New XMLTV Import Tool

[Mark SS]

Got it working eventually.

It seems that whichever way round I setup a source (i.e. scan then add lineup or lineup then scan), Sage tries to pair up some of the channels e.g. assigning in physical to logical and vice-versa, badly!

The solution was to go to each channel in turn, both physical and logical and reset both the physical and logical channel numbers to default. After this I had a full listing of both and could allocated the channels correctly.

[alon24]

Stepphan,

Would you consider (and i did bring this up before) creating a new version, which will only update shows that start ahead of the current time?

What happens now is that when Sage updates the EPG, and there is a show recording, the show stops recording for a few seconds, and then begins again.

I think this is related to the update since it happens only when I updaet the epg using your program.

If you could make it that the if a show is supposed to start before the current time, then it will not be updated that would be great.

Thanks

[Gabriel]

Followers of this thread might want to check my post regarding tv_grab_na_dd and non US/Canada listings
showthread.php?post234414
Gabriel

[StephaneM]

Hello,

Originally Posted by alon24

Would you consider (and i did bring this up before) creating a new version, which will only update shows that start ahead of the current time?

Can you submit a bug report for this to SageTV.

The Importer will always only discard shows that are in the past. If I'll do otherwise the EPG could be useless for the current time especially when you just set up SageTV.

You can always schedule the Importer to run when SageTV does not record anything.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[dooferlad]

Hi,

I am using this XMLTV import tool to import channel data for two DVB-T tuners. Sage is downloading data from the program streams and using it in the EPG for some channels even though I have told it to use XMLTV. Is there anything the plugin can tell me about why this is happening?

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by dooferlad

I am using this XMLTV import tool to import channel data for two DVB-T tuners. Sage is downloading data from the program streams and using it in the EPG for some channels even though I have told it to use XMLTV.

You'll have to :

* shut down SageTV completely
* open the sage.properties file (in the SageTV program files directory)
* find any line with epg_data_sources/XXXXX/disable_data_scanning=false
and change it to true : disable_data_scanning=true (there is normally one line per tuner, so disable the data scanning for the tuner you want it to be disabled)

This will prevent SageTV from retreiving the EPG in the data stream.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[dooferlad]

I have already done that - there is a bug open against it.

Thanks - hopefully the next RC will work better.

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by dooferlad

I have already done that - there is a bug open against it.

That's weird, because with the latest beta, I can disable data parsing (even with a fresh new video source).

[dooferlad]

It could be that I only have details for two sources - one OTA and one XMLTV, but I have two tuners that are capable of providing data. I have disabled the OTA source that is listed, but the one that isn't may still be picking up data.

[technazz]

Stéphane,

Is there a easy way to add new channels. I rescanned and found new channels. I removed the source from Sage, shut down sage and service, updated my channels.xml, re-imported in your tool. The channels show up but the guide data is wrong.

It is correct in the native xml but it seems to shift the data to from another channel. Is this data left over from sage or your importer? I went as far a uninstalling your importer and removing all the files and re-install, it is the same after that so I seem to think is a sage error. How do I flush out all the old EPG data in sage?

Technazz

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by technazz

Is there a easy way to add new channels. I rescanned and found new channels. I removed the source from Sage, shut down sage and service, updated my channels.xml, re-imported in your tool. The channels show up but the guide data is wrong.

Usually I don't use "Scan" in SageTV because it tends to mess things badly in the lineup.

What I do is simply add the channel in the Importer and make sure that the channel number I put in there is the real "physical" channel number.

For Analog OTA or set top box, this is relatively easy as there is no ambiguity on the physical channel number.

However for Digital TV this can be complicated. For instance with DVB-T, SageTV creates a frq file, this file contains all the channels found during a scan. This file contains the "physical" channel number, which is in fact an index into this file.

So I end up editing this frq file to add new channels, and edit channel numbers the way I like. And I make sure that I use the same channel numbers in the XMLTV Importer lineup editor.

When the Importer has finished its job and imported data into SageTV the channel is immediately available in SageTV with the correct program data.

It is correct in the native xml but it seems to shift the data to from another channel. Is this data left over from sage or your importer? I went as far a uninstalling your importer and removing all the files and re-install, it is the same after that so I seem to think is a sage error. How do I flush out all the old EPG data in sage?

It's either because you misconfigured the Importer, or the scan in SageTV has messed up the lineup.

You can take a look in the Sage.properties file. epg/channel_lineups/X= is what is imported by the Importer (the numbers are: channelID,channelNumber). Those properties should be enough to tune your channels if the channelNumber is the physical number.

If you edit or scan the channels, you'll have also some properties named physical_overrides and logical_overrides that can be the source of your trouble.

I don't know a way of completely wiping out guide data in SageTV.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[technazz]

Originally Posted by StephaneM

Usually I don't use "Scan" in SageTV because it tends to mess things badly in the lineup.

What I do is simply add the channel in the Importer and make sure that the channel number I put in there is the real "physical" channel number.

For Analog OTA or set top box, this is relatively easy as there is no ambiguity on the physical channel number.

However for Digital TV this can be complicated. For instance with DVB-T, SageTV creates a frq file, this file contains all the channels found during a scan. This file contains the "physical" channel number, which is in fact an index into this file.



So I end up editing this frq file to add new channels, and edit channel numbers the way I like. And I make sure that I use the same channel numbers in the XMLTV Importer lineup editor.

When the Importer has finished its job and imported data into SageTV the channel is immediately available in SageTV with the correct program data.

I should have been more clear. Im using MyTheatre DVB Plug in. Im scanning within MT then running a channel numbering script that you wrote that creates the channels.xml file that I place into the All Users/Aplication Data/LM Gestion/ directory which save me alot of time with editing channel numbers.

All of the channels match in your importer with sage. Just the EPG data is off only on the NEW channels. Ive done this before and over a few days the EPG data get corrected but this is a time I wanted to record one of the new channels.

Technazz

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by technazz

All of the channels match in your importer with sage. Just the EPG data is off only on the NEW channels. Ive done this before and over a few days the EPG data get corrected but this is a time I wanted to record one of the new channels.

If it somehow "autocorrect", the only thing I can think of is that you should force an EPG update within SageTV after running the Importer.

If this already what you do (otherwise I don't know how you could see the new channels) maybe this has something to do with the XMLTV file itself.

The Importer will load previous program guide data and replace it with new informations when you do the Import. Each channel gets a unique ID (you can verify the uniqueness in Lineup.xml in the GuideData folder, ss-stationnum is the ID). When programs are imported the are "channel independant" (ProgramsXX.xml) and link between channels and programs is made by using the channel ID (EpisodesXX.xml), a show in conflict with another one is automatically deleted (and this is logged in Windows Event Viewer). So even if there is a confusion with a channel ID, running the Importer will replace the wrong data (because obviously all show will conflict)

I don't know how SageTV guide update works, but for me it is clear that new data erase old one. Allthough I never tried a guide update where a channel has data in SageTV and no data in XMLTV (I suppose in this case that existing data is not wiped out).

So I wonder if your channels XMLTV ID doesn't get reused for different channels when you do a channel scan in MyTheater. The only solution in this case would be to :

* wipe out all content in the GuideData directory
* wipe out any XMLTV file that could be reused by MyTheatre

It is also very possible that MyTheatre doesn't have enough time to grabb all data from the TV stream and therefore, there is not enough data in the XMLTV file to completely replace any remaining data from a previously used channel ID (for a different channel). Deleting file in the GuideData folder will prevent the Importer from reusing this old data if this is the case, but I don't know what to do for SageTV (maybe changing the lineup number in the Importer. As I sumbit this number to SageTV maybe it can help to make SageTV realize this is an entirely new lineup)

Regards,
Stéphane.

[dooferlad]

Hi,

I am using this plugin and I have just had a program with the same ID record 3 times. It is set to record first runs and reruns, but I thought Sage wouldn't record the program again, even with this option set, if it had a show of the same ID recorded. Can anyone clarify this? Is there an issue with repeats not being tagged as repeats perhaps? What I actually want is for each program to be recorded once, but if Sage can't get the first airing, but there is another one in the EPG, to record one that it can.

[gplasky]

Maybe your source doesn't have that info. From the first post:

Should handle well First Runs and Reruns even if your XMLTV file doesn't have the required information (again thank to the lookup table). Note: if your XMLTV file doesn't have any information about first runs and re-runs, then the Importer will first consider that all is new and progressively will show re-runs (the Importer will think a show it doesn't have in its lookup table is new otherwise a rerun).

Gerry

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by dooferlad

I have just had a program with the same ID record 3 times. It is set to record first runs and reruns, but I thought Sage wouldn't record the program again, even with this option set

This is the case if the ID does not begin with SH. I have put an article explaining EPGID for SageTV that covers how things works regarding EPGID.

If those 3 shows does have a SH prefix, then SageTV assume it doesn't have enough information to tell them appart and will record the three of them (and also if you watch one of these show, it will not mark the two others as watched). There is a property in SageTV for changing this behavior, but I recommend not to use it (it's preferable to have SageTV record more shows than no shows at all)

Can anyone clarify this? Is there an issue with repeats not being tagged as repeats perhaps?

You should notice in your program guide, that episode with SH EPGID doesn't have any repeat / first run indication at all.

What I actually want is for each program to be recorded once, but if Sage can't get the first airing, but there is another one in the EPG, to record one that it can.

You'll have to force this show to have an EPGID that begins with EP. You can do this with the show rules editor : create a rule for the show and select "this program does have first run..." and if you want you can specify the time/day when first run occurs and tell the Importer to see other episodes outside these time ranges to be repeat of the previous ones (If you don't those episodes will surely get an "SH" EPGID).

In the upcoming version of the Importer you'll also be able to force an "EP" prefix for a program category.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[technazz]

I have a show that I set up as a favorite. But it is always set as watched. Its Big Brother After Dark which is the title every night. A new episode is on every night but the same episode number gets assigned to it Show ID: EP0005170001 but the MediaFileID=8718472 , AiringID=8694862 are different.

Is there something I can do in the import or Sage for this to record every night. I have to manually record it every night.

Technazz

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by technazz

I have a show that I set up as a favorite. But it is always set as watched. Its Big Brother After Dark which is the title every night. A new episode is on every night but the same episode number gets assigned to it Show ID: EP0005170001 but the MediaFileID=8718472 , AiringID=8694862 are different. Is there something I can do in the import or Sage for this to record every night. I have to manually record it every night.

You can:

* create a show rules to specify that this show has first runs and specify day and time the first runs occurs (either select the option to treat other shows as repeats or not depending on other airings)

* create a show rules to specifiy that this show is a generic one (but with the current version of the Importer the ep.title is not dropped, so SageTV will still record only one show despite the "SH" prefix, the upcoming version will drop the ep.title and put it in the description instead).

* continue to record it manually.

So basically it depends on other episodes of the show. I suppose that this particular episode is:

* program title : "Big Brother"
* episode title : "After Dark"

If all other episodes doesn't have an ep.title the smartest move would be to set the whole show as a generic one (with the upcoming version) especially if there is not much repeat (even though with a favorite you can still put a time range).

If other episodes have ep.title and the Importer does a good job with those, then the "has first run" could be the right option : it will create a first run for the night airing without changing the other airings (you have to not check the check box that makes all other episodes a repeat).

Regards,
Stéphane.

[technazz]

Originally Posted by StephaneM

You can:

* create a show rules to specify that this show has first runs and specify day and time the first runs occurs (either select the option to treat other shows as repeats or not depending on other airings)

* create a show rules to specifiy that this show is a generic one (but with the current version of the Importer the ep.title is not dropped, so SageTV will still record only one show despite the "SH" prefix, the upcoming version will drop the ep.title and put it in the description instead).

* continue to record it manually.

So basically it depends on other episodes of the show. I suppose that this particular episode is:

* program title : "Big Brother"
* episode title : "After Dark"

If all other episodes doesn't have an ep.title the smartest move would be to set the whole show as a generic one (with the upcoming version) especially if there is not much repeat (even though with a favorite you can still put a time range).

If other episodes have ep.title and the Importer does a good job with those, then the "has first run" could be the right option : it will create a first run for the night airing without changing the other airings (you have to not check the check box that makes all other episodes a repeat).

Regards,
Stéphane.

The show is aired only once a day and there is no re-airings/repeats. It only has a show name of Big Brother After Dark with no episode name.

What would be the best way?

Thanks!

Technazz

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by technazz

The show is aired only once a day and there is no re-airings/repeats. It only has a show name of Big Brother After Dark with no episode name. What would be the best way?

Create a rule and set it as a generic show.