Plugin: mc2xml EPG Plugin

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by Robert Wise

I downloaded mc2xml, set it up for Schedules Direct, installed the Plugin and restarted my server, but it can't seem to see my new lineup. I setup the properties file, etc. but nada. I only see the same 3 choices for guide data, XMLTV, TVTV and no guide. Should I be seeing the Plugin here too or my new lineup? If I choose XMLTV, it asks for my Postal Code again. Somehow the Plugin does not appear to be seen, although it's enabled and configured.

The weird thing is that my preview channels in my source setup have the new channel numbers. I get the feeling I'm missing something obvious here.

Just select xmltv, as long as you configured the plugin in properly, it will use mc2xml to download the listings.

[Robert Wise]

Thanks, I got adventurous shortly after leaving the message and tried xmltv. As you mentioned in the wiki, it took a while to load up my new lineup, but it does work.

I had been using Rogers remapped to FibeTV, since Sage did not support my FibeTV lineup. But now that Fibe is remapping all of their channels I decided to bite the bullet and use your plug-in. I wish I'd done it sooner.

The only problem now is that the guide is using the new lineup, but they have not changed over in my area yet. In a week or so, all will be good.

[Slugger]

So I promised an updated version of this plugin that fully supports Schedules Direct by about the end of this month.

Though the code is done, and has been for awhile, I won't be releasing it (immediately, see below). Instead, an opportunity to work with the Schedules Direct team came up and I've been working on some APIs against their next release of the Schedules Direct data service.

What does this mean? A new plugin for SageTV is in the works that will take advantage of the new Schedules Direct release. Of importance (for now):

• A native Schedules Direct Java client will be used to talk to SD; no more middleman (i.e. mc2xml) required
• Access to the newest/latest SD data feed directly within SageTV

The new plugin will maintain all of the current features of this plugin, namely EPG data massaging via Groovy scripting, channel/show/airing generators via groovy, etc. This is the reason why I use a separate EPG source so these features definitely will not be lost. The major gains, as outlined above, are a move to a native Java client for directly communicating with SD, the ability to remove mc2xml from the picture, and access to the new SD data feed.

The expected release date for the plugin is unknown at this point, all I can say is that it's definitely coming. I don't even want to guess because I can't even start on the Sage plugin until I finish creating the SD Java API, which is still in its early stages. I believe this plugin will provide the easiest, smoothest setup/installation and provide the best overall experience for users wishing/needing to move EPG sources.

Support for this plugin will cease when the new SD plugin is released. Why?

• My time is limited and so I can really only support one active EPG solution and that will always be the one I'm using, which will be SD when it's done
• The whole mc2xml/MS legacy listings service seemed a little sketchy to me from the get go. I mean it was great at the time because it was all that was available, but use of MS legacy service outside of MC was, at best, a gray area. Because of that, I moved to pulling my data from SD quite early on and at $2.08/mth it's well worth it and I know it's certainly 100% legal.

Finally, there will be a final update to this plugin at some point that, along with a few minor bug fixes, contains the final full SD support (via mc2xml) changes. However, those changes will remain undocumented and unsupported. For those that implemented the various workarounds to get SD support via mc2xml, that should continue to work. For those that want a more complete SD solution via mc2xml, you'll have to dig into the source code to figure out how to set it up/how it works. Either way, officially, only MS legacy is officially supported as a source until the new plugin is ready, at which time all support for this plugin will end.

[wayner]

This sounds like a very good long term move, particularly the massaging of schedules data from Groovy. Thanks for your continuing support of the Sage community Slugger.

[BobbyDing]

This all sounds great! Looking forward to all of it!

Thanks Slugger!

Bobby

[tvmaster2]

thank you indeed for your continued support...December is coming quicker than I thought...

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

thank you indeed for your continued support...December is coming quicker than I thought...

Yes it is I would like to at least know a month in Advance what is going to happen to the SageTV provided guide data.

[NetworkGuy]

I have been using the mc2xml/MS legacy listings service and it has been working fine. (Except when MS forgets to post updates.)

I am looking forward to switching to the Schedules Direct solution as soon as it is available.

Thanks for all your work!.

John

[wpreyer]

Hi gang! I'm new to the forum and recently installed the MC2XML plugin on SageTV. My question is: Is there a way to make the plugin autodownload guide updates or do you have to manually run the MC2XML program every time you need new guide data?
It very likely could be operator error or a missed step in the setup.

Thanks!

[rnadeau]

I just installed a new motherboard , processor and memory. I did a clean os install and all updates for windows 7 home premium 32 bit. I use schedulesdirect with this plugin. I installed sagetv 7.1.9 and then copied my fully configured sagetv setup over it and it won't change channels to record. I checked the channels and found that there are 2 channels listed for some of the channels. These are the channels that are affected. There is an actual channel and then a broadcast channel below it when looking at it when doing tuner install and setting up the program guide list. I switched back to the sagetv program guide and the channels are changing properly. I checked schedulesdirect to see if I could turn off listing the broadcast channel number but there is no option for that. It just doesn't make sense that it worked till I had to resetup my tuners because I put in 3 new tuners. Any ideas as to why this would happen because I am pretty sure the way the channels are listed didn't just change when I redid my system.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by wpreyer

Hi gang! I'm new to the forum and recently installed the MC2XML plugin on SageTV. My question is: Is there a way to make the plugin autodownload guide updates or do you have to manually run the MC2XML program every time you need new guide data?
It very likely could be operator error or a missed step in the setup.

Thanks!

It should all be automatic. The plugin calls mc2xml periodically to get your updated listings data. If that's not happening then it is most likely user error in the plugin config.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by rnadeau

I just installed a new motherboard , processor and memory. I did a clean os install and all updates for windows 7 home premium 32 bit. I use schedulesdirect with this plugin. I installed sagetv 7.1.9 and then copied my fully configured sagetv setup over it and it won't change channels to record. I checked the channels and found that there are 2 channels listed for some of the channels. These are the channels that are affected. There is an actual channel and then a broadcast channel below it when looking at it when doing tuner install and setting up the program guide list. I switched back to the sagetv program guide and the channels are changing properly. I checked schedulesdirect to see if I could turn off listing the broadcast channel number but there is no option for that. It just doesn't make sense that it worked till I had to resetup my tuners because I put in 3 new tuners. Any ideas as to why this would happen because I am pretty sure the way the channels are listed didn't just change when I redid my system.

One of the options you must set for mc2xml when configuring it is the -F option, which specifies the ordering of the channel info in the downloaded data. My plugin relies on that ordering and if it's not present then all hell will break loose with your channel info. Check to make sure you've set that option as described in the wiki doc. If that's still not it let me know and perhaps I'll push my final update for this plugin to the repo, which does, iirc, contain some fixes around channel parsing, etc. Though since you say it was working before, I suspect you're missing the -F flag in your initial setup. Just look at the channels.xml file in the plugins\mc2xmlepg\<lineup>\ dir, if the first line of every channel entry has the number/callsign/etc. in it then it's in the wrong format.

[rnadeau]

I installed sage but then copied the old setup which worked fine just a couple hours before. I thought it might be because the new hardware, so I uninstalled mc2xml plugin and reinstalled it with the -f and thw -Utf8 flags and still had the same problem. I know this is strange as it was working a few hours before, but after 2.5 hours of trying to diagnose, I switched it back to the sage guide to make sure it wasn't a problem with the usbuirt and all works fine, so I don't get it.

In setting the guide with the tuners, it show me the actual channel and underneath it , it shows what is the broadcast channel. with sage it doesn't and that is the only thing I could guess was causing it because on channels that don't have a separate broadcast channel the channel change worked.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by rnadeau

In setting the guide with the tuners, it show me the actual channel and underneath it , it shows what is the broadcast channel. with sage it doesn't and that is the only thing I could guess was causing it because on channels that don't have a separate broadcast channel the channel change worked.

Let's see the channels.xml file for one of your lineups.

[rnadeau]

Here it is... I changed the ext to txt so I could send it

I just changed back over to schedules direct . I deleted the files and resetup mc2xml with the -utf8 and -f and now it shows it properly. It seems you were right about -f but I could have sworn I did it properly. NBot only that but all I did was copy a working sage setup folder to a new install and this is when the problem started. Confused

[Slugger]

Looks correct. So now have a look at the sagetv_0.txt file immediately after a failed channel change attempt with the USB-UIRT. The sage log should log something about why it failed.

[Slugger]

Ha, ok didn't read the rest of the last post. So now it's working? Excellent.

I'll be honest, all my focus is on the new Schedules Direct plugin. This mc2xml one is basically dead to me. Too many moving parts involved in this one, but it served its purpose. But for those who, for reasons unknown to me, refuse to pay the $25/yr to Schedules Direct then this plugin + MS legacy listings will at least provide people something should the need arise.

Since you already use Schedules Direct, you'll be glad when you're able to move to the new one. Or at the very least, I'll be glad when you can move off of this/I can stop supporting it.

[rnadeau]

Sorry, I know you said you don't support it anymore and I don't want to take you away from your new project. I'm looking forward to it.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by rnadeau

Sorry, I know you said you don't support it anymore and I don't want to take you away from your new project. I'm looking forward to it.

Earlier this evening I managed to install an initial pre, pre, pre-alpha build of the Schedules Direct plugin on my test server. Rough around the edges is being generous, but it installed and after only two rebuilds of the code, it ran and populated the EPG. So things are coming along nicely. For the record, no ETA on a release. A very, very, very rough estimate would be "hopefully before Jan 1", but that's about the best I can do right now.

[rnadeau]

Very much appreciate your hard work. I taught myself basic programming decades ago and remember how much fun it was back then. I know it's hard work to put something like this together but I also know that I got a certain satisfaction in having accomplished what I had set out to do. It is amazing the power you have when you know to make something do what you tell it to.

I'm sure you get the same satisfaction I got otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. and of course appreciation for your hard work doesn't hurt either. You know everyone here appreciates everything you have done and are still doing