EPG for USA

7echno7im · 2006-10-17, 05:56

I am looking for a simple way to update and download the EPG info for Midwest USA. I have tried the sourceforge tv_grab xmltv method, but everytime i do it says that there is a bad xml from DD. in anycase, I am looking for the best solution. I think that this is wonderful and I switch from MS MCE2005 and I loving everyminue of it. I love the customizations, the settings are to die for. i just wish the EPG and channel listing part was al ittle more automated. PLease help. ty so much in advance for reading and posting.

BillyGates · 2006-10-17, 09:23

Well I'm just starting to look at MediaPortal as an alternative to MCE 2005 (like most people), and I'm getting the bad feeling that MP isn't really for people in the US, and is primarily for people outside the US where MCE may not be as well supported? :

Problem #1: Mapping channels... I go to map channels in MP Setup, I do a lookup for the US, then it only lists 7 cities in the US?! Within MP Setup, there's a nice 'Import from TV Guide' button, but I can't find any good information on how to get this working.

So than I do a bunch of reading and it looks like WebEPG is really the only available option... run that... and it only maps channels for 'Central' and 'Eastern' US... I guess 'Western' US fell off the map...

I've got 75 channels to map, and not looking forward to doing it manually... and also not clear how effectively the guides will be updated.

As a help to US users... you may want to check out the plug-in

Zap2ItGuide Remapper.
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/file...erby,2/page,2/

and read this Sticky

EPG USA setup using xmltv. STICK THIS!

But I'm really unclear how many people in the US may be using MP to watch TV...

The MCE 'enter your ZIP code', and 'select your cable provider'... and everything else works is pretty nice... and unfortunately after an hour of try to get this working... I'll need to take a break from MP for awhile until I get the feeling there's some significant US usage here.

Good luck! I have great promise for MP for the future... maybe v.3 with the new TV Engine?

patrick · 2006-10-17, 16:00

Hi guys,

Well there are actually many US users

Have either of you looked @ the zap2it plugin?
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/file...p2itEPGPlugin/

Updated versions with bug fix for stable release and SVN users:
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/sh...&postcount=193

All you have to do is sign up for a zap2it account.
See the first post in the thread above.

After you run auto-tune on your TV card(s) the plugin will attempt to map them
to the EPG for you.
Automatically keeps your epg data up to date, always checks the next 24 hour for last minute changes, etc, etc..

If you have any questions or problems with it post in the thread above
or here.

HTH,
patrick

NeoLuddite · 2006-10-17, 16:08

I also use the Zap2It plugin and i think it couldnt be much easier. The only downside i see with it is that every 3 months you have to log in manually and click reregister to make sure your account doesnt get deleted but other then that it only took me 15 minutes to get my EPG and TV in sync.

If you have any problems with it let us know and we will help you!

BillyGates · 2006-10-17, 18:04

So do I need to worry that the 'autotune' only pulled in my 75 Channel #'s and not descriptive names (ABC/PBS etc)...

Can Zap2It work without me having to manually label the 75 Channels?

Thanks.

NeoLuddite · 2006-10-17, 18:08

Yes Zap2It will download the station names associated with your providers channel listings, give it a shot and if you dont like it you dont need to use it, but i think it will save you a lot of time.

http://labs.zap2it.com/ztvws/ztvws_l...MS01-1,00.html

BillyGates · 2006-10-17, 18:17

Cool, thanks for answering my newbie questions. I guess I'll give it another shot tonight

natrlhy · 2006-10-17, 18:39

The Zap2it Plugin also has the ability to rename your channels that you may already have setup. I'm not sure if it fully works, but on some of my OTA HD channels it worked just fine.

The Zap2it plugin was a lifesaver for me. I have direcTV and over 400 channels. It downloaded ALL of my specified stations from my zap2it account and created every single one of my external TV channels for me. That is priceless

Good luck! Keep us posted!

7echno7im · 2006-10-17, 21:03

thank you so much! I will try this as soon as I get home from work. I have a zap2it account because i tried using the method descrubed on sourceforge so the leg work is already done. Will this also download the show information too? I am hoping so. I would like it to download at least 2 weeks of programming info in the future. Well after this it is full blast MP. A few other things I need to adjust is my remote and what codecs to use for viewing/recording but I can do that via trial and error watching/recording. I am going to post about my remote in another thread, I have a Power Color ATI Theater 550 PRO that came with a black remote that worked flawless in XPMCE05, i need to remap all of the buttons now to work with MP. As soon as I post there I will link it ni another post here for all of the MP Wizards that have already posted regaring this thread

thnaks so much everyone! Good info!

natrlhy · 2006-10-17, 21:05

Sorry, the zap2it plugin DEFINATELY downloads up to 13 days worth of show data/information as well

2006-10-17, 05:56	#1 (permalink)
7echno7im Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Midwest Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	EPG for USA I am looking for a simple way to update and download the EPG info for Midwest USA. I have tried the sourceforge tv_grab xmltv method, but everytime i do it says that there is a bad xml from DD. in anycase, I am looking for the best solution. I think that this is wonderful and I switch from MS MCE2005 and I loving everyminue of it. I love the customizations, the settings are to die for. i just wish the EPG and channel listing part was al ittle more automated. PLease help. ty so much in advance for reading and posting.

2006-10-17, 09:23	#2 (permalink)
BillyGates Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 50 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Well I'm just starting to look at MediaPortal as an alternative to MCE 2005 (like most people), and I'm getting the bad feeling that MP isn't really for people in the US, and is primarily for people outside the US where MCE may not be as well supported? : Problem #1: Mapping channels... I go to map channels in MP Setup, I do a lookup for the US, then it only lists 7 cities in the US?! Within MP Setup, there's a nice 'Import from TV Guide' button, but I can't find any good information on how to get this working. So than I do a bunch of reading and it looks like WebEPG is really the only available option... run that... and it only maps channels for 'Central' and 'Eastern' US... I guess 'Western' US fell off the map... I've got 75 channels to map, and not looking forward to doing it manually... and also not clear how effectively the guides will be updated. As a help to US users... you may want to check out the plug-in Zap2ItGuide Remapper. http://www.team-mediaportal.com/file...erby,2/page,2/ and read this Sticky EPG USA setup using xmltv. STICK THIS! But I'm really unclear how many people in the US may be using MP to watch TV... The MCE 'enter your ZIP code', and 'select your cable provider'... and everything else works is pretty nice... and unfortunately after an hour of try to get this working... I'll need to take a break from MP for awhile until I get the feeling there's some significant US usage here. Good luck! I have great promise for MP for the future... maybe v.3 with the new TV Engine? Last edited by BillyGates; 2006-10-17 at 09:31.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

2006-10-17, 16:00	#3 (permalink)
patrick Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Southeast Age: 36 Posts: 606 Thanks: 6 Thanked 35 Times in 24 Posts Country:	Hi guys, Well there are actually many US users Have either of you looked @ the zap2it plugin? http://www.team-mediaportal.com/file...p2itEPGPlugin/ Updated versions with bug fix for stable release and SVN users: http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/sh...&postcount=193 All you have to do is sign up for a zap2it account. See the first post in the thread above. After you run auto-tune on your TV card(s) the plugin will attempt to map them to the EPG for you. Automatically keeps your epg data up to date, always checks the next 24 hour for last minute changes, etc, etc.. If you have any questions or problems with it post in the thread above or here. HTH, patrick

2006-10-17, 16:08	#4 (permalink)
NeoLuddite Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 34 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My System	I also use the Zap2It plugin and i think it couldnt be much easier. The only downside i see with it is that every 3 months you have to log in manually and click reregister to make sure your account doesnt get deleted but other then that it only took me 15 minutes to get my EPG and TV in sync. If you have any problems with it let us know and we will help you!

2006-10-17, 18:04	#5 (permalink)
BillyGates Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 50 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	So do I need to worry that the 'autotune' only pulled in my 75 Channel #'s and not descriptive names (ABC/PBS etc)... Can Zap2It work without me having to manually label the 75 Channels? Thanks.

2006-10-17, 18:08	#6 (permalink)
NeoLuddite Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 34 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My System	Yes Zap2It will download the station names associated with your providers channel listings, give it a shot and if you dont like it you dont need to use it, but i think it will save you a lot of time. http://labs.zap2it.com/ztvws/ztvws_l...MS01-1,00.html

2006-10-17, 18:17	#7 (permalink)
BillyGates Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 50 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Cool, thanks for answering my newbie questions. I guess I'll give it another shot tonight

2006-10-17, 18:39	#8 (permalink)
natrlhy Retired Team Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 324 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	The Zap2it Plugin also has the ability to rename your channels that you may already have setup. I'm not sure if it fully works, but on some of my OTA HD channels it worked just fine. The Zap2it plugin was a lifesaver for me. I have direcTV and over 400 channels. It downloaded ALL of my specified stations from my zap2it account and created every single one of my external TV channels for me. That is priceless Good luck! Keep us posted!

2006-10-17, 21:03	#9 (permalink)
7echno7im Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Midwest Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	thank you so much! I will try this as soon as I get home from work. I have a zap2it account because i tried using the method descrubed on sourceforge so the leg work is already done. Will this also download the show information too? I am hoping so. I would like it to download at least 2 weeks of programming info in the future. Well after this it is full blast MP. A few other things I need to adjust is my remote and what codecs to use for viewing/recording but I can do that via trial and error watching/recording. I am going to post about my remote in another thread, I have a Power Color ATI Theater 550 PRO that came with a black remote that worked flawless in XPMCE05, i need to remap all of the buttons now to work with MP. As soon as I post there I will link it ni another post here for all of the MP Wizards that have already posted regaring this thread thnaks so much everyone! Good info!

2006-10-17, 21:05	#10 (permalink)
natrlhy Retired Team Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 324 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	Sorry, the zap2it plugin DEFINATELY downloads up to 13 days worth of show data/information as well