Use the median to decide what filler to play. This has memory consequences unfortunately.

Dockerfile

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 FROM node:12.18-alpine3.12
 WORKDIR /home/node/app
-COPY package*.json ./
+COPY package.json ./
 RUN npm install && npm install -g browserify nexe@3.3.7
 COPY --from=vexorian/dizquetv:nexecache /var/nexe/linux-x64-12.16.2 /var/nexe/
 COPY . .

package.json

@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@
     "node-ssdp": "^4.0.0",
     "random-js": "2.1.0",
     "request": "^2.88.2",
-    "uuid": "^8.0.0",
+    "quickselect": "2.0.0",
+    "uuid" : "9.0.1",
     "xml-writer": "^1.7.0"
   },
   "bin": "dist/index.js",

src/helperFuncs.js

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ module.exports = {
 let channelCache = require('./channel-cache');
 const SLACK = require('./constants').SLACK;
 const randomJS = require("random-js");
+const quickselect = require("quickselect");
 const Random = randomJS.Random;
 const random = new Random( randomJS.MersenneTwister19937.autoSeed() );
 
@@ -194,7 +195,11 @@ function pickRandomWithMaxDuration(channel, fillers, maxDuration) {
     }
     let listM = 0;
     let fillerId = undefined;
-    for (let j = 0; j < fillers.length; j++) {
+
+    let median = getMedian(channelCache, channel, fillers);
+
+    for (let medianCheck = 1; medianCheck >= 0; medianCheck--) {
+     for (let j = 0; j < fillers.length; j++) {
       list = fillers[j].content;
       let pickedList = false;
       let n = 0;
@@ -204,6 +209,9 @@ function pickRandomWithMaxDuration(channel, fillers, maxDuration) {
         // a few extra milliseconds won't hurt anyone, would it? dun dun dun
         if (clip.duration <= maxDuration + SLACK ) {
             let t1 = channelCache.getProgramLastPlayTime( channel.number, clip );
+            if ( (medianCheck==1) && (t1 > median) ) {
+                continue;
+            }
             let timeSince = ( (t1 == 0) ?  D :  (t0 - t1) );
 
             if (timeSince < channel.fillerRepeatCooldown - SLACK) {
@@ -247,11 +255,13 @@ function pickRandomWithMaxDuration(channel, fillers, maxDuration) {
             }
         }
       }
+     }
+     if (pick1 != null) {
+        break;
+     }
     }
     let pick = pick1;
-    let pickTitle = "null";
     if (pick != null) {
-        pickTitle = pick.title;
         pick = JSON.parse( JSON.stringify(pick) );
         pick.fillerId = fillerId;
     }
@@ -322,6 +332,24 @@ function getWatermark(  ffmpegSettings, channel, type) {
 }
 
 
+function getMedian(channelCache, channel, fillers) {
+    let times = [];
+    for (let j = 0; j < fillers.length; j++) {
+        list = fillers[j].content;
+        for (let i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
+            let clip = list[i];
+            let t = channelCache.getProgramLastPlayTime( channel.number, clip);
+            times.push(t);
+        }
+    }
+    if (times.length == 0) {
+        return null;
+    }
+    quickselect(times, times.length / 2)
+    return times[times.length / 2];
+
+}
+
 function generateChannelContext(channel) {
     let channelContext = {};
     for (let i = 0; i < CHANNEL_CONTEXT_KEYS.length; i++) {

src/video.js

@@ -291,8 +291,17 @@ function video( channelService, fillerDB, db, programmingService, activeChannelS
             throw "No video to play, this means there's a serious unexpected bug or the channel db is corrupted."
         }
         let fillers = await fillerDB.getFillersFromChannel(brandChannel);
-        let lineup = helperFuncs.createLineup(prog, brandChannel, fillers, isFirst)
-        lineupItem = lineup.shift();
+        try {
+            let lineup = helperFuncs.createLineup(prog, brandChannel, fillers, isFirst)
+            lineupItem = lineup.shift();
+        } catch (err) {
+            console.log("Error when attempting to pick video: " +err.stack);
+            lineupItem = {
+                isOffline: true,
+                err: err,
+                duration : 60000,
+            };
+        }
       }
 
         if ( !isBetween && !isLoading && (lineupItem != null) ) {