DigiGuide alternative to RT XMLTV

[Nick_W]

Mine says:

- <programme channel="1" channel2="7" start="20081030210000 +0000" stop="20081030220000 +0000">
  <title>Silent Witness</title> 
  <desc>Drama series about a team of forensic pathologists. As the search for Liam continues, Nikki's loyalty towards her former mentor is tested when the allegations of a former student are brought to the surface. Leo and Harry refuse to give up on the search, and they are soon on the trail of a toxic chemical, found in both bodies, which could provide them with Liam's whereabouts.</desc> 
  <category>Drama</category> 
  <length units="minutes">60</length> 
  <episode-num system="xmltv_ns">11.9.</episode-num> 
  <sub-title>The Lost Child (Part 2 of 2)</sub-title> 
- <audio>
  <stereo>Stereo</stereo> 
  </audio>
- <video>
  <aspect>16:9</aspect> 
  </video>
  <subtitles type="teletext" /> 
  <subtitles type="onscreen" /> 
- <credits>
  <actor>Tom Ward</actor> 
  <actor>William Gaminara</actor> 
  <actor>Emilia Fox</actor> 
  <actor>Penny Layden</actor> 
  <actor>Reece Dinsdale</actor> 
  <actor>Peter Guinness</actor> 
  </credits>
  </programme>

Which is correct! I have no idea why yours says 11.1?

Any idea?

Regards,

Nick.

[rickgillyon]

Wow, how can that be?

What version is your DG2XML? I have 1.0.1.0.

What command line do you use with it? Mine is:
dg2xml outfile=5.xml password=

[Nick_W]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

Wow, how can that be?

What version is your DG2XML? I have 1.0.1.0.

What command line do you use with it? Mine is:
dg2xml outfile=5.xml password=

Same version, no command line params.

Try another download and reinstall - especially the DG scheme.

Regards,

Nick.

[rickgillyon]

Redownloaded, shut down DG, removed and replaced the scheme, replaced DG2XML, tried without any command line, tried tweaking the web service settings in DG - no difference, still 11.1.

[rickgillyon]

Birty's grabber gets it right, so no idea where the problem lies! Would just use Birty's but it seems to give me less detail (ratings, certs etc.), so would rather use DG2XML...

[Nick_W]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

Birty's grabber gets it right, so no idea where the problem lies! Would just use Birty's but it seems to give me less detail (ratings, certs etc.), so would rather use DG2XML...

Honestly I'm not sure, it's all fine here, so I don't know where to start

Regards,

Nick.

[rickgillyon]

Thanks for looking anyway!

[rickgillyon]

OK, I think this one's for Stephane, sorry if I asked this before, I'm easily confused...

Digiguide gives me details for the show "Outnumbered" - first show is on BBC1 on 15th, marked new, not previously-shown, this show is repeated on 19th on BBC2, same description, but Digiguide marks this as a repeat. The XML reflects this. As a result, the importer seems to mark them both as repeats. I thought that you had sorted this out already, and made the importer consider the shows in date order? I haven't seen the issue for a while anyway.

I realise this is probably an issue with the data, but it would be helpful if the importer considered the first show first and worked from there, keeping the first-run a first-run. Thanks!

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

I thought that you had sorted this out already, and made the importer consider the shows in date order?

Yes the Importer already does this: when a show is give as previously-shown in the XMLTV data without a date, it will research the original air date in it's history.

Also the Importer always update the original air date with the oldest date it can find (Importer's history or XMLTV data).

Regards,
Stéphane.

[rickgillyon]

So to clarify, where there are two shows within a few days, same details, first not previously-shown, second previously-shown, you would expect it to mark as first run, if this show has not been on previously?

Just checking, because that's not what it's doing!

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

So to clarify, where there are two shows within a few days, same details, first not previously-shown, second previously-shown, you would expect it to mark as first run, if this show has not been on previously?

Yes. But it will be true only if the "previously-shown" entry doesn't get a previously-shown date (as this date will be older than the first-run date, it will override it)

[rickgillyon]

Okay, it has found a date of "Saturday, 11 October 2008". Nothing that I can find in the EPG or recorded files for that, how can I look it up? Thanks!

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

Okay, it has found a date of "Saturday, 11 October 2008". Nothing that I can find in the EPG or recorded files for that, how can I look it up?

This can be the date of the first encounter of the show minus 30 days.

[rickgillyon]

With my poor maths, I reckon that would make it 10th November. No show on that date...first one is on 15th.

[rickgillyon]

*BUMP*
Is it possible that for some reason the repeats hit the XML first, are processed, and as there is no first-run they create this fictitious first airing date. Then the first-run comes through the following day, because it's after the invented first-run date it shows the first-run as a repeat. It's possible some shows come through in a strange order, for example the following week's Outnumbered slot is TBA on 22nd but already listed on the 25th (and the 25th is marked as Repeat)...

Thanks!

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

Is it possible that for some reason the repeats hit the XML first, are processed, and as there is no first-run they create this fictitious first airing date.

Yes, the Importer cannot process shows globally in order (they are channel by channel). If you really want to get rid of this issue : simply remove previously-shown nodes from the XMLTV file => as they don't have any date the added benefit is very poor.

[rickgillyon]

Actually, this isn't even what I was saying - I believe the Wednesday repeats are appearing in the feed days before the Sunday first-runs. Looks like they are not finalising the Sunday nights until very late, so the rerun appears and is processed in a prior run to the first run.

I guess the downside to removing previously-shown is that shows which are reruns and we've watched in the past (before moving to your importer), e.g. 73 seasons of CSI, will all get a first run and be recorded, no? But that may well be better than the occasional missed recording...I'll look at it tomorrow.

Thanks for the help as ever.

[dooferlad]

Hi,

I am using the birtles.org.uk XMLTV GUI digiguide grabber with this fine plugin and StephaneM's most excellent XMLTV importer. All seems to be going fine apart from that previously The Daily Show would only record first runs and now it doesn't seem to have any first run / rerun information. I had previously told the XMLTV importer about when to expect first runs and all was fine. It also seemed to pick up on the fact that it runs for two weeks then repeats for two weeks. With digiguide it doesn't know anything about first runs (or so it would seem) and it was only going to record 1 show this week instead of one every night (actually it repeats are being broadcast this week but I didn't expect the XMLTV importer to pick up on that).

So, my long rambling question boils down to, do we get any first run flags in XMLTV from digiguide? It seems to have the information for some shows in the digiguide GUI, but not all of them.

[rickgillyon]

All you get are repeat flags. Are the repeats on the same channel as the first runs?

You're using this plugin and XMLTV GUI? You mean DG2XML and then XMLTVGUI to read the XML? Why would you do that? (Just out of interest, not related to your question...)

[dooferlad]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

All you get are repeat flags. Are the repeats on the same channel as the first runs?

The particular show I was looking at is always on the same channel. It looks like most shows the descriptions and episode numbers will be enough, but for The Daily Show they don't have anything in the descriptions (at least for the coming week) to differentiate them. I was just curious about repeat flags because it would be nice to have a "don't record this if flagged as repeat" rule.

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

You're using this plugin and XMLTV GUI? You mean DG2XML and then XMLTVGUI to read the XML? Why would you do that? (Just out of interest, not related to your question...)

I am just using the skin to get the data out of digiguide and the XMLTV GUI to read it and combine it all into a single feed. I didn't know if there was any difference in behaviour between DG2XML and the XMLTV GUI importer. I stuck with the XMLTV GUI since it is an old friend and seemed to to the job.

I have noticed that the SageTV XMLTV importer has been taking longer to run since I upgraded it to the latest version. It could just be that there is a lot more guide data to get through though!