Schedules Direct US/Canadian/Mexico EPG Plugin (Updated August 2010) (2 Viewers)

[moab]

How do I map channels between MP and Schedules direct?
My best guess is that it looks up the channel number (major-minor) in the MP configuration screen to pull the corresponding channel from my LineUp in schedules direct. (Update: this is correct)
Currently the names don't match e.g.
Mediaportal TV server channel name: KSBW-DT
Schedule Direct LineUp channel name: 8-1 KSBWDT
I checked the box in the plugin advanced tab to update the channel names.

Thanks for your feedback. I went ahead and set it all up. Hopefully it will work.

Update
It worked!
At first it failed. I checked the log file below and there were no entries for schedule direct plugin.
Then check the plugin box to force update on tv server service start.
Restart MP tv server service.
Looked in log and it had lots of very helpful entries.
Worked great after that.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server\log\tv.log

Now I want to set up the episode management.

 

[Ex_Brit]

New to this and I have a few questions. I installed Media Portal in my XP boot and wonder if the plug-ins listed in post # 1 are still valid for v1.0.0.0 RC4? If so, which one do I use?

I triple boot XP Pro SP3/Vista Ultimate SP1 and now Windows 7 Ultimate pre beta. The two latter ones' inbuilt Media Centers obtain TV lisitings automatically from Rogers Cable here in Toronto and wonder if there is ever a chance that Media Portal would obtain them directly from the cableco in a similar manner?

I joined Schedules Direct but don't see any XML file on my account...do they email it?

What I don't quite understand are the instructions....LOL

MP stand alone***
Best Way:
-Exit MP and delete the Zap2it plugin dll file.

There isn't one

-Unzip the SchedulesDirectPlugin.dll file to the MediaPortal\plugins\process folder

Fine , except that unzips as a .dll within another "plugins" folder, which MP doesn't seem able to find at a later stage.

-In MP Configuration.exe, Clear all your channels

OK

-Run the auto-tune on your cards in MP

OK except what's the difference between NTSC and ATSC?

-Enable/Configure the Schedules Direct Plugin

How? It isn't showing up anywhere.

-Launch MP, allow 20-45 minutes for the first download/mapping

Fine, if I could understand the aforementioned instructions.

-If external channels were automatically added, you may have to assign these to a card in the MP Configuration

Not sure what that means either.

 

[Efros]

The shedulesdirectplugin.dll file should be located in the plugins\process subdirectory of your mediaportal installation directory, mine is in C:\Program Files\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\plugins\process .

The schedules direct plugin is in the process plugin section of the configuration utility, right at the bottom of the right pane when plugins is selected in the left pane. Right click on it and enable it and then right click on it and select configuration. Once in the configuration applet enter username and password, I check the EPG import option. In the advanced tab as I use analog cable in the US I check the sort channels by number option and the force update option. Click OK and and then OK again and then restart MP, a popup will appear when the schedule has been updated.

 

[Ex_Brit]

I don't know why I'm getting different conditions here then. If I take the dll out of that new plugin folder and place it on it's own in process I get an error when clicking plugins in the config utitlity as in figure 1.

If I leave it in the original place that it extracted to - in a "plugins" folder within the process folder the config utility only shows what is in figure 2.

This whole pprocedure strikes me as an extremely convoluted way of setting up what could and should be a simple process.

 

[moab]

I don't know why I'm getting different conditions here then. If I take the dll out of that new plugin folder and place it on it's own in process I get an error when clicking plugins in the config utitlity as in figure 1.

If I leave it in the original place that it extracted to - in a "plugins" folder within the process folder the config utility only shows what is in figure 2.

This whole pprocedure strikes me as an extremely convoluted way of setting up what could and should be a simple process.

Here are my install instructions.

The solution was to use the Schedules Direct plugin created by Patrick. The catch is that it relies on using a TV guide provider for $20 a year. I set it up with a Schedules Direct free 7 day trial to make sure it would work. I will pay it. $20 is cheap when I consider how much time i have invested. Particks plugin is of course free and that man deserves a medal!
The Schedules Direct plugin instructions are a little light so here is what to do.

Setup TV Guide Provider
1. set up your free 7 day trial account at Schedules Direct. Write down your account name and password for later.
2. Schedules Direct send a confirm email with code to you.
3. enter the code into your account information screen.
4. add a lineup based on your zip code.
5. it will display a list of channels that it thinks you get.
6. enable and disable channels as needed. You can figure out which ones you need by looking at the channel numbers (major and minor numbers) in the Mediaportal TV server config - tv channels.

Install Plugin
1. Stop your TV Server service.
2. Download the latest plugin version 1.1a
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/at...tve3-v1.1a.zip
3. Unzip the dll and put it in the C:\Program Files\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server\Plugins folder. You will see other plugin dlls already in this folder.
4. Run TV server config, it will ask to start service, click Yes.
5. Click TV channels and click Clear button to remove them all.
6. Run Channel Scan to re-auto tune your channels (same as what you did to set them up originally)
7. Once all channels are added, click plugins, open the Schedule Direct Plugin
8. Enter you SchedulesDirect user account name and password (it is case sensitive).
9. Check the box to force EPG update on TV Server service startup.
10. Click Save.
11. Stop and Restart the TV server service to force it to grab your EPG.
12. (Optional for the geek minded - look at your tv.log file to verify SchedulesDirectPluggin is collecting your channels.)
13. After a couple of minutes your EPG should be done.

The plugin directly updates the EPG in the SQL database so no messing with all that webEPG stuff.
Channels are automatically mapped to the EPG by the plugin looking at the channel number in MediaPortal TV Server config and getting the matching channel number from Schedule Direct. You don't need to worry about channel code names.

 

[Ex_Brit]

I don't know why I'm getting different conditions here then. If I take the dll out of that new plugin folder and place it on it's own in process I get an error when clicking plugins in the config utitlity as in figure 1.

If I leave it in the original place that it extracted to - in a "plugins" folder within the process folder the config utility only shows what is in figure 2.

This whole pprocedure strikes me as an extremely convoluted way of setting up what could and should be a simple process.

Here are my install instructions.

The solution was to use the Schedules Direct plugin created by Patrick. The catch is that it relies on using a TV guide provider for $20 a year. I set it up with a Schedules Direct free 7 day trial to make sure it would work. I will pay it. $20 is cheap when I consider how much time i have invested. Particks plugin is of course free and that man deserves a medal!
The Schedules Direct plugin instructions are a little light so here is what to do.

Setup TV Guide Provider
1. set up your free 7 day trial account at Schedules Direct. Write down your account name and password for later.
2. Schedules Direct send a confirm email with code to you.
3. enter the code into your account information screen.
4. add a lineup based on your zip code.
5. it will display a list of channels that it thinks you get.
6. enable and disable channels as needed. You can figure out which ones you need by looking at the channel numbers (major and minor numbers) in the Mediaportal TV server config - tv channels.

Done, that was the first thing I did.

Install Plugin
1. Stop your TV Server service.
2. Download the latest plugin version 1.1a
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/at...tve3-v1.1a.zip
3. Unzip the dll and put it in the C:\program files\team mediaportal\tvserver\plugins folder.

Starting with tvserver there is no such folder. I have mediaportal which has the appropriate process folder and mediaportaltvserver which has various dll's referring to foreign countries.
When I unzip that plugin it forms a folder called "plugins", therein is the dll. It's placed as per the instructions in post # 1 but the config utility cannot see it.

4. Run TV server config, it will ask to start service, click Yes.
5. Click TV channels and click Clear button to remove them all.
6. Run Channel Scan to re-auto tune your channels (same as what you did to set them up originally)
7. Once all channels are added, click plugins, open the Schedule Direct Plugin
8. Enter you SchedulesDirect user account name and password (it is case sensitive).
9. Check the box to force EPG update on TV Server service startup.
10. Click Save.
11. Stop and Restart the TV server service to force it to grab your EPG.
12. (Optional for the geek minded - look at your tv.log file to verify SchedulesDirectPluggin is collecting your channels.)
13. After a couple of minutes your EPG should be done.

The plugin directly updates the EPG in the SQL database so no messing with all that webEPG stuff.
Channels are automatically mapped to the EPG by the plugin looking at the channel number in MediaPortal TV Server config and getting the matching channel number from Schedule Direct. You don't need to worry about channel code names.

The trouble is, apart from the discrepency in where that dll goes, there is no schedules direct plug in showing in the config.

I appreciate the help but to me this is too much like hard work. I think I'm going to have to scrap the whole idea. Thank God I didn't fork out any money yet.
It looks like I'll just have to use the application without an EPG.

 

[Ex_Brit]

As the instructions haven't been updated since March 2008 it's no surprise that I can't get this thing to work. The config utility cannot see the unzipped dll in the process folder and gives an unhandled exception type error if I try to force the grabber to work with my user name and password from SD. I'm using the "MP Standalone" instructions from page 1.

These conflicting instructions are very confusing...for instance you say extract to C:\program files\team mediaportal\tvserver\plugins folder (a folder that doesn't exist here) and post # 1 says: Best way: Unzip the SchedulesDirectPlugin.dll file to the MediaPortal\plugins\process folder (which does exist here but doesn't seem to work).

Thanks for the help.

I give up.

 

[moab]

As the instructions haven't been updated since March 2008 it's no surprise that I can't get this thing to work. The config utility cannot see the unzipped dll in the process folder and gives an unhandled exception type error if I try to force the grabber to work with my user name and password from SD. I'm using the "MP Standalone" instructions from page 1.

These conflicting instructions are very confusing...for instance you say extract to C:\program files\team mediaportal\tvserver\plugins folder (a folder that doesn't exist here) and post # 1 says: Best way: Unzip the SchedulesDirectPlugin.dll file to the MediaPortal\plugins\process folder (which does exist here but doesn't seem to work).

Thanks for the help.

I give up.

I apologize my path was slightly typo'd. It should be...

C:\Program Files\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server\Plugins

I update my notes below.
If you open the folder you will see some other plugin dll files already in there i.e.

ComSkipLauncher.dll
ConflictsManager.dll
PowerScheduler.dll
SchedulesDirectPluginTVE3.dll ( <<< THIS IS THE ONE I ADDED FROM THE ZIP FILE )
ServerBlaster.dll
TvMovie.dll
XmlTvImport.dll

If the Plugins folder is missing then you must have a non standard install or other issue.
Are you using a clean install of RC4 version of Mediaportal?

 

[Ex_Brit]

Well a lot of frayed nerves later... I completely uninstalled everything and started over. I installed SQL Express 2005 myself as the installer always seemed to trip on that one.

Now everything is there and I put that dll in the folder just described. In the MP Configuration frame I only see "WebEPG Grabber" at the bottom of the plug-ins.
I do not see any setup for TV channels and I have rebooted, just in case. At least before I could add TV channels, just couldn't get any EPG, now I can't get either it would seem.
If I had any hair left, I'd be tearing it out at this stage!

Edit: I've attached logfiles, if that helps.

 

[moab]

Well a lot of frayed nerves later... I completely uninstalled everything and started over. I installed SQL Express 2005 myself as the installer always seemed to trip on that one.

Now everything is there and I put that dll in the folder just described. In the MP Configuration frame I only see "WebEPG Grabber" at the bottom of the plug-ins.
I do not see any setup for TV channels and I have rebooted, just in case. At least before I could add TV channels, just couldn't get any EPG, now I can't get either it would seem.
If I had any hair left, I'd be tearing it out at this stage!

Edit: I've attached logfiles, if that helps.

I think I see the problem. You are looking in the wrong configuration tool.
Instead of opening Mediaportal Configuration you need to open TV Server Configuration.
Sorry I did not spot this earlier.