Episode name - not being collected (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Vaughan]

Hello

It seems that a program's episode name is not being collected and placed in the episode name field of the .vs file of a recorded program.

Is there a reason for this - historical perhaps?

It would be great if we could have the episode name in the UK - something I miss not having that was in WMC.

Tony

 

[mm1352000]

What's a .vs file?

 

[CyberSimian]

It seems that a program's episode name is not being collected and placed in the episode name field

Are you using the broadcast EPG? I use the broadcast EPG, and the information displayed by MP is identical to that displayed by my Sony TV and by my Humax PVR.

It is my impression that the broadcast EPG in the UK does not have any structured fields in the programme info relating to episode name, or season number, or episode number. Some programmes do contain this information (e.g. "The Big Bang Theory"), but it is included as plain text in the programme description, and not accessible by any reliable algorithmic method.

You can use other EPGs with MP, including (I think) the Microsoft EPG. But I have never used any of those, so others will have to advise.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Anthony Vaughan]

Sorry. Dodgy fingers. I meant .ts files.

How do I use other EPGs?

Tony

 

[mm1352000]

Sorry. Dodgy fingers. I meant .ts files.

Right, I guessed that, but didn't want to assume.

TV Server stores all available "metadata" (information - title, description etc.) for recordings in the identically named Matroska XML files. For example, the metadata for abc.ts should be in abc.xml. XML files can be opened and edited in any text editor (Notepad, Wordpad, Word etc.). If the episode name is available, that's where you'll find it. No metadata is stored in the TS file.

 

[CyberSimian]

How do I use other EPGs?

Best place to start would be with the Wiki (but since I have not used other EPGs, I don't know how complete this part of the Wiki is):

http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/13_Setup_Guides/2_TV_Setup/4_TV_Guide_Setup_(EPG)

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Anthony Vaughan]

I am using SQL Server 2012 with TV Server and the Program table has the following definitions:

I was expecting episode names to be stored in the episodeName column. In my database, the episode name filed is always empty.

I also looked in the code for WebEPG at the Program class and here is the method that populates program from channel data:

public Program ToTvProgram(int dbIdChannel)
{
WorldDateTime endTime = (_endTime == null) ? _startTime : _endTime;
Program program = new Program(dbIdChannel, _startTime.ToLocalTime(), endTime.ToLocalTime(), _title, _description, _genre,
Program.ProgramState.None, System.Data.SqlTypes.SqlDateTime.MinValue.Value,
String.Empty, String.Empty,
_subTitle, String.Empty, -1, String.Empty, 0);
if (_episode > 0)
{
program.EpisodeNum = _episode.ToString();
}
if (_season > 0)
{
program.SeriesNum = _season.ToString();
}
//if (_repeat)
//{
// program.Repeat = "Repeat";
//}

return program;
}

Sorry about the layout - I haven't figured out how to make it format better. Anyway,

the 'Program program = new Program ()' statement, that I've formatted to bold, always initializes the episodeName field to String.Empty.

Now, I've only just started to look at MediaPortal code and I apologize if I've got the wrong end of the stick and program data is set up somewhere else, but doesn't the above suggest that the database could store episode name in the database and populate the episode name property of the .ts file with episode name as WMC does?

Tony[DOUBLEPOST=1439751430][/DOUBLEPOST]I think that I should explain why I think storing the episode name is important.

The problem may arise when recording a series. The episode name is the best clue about which episode each recording actually represents. This matters when an episode fails to broadcast, for example when a program is re-scheduled, and you are trying to check whether or not you need to re-record a specific episode, perhaps being broadcast on another channel, that would otherwise be missed.

The absence of episode name means that the only way to check which episode a recording represents is to actually watch the program which is a pain when there might be over twenty episodes in a series and you are cross-checking the episodes you have recorded against those listed in IMDb.

Sorry to go on but I hope this explains my concern.

Tony

 

[mm1352000]

Hello again Tony

I was expecting episode names to be stored in the episodeName column.

They are, when the episode name is actually available.

In my database, the episode name filed is always empty.

That tells me that one or both of the following is true:

• the EPG source you're using doesn't have episode name information (most likely)
• the importer you're using doesn't support passing the episode name through to the database (unlikely).

the 'Program program = new Program ()' statement, that I've formatted to bold, always initializes the episodeName field to String.Empty.

No it doesn't. You've misread. It populates it with the contents of the _subTitle field, which is the episode name in WebEPG parlance.

doesn't the above suggest that the database could store episode name in the database

Yes. I could have told you that already if you had asked.

and populate the episode name property of the .ts file with episode name as WMC does?

No.
For a start, WMC doesn't record to TS files; it records to WTV files, which are quite different to TS files.
Second, TS files don't have an episode name property.
Finally, like I said already, MediaPortal's TV Server does not store any information in the TS file. Everything goes in the XML (Matroska) file. There is an EPISODENAME property in the Matroska file, and that property is used to store the episode name when it is available.

I think that I should explain why I think storing the episode name is important....

Your concern is already understood.
In case you weren't aware, TV Server supports avoiding recording duplicate episodes by checking the episode name or number, as described in the wiki:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...V-Server_Configuration/07_Recording#Scheduler


In summary, TV Server already imports and stores the episode name when it is available from the EPG source. It saves it with the recording information in the database and in the XML file on the file system, and can be configured to use it to avoid recording duplicate episodes automatically. All signs currently indicate with high probability that you're using an EPG source that doesn't supply episode name details. That being the case, it is normal and expected for the episode name in the database and Matroska files to be empty/unpopulated. If you want the episode name to be populated, you will have to find an EPG source that provides the information.

Regards,
mm

 

[Anthony Vaughan]

Thanks mm#

Forget I asked.

Tony

 

[CyberSimian]

All signs currently indicate with high probability that you're using an EPG source that doesn't supply episode name details.

Forget I asked.

I use the broadcast EPG, which does not have episode names as identifiable entities. However, the Microsoft internet EPG that I used with WMC did have episode names (I say "did" because I used Vista, which has a different EPG from Win 7/8, and which I think may now be discontinued). In WMC the metadata item for episode name is called "WM/SubTitle".

One of the internet EPGs that some people use with MP is the Microsoft EPG, which I would expect to have episode names, and hence be accessible to MP. Was this the EPG that you were trying? I think that you need to use a tool called "mc2xml", and you may need to use the paid-for version of this tool.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK