IMDb has stopped publishing the TV Grid, now WebEPG is not working. What can be done? (1 Viewer)

Rudy King

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Recently MediaPortal stopped displaying the TV listings, making it unable to schedule the recording of TV shows. After re-grabbing all of the OTA channels in my area, it still wouldn't work. Upon further investigation, I believe the problem is that IMDb has stopped publishing the TV grid online, which is where WebEPG would get its information. So now what am I supposed to do? Without the ability to record a TV show while I'm away, it makes the use of MediaPortal useless. I've tried using the internal DVB EPG method, but I've never been able to get that work. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong with the setup or if it just doesn't know how to grab that data from the OTA signal.

Can anyone help with this problem? Is there some other EPG app that can be used that is reliable in the USA?

Thanks for any assistance you can give.
 

mm1352000

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    Hello and welcome Rudy

    Upon further investigation, I believe the problem is that IMDb has stopped publishing the TV grid online...
    Correct.
    Why did you take away the TV listings? | IMDb.com Customer Community

    So now what am I supposed to do?
    If you wish to continue to use the guide to schedule recordings, you'll need to acquire guide data from a different source.

    Without the ability to record a TV show while I'm away...
    It has always been possible to schedule recordings by channel + start time + stop time. You can still do that now.

    I've tried using the internal DVB EPG method, but I've never been able to get that work.
    Correct. As you might expect, the DVB EPG grabber is for grabbing DVB EPG data. ATSC is not DVB.

    Not sure if I'm doing something wrong with the setup or if it just doesn't know how to grab that data from the OTA signal.
    As above: the latter.

    Can anyone help with this problem? Is there some other EPG app that can be used that is reliable in the USA?
    Our wiki gives some information about other possible sources. I'd probably recommend mc2xml + XMLTV. mc2xml itself supports a range of different sources such as SchedulesDirect. In other words: it gives you options.
    XMLTV mc2xml
     

    HtownWMC

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    There were some good suggestions over here: Schedules Direct
    That said, I was wondering, would it be possible to reconfigure the file that used to pull from IMDB to pull from another source like TV Guide? I didn't write the original code, just modified it for my area so I'm not sure. I'd prefer to minimize how much I have to reconfigure to get the guide back.
     

    HtownWMC

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    Well Chrome is warning me away from the mc2xml download page saying its been compromised. I bypassed that, but then it cancelled the download saying the file was dangerous. It's not terribly alarmist normally so these warnings concern me away from that path. I'm still using MediaPortal 1 so EPG Buddy isn't an option yet. WebEPG seems useless without the IMDB guide unless the file can be rewritten as I noted above. I get what you're saying that it wouldn't be a trivial URL swap, but I'm happy to help rewrite it. I took 3 years of Java programming classes in school so I know my way around code, I just need some help understanding how this was written so I can rewrite it.
     

    RonD

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    I get what you're saying that it wouldn't be a trivial URL swap, but I'm happy to help rewrite it. I took 3 years of Java programming classes in school so I know my way around code, I just need some help understanding how this was written so I can rewrite it.

    well, if you are willing to get your hands muddy messing around with WebEPG, the following forum message gives a pointer to MP WebEPG wiki pages. There is a learning curve on how this works, just matter of getting up to speed. The link also gives pointers to WebGrab++, a different grabber option and learning curve.

    new US imdb_com grabber file, adds SubTitle support
     

    mm1352000

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    Re. mc2xml: I think you visited their old website (hosterbox). Firefox also reports the old site to be an attack site. Their new website is -->here<--. No issues with it.
    mc2xml

    I've updated the wiki.

    Re. EPG Buddy: no comment. Never used it.

    Re. WebEPG: I agree, for you it is useless without a grabber for the USA. You'd be welcome to have a crack at updating it. The XML file that you originally edited (www_imdb_com.xml) is all there is to it. You'd be aware that XML files can be edited in any text editor. Open it up and take a look. The regular expressions (regexes) are the key to most of it.
    Follow the guidance in the wiki (the linked page is specific to making a grabber):
    Web-EPG
     

    2.0

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    I too use WebEPG in the USA and now my TV schedules don't work.

    I'm still using MediaPortal 1 so EPG Buddy isn't an option yet.

    Are you sure about that? It claims to be compatible with MP1: EPG-Buddy
    I will try this on my own MP1 system when I have a chance.

    As for rewriting the WebEPG grabber script, it may be possible with the Zap2It website since it looks similar to what IMDB was. The URL format is like this:

    • tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=NNNNN&lineupId=TTTTT%3a-&zipcode=ZZZZZ
    • NNNNN is the Zap2It station number (for example, 10021 is AMC)
    • TTTTT is the code for your time zone (DFLTP=Pacific, DFLTE=Eastern, etc.)
    • ZZZZZ is your zip code
    I have only a basic understanding of how the WebEPG grabber works so I don't think I can help any more than this.
     

    John David

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    After installing WP1.18, I've spent the last two days attempting to get some kind of EPG to function, including zap2xxml. I'm quite frustrated by now. I fear the instructions lack clarity and appear to be outdated as well. Perhaps it is just me who fails to see clearly and is outdated. ;-)
     
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