Working Free US EPG (2 Viewers)

[FantaXP7]

Sorry, I'm still having problems with this, there doesn't seem to be an option on the sever config screen to let me go to that file, how would I tell MP to go to that file?

go to plugins and select xmltv.

I told it where to find the xmltv, but I can't seem to get a .dtd file...how do I get that? Wasn't with the download mc2xml and wasn't generated when I put in my zip code...

EDIT: Went to the mc2xml website and saw the link for xmltv.dtd. Just has something talking about the .dtd file. Searched on this forum for more on the .dtd and saw that someone uploaded one. So I downloaded it and when I opened it, it was the same thing from the mc2xml website...So does that mean I need to create one or something?

 

[winterescape]

Adding some detail:
This link has a detailed setup for this option:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...grabber-problems-46684/index4.html#post318204

For OTA US ATSC listings do this:
1) Select Microsoft legacy
2) Do not select OTA select "digital cable" on first run of mc2xml
3) go to your local cable provider web site and find out what channel #'s your local ATSC OTA are rebroadcast on

like this for Time warner | Time Warner Cable | Corporate​

4) make a mc2xml.chl file with those channels in it, for example:

110
524
433
1011
your tvguide.xml will now only contain content for these 4 channels
​

5)at the xml plugin map your OTA ATSC digital channels to the correct digital cable channel
6) you should end up with a epg folder on your HTPC with the following content:

mc2xml.bat (command line is: mc2xml -o tvguide.xml)
xml.dtd (downloaded from SourceForge.net: XMLTV: Files , extract the package and get this one file)
mc2xml.chl (with content example shown above, just a list of channel #'s)
mc2xml.dat (file created on first run of mc2xml to store zip and config data)
mc2xml.exe (downloaded from mc2xml)
tvguide.xml (file generated by mc2xml with your tv listing data
​

7) schedule a windows task to run every night and execute the mc2xml.bat file
That is it! oh yeah, then donate some $$ to the guy who wrote mc2xml to keep him happy and thank him for his hard work (link on the download page)...

BTW, the reasons why I specify the above:
1) I could find no other way to get OTA ATSC program guide for US besides MC2XML
2) The titan TV option in MC2XML stopped working for me on 4/13/09
3) The OTA option from Microsoft will not contain all the sub channel listings (YMMV)

 

[FantaXP7]

Thanks for that write up Winterescape.

I do have a few questions thought. How do you make a .chl file? When I get to creating it, it is just literally a list of numbers? Also the .bat file, I typed that command in and it didn't work.

 

[winterescape]

hmm, sorry I have attached my actual batch file and chl file for you to look at
both can be made in notepad and saved as the file names I listed
when windows asks you for the type of program to open them with select "notepad"
Yes the chl file is just a list of channel numbers, nothing else
the batch file should be in the epg directory as I have listed
because of the way this forum handles attachments I have changed the extension to .txt, you must save them as .bat and .chl


In my batch file I also have the pc defrag the drive, and reboot, I have commented it for you…

 

[FantaXP7]

Thanks for your reply winterescape,

I have taken a look at your files and they were helpful. I have all files now except for tvguide.xml. Any ideas?

 

[winterescape]

the first time you run mc2xml it will generate the output file xmltv.xml
each time the batch file is run after that AND there is new data from Microsoft it will write the data to tvguide.xml
If you set the batch up to run every night you should get a new tvguide.xml every day (except sunday?)
to test if it is working you can add -f to the command line in the batch file, this will force mc2xml to write a new tvguide.xml even if the data is the same as last time

the line would look like this
mc2xml -f -o tvguide.xml

just take the -f back out when it is all working...

 

[FantaXP7]

I tried typing in the -f, no luck, guess I'll just have to play the waiting game for awhile. Maybe had something to do with Sunday as you said.

 

[Lostintrans]

Titan TV no longer downloads for me since around the first week in April. Winterscape, you mentioned this also. Have you been able to fix it? For me Titan TV is the only one that has the ota channels I need so I am lost without it. The website at Titan TV still has all the same info, but it won't download. I deleted my mc2xml.dat file to reconfigure it and I go to command prompt and type "mc2xml -c us -g xxxxx -t" where xxxxx is my zip and it tries to download from titan tv but gives error message that I can't read real well but I think it says "error HL: -g". So it seems maybe titan doesn't recognize my zip anymore. Anyone else having problems with titan tv?
thanks in advance for any help with this

 

[winterescape]

I do not think it is your zip I think they changed the format of the data displayed and broke mc2xml. The author may fix it but if you re-read my post I describe how to configure Mc2xml to get the OTA channels. Else you can use zap2xml zap2xml but the data is not as good

 

[kkozma]

I just re-downloaded mc2xml from the author's site, deleted my mc2xml.dat file and tried again and it worked with titan tv! WOOT!

I get my local channels from two different markets so trying to use Time Warner's listings just wouldn't work.

*Edit. Looks like he re-wrote it today. "mc2xml (c) <mc2xml@gmail.com> (2009-04-20)"