UK: Atlas shutting down Radio Times feed from June 16 & also stopping free access to MetaBroadcast (4 Viewers)

[LJG]

Oh, excellent work!

Shame that it's not giving a good output though...

I have tried Schedules Direct using a tool designed for ArgusTV (I use Argus as TV Server and MP1 as clients) which is in this thread:

http://www.argus-tv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=5543

If you use MP Tv Server, I am not sure if this will work for you though.

However, it does give you (eg) S01E02 but unfortunately not the 'of 8' bit like RT data does (eg) Season 1 episode 2 of 8.

 

[wjw]

I have now tried Schedules Direct and can get the download fine (use MC2XML to grab from Schedules Direct (details in the Wiki here http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_..._TV_Setup/4_TV_Guide_Setup_(EPG)/XMLTV_mc2xml).

However, same problem in that Series/Episode data doesn't seem to be inserted into the MP database. I can look at the XML file and see that the data are actually brought down - just as they were in the Digiguide download, but they don't appear in the EPG when viewed in MP.

So unless I'm doing something wrong on the XMLTV side, it looks as though even though the XMLTV plugin worked fine to bring the Series/Episode data over from the Alan Birtles XMLTVGui download from the BBC site, it won't find those data in other XML files.

I'm at a loss. Does anyone know how how XMLTV works?

I'm hoping for an insight from mm1352000 here as he wrote the page in the Wiki that successfully got me working with MC2XML and Shedules Direct.

 

[karl10247]

Bleb (which is free) is possibly the next best compromise, there aren't many channels supported, but just enough for my needs, and the data is a bit hit and miss but a fair few entries do have eg 6/8 which is something

Hmm maybe ill give it a trial when atlas dies

I have tried Schedules Direct using a tool designed for ArgusTV (I use Argus as TV Server and MP1 as clients) which is in this thread:

http://www.argus-tv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=5543

If you use MP Tv Server, I am not sure if this will work for you though.

However, it does give you (eg) S01E02 but unfortunately not the 'of 8' bit like RT data does (eg) Season 1 episode 2 of 8.

The SXXEXX would be perfect for me as i use several media programs which prefer this syntax (kodi, sonarr etc.)

I tried schedules direct when i was in the US and it was good actually but i'll have to give it a trial on UK tv to see if i like the results before forking out the $$$. i dont mind paying for an xmltv service but its got to give useful data otherwise its just a waste of money... i.e. digiguide

 

[hucknallred]

Well, I've logged in to Atlas & accepted their new terms. If I read it right I get a 3 month stay of execution as I am now on a 3 month free trial. I just don't have any spare time currently to look at alternatives.

 

[mm1352000]

I'm hoping for an insight from mm1352000 here...

I'd be happy to provide my insight if you can attach a copy of the XMLTV file (tvguide.xml) that you're trying to import. Without that I can say nothing.

 

[wjw]

I'd be happy to provide my insight if you can attach a copy of the XMLTV file (tvguide.xml) that you're trying to import. Without that I can say nothing

Thanks for that. File attached - it's the one from Schedules Direct via MC2XML

 

[mm1352000]

Here's an example that shows the problem nicely:

  <programme start="20160520150000 +0100" stop="20160520154500 +0100" channel="I101.24327.schedulesdirect.org">
     <title lang="en">Escape to the Country</title>
     <sub-title lang="en">Somerset</sub-title>
     <desc lang="en">Jules Hudson goes property hunting in Somerset. He is helping a couple who are planning to take early retirement with a substantial budget of £750,000 to fund their new rural home. Whilst there, Jules meets a willow farmer and learns how the crop is interwoven into the county's landscape and handicraft heritage.</desc>
     <credits>
       <presenter>Jules Hudson</presenter>
       <presenter>Alistair Appleton</presenter>
       <presenter>Denise Nurse</presenter>
       <presenter>Tim Vincent</presenter>
       <presenter>Nicki Chapman</presenter>
       <presenter>Jonnie Irwin</presenter>
     </credits>
     <date>20130325</date>
     <category lang="en">Bus./financial</category>
     <category lang="en">Home improvement</category>
     <category lang="en">House/garden</category>
     <episode-num system="dd_progid">EP01259550.0642</episode-num>
     <episode-num system="xmltv_ns">12.45.</episode-num>
     <previously-shown start="20130325000000" />
   </programme>

Note the two <episode-num...> elements. TV Server only takes the first one, and unfortunately we don't support the [undocumented proprietary] dd_progid system. We do support the conventional and standard xmltv_ns system... but as long as the dd_progid element is there, the xmltv_ns element will be ignored.

One solution would be to have an intermediate step/script between mc2xml and TV Server's XMLTV plugin that wipes all those elements.

 

[wjw]

One solution would be to have an intermediate step/script between mc2xml and TV Server's XMLTV plugin that wipes all those elements.

OK. Just to check that I've got this right, the offending element is "<episode-num system="dd_progid">. If I were to replace this throughout with <!episode-num system="dd_progid"> thus turning that line into a comment line according to the XML format rules, would TV Server then see that line as a comment and ignore it and use only the xmltv_ns entry? Hope so because I could then use something like Notepad++ to do that for me as the intermediate step (I think, haven't yet looked into Notepad++ in batch mode!)

 

[mm1352000]

Just to check that I've got this right, the offending element is "<episode-num system="dd_progid">.

No, no - it's the full line:

<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP01259550.0642</episode-num>

If I were to replace this throughout with <!episode-num system="dd_progid"> thus turning that line into a comment line according to the XML format rules, would TV Server then see that line as a comment and ignore it and use only the xmltv_ns entry?

AFAIK the comment syntax for XML is <!-- ... -->, so you'd have to make it <!-- <episode-num system="dd_progid">EP01259550.0642</episode-num> -->. Otherwise, yes I think the idea would work in principle.

Hope so because I could then use something like Notepad++ to do that for me as the intermediate step (I think, haven't yet looked into Notepad++ in batch mode!)

Notepad++ can just as easily delete too.

Find what = <episode-num system="dd_progid".*
Replace with =
Search mode = Regular expression

There are probably lots of other ways to do this too.

 

[wjw]

No, no - it's the full line:

I thought it might be, but it's still do-able via that sort of solution.

Thanks for the guidance - I now have something to work on after the grand-children have gone back home after the holiday weekend!