Removing Ads From WTV files - I'm Failing - Please Help!

[100thIdiot]

Hi,

I'm using WMC on a Windows 7 computer and am trying to find a way of deleting adverts from saved programs. I've spent all evening, and all yesterday evening trying to find a way of doing this and have failed miserably.

MCEBuddy2
This fails to find files in my test folder, but works on files I specially point it at, but does not remove adverts and deletes audio.

LifeXtender
Finds files in my test folder, but does nothing with them at all.

If anyone has a working solution, could they please detail how its done, because I'm not finding this intuitive at all.

 

[dsperber]

ShowAnalyzer worked fairly well for me during the relatively short time I used it with WMC. I had come from BeyondTV when I was only using a OTA/ATSC tuner, and BeyondTV has its own built-in superb commercial eliminator. I don't think I ever successfully tweaked ShowAnalyzer to where it was as good as BeyondTV's SmartSkip, but it is possible to tweak its settings to improve its functionality.

But when I upgraded to add a Ceton InfiniTV M-Card-enabled cable tuner, Time Warner's "everything is sent out as copy-protected" policy meant I was unable to read/play/edit any of these copy-protected WTV recordings anyway... no matter using ShowAnalyzer, or VideoRedo, or Windows Media Player, or anything. Only the copy-freely local networks I could get with either my OTA/ATSC tuner or from the local network channels on TWC were usable.

Plus, I was not anxious to spend enormous amounts of CPU horsepower and time (not to mention electricity for CPU and cooling fans during this long-running 100% CPU-bound process) which could only be initiated after the recording had been completed. I wanted to be able to watch a time-shifted program immediately after it was recorded, or even DURING its being recorded.

In the end I simply uninstalled ShowAnalyzer, and decided just to use the 30-second skip button repeatedly on my remote, to move through commercials while watching any recording. WMC has a very nice feature on its remotes, where if you push "number and then 30-second skip", it will skip forward that number x 30-seconds in one instant jump. So "6 and skip" => 3 minute skip forward, without having to push the skip button 6 consecutive times.

Saves all kinds of electricity costs, and is just the old fashioned way of skipping past commercials on a VCR or DRV. Just do it with the remote.

 

[100thIdiot]

Yikes, just downloaded that software on my laptop and Win8 is complaining that its malware??

 

[dsperber]

Yikes, just downloaded that software on my laptop and Win8 is complaining that its malware??

You're talking about ShowAnayzer?

If so, then honestly I cannot vouch for what it is today... assuming Win8 is correct. I tried it out 2 years ago and never had any issue with it and anti-virus. Could just be a false alarm, although the few posts on the web which show up are "no harm". Don't know what your anti-virus is, but if it's McAfee then good luck

Anyway, it does appear that the product might have now been abandoned by its author, which again is something I can't confirm.

You want my opinion? Forget the whole project. Just use the 30-second skip button on your WMC remote and don't spend another second thinking about automated commercial-skipping. Again, this can only be applied to copy-freely WTV content anyway, and won't work for copy-once protected/encrypted cable channels.

 

[3D Jed]

My TV ad solution (UK Freeview) -

right click wtv + convert to dvr-ms > VideoRedo (remove ads) > save as mpeg2 > Handbrake (save as mp4)

I use an old version of VideoRedo that only accepts dvr-ms, but the new version apparently now converts wtv directly.

free trial -

VideoReDo MPEG Video Editing Software

 

[dsperber]

My TV ad solution (UK Freeview) -

right click wtv + convert to dvr-ms > VideoRedo (remove ads) > save as mpeg2 > Handbrake (save as mp4)

I use an old version of VideoRedo that only accepts dvr-ms, but the new version apparently now converts wtv directly.

I have VideoRedo TV Suite v4, which handles WTV directly. No need to go through the convert-to-dvrms step with all of its time/space considerations.

But I will repeat one more time: this approach (whether you use the old version 3 VRD which handles DVRMS but not WTV, or the new version 4 VRD which supports WTV directly) ONLY WORKS FOR COPY-FREELY WTV!! YOU CANNOT USE IT ON COPY-PROTECTED WTV!! You cannot even convert WTV to DVR-MS for copy-once content... you can only do that with copy-freely content.

So if your entire WTV recording collection is from copy-freely OTA/ATSC (i.e. you have a TV tuner which is not cablecard-enabled, so that you only receive copy-freely content from OTA or clear-QAM via cable), then these various software approaches are at least feasible. But if your WTV recordings come from cablecard-enabled TV tuners, then depending on whether your cable provider marks programs as copy-once or copy-freely this will determine whether or not you will ever be able to remove commercials.

And again, that's because if it's copy-protected then there are NO PROGRAMS OR SOFTWARE OTHER THAN WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER WHICH CAN DECRYPT THOSE COPY-PROTECTED PROGRAMS. And that's because it is only WMC which is allowed to utilize the cablecard in the TV tuner card in order to perform the necessary decryption and be able to play it (i.e. read it).

VRD cannot even read a copy-protected WTV file, nor will Windows allow "convert WTV to DVR-MS" for copy-protected content.

And besides, the OP was looking for an "automated process" to remove commercials. The method you describe is a "manual process", although theoretically it is one way to get the job done... assuming you start with copy-freely WTV files and an old version 3 of VRD which cannot read WTV directly. Much more appropriate (if you wanted to apply the method to copy-freely WTV files) would be to upgrade to VRD TVSuite v4, which reads copy-freely WTV directly and eliminate that no longer needed "convert WTV to DVR-MS" step. Just read the copy-freely WTV files directly in VRD, and eliminate your commercials, and then save the resulting scene(s) however you want.


I'm still working on my own exact same project from this summer's 2012 London Olympics, which I'd recorded completely (via my Hauppauge HVR-2250 OTS/ATSC tuner for NBC-HD, and via my Ceton InfiniTV cablecard-enabled tuner for MSNBC-HD and NBCSN-HD). But since TWC/LA marks the MSNBC and NBCSN channels as "copy-once" I could only WATCH them using WMC. Cannot read them with VRD or any other media player.

However I'm using VRD TVSuite v4 to edit down everything that was shown on NBC (i.e. the "glamour and high-profile sports") to be commercial-free, for eventual burning of those clips (re-sorted and organized intelligently for satisfying viewing in the future) to authored BluRay for posterity.

 

[100thIdiot]

Im in the UK recording Freeview on the Quad tuner BlackGold card that was stickied on here. I'm quite new to this Media Center malarkey and wasn't even aware that WTV files might be encrypted. Anyway, I've just given VideoRedo a try and it did allow me to get rid of the commercials, but as you said, not automatically. I dont think I'll be buying it, I found it clunky and ugly (aesthetics probably shouldn't be important, and wouldn't be if it did its work in the background, but they are to me).

So it looks like all the solutions are out of date. I'm really surprised, I would have throught that getting rid of commercials would be something everyone wanted.

 

[dsperber]

Im in the UK recording Freeview on the Quad tuner BlackGold card that was stickied on here. I'm quite new to this Media Center malarkey and wasn't even aware that WTV files might be encrypted. Anyway, I've just given VideoRedo a try and it did allow me to get rid of the commercials, but as you said, not automatically. I dont think I'll be buying it, I found it clunky and ugly (aesthetics probably shouldn't be important, and wouldn't be if it did its work in the background, but they are to me).

So it looks like all the solutions are out of date. I'm really surprised, I would have throught that getting rid of commercials would be something everyone wanted.

Well, I'm running out of ideas or suggestions for you.

Before using WMC (since it supports the Ceton cablecard-enabled InfiniTV tuner which allows me to record protected/unprotected programming provided by Time Warner Cable) I had an ATI TV Wonder 650 PCI card (for OTA/ATSC recording). Both of these were supported by WMC. I've since replaced the 1-tuner ATI card with a 2-tuner Hauppauge HVR-2250, but its function in my system is the same.

Anyway, before getting the Ceton card (which required WMC to be used as my DVR software) I was using BeyondTV, as it supported my ATI TV Wonder 650 PCI card. Turns out BeyondTV also supports the Hauppauge HVR-2250 along with a whole raft of other OTA/ATSC tuner cards (used here in the US)... although it has no capability for Freeview and your specific Black Gold card.

Nevertheless, BeyondTV came with its own built-in commercial-skipping feature, named SmartSkip, which truly worked perfectly. So, if you were to use BeyondTV (rather than WMC), and if you had a TV tuner card (from a very large list supported by BeyondTV) for use with a roof OTA/ATSC antenna (rather than FreeView), then you could get automatic commercial skipping performed for you by BeyondTV.

However just about every variable in your setup is different from what you'd need to be able to utilize BeyondTV.

Sorry. I tried to help.

As I've stated earlier, I no longer am concerned with such a feature. I simply use the 30-second skip button on my remote (repeatedly, as necessary to get past a commercial pod), and solve the problem instantly that way. Works perfectly and immediately, on programs just recorded or even while still in the progress of being recorded... something that cannot be done by any "automatic commercial-skipping approach" which must read the entire file in order to either (a) copy it into a new smaller, edited file, or (b) generate an XML "chapter file" to be used during playback to skip commercials.

 

[3D Jed]

dsperber - in the UK only a small number of programs are copy protected. These are usually fairly recent films. Most stuff can be edited in VRD. HD is h264, SD is mpeg2. HD (h264) wtv files cannot be converted to dvr-ms by r-click, but SD can.

Protected wtv files (either HD or SD) can usually be re-encoded with Super from eRightsoft, as can unprotected HD h264 files. Obviously the first Super encode followed by subsequent editing and conversion reduces the quality somewhat.

Freeview HD programs are usually broadcast at the same time on SD channels anyway ...

 

[dsperber]

dsperber - in the UK only a small number of programs are copy protected. These are usually fairly recent films.

In the US what WMC calls "copy-protected" (on its INFO for the recording) is actually digitally marked "copy-once" in the digital datastream AND ALSO ENCRYPTED as delivered by the cable company, and which must pass through the cablecard in order to DECRYPT it for viewing. And of course the cablecard must also be used again later during the playback stage, if you want to record it first and watch it later.

WMC is the only software allowed to access the cablecard (via PlayReady), so no other software at all (including Super and VRD) would be able to make use of the recorded WTV file. Only WMC can possibly get to the cablecard, in order to decrypt for playback.

Protected wtv files (either HD or SD) can usually be re-encoded with Super from eRightsoft, as can unprotected HD h264 files. Obviously the first Super encode followed by subsequent editing and conversion reduces the quality somewhat.

Well, I can't imagine how... unless the "protection" provided in the UK is not the same as "copy-once" and ENCRYPTED here in the US when delivered bya cable system, which absolutely requires a cablecard to decrypt for view/playback. And since only WMC has access to the cablecard, only WMC can be used for any type of read/view/playback.

In other words, Super and VRD are worthless for ENCRYPTED WTV FILES.

Freeview HD programs are usually broadcast at the same time on SD channels anyway ...

I know nothing about Freeview. If it's not OTA broadcast, or delivered digitally via a cable system, I know nothing about it or how it is to be handled... much less any other considerations regarding protection and/or encryption.

 

[3D Jed]

dsp - some info: Freeview is a free to air digital UK service used by most viewers. Other platforms are Sky satellite (pay) and Freesat (free)

Freeview (UK) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freesat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

we also have Virgin (pay - optical cable) and a few hybrid products combining broadband and any of the above. Quite a few people use broadband only (real-time and 'catch-up'), the favorite being BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I guess UK encryption is weaker than US if it is easily circumvented by Super. Cyberlink Media Espresso also 'doesn't see' UK encryption. There are others. The OP is in the UK so that's why I gave UK info.

Judging by the amount of US TV shows available via torrent and cyberlockers, it seems US encryption can also be bypassed, although I hear Warner Bros are currently taking legal action against a company selling HDCP crack devices

Warner Bros, Intel File DMCA Suit Over HDCP Crack Devices

at least in the US you don't have a TV license (£145), detection vans and fines or jail for transgressors !

 

[dsperber]

Judging by the amount of US TV shows available via torrent and cyberlockers, it seems US encryption can also be bypassed, although I hear Warner Bros are currently taking legal action against a company selling HDCP crack devices

Many cable provider environments are not set to use the copy-once flag or deliver encrypted content (which together are essentially hack-proof digital protections schemes). Time Warner Cable is, unfortunately, not one of them and virtually everything they deliver IS both copy-once and encrtypted.

But much of the source content that appears on the torrents has been recorded using analog (i.e. component video) source devices rather that true 100% bit-perfect digital, as an easy approach to bypassing digital copy-protection schemes. The recordings made from component video are almost indistinguishable in video quality from recordings made from a true digital source, and are completely NOT protected or encrypted. The content providers are not happy about this either, but are really only hysterically paranoid about preventing 100% bit-perfect digital copies of their content... and have given up on trying to prevent analog copies.

 

[100thIdiot]

Thanks guys, sorry if I came across as ungrateful (I'm not ungrateful). I've spent hours surfing around the internet trying to find a way of eliminating adverts automatically. I guess I'll have to live with them and use the 30 second skip feature on the control. Thanks anyway guys.