Off air TV programs Processing

Avidemux is the tool here and the current version, linked to a faster computer, means it only takes a couple of minutes to process a recording and take it down from 65 minutes to the 40 or so minutes of actual program.

Another useful tool is get_iplayer which downloads even higher quality copies of programs over that which the TV box does. Something else that I need to expand on.

While we are at it, in the good old days digital television was easy. I've just found my Thesis for my Masters Degree from 1982. The degree was the first time that Brunel University had run the course in 'Digital Systems' and there were some interesting elements such as the work on Microcircuit Learning Computers carried out by Igor Aleksander targeting Post Code reading for the post office. The thesis was on 'The Introduction to the Digital Video Signal' and covered the work I was doing at Questech Ltd. While the unit we were building worked in an analogue domain, it had the capability to pass the internal digital signals around, and was before any discussion of digital television standards. Everything was a lot easier with a limited set of standard image sizes based on either 525 or 625 line analogue signals. Looking at the library of digital recordings I have today, while there are a few basic sizes, basically anything can go and more irritating than that, the file sizes do not give any indication on the video resolution. I have files with 1080 line resolution which are a quarter of the size of a 720 line version. The effect of heavier compression is not immediately obvious, and I need to work out best compromise just as with the audio file ripping.

I solve one problem and 5 more appear.