WebEPG recreates deleted tv channels (1 Viewer)

[ender]

CVS-snapshot from: 20:48 03-06

Windows Version: Windows XP SP2
CPU Type: Intel Pentium 4 3.00GHz
Memory: 2Gb DDR2
Motherboard: Asus P5GDC-V
Motherboard Chipset:
Motherboard Bios: AMI 10011.006
Video Card: NVIDIA Geforce 6600v+
Video Card Driver: Forceware 81.98
Sound Card: C-Media High Definition Audio
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver: 5.12.01.0008.62
1. TV Card: Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCII
1. TV Card Type: analog
1. TV Card Driver: Hauppauge 2.0.35.23348
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
Video Codec: NVIDIA Video Decoder
Audio Codec: MPEG/AC3/DTS/LPCM Audio Decoder
Satelite/CableTV Provider: UPC Cable
HTPC Case:
Power Supply:
Remote: MCE Remote
TV:
TV - HTPC Connection: S-Video

It took me a while to figure this one out. I had configured my tv card in MP and ended up with a list of tv channels. I exported the channel list and imported it into WebEPG to configure the tvguide there.
Later I discovered that I wanted to remove a channel (there was a duplicate). So I removed it from the TV Channels listing.
Back in MP I suddenly saw that channel again that I just removed.
Then I went back the config and removed all the channels. Removed all the groups and cleared everything. Went back into MP and opened the tv guide. Voila! There were all the channels again.

I don't think that is intended behavior

 

[Taipan]

This is not a bug....

The way that you select which channels to have displyed in the EPG is by the "tick boxes" against each channel in MP Configuration / TV Channels. A tick in the check-box means that it will be displayed in your EPG.....

 

[ender]

Well, I just tried it again and now ticking and unticking works as desired, it removed the channel from the epg. I am absolutely positive however that earlier that didn't work at all. I tried it several times after several restarts. Ticking and unticking didn't have any effect. I'll keep my eye on it to see if that happens again. Certainly needs some extra attention.

However, this report is not about ticking and unticking of channels. This is about recreating removed channels and that bug still stands. If I remove a channel from MP then the EPG should not recreate the channel.

 

[infinite.loop]

If I remove a channel from MP then the EPG should not recreate the channel.

thats also not a bug if you are still importing EPG Data for the deleted channel with i.e. WebEPG.

if you delete i.e. Pro7 but still downloading EPG Data for this channel, it will be created in the database when importing the TVGuide.xml that contains EPG info for Pro7. do not download EPG data for the deleted channel and it wont get recreated.

 

[ender]

Well, this is just a technical argument for a usability problem. There is no feedback that the channel that a user deliberately removed (yeah, because he doesn't want it!) will be recreated at some weird moment (when he opens the epg guide). Sorry to say so but it is wrong. If you allow the user to remove a channel from the config then you should not recreate it because some external plugin doesn't look at the configuration of the channels. I have spent almost an hour to try to figure out where the h.ll these channels came from after I had them removed and I do have a technical background. If we want to have a larger userbase with less technical people then we *must* take these problems serious and *do* consider them as bugs.

There are a few possible solutions for this problem:

Quick and dirty:
You can make a note in the config that the user must make sure that the epg doesn't update the channel when he tries to remove it. At least then he knows that unpredictable things can happen.

But by far the best solution:
Make the channel config in MP leading. EPG cannot update or mess with channels that do not exist in MP. It will always lead to results the user never asked for. It just doesn't make sense to create channels that do not exist. Nobody wants just noise in a recording ;-)

 

[infinite.loop]

There is no feedback that the channel that a user deliberately removed (yeah, because he doesn't want it!)

If the user doesnt want it, why would he download the EPG information with WebEPG?

or is a deleted channel also created when using DVB-EPG only? That would be a complete other story then.

 

[ender]

If the user doesnt want it, why would he download the EPG information with WebEPG?

This is not about whether the user wants it or not. It's about the disconnected nature of two different systems controlling the same thing. The fact that items that are removed suddenly reappear without warning, that is the problem. They have to be interlinked in some way so that the end result is predictable.
If EPG considers the settings in MP then you only have to take care of the channel management in MP.
For myself, I was in the (legitimate imho) assumption that MP was leading and that EPG only updates channels that do exist. I don't want to have to go through all the plugins and external apps just to remove a channel.

And to answer your question. The user may have set up EPG and then, at a much later state thought about removing one or two channels in MP.
Just give me one good reason why EPG should have the authority to mess with MP's settings. All it should do is download info for the tvguide, present it to MP and let MP decide what to use from it.

 

[infinite.loop]

All it should do is download info for the tvguide, present it to MP and let MP decide what to use from it.

so MP should only import EPG info from TVGuide.xml for channels that are in the database.

this is not a bug its a feature request and this is not the place for them (you allready know that), but i will talk with the devs.