Help with WebEPG (1 Viewer)

[arion_p]

I am confused. You could finish configuring WebEPG, because WebEPG-conf threw an error when importing channels from TVServer, yet you seem to have managed to get 57MB of EPG data in tvguide.xml?

Also your logs show nothing. Please start WebEPG-conf, reproduce the issue, then use MediaPortal Logs Collector (NOT MP Debug-mode) to get the logs. The tvguide.xml you can zip it - it will surely compress a lot.

 

[newbie84095]

Here you go

 

[arion_p]

Two things:

1. Please configure TVServer and MediaPortal first. Make sure you can watch TV from within MediaPortal and everything works properly. Go to TV Guide, it should display your channels but without EPG data. If it does not, you have some configuration error and the database is not reachable. Check your firewall settings.
2. The tvguide.xml file you have posted was created using mc2xml. mc2xml is a substitute for WebEPG. If you plan to use mc2xml, forget about WebEPG - just configure XMLTV Import plugin in TV Server. There several threads regarding mc2xml that might help you - personally I have no experience with it.

 

[newbie84095]

Two things:
1. Please configure TVServer and MediaPortal first. Make sure you can watch TV from within MediaPortal and everything works properly. Go to TV Guide, it should display your channels but without EPG data. If it does not, you have some configuration error and the database is not reachable. Check your firewall settings.

Ok, I did a fresh re-install of MP 1.0.2. I configured TVServer and MP Config. I can watch TV from MP. TV Guide does show my channels but without EPG data.

2. The tvguide.xml file you have posted was created using mc2xml. mc2xml is a substitute for WebEPG. If you plan to use mc2xml, forget about WebEPG - just configure XMLTV Import plugin in TV Server. There several threads regarding mc2xml that might help you - personally I have no experience with it.

I don't know how that happened. I don't want to use mc2xml. I want to use WebEPG. Read on...

In short:
1. Run WebEPG-Config to configure WebEPG and map grabbers to channels. Whenever WebEPG runs it will grab EPG data for the configured channels and output a tvguide.xml file.

I ran WebEPG-Config and now the channels are showing up. The former error is now gone. I've uploaded a screen shot of WebEPG-Config so you can see if it looks the way it should.

2. Run WebEPG once to verify it works and output the tvguide.xml file.

Just when I thought things were going well.... When I run WebEPG, nothing happens. And I checked for the existence of tvguide.xml and it is nowhere to be found.

 

[arion_p]

From the screenshot you uploaded, I notice that: (a) you have not named your channels when you configured them in TV Server Configuration and (b) you have not mapped them to any grabber to your channels. If that was the state you left it before you closed WebEPG-conf and run WebEPG, it is normal that nothing happened, as you didn't specify where to get EPG data for each channel.

A few notes:

1. If you want to use the Auto-Map feature you have to name your channels, otherwise there is no way for auto-map to know which channel is which. Also note that auto-map is not 100% accurate so you may still have to do some manual mapping.
2. Please don't forget to press Save before you exit WebEPG-conf or all your changes will be lost
3. I see you live in the US. Currently there are 2 grabbers for US channels, but I see a lot of people from the US not using WebEPG and resort to mc2xml. I know that tv.yahoo.com grabber does not work but www.imdb.com does. So, depending on whether the channels you are interested in are available at www.imdb.com, you have to see if WebEPG will work for you afer all.

Finally, reading your responses, I cannot help but ask once again: did you actually read the guide I linked? All the things you didn't do or did wrong so far are clearly described in that guide.

 

[newbie84095]

From the screenshot you uploaded, I notice that: (a) you have not named your channels when you configured them in TV Server Configuration and (b) you have not mapped them to any grabber to your channels. If that was the state you left it before you closed WebEPG-conf and run WebEPG, it is normal that nothing happened, as you didn't specify where to get EPG data for each channel.

A few notes:
1. If you want to use the Auto-Map feature you have to name your channels, otherwise there is no way for auto-map to know which channel is which. Also note that auto-map is not 100% accurate so you may still have to do some manual mapping.

2. Please don't forget to press Save before you exit WebEPG-conf or all your changes will be lost.

3. I see you live in the US. Currently there are 2 grabbers for US channels, but I see a lot of people from the US not using WebEPG and resort to mc2xml. I know that tv.yahoo.com grabber does not work but The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) does. So, depending on whether the channels you are interested in are available at The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), you have to see if WebEPG will work for you afer all.

Ok, so I named the channels in TV-Server Config under TV Channels > Channels and made sure they were selected there. But when they are brought in via WebEPG-Conf, the names I gave them show up only in the EPG Name column but not in the Channel Name column as your guide shows. When I click on Auto Map in WebEPG-Conf, nothing happens. And when I select the "..." button under Mapping Details in WebEPG-Conf and navigate to the The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) grabber and select it for a given channel, nothing happens there either...the grabber does not get mapped. I tried that for several channels with the same result.

Finally, reading your responses, I cannot help but ask once again: did you actually read the guide I linked?

Yes I did...read on

All the things you didn't do or did wrong so far are clearly described in that guide.

Not really. That's the reason I didn't answer this question when you asked it the first time. I could point out every thing that tripped me up along the way, beginning with the fact that the guide clearly states that you need to download a WebEPG "that works" when in fact you don't. I asked you "then what do you suggest I download instead?" and you replied that no download is necessary. What you failed to tell me is that the reason no download is necessary is that the WebEPG-conf that is needed from the download is already in the Team MP directory (I was somehow just supposed to know that).

From there I could point out the there is no mention in your guide that the channels need to be "named" as you say. And there's no mention of the fact that the naming is done back in TV Server config rather than in WebEPG-conf.

Keep in mind that I was reading your guide and a couple of others at the same time, all of which had points of contradiction with one another. I didn't know which one to believe; and not one of them was complete and/or completely accurate.

And now after you and I spent several days working on this I'm finding out that apparently the two US grabbers don't work.

And I could go on from there. I didn't see any value in saying any of this because it doesn't get me any further toward getting this to work and risks upsetting you or causing you to think I'm an idiot. The fact is, anytime someone has done something like this 100 times typically doesn't understand when someone else doing it for the first time doesn't understand--particularly when the explanation is somewhat inaccurate...which causes more confusion.

And it still isn't working for me.

So, if I haven't totally pissed you off, can you please tell me what I'm doing wrong now?

And, by the way, THANKS for your help so far.

 

[arion_p]

First of all I would like to say that I am not pissed. We all do this on our spare time and the amount of posts is overwhelming. So I'm just trying to make sure I don't spend time explaining something that is already explained in a guide.
Second, I did not write the guide, I just found it the most accurate. Also please keep in mind that I do this from memory, as I haven't had an v1.0.2 installation for at least a year.

Ok, so I named the channels in TV-Server Config under TV Channels > Channels and made sure they were selected there. But when they are brought in via WebEPG-Conf, the names I gave them show up only in the EPG Name column but not in the Channel Name column as your guide shows.

That is normal. The Channel Name column will be filled when the channel is mapped (it essentialy contains the name of the channel as it is known to the grabber).

When I click on Auto Map in WebEPG-Conf, nothing happens.

Auto Map does not work very well in 1.0.2 (in 1.1.0 it has been improved but still it is far from perfect).

And when I select the "..." button under Mapping Details in WebEPG-Conf and navigate to the The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) grabber and select it for a given channel, nothing happens there either...the grabber does not get mapped. I tried that for several channels with the same result.

What you need to do is select the channel you want to map from the list on the left, click "..." then navigate to the imdb grabber, select the correct channel and press the "Select" button that is under the grabbers tree. When you press the "Select" button, the columns Channel Name, Channel Id and Grabber will be filled in. You do not need to close this window. You can just select the next channel you want to map, find the correct channel again in the tree and press "Select". Repeat this until all channels are mapped.


Just nitpicking, but:

I could point out every thing that tripped me up along the way, beginning with the fact that the guide clearly states that you need to download a WebEPG "that works" when in fact you don't. I asked you "then what do you suggest I download instead?" and you replied that no download is necessary. What you failed to tell me is that the reason no download is necessary is that the WebEPG-conf that is needed from the download is already in the Team MP directory (I was somehow just supposed to know that).

Well in the guide it says that you need to replace the version that is already in MP directory with the one that works. I merely pointed out that this was not needed for 1.0.2 (the guide is based on 1.0.0).

From there I could point out the there is no mention in your guide that the channels need to be "named" as you say. And there's no mention of the fact that the naming is done back in TV Server config rather than in WebEPG-conf.

You are right about that. Frankly, it's the first time I've seen a user not name the channels, so it never occurred to me. Normally that is done automatically by TV server when you scan for the channels. Probably it doesn't work so well for ATSC, or US broadcasters do not include the channel name in the stream (sorry I have no experience how ATSC and US broadcasts work in general). Naming the channels is only needed for auto map (it tries to find matching names - so no name, no match). Obviously that did not work for you.

And now after you and I spent several days working on this I'm finding out that apparently the two US grabbers don't work.

Actually only one of the two doesn't work. It is really unfortunate that we have no developer from the US (no one interested enough?) and no US user either has the knowledge or took the time to fix the existing broken grabber or build a new one.

 

[newbie84095]

arion_p, I appreciate all you said. And thanks again for the help.

Ok, I got the channels to map!

From your post of several days ago:

1. Run WebEPG-Config to configure WebEPG and map grabbers to channels. Whenever WebEPG runs it will grab EPG data for the configured channels and output a tvguide.xml file.
2. Run WebEPG once to verify it works and output the tvguide.xml file.
3. Configure XmlTV Import plugin in TV Server to import the above tvguide.xml file (whenever it changes).
4. Configure WebEPG Scheduler plugin in MP Config to run WebEPG at the times you choose.

I then ran WebEPG but, alas, tvguide.xml is nowhere to be found. I turned off my firewall and tried it again but with the same result.

Any ideas?

 

[arion_p]

Verify that there is afile named xmltv.dtd in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\xmltv
If there is not copy the one attached and try again.
In any case there is a WebEPG.log in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\log. Please attach that log.

 

[newbie84095]

xmltv.dtd is there already.

I've attached WebEPG.log here