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    1. Detect video noise using FFMpeg

      Hi Folks I've been working on an autoconversion Bash script to pick up videos and convert them to AV1. Yes, I know converting a source to another source means degradation and yada yada yada, but...

      Hi Folks

      I've been working on an autoconversion Bash script to pick up videos and convert them to AV1. Yes, I know converting a source to another source means degradation and yada yada yada, but it's something I can live with as most of my sources are of very high quality to begin with, and I'm going for space-saving. Plus, my eyes aren't what they once were.

      The conversion into AV1 I'm mostly happy with. I'm currently going through some old 90s shows which are of lesser quality, so they would need a little help to look better with AV1 by adding some natural film grain, else AV1 makes them look a little bit too clean.

      I can easily pop into the script and enable film grain in the variables, or add in a simple option, but that's boring and tedious. Why do that when we can automate the world :)

      Where I have got to is using the signalstats filter. The issue I have is I don't know how to analyse it's output enough to work out whether I should or shouldn't enable film grain or not. I know it's subjective either way.

      Does anyone have experience with this? The output per frame looks like:

      frame:1438 pts:59977 pts_time:59.977
      lavfi.signalstats.YMIN=0
      lavfi.signalstats.YLOW=0
      lavfi.signalstats.YAVG=60.6913
      lavfi.signalstats.YHIGH=149
      lavfi.signalstats.YMAX=239
      lavfi.signalstats.UMIN=91
      lavfi.signalstats.ULOW=108
      lavfi.signalstats.UAVG=121.955
      lavfi.signalstats.UHIGH=131
      lavfi.signalstats.UMAX=148
      lavfi.signalstats.VMIN=124
      lavfi.signalstats.VLOW=128
      lavfi.signalstats.VAVG=134.535
      lavfi.signalstats.VHIGH=146
      lavfi.signalstats.VMAX=154
      lavfi.signalstats.SATMIN=0
      lavfi.signalstats.SATLOW=0
      lavfi.signalstats.SATAVG=9.74682
      lavfi.signalstats.SATHIGH=27
      lavfi.signalstats.SATMAX=43
      lavfi.signalstats.HUEMED=147
      lavfi.signalstats.HUEAVG=162.949
      lavfi.signalstats.YDIF=0.737433
      lavfi.signalstats.UDIF=0.642897
      lavfi.signalstats.VDIF=0.162755
      lavfi.signalstats.YBITDEPTH=8
      lavfi.signalstats.UBITDEPTH=8
      lavfi.signalstats.VBITDEPTH=8

      I'm happy to analyse a random 60-second segment and then grab an average from a couple of these outputs, but I'm not sure if this is a good method or not. I'm asked a couple of the biggest LLMs, they have come back with older ways that no longer exist in ffmpeg 7.1.

      I'm trying not to use too many other pieces of software in this script. The dependencies are fairly simple with ffmpeg, awk, grep, etc., the kind of thing you get on nearly every distro of Linux. Any thoughts and/or ideas?

      8 votes
    2. Omnivore alternatives?

      I created an Omnivore account recently and I started to love it. I thought to self-host it but I didn't have enough time and thought I'd host it later. I (along with everyone else presumably) got...

      I created an Omnivore account recently and I started to love it. I thought to self-host it but I didn't have enough time and thought I'd host it later.

      I (along with everyone else presumably) got this email today:

      We’re excited to share that Omnivore is joining forces with ElevenLabs, the leading AI audio research and technology company. Our team is joining ElevenLabs to help drive the future of accessible reading and listening with their new ElevenReader app.

      Next, all Omnivore users will be able to export their information from the service through November 15 2024, after which all information will be deleted.

      Though it is quite frustrating, I will not go further in my opinion of this move.

      I would just like to let the community know that I'm in the market for an alternative for this... or maybe some help how to self-host it. I don't even know if it will be easy to self-host or if it will be worth it, presumably without updates...

      19 votes
    3. Humble Choice - November 2024

      November 2024's Humble Choice is now available with the following eight Steam games. Steam Page Opencritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 74...

      November 2024's Humble Choice is now available with the following eight Steam games.

      Steam Page Opencritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB
      Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 74 83/69 Win ❌ Unsupported 🟨 Gold
      Persona 4 Golden 88 95/97 Win ✅ Verified 🟨 Gold
      The Lamplighters League 71 93/72 Win ✅ Verified 🟨 Gold
      Cassette Beasts 86 94/95 Win, Linux ✅ Verified ✅ Native
      The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales 69 91/92 Win 🟨 Playable 🕙 Awaiting Reports
      KarmaZoo 77 90 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
      Hexarchy N/A 66/83 Win, Mac 🟨 Playable 🎖️ Platinum
      Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator 65 77/78 Win 🟨 Playable 🟨 Gold

      Does anyone have experience with any of the games and, if so, would you recommend them? Is there anything in here that you're particularly excited to play?

      11 votes
    4. Has anyone read Thinking in Systems: A Primer? Best next read?

      I read thinking in systems a primer by Donella Meadows and really found it interesting. I have been struggling to find a follow up book about systems aimed at a reader with intermediate but non...

      I read thinking in systems a primer by Donella Meadows and really found it interesting. I have been struggling to find a follow up book about systems aimed at a reader with intermediate but non specialist Knowledge of systems thinking. They are all either to basic, too advanced, or so dry it’s impossible to concentrate. Has anyone found a good follow on book for this book?
      I appreciate this might be a bit of a niche topic!

      20 votes
    5. Pennsylvania should not determine the outcome of the election

      Comment box Scope: venting Tone: sad, irritated, upset Opinion: yes Sarcasm/humor: none I currently reside in Pennsylvania. The election season has been vitriolic, hateful and stressful. Even in...
      Comment box
      • Scope: venting
      • Tone: sad, irritated, upset
      • Opinion: yes
      • Sarcasm/humor: none

      I currently reside in Pennsylvania. The election season has been vitriolic, hateful and stressful. Even in church they are angry. They are going to fizzle out they are so mad. Even the ones who are kind are interminably irritable. I may sometimes be a partisan, utilitarian to the core, but I do not talk about politics in God's house. I will speak on justice and righteousness, but not in such terms as are popular. I would rather take that one moment in the week to see my neighbors for who they are and not the tribe they belong to. Somehow that is gone. Service on Sunday was not pleasant. You could feel the tension even as people sat listening. Even the children could feel it.

      There is an election sign, or several, on every block. Every building zoned for electric screens has rotating ads (for both candidates) on it. It's all that is spoken about. One cannot escape it. It swallows you whole, spits you out again having transformed you for the worse. Have you voted? Did you hear what he said? Oh, keep quiet, that couple at the next table looks like they voted for the wrong one. Did you hear the vice president is coming to town? Horrible traffic, oh just so terrible. All the out-of-towners, coming in, you know who they support. Despicable. Do you have an election day plan? I voted early this year. That's nice. There was a sign in the next yard over. I just wanted to run it over with my car. Don't look at that man, sweetie, he is wearing boots only the wrong people would wear. The neighborhood watch got a report today. Vandalism, keys. Looking to do some election volunteering. Ballots are on fire. Did you hear? Have to go into that neighborhood, and make sure they don't vote for the wrong person. It would be so bad for them. Oh, they don't understand. Honey, bring your pepper spray, you're not safe there. You'll be shot, knifed. It's the crime, you know who they voted for. Do you know where your polling place is? I voted by mail this year. Did you hear what she said? Well, she didn't say it, but he said she said it. Let's get out of here, sweetheart, you know they voted for the wrong one, just look at the cars they drive, they don't care. Real Americans vote for the right one. All these people voting for the wrong one, so poor, so uneducated. I hate the rich. Let's get out of this bar. Go home. Back where it's safe. We can watch partisan election predictions and not be disturbed.

      Nothing else has made me want to leave this state more than its unyielding power in the election. It is not democratic for six or seven states to effectively determine the winner of an election. And it is not a good experience as a resident to be given that much attention. It turns you against each other. It turns your civic and neighborly lifestyle into a caricature. It is worse that it is so all-or-nothing. The stakes are so high. Our 19 electoral votes are worth more than gold, because they only come in a package.

      The Lord says

      And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

      And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

      It is bad for many reasons. But it is only this bad because of the way our electoral system is set up pits us against each other. It does not have to be this way.

      Here are my suggestions. If you are a Senator, please tell your colleagues that scroll_lock has issued a decree and make it happen. Perfection is the domain of nerds, I am simply concerned about minimizing the dominance of the two-party system and improving basic human decency.

      • State Constitutional amendments mandating some variety of ranked-choice voting. I'm sure there is some mathematically optimal method. I don't care a whole lot which, as long as it is not first-past-the-post. I am less interested in the most "virtuous" system and rather the most useful one in effectively increasing the number of political parties present in an elected body.
      • Federal Constitutional amendment forbidding the first-past-the-post method in elections for any federal or state office. (The states can decide how to implement the alternative. I'm not convinced there is any single best option.)
      • Adoption of the National Interstate Popular Vote Compact.
        • When it is inevitably ruled unconstitutional: a national Constitutional amendment requiring the allocation of electoral votes in a given state proportionally to the votes of the electorate, rather than a "winner-take-all" system.
        • OR, maybe this is better done at the state level. Not important to me. The legal nerds can battle out the specifics.
      • Federal Constitutional amendment not only forbidding faithless electors but invalidating the votes of any faithless elector. In other words, that "real" vote for the president in December should become a formality only.
        • May as well get rid of this silly meeting while we're at it.
      • Federal Constitutional amendment separating the office of president into two equal offices within the executive branch, to be elected in a staggered configuration following the same system of presidential terms we currently have, just offset:
        • President 1: head of state
        • President 2: head of government
      • Federal Constitutional amendment forbidding so-called "independent expenditure-only committees" from collecting annually more than an amount to be designated by Congress for political purposes, from any particular entity.
      • Federal law forbidding the spending of campaign funds on public political advertising more than 3 months ahead of the election.
      • Federal law forbidding the spending of PAC or equivalent funds on political advertising in support of a particular candidate more than 1 month ahead of the election.

      And there we go. Not going to solve every problem, but that is the worst part done with.

      Godforsaken land. I am buying extra food tomorrow. Let's hope it is over and done with by the end of the week.

      53 votes
    6. I am missing a neutral way to flag low-effort or potentially spammy posts

      Lately I have seen a few posts here and there from accounts that have been silent for a while, where I can't help but feel that these new posts are made by different people or that the initial...

      Lately I have seen a few posts here and there from accounts that have been silent for a while, where I can't help but feel that these new posts are made by different people or that the initial posts they made were intended to "pad" the account. In other words, they feel a bit like spam and because of that I would like to "flag" them somehow.

      The obvious question people will have is likely "Why not just comment about it under the post?"

      I have done that various times, and it has the opposite effect of what I'd like:

      1. Commenting boosts the post for people who sort based on comments or activity.
      2. From what I have observed, when a post has one comment, it is more likely to receive more votes as well. If it has more than one comment, it will receive more votes. This, to me, bizarre voting behavior is something worthy of a meta discussion in itself. But from what I gather, people seem to think that it indicates discussion. Making them think that there must be something worthwhile about the post. This obviously doesn't apply when it's just the OP sharing a quote and me raising a concern.
      3. Sometimes I am not entirely sure and would like to have someone with more insights behind the screens take a look at it. If I commented my suspicions while being wrong, that would suck for everyone involved.

      Basically for the first two points I am not sure what a good solution would be. I am not advocating for a downvote ability, though something would be nice.
      For the third point, I guess I am saying that I am missing the ability to report a post. With comments, I can use the malice label and write out a report, for posts there is no such thing.

      29 votes
    7. Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix 2024 - Results

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      And Sao Paulo completes the triple-header!

      What a weekend. What a day. What a race! Rain, amiright? Gotta be the most expensive weekend all year, in terms of destruction.

      Congrats to Ocon, Gasly, and all of Alpine! P2 & P3, respectively. No one would've predicted that.

      As an RB fan, it's great to see Max back at P1 and extending his championship lead over Norris! The gap has increased to 62pts. Amazing drive, starting at P17 and finishing P1. Plus he kept banging out fastest lap after fastest lap at the front, even with the rain and wet track. Yeah he got lucky with the safety car and red flag, but even before that, he was on form.

      On the other side of the garage...Checo, WTH. Can't even pass your junior team's rookie driver? And then letting Hamilton through, as well? I'll just leave it at that.

      Props to all the mechanics and engineers for having to fix and rebuild all those cars that got destroyed in Qualifying this morning. Especially Williams. I think Albon's crash was the most disappointing for me. He was provisionally P2 with 3min left of Q3, and I was stoked that he might actually keep it. But then he spun out into the wall. I actually yelled out "NOOOOOOO!" when I saw it happen 😭

      Lastly, remember that there are potential penalties for Norris and a few others on the aborted start weirdness at the beginning.

      3 weeks until the next race; enjoy the break. REMEMBER: Vegas is a SATURDAY NIGHT race in the US. Adjust accordingly to your local time.

      Next race:

      Las Vegas Grand Prix
      Las Vegas Strip Circuit
      Saturday, November 24

      Provisional GRAND PRIX Results -- SPOILER
      Pos No Driver Car Laps Time/retired Pts
      1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 69 2:06:54.430 26
      2 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine Renault 69 +19.477s 18
      3 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine Renault 69 +22.532s 15
      4 63 George Russell Mercedes 69 +23.265s 12
      5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 69 +30.177s 10
      6 4 Lando Norris McLaren Mercedes 69 +31.372s 8
      7 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB Honda RBPT 69 +42.056s 6
      8 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren Mercedes 69 +44.943s 4
      9 30 Liam Lawson RB Honda RBPT 69 +50.452s 2
      10 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 69 +50.753s 1
      11 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 69 +51.531s 0
      12 50 Oliver Bearman Haas Ferrari 69 +57.085s 0
      13 77 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber Ferrari 69 +63.588s 0
      14 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 69 +78.049s 0
      15 24 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber Ferrari 69 +79.649s 0
      NC 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 38 DNF 0
      NC 43 Franco Colapinto Williams Mercedes 30 DNF 0
      NC 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas Ferrari 30 DNF 0
      NC 23 Alexander Albon Williams Mercedes 0 DNF 0
      NC 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 0 DNF 0

      Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen, Lap 67

      Source: F1.com

      SPRINT RACE Results -- SPOILER
      Pos No Driver Car Laps Time/retired Pts
      1 4 Lando Norris McLaren Mercedes 24 29:46.045 8
      2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren Mercedes 24 +0.593s 7
      3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 24 +5.656s 6
      4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 24 +6.497s 5
      5 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 24 +7.224s 4
      6 63 George Russell Mercedes 24 +12.475s 3
      7 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine Renault 24 +18.161s 2
      8 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 24 +18.717s 1
      9 30 Liam Lawson RB Honda RBPT 24 +20.773s 0
      10 23 Alexander Albon Williams Mercedes 24 +24.606s 0
      11 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 24 +29.764s 0
      12 43 Franco Colapinto Williams Mercedes 24 +33.233s 0
      13 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine Renault 24 +34.128s 0
      14 50 Oliver Bearman Haas Ferrari 24 +35.507s 0
      15 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB Honda RBPT 24 +41.374s 0
      16 77 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber Ferrari 24 +43.231s 0
      17 24 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber Ferrari 24 +54.139s 0
      18 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 24 +56.537s 0
      19 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 24 +57.983s 0
      NC 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas Ferrari 19 DNF 0

      Source: F1.com

      14 votes
    8. What have you been listening to this week?

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as...

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

      Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

      You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

      http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

      Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

      10 votes