DirecTV from Canada causes xmltv headaches!

[plawlor]

Here are the background facts behind my problem:

- I live in Canada, specifically in the AST time zone.
- AST is one hour ahead of EST.
- There are no US locals / ZIP codes in AST.
- I'm using xmltv to get multiple listings -- DirecTV, ExpressVu, and local Antenna.
- Technically, DirecTV is not available to Canadian subscribers (I have my account setup with a relative in the US. He forwards the bills to me and I pay online).

When I configure ExpressVu and the local Antenna for xmltv, I specify my own Postal Code and both show up as available services. Because my Postal Code is in the AST time zone, my listings are provided correctly. However, in order to get DirecTV as an available service, I have to enter a US ZIP Code. When I do this, it gives me the listings in the time zone for that ZIP. There are no US ZIP Codes in my time zone. Setting "tz=AST" in the update batch file doesn't work. It still gives me EST start and stop times, even though "AST" is appended to the end.

Thinking that the ZIP Code was overriding the tz entry, I changed my ZIP Code in the xmltv config to "00000". The generic "DirectTV - USA" service is available. I selected it, but the start and stop times are now provided in CST. Again, AST is appended to the end of the start and stop tags, even though the times are not AST!

Just to get a feel for how the data source behind xmltv works, I went to the Zap2It site. I used a New York ZIP Code, and even though my PC's time zone is set to AST, the web site provided me with an EST listing because New York is in the EST time zone. I then used "00000" as the ZIP Code and it provided me with a CST listing. This behaviour matches what I've been seing out of xmltv.

What are my options? Am I screwed having an American service living in a Canadian-only time zone? Can I use the SageTV EPG service for DirecTV and xmltv for ExpressVu and the Antenna? Will the SageTV service have the same problem? How do I use both SageTV's EPG service and xmltv at the same time? After implementing the xmltv plug-in for multiple providers, xmltv's listings (1.xml, 2.xml, etc.) are the only ones I can get at in Sage.

Thanks to anyone who can help or point me in a new direction...

Peter L.

[davey_fl]

I may be missing the question here but can you grab your listings for DirecTV through the xmltv plugin? If so you could try adding this to your line in the xmltv batch file:

xmltv tv_grab_na Set TZ=-0700

I had to do this to get the listings to show up with the correct time zone.

hope this helps...

[plawlor]

I'll give that a try tonight and post the results. Right now, my batch file looks something like this:

set tz=ast
xmltv tv_grab_na

This does successfuly pull down the listings, but for the wrong time zone. The start time for Jay Leno in the xml file is "20020217223500 AST" which is actually the CST start time, not the AST start time of 003500 -- 2 hours later. The part that concerns me is the "AST" tag on the end of the start time. To me, that suggests that xmltv is recognizing my time zone correctly, but does not have access to AST times, thus reverting to the default time zone for the ZIP Code I provided -- 00000.

Thanks for your help,
Peter L.

[davey_fl]

20020217? Is that in the format YYYYMMDD? 2002 looks wrong, but besides the point. I can tell you that I'm in MST, and setting the TZ=MST did nothing to change the timezone, I had to specifically set the offset from GMT, thus -0700. Yours should read:
set tz=-0400

davey

[plawlor]

Thanks davey. The 2002 was a typo. It is 2004. I'll try tz=-0400 and see what happens.

[davey_fl]

no problem, I hope it works.


Davey

[plawlor]

No luck. I used "Set tz=-0400" and I'm still being fed CST start times by xmltv. Here is a sample listing from my xml file:

<programme start="20040219233700 -0400" stop="20040220003700 -0400" channel="C80wcbsdt.zap2it.com">
<title>The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn</title>
<desc>Actor Tom Cavanagh; actress Poppy Montgomery; musician JC Chasez.</desc>
<category>Talk</category>
<category>Tabloid</category>
<audio>
<stereo>stereo</stereo>
</audio>
<subtitles type="teletext" />
<rating system="VCHIP">
<value>14</value>
</rating>
</programme>

As you can see, the start time provided is 11:37PM. In my time zone, this show comes on at 1:37AM. Notice the "-0400" appended to the end of the start and stop tags. This indicates to me that xmltv is recognizing my time zone correctly, but the data provider is unable to provide an AST listing.

As a troubleshooting tactic, I'm going to change my time zone to -0500 which is EST and see if xmltv spilts back EST listings. If it does, it will confirm my suspicions that xmltv cannot provide DirecTV listings for time zones outside the US.

Peter L.

[davey_fl]

Ok then just try zip code 00802, that's the Virgin Islands (US) which is also on AST...

Davey

[plawlor]

Davey,

You are the man! I didn't realize that DirecTV was available outside mainland USA. I re-ran the xmltv config using 00802 as the ZIP, and DirecTV - USA was an availble service. I pulled down 1 day's worth of programming, and the listings are correct!

Lesson learned -- xmltv pays no attention to your timezone setting. It is all based on the location of the ZIP / Postal Code provided.

Thanks again!

Peter L.

[davey_fl]

no problem, glad it's working!

davey

[plawlor]

One additional question for you though...

The new file I pulled down earlier today is correct. I verified the start times for as many shows as I knew. However, Sage is still displaying the old listings. I confirmed that the 2.xml file was overwritten with the new one, but I can't get Sage to refresh the guide, even with a shutdown and restart. Is there a way I can force a guide refresh?

Thanks,
Peter

[olyar15]

To refresh the Sage listings, go to the channel setup and deselect then reselect a channel. This should force Sage to repopulate the EPG.

[plawlor]

Thanks Charles. That did the trick.

[ErsatzTom]

There really should be an easier way to force a refresh. For the import libraries as well.

t