier to just check you have a current sub then rather than sending an extra check each day regardless of if you are actually using the service or not. That is how I would think it would be best configured.
Also you didn't comment regarding the logistics of processing every show on OZ tv all the time every station every state. Will they process my local news show? I could be wrong, but I would be very surprised if they could do that. Certainly can't see how they could do it cost effectively, they would need a server bank in each state, maybe two in some. Unless I'm missing something in my thoughts on the matter?
Can Skippa play DVDs or Blue Ray, either the files from an external USB HDD or external USB DVD/Blueray player? (I have a small collection)
I am not sure how Skippa would go with licensed DVD's and BlueRay discs with their protection etc. or if it would recognise the file format?
I was hoping to keep the TV area device count down.
Hi
Wanted to know if you can delete all the shopping/unwanted channels ect , on my current pvr (TiVo) they all come back on the next update its infuriating
Cheers
Quote from: SkippaLounge on July 26, 2015, 07:59:42 AM
Hi
Wanted to know if you can delete all the shopping/unwanted channels ect , on my current pvr (TiVo) they all come back on the next update its infuriating
Cheers
Good question. The existing IceTV EPG does not have EPG data for the shopping channels; it is not clear if SKIPPA will have this added. My limited experience with PVRs and set top boxes is that you can delete unwanted LCNs, so I suspect we will have that ability.
Ian
On many PVRs the cleanest way to "remove" unwanted channels is to set up a Favourites list that excludes them, and use that for channel selection/EPG. Normally the Favourites list allows you to reorder the channels as you want to have them.
Whether Favourites lists stay valid after a rescan is variable (e.g. in early Beyonwiz DP firmware they didn't, in the more recent firmware, they do).
Quote from: Vortical on July 23, 2015, 03:06:25 AM
I have a query regarding the AutoSkip feature
Do completed recordings automatically get processed for Autoskip in the background
Yes. News recordings get processed first, then live type shows, then other show types.
Quote from: Vortical on July 23, 2015, 03:06:25 AM
Would be nice to have this explained whether a user has control over the process or if it's done automatically.
Recorded shows are processed automatically.
You can see in the My Recordings list which recordings have been processed already. You can see in the settings menu which recording is currently being processed.
Thanks for the confirmation Dave.
IMO that also confirms that the shows will be processed on your own box and not on a server.
Quote from: Rat on August 01, 2015, 06:42:44 AM
IMO that also confirms that the shows will be processed on your own box and not on a server.
Yes. I agree. Ad skip processing is in the Skippa, not on IceTV servers.
Quote from: prl on August 01, 2015, 12:16:41 PM
Quote from: Rat on August 01, 2015, 06:42:44 AM
IMO that also confirms that the shows will be processed on your own box and not on a server.
Yes. I agree. Ad skip processing is in the Skippa, not on IceTV servers.
That could imply that frequent ad detection updates may have to be downloaded (no doubt under an automated push update) in order to keep up with commercial broadcasters trying to circumvent Skippa's ad detection.
Quote from: JPP on August 01, 2015, 01:27:54 PM
Quote from: prl on August 01, 2015, 12:16:41 PM
Quote from: Rat on August 01, 2015, 06:42:44 AM
IMO that also confirms that the shows will be processed on your own box and not on a server.
Yes. I agree. Ad skip processing is in the Skippa, not on IceTV servers.
That could imply that frequent ad detection updates may have to be downloaded (no doubt under an automated push update) in order to keep up with commercial broadcasters trying to circumvent Skippa's ad detection.
I don't see how. Once the program has been recorded and analysed for ad breaks, whether on the Skippa or centrally, nothing the broadcaster does could possibly change the ad skip information, unless they've stolen Gully's (http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=842) TARDIS.
Of course, if they could guess how the Skippa system identifies ads, they might take action to craft their broadcasts to frustrate that. But even if an ad skip script needed to be downloaded again from a putative server after hand modification or reprocessing, it's still only a small amount of data; ad skip scripts don't need to be large, no more than ~16-20 bytes per ad.
Quote from: prl on August 01, 2015, 06:43:26 PM
Of course, if they could guess how the Skippa system identifies ads, they might take action to craft their broadcasts to frustrate that. But even if an ad skip script needed to be downloaded again from a putative server after hand modification or reprocessing, it's still only a small amount of data; ad skip scripts don't need to be large, no more than ~16-20 bytes per ad.
That's what I was talking about Peter. It wouldn't take that much effort for them to analyse how the Skippa does it and then change the ad break "coding". Only time will tell if they consider it worth their while.
I don't think it will bother the TV networks much at this stage. A thousand or so Skippas V's millions flocking to Netflix, not to mention all the people who go to the toilet in the ads breaks, there must be a way to stop that ;)
I have a question, which may be simple. I am not very familiar with how IceTV works as I mostly been using TEDS.
The question occurred to me, reading the Altech Forum, where some people are having problems with doubled up recordings.
I know that there is a choice of first run or repeat, also how many do I want to record each day. So, I wondered.... If I set it to one (first run) it may miss the second episode of a series that the networks decide to show two episodes back to back. However, if I choose "all" then it may, indeed, end up doubling up, if the same show happens to be showing on both the SD and HD channel. Am I correct in my presumption? If so, is there a way of avoiding this?
If you want all first runs of a series, just select 'first run' and 'all'.
If you choose 'first run' and '1' you will miss the second episode of the back to back example you use.
Quote from: Paul55 on August 13, 2015, 07:11:44 AM
If you want all first runs of a series, just select 'first run' and 'all'.
If you choose 'first run' and '1' you will miss the second episode of the back to back example you use.
I didn't explain myself properly. What happens if I choose 'first run' and 'all' and the same first run episode is showing at the same time on both the SD and HD channels?
Quote from: csutak40 on August 13, 2015, 04:01:54 PM
What happens if I choose 'first run' and 'all' and the same first run episode is showing at the same time on both the SD and HD channels?
You will get 1 recording of any new episodes of that show. IceTV will only schedule a recording on 1 of the simulcast channels (and never both).
Each series has a quality setting with choices of: prefer hd, prefer sd, only hd or only sd. By default this would be set to 'prefer hd'.
You would only need to change the quality setting in rare situations where you wanted to force a show to record on a certain channel. ABC news is a good example. Every showing is a new episode and it's on channel 24 every hour but only on ABC1 at 7pm. Most people just want to record the 7pm showing so they would need to set their ABC News series recording to "Only SD" which will prevent it recording on the HD channel 24.
Hi Judy,
Skippa will only record 1 copy of a show at a particular time. i.e. It won't record multiple copies of the same show when shown at the same time on simulcast channels (like 7, 70 and 71, or 2 and 21, or 1 and 12) or simulcast on a HD and an SD channel.
The frequency setting only affects different episodes
As Paul suggested, you only want to set the quantity to 1 if you had 'All episodes' set and you didn't want multiple different episodes recording each day.
Say you're a mum or dad and you want to record playschool for the kids but different episodes of playschool are on the same channel 10 times a day and they are all repeats. If you don't want your kids watching 10 episodes each day you could set that series recording to only record 1 per day or 2 per day.
The quantity setting is also handy when recording repeats and the same repeat episode is shown multiple times each day. Say each day old M*A*S*H episodes are showing at midday and then the same episode is shown again at 10pm. You would set it to 1 per day to only record the midday showing.
Quote from: JPP on August 01, 2015, 01:27:54 PM
Quote from: prl on August 01, 2015, 12:16:41 PM
Quote from: Rat on August 01, 2015, 06:42:44 AM
IMO that also confirms that the shows will be processed on your own box and not on a server.
Yes. I agree. Ad skip processing is in the Skippa, not on IceTV servers.
That could imply that frequent ad detection updates may have to be downloaded (no doubt under an automated push update) in order to keep up with commercial broadcasters trying to circumvent Skippa's ad detection.
I don't think this is something we're really going to have to worry about. 5 to 10 thousand Skippa users? Probably not worth their time. Now if it were 5 or 10 million, then I would think it would be an issue.
gib
Thank you, Dave