How does Skippa skip the adverts?

injidup · June 23, 2015, 10:03:29 PM

Some fancy algorithm?
Something flagged in the stream?
We came up with another idea today at work...

An offshore call centre type operation with operators watching tv and manually flagging when the adverts come on, then this info gets sent to our Skippas via the internet connection.

Hope that's cleared up any confusion!

Rat · June 23, 2015, 10:34:00 PM

I hope that is not a disseminatory comment ;)

injidup · June 23, 2015, 10:45:22 PM

Possibly. It's on the Internet.

injidup · June 24, 2015, 10:39:45 AM

It could also be uni students, bored housewives, or responses to those "Work At Home!" adverts.

Possibly.

nis200sx · June 27, 2015, 03:40:41 PM

The logical conclusion would be clever algorithms that can be automatically updated as needed.

injidup · July 02, 2015, 02:54:58 PM

Really? Why logical? The broadcasters could change their flags at any time and not all might use the same system. Is there even such a system in existence?
Isn't it just as logical to have it manually computed by real humans and then sent to the Skippa via the internet?

Rat · July 02, 2015, 04:32:24 PM

I think it would be logical to assume that IceTV are NOT going to pay for people to watch and flag the ads for all the free to air TV in Australia all the time nearly all the stations (apart from the shopping station which is just one big ad anyway) 24hrs a day, even the shitty low rating shows just in case a Skippa user wants to watch the most rubbish show on TV one day.

I remember betting a six pack that I wouldn't get my Skippa in July.... no one took me up on that one :( .....now I'm willing to take a risk and bet a six pack that the ads are not manually flagged by people watching the TV shows, first taker only :)

Yes everyone is skeptical about how well it will work and if the stations will be able to break it. That said people have been autoskipping ads with their HTPCs for years, fairly reliably from what I hear, so it is possible. But I don't know much about how that works and I don't have a HTPC, I probably wouldn't be here if I did :)

qf8 · July 02, 2015, 11:19:42 PM

My Bet - IceTV will record every TV program on all channels and a fancy computer program at Icetv Hq will analys each program and determin the ad start and stop times for each TV program. The IceTV server will be updated with this information. Your Skippa box at home will periodically connects to the IceTv server and download the ad skip timing information for programs you have recorded and YOUR Skippa box will deleat these time slots in your prerecorded programs.
If ive got the "fancy computer program" part wrong then they will probably use uni students or boarded housewifes to do the same thing at IceTV HQ.
I also think the TV stations will attempt to defeat this sytem with legal action.

injidup · July 03, 2015, 10:20:23 AM

I don't think the TV companies can stop IceTv hiring bored housewives or uni students.

Also, I believe the ad breaks are flagged, not deleted and the SKIPPA box just jumps past them, so we can watch the ads if we desire.

prl · July 03, 2015, 11:27:41 AM

Quote from: qf8 on July 02, 2015, 11:19:42 PM
My Bet - IceTV will record every TV program on all channels ...

My bet - no they won't:

QuoteCopyright Act 1968

111 Recording broadcasts for replaying at more convenient time

(1) This section applies if a person makes a cinematograph film or sound recording of a broadcast solely for private and domestic use by watching or listening to the material broadcast at a time more convenient than the time when the broadcast is made.

Rat · July 03, 2015, 01:36:25 PM

How about this 6 year old article that discusses that ad skipping has already been available on HTPCs for a long time back then http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/

I would guess that your home SKIPPA runs software and analyses the shows you have recorded locally on it's HDD, it would start this analysis as soon as the recording is finished, thus why you have to wait awhile after the recording as they have stated, this software would periodically check that you have a paid up sub to use it and if you don't will not run.

It's not new by any means, but has always been a bit hit and miss, what is new is that they feel confident enough that their software will work well enough to charge a subscription fee.

So it must have passed their initial testing with great results, but there is still the disclaimer on the website that real world results may vary (or similar words) so we will see, I assume it will be fairly reliable.

It would want to be more reliable than bored housewives who would forget to press the flagg button half the time or be outside having a smoke :)