How to get Toronto OTA EPG Info?

[xred]

I've added my HDHomerun Tuner on an antenna to my DualTV / Analog Cable setup and I've selected Buffalo as my location.

This works GREAT for the Buffalo stations and all the listings are coming in correctly with the right metadata and "HD" status when applicable.

The problem is the Toronto locals (CityTV, CBC etc.). Most of the stations have NO data (CBC, CityTV) and the ones that do have listings have little or no Meta-Data attached to them. CFTO is a good example. The channel has listings but they don't indicate which broadcasts are HD and it shows all shows as repeats (even if they are marked as First Run on the analog CFTO channel).

Has anyone sorted this out completely? I am sure I am using the right channel names on the HDHomeRun (e.g. CBLTDT etc.) but Sage is of course scheduling recordings via analog because it doesn't have the right data to do it.

TIA

[Motofreak75]

use the old method of adding CHID numbers from Zap2it.com

Manual add to the lineup select say 9-1 Add in CFTODT and when it asked for the Channel id use the info from the website.

Part two

goto the website and select the rogers cable digital lineup, because they dont offer a atsc line up yet, but this gets you the HD lineup your looking for go down to the channel range 500 and hover the mouse over each CH number that has a hyperlink. you will see this

http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=44784&channel=517&channelCnt=443

the stnNum=44784 or 44784 is the number you enter into Sage when it asks you. And after spending a few minutes you should be able to add all the channels you need.

Note: Zap2it doesn't have any data for Channel 17-2 so far.

For me on the east side of the GTA, I can pick 28 digital channels sometimes over 35 if the weather is good.

Moto

[wayner]

Check out this blog on TiVo HD in Canada. http://daledietrich.com/imedia/using...s-3-in-canada/

He used a Youngstown NY zip of 14305 to get some Canadian OTA digital channels.

One other thing that might work is to try switching your cable lineup from analog to digital. This way you will get guide data for all of the OTA HD channels. Then disable all of the channels above 90 (or whatever it is) that are only available on analog. Hopefully Sage will still pull the guide data for the HD channels for the cable lineup even though they are disabled and Sage will not insist on having a cable box to tune these channels. Or you can keep them enabled but give this tuner a lower priority - this way it will only try to use this channel when there is a conflict.

The reason that I mention the above is that I am in Toronto and have 3 tuners - OTA, HD-PVR connected to HD digital cable and SD connected to PVR-150. I think I used a Buffalo zip for OTA. But I did a scan when setting up the OTA tuner and CBC showed up and it had guide data - I am assuming that the guide data came from my Rogers cable lineup. Note that I can record this channel, and all OTA digital channels, on either OTA or HD cable. I can't pick up the other Canadian OTA channels right now as my antenna is aimed more towards Buffalo but I might be able to pick up some/all of them if I re-aim the antenna. And there isn't much point since there isn't much on those channels that isn't already on the Buffalo channels that I get, plus I can still record them offf cable.

[xred]

Thanks to everyone who replied.

As suggested I did in fact change my analog cable tuners over to using Rogers Digital lineups and then remapped the OTA Tuner channels to the Rogers equivalents.

This did force me to also remap some cable channels in the higher end (LeafTV instead of RDI) but that wasn't too big a problem.

[wayner]

So everything worked ok and you have good source data for all OTA channels? The only thing you may be missing is the odd OTA channel that isn't on Rogers like ThinkBright which is sub-channel 3 on PBS from Buffalo.

[xred]

Originally Posted by wayner

So everything worked ok and you have good source data for all OTA channels? The only thing you may be missing is the odd OTA channel that isn't on Rogers like ThinkBright which is sub-channel 3 on PBS from Buffalo.

When I setup the OTA tuners I selected Buffalo as my location, so I have EPG data for all the US OTA stations. The only ones I was missing were the Toronto area stations, which the Rogers Digital lineup does carry.

[vikingisson]

I know this thread is old but something I've found might help other border area users with OTA. The problem is picking Buffalo for example will leave out the Toronto stations.
Well instead of picking through the drop down list you go via the cable/satellite choice, type in your (or any border area) postal code and then pick Antenna. Counter intuitive I know but from there you should get a list of all OTA channels from both sides of the border. Scanning is then much faster and you get proper call signs. EPG on the other is handled as mentioned earlier.

[blueroom]

Do the Buffalo OTA stations broadcast the same shows as the Rogers guide?

[wayner]

Yes - the shows are the same as what is listed in the Rogers guide - the only difference is the simsubbing that Rogers does which, technically, is only supposed to result in different commercials. But there are some OTA channels that Rogers doesn't carry sub-channel 3 on PBS Buffalo for example which is ThinkBright.