No idea, I don't like grabbed EPGs. (DVB EPG is ok, but I don't trust web grabbed EPG that much.) Just a personal preference.
I don't get money from TV Movie and I don't wanna advertise them here, I just can say that I love their data. (Although it sometimes can have it flaws, but that even happens in real tv magazines you can buy at the kiosk.) Sometimes, when a programme has been moved, they change it in their data, but that doesn't always happen. Just like every other EPG data that is not delivered with the TV stream, I guess. To sum it up: For me it's worth it. But again: Just a personal preference.
I decided to buy the TV Movie Clickfinder for 12,99 EUR for one year and to try this new plugin. I receive only analog cable tv here.
Here's how I got the best result with Clickfinder:
1. In TV Movie Clickfinder program:
- added and sorted the channels
- disabled Live-Update
- closed the TV Timer and stopped it to autostart with Windows
2. In MP configuration:
- enabled the TV Movie Clickfinder plugin
- enabled slower import to solve possible video stuttering
- mapped the channels
- changed the idle time in the Power Scheduler plugin to 20 minutes
3. In Windows:
- added a task in the task planer to execute the clickfinder tv update
- commandline: "C:\Programme\TV Movie\TV Movie ClickFinder\tvupdate.exe" /hidden
- with the parameter /hidden the status dialog is not shown
- time schedule: every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 3:00 am
- enabled the setting to reactivate the pc to run the task
For me the Clickfinder is worth the 1 EUR each month.
yes it is really worth it. it is much more reliable than the parser [how often did they already changed their website layout and the webepgparser had to be programmed on new?]
Further it is a lot faster than the normal import and [exspeccially now with the option to add more data in the description field *g*@mPOD] it is a LOT more detailed then any other EPG solution i tested yet.
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehavior.Parse(String text)
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehaviorConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.ConvertFromString(String text)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.ConvertXmlStringToObject(String valueName, String valueText, Type type)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.UpdateControlWithXmlData(GUIControl control, Type controlType, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.Create(Int32 dwParentId, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
06.12.2006 17:52:49 203 [Info.] Parent: 0 Id: 0
06.12.2006 17:52:49 203 [Info.] GUIControlFactory.Create: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: iterationCount
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehavior.Parse(String text)
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehaviorConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.ConvertFromString(String text)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.ConvertXmlStringToObject(String valueName, String valueText, Type type)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.UpdateControlWithXmlData(GUIControl control, Type controlType, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.Create(Int32 dwParentId, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
06.12.2006 17:52:49 203 [Info.] Parent: 0 Id: 0
06.12.2006 17:52:49 203 [Info.] GUIControlFactory.Create: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: iterationCount
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehavior.Parse(String text)
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehaviorConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.ConvertFromString(String text)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.ConvertXmlStringToObject(String valueName, String valueText, Type type)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.UpdateControlWithXmlData(GUIControl control, Type controlType, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.Create(Int32 dwParentId, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
06.12.2006 17:52:49 218 [Info.] Parent: 0 Id: 0
06.12.2006 17:52:49 218 [Info.] GUIControlFactory.Create: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: iterationCount
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehavior.Parse(String text)
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehaviorConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.ConvertFromString(String text)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.ConvertXmlStringToObject(String valueName, String valueText, Type type)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.UpdateControlWithXmlData(GUIControl control, Type controlType, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.Create(Int32 dwParentId, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
06.12.2006 17:52:49 218 [Info.] Parent: 0 Id: 0
06.12.2006 17:52:49 218 [Info.] GUIControlFactory.Create: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: iterationCount
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehavior.Parse(String text)
at System.Windows.Media.Animation.RepeatBehaviorConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.ConvertFromString(String text)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.ConvertXmlStringToObject(String valueName, String valueText, Type type)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.UpdateControlWithXmlData(GUIControl control, Type controlType, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
at MediaPortal.GUI.Library.GUIControlFactory.Create(Int32 dwParentId, XmlNode pControlNode, IDictionary defines)
Both ClickFinder plugin flavours, for normal MP and for TV server, both offer a compatibility option for use with ClickFinder 5.2 beta (all 4 versions). This option will be revisited after 5.2 will be final.
Note that after enabling this option, every use of the ClickFinder main application will result in MP thinking the database has changed. Usage of TVTip doesn't seem to trigger this issue. If the ClickFinder application is not launched, MP's import will be triggered after a normal database update, like you've been used to.
Almost forgot: You need the latest SVN versions for it, it has been checked in today.