XMLTV not processing EPG data (1 Viewer)

[technoweary]

You can try the attached file. I converted your file above using Notepad ++.

Thanks Gcarr, having got MP 1.6 up and running again on Win7 to match the original system that was working it is not importing the programme data so I tried your file but unfortunately it made no difference.
All channels but no programme data is imported
Thank you for your help though it is most appreciated
Regards
TW

 

[NRivera637]

Greetings CyberSimian & technoweary :

As you might be aware (or not) user like myself using Zap2XML for downloading EPG data are in a pickle. Zap2XML has stopped working with website changes and there is a frenzy trying to fine solutions. Not all knowing I was going in circles testing solutions that would not work for me as I don't use MCE.

But looking at your posting above it seems you are using EPG Collector (?) and other apps (foreign to me) to get your TVguide data into MediaPortal using their XML plugin.

Can either or both of you provide instructions (...for dummies ) on how you achieve this and wherefrom you download your TVguide data to import to MediaPortal 1.37? I believe from images above you live in a Windows World and not Linux. But any help would be appreciated - Thanks.

 

[technoweary]

Greetings CyberSimian & technoweary :

As you might be aware (or not) user like myself using Zap2XML for downloading EPG data are in a pickle. Zap2XML has stopped working with website changes and there is a frenzy trying to fine solutions. Not all knowing I was going in circles testing solutions that would not work for me as I don't use MCE.

But looking at your posting above it seems you are using EPG Collector (?) and other apps (foreign to me) to get your TVguide data into MediaPortal using their XML plugin.

Can either or both of you provide instructions (...for dummies ) on how you achieve this and wherefrom you download your TVguide data to import to MediaPortal 1.37? I believe from images above you live in a Windows World and not Linux. But any help would be appreciated - Thanks.

Hi NRivera637, unfortunately you have joined as I fail miserably to use EPG Collector to provide a TVGuide.xml file that xmltv will import to MediaPortal.
At this time there is not much information I can give you other than to point you to the EPG Collector Project - EPG Collector
I do hope you have more success than I am!
Regards
TW

 

[CyberSimian]

Could it be that the epg file is UTF-8 vs. UTF-8 BOM? I seem to remember having an issue with that many years ago

I have just looked at the "TvGuide.xml" collected by @technoweary , and the one collected by myself. Neither has the BOM ("Byte Order Mark") at the start of the file, but both import correctly into my MP 1.37. But at this point in the investigation, any and all suggestions are welcome.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[CyberSimian]

Can either or both of you provide instructions (...for dummies ) on how you achieve this and wherefrom you download your TVguide data to import to MediaPortal 1.37?

The UK digital TV broadcasts (both terrestrial and satellite) benefit from a 7-day EPG that is broadcast embedded within the TV signals. MP can use this EPG directly, and it is also what EPG Collector obtains.

The problem for you (living in the USA) is that as I understand it, your broadcast TV contains very little EPG embedded within the broadcast datastream -- perhaps only a day or two, or even only a few hours. EPG Collector could probably obtain it, and MP might be able to as well, but would a 1-day EPG be satisfactory for you? I don't know how much EPG could be collected (I think that it varies from one part of the USA to another), so you would need to try this for yourself to see how much EPG you got.

The accepted way of getting a good EPG for the USA and Canada is Schedules Direct, which requires an annual fee (about $35 now, I think). I believe that they also offer a 7-day free trial, if you want to try it out before committing to an annual fee.

I am not aware of any other good EPG for the USA, so if you would prefer not to pay the $35 to Schedules Direct, you will need to continue searching.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Jasmeet_181]

I don't think the FreeSat data channel exists anymore.

The data channel still exists, I haven't used MP for a few years but you had to manually create the channel - Freesat EPG in UK anyone?

When I used the above panels a week or so ago, I clicked the "Load/Refresh" button on the "Mappings" panel to load the channels, and then I clicked the "Save" button to save them somewhere internal to TV Server.

So, the questions that I would ask are:

• Did you click "Load/Refresh" and then "Save" to save the channel list?

Can you confirm that you did this, Technoweary? In both of your Mappings screenshots in #31, the *asterisk column is full of green cells. ITV1-3, Channel 4 and FIlm4 are in both screenshots and still green after you changed group, rather than white (already mapped). You have to save before changing group or exiting the configuration application, the OK button does not save the mappings.

I don't think I ever used the Export (there's no import) but the wiki says that it writes the names of the matched XMLTV channels to a text file. What does your export file say?

 

[technoweary]

The data channel still exists, I haven't used MP for a few years but you had to manually create the channel - Freesat EPG in UK anyone?


Can you confirm that you did this, Technoweary? In both of your Mappings screenshots in #31, the *asterisk column is full of green cells. ITV1-3, Channel 4 and FIlm4 are in both screenshots and still green after you changed group, rather than white (already mapped). You have to save before changing group or exiting the configuration application, the OK button does not save the mappings.

I don't think I ever used the Export (there's no import) but the wiki says that it writes the names of the matched XMLTV channels to a text file. What does your export file say?

HI, Yes you are correct. I did not save the mappings because I was testing the xmltv import
The mapping always matches perfectly, the problem is that xmltv only imports the channel names and not the programme data

Thanks for your help
Regards
TW

 

[CyberSimian]

I did not save the mappings because I was testing the xmltv import

I think that what @Jasmeet_181 was saying is that you must save the mappings (for each group separately) in order for the import to work. Notice that in my screen shot of the "Mappings" panel, the colour column is white except for "BBC ONE South". This corresponds to what I saw in the MP EPG, as BBC1 had no programme entries at all.

On the "Mappings" panel:

• white=mapped and saved
• green=mapped but not yet saved
• red=not mapped

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[technoweary]

I think that what @Jasmeet_181 was saying is that you must save the mappings (for each group separately) in order for the import to work. Notice that in my screen shot of the "Mappings" panel, the colour column is white except for "BBC ONE South". This corresponds to what I saw in the MP EPG, as BBC1 had no programme entries at all.

On the "Mappings" panel:

• white=mapped and saved
• green=mapped but not yet saved
• red=not mapped

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

I will test again and save this time
Because the import status showed only the Channels imported and no programs I did not bother to save them!

So the process is Import the xmltv, then save the mapped channels, and then go back and Import again to get the programmes?
I do not remember having to do this but I guess it is only once it has to be done and then it should work sequentially

Thanks for the update
Regards
TW

 

[CyberSimian]

So the process is Import the xmltv, then save the mapped channels, and then go back and Import again to get the programmes?

Hmm, I cannot now remember exactly what I did when I tested this. I think that on the "Mappings" tab:

• Enable or disable the "Partial match" and "Load radio channels" settings as you prefer.
• Select the channel group from the drop-down menu.
• Click the "Load/Refresh" button.
• Adjust the mappings as necessary.
• Click the "Save" button.
• Repeat the above for each channel group (I did not do this as I have only the "All channels" group).
• On the "General" tab, import the "TvGuide.xml" file.
• Wait a long time, and eventually the info at the bottom of the panel will be updated.

I hope that the above is correct. Apologies if it is not quite right (but I think that we are getting nearer to the solution ).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK