DVBGuide - EPG Grabbing Alternative (1 Viewer)

[crazyfool]

hey guys,
I have finally got my htpc to a stage which I am happy with and after the help I've recieved through the forums I thought I'd try and give something back. I don't know if this is still an issue but I remember when I started with mp that the built in epg grabber always used to cause me problems like the tv just freezing etc... And I could never get the wake to grap epg function to work, maybe its just my pc. Anyways I know there are many alternatives out there but for people like me who don't have an internet connection for their htpc the only option is grabbing the guide from the signal. I have been using DVBGuide for a long time now and it is great. I use task manager to schedule it to run and then the xmltv plugin to import the guide. Works like a charm. Not trying to knock the mp epg grabber but I just thought I'd let people know of this alternative if they experienced the same issues I did. I know this works well for uk freeview not sure about other countries. Also after the switchover I had issues importing the guide due to changes made to the epg data so I wrote an app to solve those issues if anyones interested. Hope someone finds this useful.

Crazyfool

 

[skandy]

HI!!!

Thank you very much for your post!!

When I use the mp epg grabber, after a 12 o 24 hours the tv server stop responding, I think it s a problem with the grabber, i am using mp 1.0.2 in win xp sp3. I think DVBGuide could be a good alternative to the problems i am experimenting, it seems that i am not the only one that have problems with the grabber!! . Could you attach your import application?

Best regards!!,

 

[crazyfool]

My htpc is out of action atm but I'll attatch my app soon as possible. All it does is find the channels with no name and delete them because otherwise mp wouldn't import. You should be able to use this app without it depending on whether or not the unnamed channels still exist though.
If you download the dvbguide tool and then run it from cmd it will grab the epg (takes about 5 mins) and store it in a .xml file. If it doesn't you might have to play around with the settings such as specifying a mux etc... The readme file provided is very helpful for this. Then you just need to import the guide into mp using the xmltv plugin. I do all of this via a batch script and set it to run every night. Lemme know if this works or not for you, if not I'll up my batch script and you can try that. Glad this post helps someone.

 

[skandy]

HI,

The DVBGuide app is working fine grabbing epg data for DVB-T channels in spain. I have no problems here in all multiplexes, I grab each multiplex and later combine all xml files to a sigle xml file to import it later to MediaPortal.

The problem is with DVB-S, satellite channels, I can grab te names of the channels in the transponders but there are no EPG RECORDS!!!! , I think that maybe is an issue with the default EIT PID (set it to 0x12), BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW CAN I FIND THE CORRECT EIT FOR DIGITAL PLUS AND FREE SAT SPANISH CHANNELS ON ASTRA, TO GET THE EPG DATA!!!!.

Here is the program output for DVB-S grab:

C:\DVBGuide093beta>DVBGuide.exe -aS -pV -s22000 -c10818000 -mQPSK -o tvguide.xml

DVBGuide
========
(c) Copyright 2006-2008 Conquest Consultants
Version 0.90 (Dec 7 2008)

DVB tuner discovery...
Tuner 1: <Hauppauge WinTV 88x DVB-T Tuner/Demod>, DVB-T
Tuner 2: <Hauppauge WinTV 88x DVB-S/S2 Tuner/Demod>, DVB-S

Finding first available DVB-S tuner...
Tuner: <Hauppauge WinTV 88x DVB-S/S2 Tuner/Demod>

Tuning receiver...
Carrier: 10818000 kHz
Polarisation: Vertical
Modulation: QPSK
Symbol rate: 22000 symbols/second

Acquiring signal...
Present: TRUE
Strength: +3.3 dB
Locked: TRUE
Quality: 94%

Getting Program Association Table...

Getting Network Information Table...
Network: 0x0001, <ASTRA 1>

Getting Bouquet Association Tables...
Bouquet: 0x0021, <Sogecable Astra.>

Getting Service Description Tables...
Transports: 30
Services: 205

Transport Stream information...
TSID: 0x0420
ONID: 0x0001
Carrier: 10817500 kHz
Polarisation: Vertical
Modulation: QPSK
Symbol rate: 22000000 symbols/second

Getting EPG records... 0
EPG records: 0
EPG start: 0000/00/00 00:00:00 UTC
EPG stop: 0000/00/00 00:00:00 UTC
Capture time: 5 seconds

Writing channel information file <ChannelInfo.xml>...
WARNING - missing virtual channel in 205 records

Writing XMLTV file <g.xml>...

C:\DVBGuide093beta>

It gets the name of the services on the transporder, channels, but nothing about EPG records!!!, with DVB-T works fine...

I think that it is an issue with EIT.


There are three options on DVBGuide:
-xNN Set packet identifier (PID) for NIT capture <default: 0x0010>
-yNN Set packet identifier (PID) for BAT & SDT capture <default: 0x0011>
-zNN Set packet identifier (PID) for EIT capture <default: 0x0012>

I think that The EIT (with default to 0x0012) maybe is not correct for Spanish EPG data on satellite, but i don't know how to find the correct EIT. Any suggestion??

 

[crazyfool]

I would guess the issue is actually
WARNING - missing virtual channel in 205 records
This is my issue, mp won't import a guide which has a channel with no name. If you find the nameless channel and remove it, then see if it works. If it does you will need my app which I'll upload soon as I can get to it.

 

[skandy]

no, I don't have issues importing the xml file to mediaportal, the problem is that THERE IS NOTHING TO IMPORT, the EPG records grabbed by DVBGuide for SAT channels is 0.

 

[skandy]

Now I am using EPGCollector, it works fine with Digital Plus spain for grabbing epg data

 

[peque]

I'm currently searching for an alternative to built in dvbepg collector inside MP, because it's still way unstable... I'm also from Spain. skandy, any trick when using EPGCollector to collect EPG from Astra D+? Could you please tell me how do you have it configured? Can EPGCollector run together with tvservice with no problem?

Thanks!

 

[skandy]

Hello peque,

I was looking as you for an alternative for long time ago, because the built-in EPG grabber causes that TVservice stop working, for example, if you are using the MD api filter the built in EPG grabber is very unstable.

In the past, I was using the xmltv plugin importer. I used web sources for sat programs (only few channels available), because DVBGuide only worked for TDT sources.

For now, I am using EPGCollector to grab EPG SAT guide for Digtal+, and I am using it too to grab TDT data . The problem with DVBGuide was that Digital+ only transmits EIT data for the current program and the next to be transmitted, and DVBGuide doesn't grab this events. EPGCollector can be configured to grab MediaHighway2 format, that is the one used by Digital+ to transmit the EPG Data.

For TDT you need to configure one ini file for each multiplex, for example, here in barcelona, TVE and CUATRO doesn't share EPG data, on the contrary Telecinco, la sexta, antena 3tv... share this data, the reginal channels uses its own EPG data ...

NOTE: I am using "for the record" as WEB frontend (Really i am using my own WEB frontend that is using For the record) for guide administration, I am not using now the Mediaportal TV server xmltv plugin, as I am using the XMLTV services that "for the record" provides. You only need to put the xml file in the Services\XMLTV directory in "For the record" and the software imports automatically the guide data. If you use the xmltv importer plugin of Tvservice, you will need to configure a tvguide.lst with a list of the xml files to be imported by TVservice.

This is my ini file for SAT grabbing:
[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\digitalplus.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBS]
TuningFile=19.2°E Astra 1H,1KR,1L,1M.xml
ScanningFrequency=10847000,22000,5/6,V,MediaHighway2
Dish=9750000,10750000,11700000
Satellite=1600

For TDT sources:

FOR BOING,LADIEZ,TELECINCO HD:

[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\multiplextelecinco.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBT]
ScanningFrequency=522000,8,EIT

FOR TVEHD:
[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\multiplextvehd.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBT]
ScanningFrequency=554000,8,EIT


FOR NITRO, MARCATV...:
[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\multiplexnitro.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBT]
ScanningFrequency=578000,8,EIT

FOR CUATRO:
[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\multiplexcuatro.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBT]
ScanningFrequency=842000,8,EIT

FOR LA1, LA2... :
[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\multiplextve.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBT]
ScanningFrequency=818000,8,EIT

FOR La Sexta, Antena 3, Telecinco, Axn, gol television ...:
[GENERAL]
Output=C:\Archivos de programa\for the record\Services\XMLTV\multiplexestatal.xml
Timeouts=10,60
Option=EITDONEONCOUNT
[DVBT]
ScanningFrequency=858000,8,EIT

And in barcelona, i am using another 6 multiplex frequencies to grab EPG data for local channels and regional channels, if you are from barcelona I can attach the ini configuration for them if you want.

I grab this data using EPGCollector through a cmd script, I call it DVBEPG.cmd :
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\digitalplus.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexcuatro.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexbtv.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplextelecinco.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplextvehd.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexcitytv.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexnitro.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplextv3hd.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexcanalcatala.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplextv3.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplextve.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexestatal.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexcornella.ini"
"c:\archivos de programa\geekzone\EPG collector\epgcollector" /ini="c:\archivos de programa\team mediaportal\multiplexgava.ini"
exit

For execution, I am using the scheduled tasks in Windows, I am calling the script trough a bat file with this syntax:
start "EPGDVB" /MIN "C:\Archivos de programa\team mediaportal\EPGDVB.cmd"

It takes about 7 minutes to grab all sources, you don't need to stop Tvservice to grab the data, but you need to have the card available when you run it, if Tvservice is using the card (for example you are recording or viewing TV) EPGCollector will not work. You can schedule this task every 2 days at 5:00h for example.

 

[peque]

Wow! Good explanation!

That's true... If you use that plugin that is NOT supported by MP Team , EPG grabbing is quite unstable... But I'd say that also without it is not rock solid...

So EPGCollector is able to grab EPG data from Mediahighway2? That rocks! I gave it a try some time ago, but I ended giving up (I don't remember why... ).

Maybe we can continue sharing info using MP and in spanish... Tell me so with an MP please.

PD: I'm also in Barcelona area, so we can also share TDT EPG grabbing experiences... I can retrieve entire EPG using internal DVBEPG from MP with no crashes...