[mythtv] Re: Looking for suggestions: Smarter Screen Grabbing

[bobnvic at everestkc.net]

Tako Schotanus wrote:
> Ok, trouble is maybe the wrong word,  maybe strange is better ;-)
> Thing is that having a per-program setting that you are only going 
> to use once in its lifetime seems "strange/wrong".

But it would be used every time that program was recorded.  For
example, I record M*A*S*H every day and the recordings always
start at exactly the beginning of the show, however MASH cuts
to commercial very quickly and the screen grab is always of the
commercial.  I would rather set the time to grab the screen shot
once and have it always get the title screen.  I don't necessarily
want to go in and manually set a screen grab for every episode,
but the option would be nice for those shows that I do.

> You understand what I mean? Of course if the "screenshot button" 
> below is not possible it might be the only other option left.
> (Although if you have to fill in the number of seconds into the 
> recording where you want a screenshot taken you could easily 
> simplify 
> that by adding a new shortcut key which, pressed while viewing the 
> recording, would insert the current number of seconds played into 
> that same field)

Good point, there is probably some duplication of code possible
between these two options.  Ideally, I would like both.  But I can't
code, so I'm left dreaming and hoping to produce an itch in
someone else who can.

> >>>I've often wished I had the ability to set the screen grab to the
> >>>image of my choice while in the editing mode and cutting 
> >>>commercials.  Perhaps another key that meant 'replace the 
> >>>current screen grab with this frame'. 
> >>>      
> >>Exactly what I had been thinking too, I think this would be a 
> >>_great_  feature! (and then do the same for the videos ;-)
> >>    
> >Except there isn't a convenient editing mode for videos to do 
> this in.
> >
> Well, to be honest I wouldn't mind having the screenshot feature 
> in 
> normal play mode either, no need to go into edit mode for that I 
> think.And for the videos I think it's more of a problem that the 
> used player 
> (mplayer, xine, etc) don't have this screenshot functionality.
> But it is nice to dream about it :-)

It should be possible to use ksnapshot to take a screen shot
while using mplayer.  At least, I've read of people having success
at it, though I've never tried. I'd love this for my home movies
especially.  

This brings up a question that I've wondered about.  In mythvideo,
in the manager screen, when you select a video to edit by typing
a number, there is the option to select the cover file, however it
can't find any images when I've tried it.  I can't read the directory
that it's looking in because the last part is hidden.  It looks like it 
at least starts with .mythtv/MythVideo, which is where all of the
coverfiles are stored.  Is it looking in a directory below this?  If it
was looking in this directory I would have thought it would find all
of the existing coverfiles.  I've added coverfiles by inserting them 
into the database directly, but wondered about this route as well.

Bob