Still having issues with EPG...need serious help. WebEPG/Schedules Direct (1 Viewer)

[Dragon41673]

Ok, I'm getting VERY frustrated...

Originally I tried to setup WebEPG, and with the help of RonD in this thread...

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/i-must-be-stupid-i-cannot-get-epg-to-work.131597/

...I got a couple channels. I tried to update the rest...and it just is NOT working. So I give up...WebEPG is way too complicated!

So...in my frustration, I said screw it, wiped my computer and installed Windows 10. I tried installing & using Media Portal 2...hate it, even more confusing than Media Portal 1...so I uninstalled MP2 and installed MP1 in it's place...so I'm starting from scratch again.

So I decided to try and do WebEPG again. I setup everything as before...but this time, for whatever friggin reason, my channels that are scanned on my card...are NOT coming back as they did before. I have Clear QAM, which I checked on my TV settings of my actual TV...and it's the IRC kind of Clear QAM. The channels that are coming back in the scan are ones I know I don't get, but it's reporting that I am getting them. Where as channels like TBS and CBS are saying there's no signal. This was ALL working JUST FINE in Windows 7's Windows Media Center...so there's NO reason why they shouldn't be getting a signal now.

Yes, I know, Windows 10 is new, and there's possibly issues with it...but I tried installing WinTV8 again just to test...and the channels I know I get such as TBS and CBS...work just fine, so it's something to do with the MP1 scanner on the TV card.

So...I said the hell with it, I don't have time to screw around all day (I have a 16 month old son that I have to take care of most of the day). Due to that, I tried to setup Schedules Direct as from what I could understand, it was easier but you have to pay $25/year. So I got their 7 day trial, and went to MP documentation to set it up...

WELL...the "Configuration Guide" seems to be non-existent on how to get this to work. It simply takes me to a website with all kinds of download links...and NO INSTRUCTIONS. So now I'm sitting on a 7 day free trial WITH NO WAY TO USE IT.

WHY do you guys make it SO HARD to have a simple EPG imported to Media Portal? I live in the US, Zip 53158, there's a learning curve in the home so I need something simple to use that automatically updates much in the way Windows Media Center setup on Windows 7.

I know WinTV8 works, but I hate it, it's way too confusing for the people in the home, so I sought out alternatives. I tried Kodi...and it was horrible, just complete crap & I have STILL not received ANY responses from their "support" team. Due to that, I did research and came across this Media Portal, and seemingly it was supposed to be easy to setup & use...which I am finding out is NOT the case.

Can someone...PLEASE...help me get this working?

Thank you[DOUBLEPOST=1439125657][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh...and in case it's needed...I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 tuner card, that has twin tuners in it, able to receive standard Analog and ATSC broadcasting. It is also able to receive Clear QAM as well...which is what I was using on Windows Media Center. I've also attached a picture of the TV Server Screen on my test computer...

Thanks

 

[mm1352000]

I empathasize, really I do. If we could afford to give everybody a free EPG option that just worked then we would... but we can't.

If I were you I would forget about the EPG for now and focus on getting the channels scanned in correctly, because that's a prerequisite for working EPG.

On that note: are you 100% sure that your cable provider uses IRC? As noted in our wiki, that frequency plan is rarely used. Most providers use QAM standard or HRC. If you're not sure then I would respectfully suggest that you ought to try a QAM standard scan. Depending on what tuner you're using, I'd also recommend to try switching to the ATSC network provider (refer to "preferred network provider").

Finally, please make me a promise: no more uninstalling and reinstalling. Nine times out of ten it just makes the problem worse... so if you get stuck, stop and ask for help. Anybody who tells you there is an easier option is probably being "economical with the truth".

 

[mm1352000]

@geoffstewart

WELL...the "Configuration Guide" seems to be non-existent on how to get this to work. It simply takes me to a website with all kinds of download links...and NO INSTRUCTIONS. So now I'm sitting on a 7 day free trial WITH NO WAY TO USE IT.

I was also disappointed to see the configuration guide disappear when you switched from google code to github hosting. Does the content still exist anywhere, and is there any chance we could have it in our wiki? Clearly there's a need for a guide somewhere...

[edit: Okay, the wayback machine captured a snapshot from last year. Better than nothing:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014100...m/p/mp-schedulesdirect/wiki/GeneralConfigWiki

Again, @Dragon41673 - please ignore this link for the moment. Don't even look at it. Get the channels scanned in first.]

 

[Dragon41673]

Free would be great, but in this day and age, I realize its more than likely not going to happen. That's why I decided to go with Schedules Direct, $25 a year I can live with...confusing & difficult to setup/use a program I can't..which is why I stopped trying WebEPG.

I'm 99.9% sure its IRC for our cable, as I tried to scan EVERY option when I noticed some channels weren't being found. Just to be safe, I will re-run a scan on standard as well as ATSC &report back when its done.

I REALLY want to use Media Portal...the learning curve in the home has said that its good, so I'm finding it imperative to get it working before I wipe out the Win7 HTPC it will be used onto put Win10 on it.

 

[mm1352000]

Free would be great, but in this day and age, I realize its more than likely not going to happen. That's why I decided to go with Schedules Direct, $25 a year I can live with...confusing & difficult to setup/use a program I can't..which is why I stopped trying WebEPG.

WebEPG is probably the hardest option... so yeah, not a good choice to try that if ease of setup is important to you.

I'm 99.9% sure its IRC for our cable, as I tried to scan EVERY option when I noticed some channels weren't being found. Just to be safe, I will re-run a scan on standard as well as ATSC &report back when its done.

If it's IRC it's IRC. Just saying: it would be odd, especially in a metro area.

Not sure if you're aware that physical channels are not logical/virtual channels. In other words, channel 42.1 is not usually/necessarily broadcast on physical channel 42. So, it's really important to let scans run all the way through.

One last thing: if the new scans don't work, it would help to have a specific example - channel name, expected frequency and full scan log files - so we can do a full investigation.

 

[Dragon41673]

Ok...so I went and looked at my TV because what you said reminded me that we had a guy from Time Warner out here checking signal issues we had (which tuned out to be a bad tuner in our TV). It reminded me that since he left, I had a few other channels that weren't there...that were before his visit. So I scanned the TV on standard...and those channels are back, so I'm guessing you're correct on it not being IRC (although the TV was getting channels). But to be safe, I tried HRC on the TV, and it found nothing...so I know that's not it.

Back to the computer...

I did try changing the setting on the TV tuner card from generic to ATSC ("preferred network provider") and ran a scan...and EVERY scan failed. So I put both tuners back to generic and am running a Clear QAM standard scan. It is picking up channels...but failing to pick up a lot. I'll post results once its finished.

I take it you want the files from the log folder right?

 

[mm1352000]

I take it you want the files from the log folder right?

Correct. All of them please.

 

[Dragon41673]

Ok, here's 2 screen shots...which make me VERY confused. One Tuner has 29 new, and 180 updated. The other tuner (again...it's a dual tuner TV card) has 58 new, and 150 updated. Why?

Attached are the log files as well.

 

[mm1352000]

Why?

Simple: because you scanned both tuners at the same time.
The first tuner to scan each frequency would have seen the channels as new. The second one would have counted them as updates.
Another way of looking at it...
If you add the updated and new counts for each tuner you get 208 and 209, which means they found the same set of channels. Okay, 1 difference... but out of more that 200 channels that more than 99% the same. That would be close enough for me.

Having said that, you've got a few things going on which I don't think are helpful.

1. You didn't delete all previous cable channels before starting the scan. This would have been recommended for getting a clean slate.
2. You scanned both tuners at once. This is not only unnecessary; it actually ended up confusing you to top it all off.
3. You've got the SchedulesDirect plugin creating channels. Trust me on this: that's not something you want.
4. You've got the DVB EPG grabber trying to grab EPG... but it will never succeed, so that's just burning money.

My advice to you would be:

1. Disable the DVB EPG grabber by unticking the 2 "enabled" checkboxes here: http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...figuration/TV-Server_Configuration/05_DVB_EPG
2. Disable the SchedulesDirect plugin. As it turns out, you're probably better to get the SchedulesDirect data in a different way, which I can explain later.
3. Delete all cable TV and radio channels, including any created by the SchedulesDirect plugin (which will be marked as "not mapped" in the TV and radio channel lists).
4. Rescan with one tuner. Clear QAM scan, QAM standard frequencies.
5. Map all found channels to the second tuner: http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...Server_Configuration/03_TV_Channels/2_Mapping

If you're missing channels after this then please post:

1. Fresh log files.
2. Name and number of example channel.
3. Any details about the channel that you can glean from your TV.

 

[Dragon41673]

Ok...followed your instructions 1-5...here's a screen shot of the finished scan titled "New Channels". I mapped all those channels as described to the other tuner. I think I'm missing channels. For instance in the "Channel Selections" image, you'll notice they all seem to be Digital Only channels. Channels like normal broadcast 2 (CBS), 3 (TBS), 5 (NBC), 7 (ABC), 9 (WGN), and 13 (FOX)...are all missing. Do I need to scan Analog TV as well to receive those?

I'm also attaching my Log files again just in case you want to take a look at them.