Topic: EPG not showing shows after 7pm on 31 Dec 2019 (Read 4716 times)

willrbaar · « **on:** December 29, 2019, 04:04:19 pm »

I have noticed that the EPG for my Media Center 25 is not showing any programs after 7pm on 31 Dec 2019. I have tried to force the EPG to download and update, but things don't update. I have tried a number of things such as; I unchecked the update every 24 hrs in the background, and checked the ask for mc2xml settings. Of course, I have done the usual shut down and reboot, plus updated windows. I noticed that Rovi was downloading a file to the APPDATA/Roaming/JRiver/MediaCenter25/Temp called ATSC-21804.xml. I looked at this file, and I inspected the data that was being downloaded. The Rovi data for the channels stopped at 7pm on 31 Dec 2019. So it looks like Media Center 25 is showing what Rovi is giving it. So, is Rovi stopping the data flow? or is there a setting that is off somewhere?

Yaobing · « **Reply #1 on:** December 29, 2019, 10:02:45 pm »

The default setting in MC is to use mc2xml, which downloads Rovi data. It it very likely that Rovi stops providing EPG data since Microsoft stops supporting Windows 7, the last version of Windows that has Windows Media Center.

Yaobing · « **Reply #2 on:** December 30, 2019, 07:45:42 am »

Here are links to discussions on the subject:

Microsoft Community

AVS Forum

Yaobing · « **Reply #3 on:** December 30, 2019, 07:47:44 am »

We have built-in support for PercData.

willrbaar · « **Reply #4 on:** December 30, 2019, 03:51:10 pm »

Yaobing, Thanks for the quick response. We looked at the links and we decided to go with the Perc data, especially since you have it built in. I've got things switched over to Perc and went through the complete tv setup. The EPG is still showing no scheduled programs after 7pm on 31 Jan. There is a PERC Soap XML file in the APPDATA/Roaming/JRiver/MediaCenter25/Settings. I went through the file and it has TV Lineups out to Jan 12 2020, but these Lineups aren't showing in the guide. So the new data is on the computer. Is this a problem? or will the JR MC update things later today.

RoderickGI · « **Reply #5 on:** December 30, 2019, 03:53:04 pm »

I thought they were getting in a bit early, dropping Rovi data on January 1st. Support is supposed to end January 14th 2020. Originally they just said no support "After January 2020".

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4057281/windows-7-support-will-end-on-january-14-2020

But the free EPG is as good as gone for America (and other places Rovi supported), just as it has been gone for Australia for ages, other than via OTA EIT EPG, which is rubbish.

Yaobing · « **Reply #6 on:** December 30, 2019, 11:09:17 pm »

Quote from: willrbaar on December 30, 2019, 03:51:10 pm

Yaobing, Thanks for the quick response. We looked at the links and we decided to go with the Perc data, especially since you have it built in. I've got things switched over to Perc and went through the complete tv setup. The EPG is still showing no scheduled programs after 7pm on 31 Jan. There is a PERC Soap XML file in the APPDATA/Roaming/JRiver/MediaCenter25/Settings. I went through the file and it has TV Lineups out to Jan 12 2020, but these Lineups aren't showing in the guide. So the new data is on the computer. Is this a problem? or will the JR MC update things later today.

When you did the complete setup, did you delete old channels? What type(s) of channels do you use (OTA, CableCARD, etc.)? When you go through the setup process, did you make sure xmltv ID mapping is done for all channels?

If you did not delete old channels, there is a chance that new channels are created side-by-side with old ones, and XMLTV ID may be mapped to new channels, but not to old ones. Ideally old channels should have been re-used, but Rovi and PercData use different ways of naming channels, that made it more likely to create duplicates. For example, Rovi data contain more abbreviations, while PercData tends to use fully spelled out names.

willrbaar · « **Reply #7 on:** December 31, 2019, 01:03:43 pm »

Yaobing. Thanks for the help. I got it working. The problem was me and understanding how things worked (of course). After the rescan, there is a table which I guess wanted the scanned channels matched to the EPG channels. There was something about configure channel. I just clicked auto match and proceeded. Of course, nothing changed in the TV Guide. When I went back the last time, with the configure channel, I configured two channels in the list to make configure changes. This seemed to force JR to change the whole guide.

By the way, I don't know what changes you have made to the television setup, but it seems to me that it is working very well. One of the problems I've had in the past was Scheduled recordings getting deleted very easily. Didn't have that problem this time, especially when I went through a complete Setup. Nice job.

upallnight · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2020, 02:46:46 pm »

Quote from: Yaobing on December 30, 2019, 07:47:44 am

We have built-in support for PercData.

I am experiencing the same issue. I tried switching to Perc Data, but it requires a username and password. Is this similar to makemkv and the key is posted on a forum every month?

Yaobing · « **Reply #9 on:** January 01, 2020, 04:21:29 pm »

Quote from: upallnight on January 01, 2020, 02:46:46 pm

I am experiencing the same issue. I tried switching to Perc Data, but it requires a username and password. Is this similar to makemkv and the key is posted on a forum every month?

No, sorry. PercData is a commercial product and requires you to subscribe to it. It is $30 per year. You get username and password from them once you pay for your subscription.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #10 on:** January 02, 2020, 07:10:53 am »

A heads up that we were going to lose our EPG all of a sudden would have been really considerate. To those of us that don't want to pay yet another yearly fee are there any real alternatives? Has Titan TV ever worked, if not why is it still an option? I have never had any luck with it but very much wish it worked.

JimH · « **Reply #11 on:** January 02, 2020, 08:28:30 am »

Quote from: Betelgeus on January 02, 2020, 07:10:53 am

A heads up that we were going to lose our EPG all of a sudden would have been really considerate. To those of us that don't want to pay yet another yearly fee are there any real alternatives? Has Titan TV ever worked, if not why is it still an option? I have never had any luck with it but very much wish it worked.

Sorry if you feel we've been inconsiderate, but JRiver doesn't provide the EPG and the end of life of the Microsoft support for EPG data has been known for some time.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #12 on:** January 02, 2020, 08:59:18 am »

Not known by myself. I don't keep up on this type of news. I just buy JRiver year after year expecting everything to work. So, what about Titan tv? It's still an option in '26', I have an account but still can't get it to work.

upallnight · « **Reply #13 on:** January 02, 2020, 09:19:24 am »

Quote from: Yaobing on January 01, 2020, 04:21:29 pm

No, sorry. PercData is a commercial product and requires you to subscribe to it. It is $30 per year. You get username and password from them once you pay for your subscription.

I guess it may be time to retire my HTPC and get a Amazon Recast, as it seems to be the only device left with no fees, plus it can host streaming apps.

I very much enjoyed my many many years using JRiver. It was my single platform for all my media needs after the demise of WMC. But with no support for streaming services and now no DVR functionality, it is just a media player for my own content.

JimH · « **Reply #14 on:** January 02, 2020, 09:37:19 am »

There are other EPG solutions. In the U.S., at least, the OTA channels provide EPG data now.

We'll post more instructions and alternatives in a day or two.

JimH · « **Reply #15 on:** January 02, 2020, 10:09:56 am »

Here's an EPG thread at The Green Button:

https://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=12391&sid=2c91fd3f78241b70deb8775b919d7a21

And a link to EPG123, which uses the Schedules Direct data and has a support board at the Green Button forum.

http://epg123.garyan2.net/

Yaobing · « **Reply #16 on:** January 02, 2020, 10:55:59 am »

Quote from: Betelgeus on January 02, 2020, 08:59:18 am

So, what about Titan tv? It's still an option in '26', I have an account but still can't get it to work.

Can you describe how it does not work? I will take a look at it. To be honest I have not paid attention to Titan TV for many years because no one seemed to bring up any issues with it because we had a working solution.

JimH · « **Reply #17 on:** January 02, 2020, 11:02:03 am »

Thanks to Yaobing, we have EPG alternatives here:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/board,11.0.html

Betelgeus · « **Reply #18 on:** January 02, 2020, 11:45:04 am »

I try to load Titan tv with mc2xml and receive an error : TCP and a string of numbers then it retries three times then the message: "Execution of external program was successful, but no data was loaded."

Yaobing · « **Reply #19 on:** January 02, 2020, 12:25:14 pm »

Quote from: Betelgeus on January 02, 2020, 11:45:04 am

I try to load Titan tv with mc2xml and receive an error : TCP and a string of numbers then it retries three times then the message: "Execution of external program was successful, but no data was loaded."

It looks like mc2xml failed to get data from Titan TV. Not sure what we can do here, but I will try.

Yaobing · « **Reply #20 on:** January 02, 2020, 01:31:25 pm »

Quote from: Betelgeus on January 02, 2020, 08:59:18 am

So, what about Titan tv? It's still an option in '26', I have an account but still can't get it to work.

Can you try mc2xml directly and see if it works? I have no Titan TV ID myself so I can not test. mc2xml is found here.

Open a command window and run mc2mxl with parameters -t <TitanID> -g <zipcode>. Let me know if it succeeds.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #21 on:** January 02, 2020, 09:30:52 pm »

This is what I wrote. Sorry, I haven't used a command prompt in a long time. I have no idea what the proper syntax is.

C:Users\maher>mc2xml -t <id removed, not sure if it should be in public> -g <44136>
"The Syntax of the command is incorrect."

Yaobing · « **Reply #22 on:** January 02, 2020, 11:34:51 pm »

Quote from: Betelgeus on January 02, 2020, 09:30:52 pm

This is what I wrote. Sorry, I haven't used a command prompt in a long time. I have no idea what the proper syntax is.

C:Users\maher>mc2xml -t <id removed, not sure if it should be in public> -g <44136>
"The Syntax of the command is incorrect."

I am sorry, I should have said "without <>", i.e.

mc2xml -t TitanID -g zipcode

For example, mc2xml -t xxxxxuuuuuussssssiiiiii -g 44136

where xxxxxuuuuuussssssiiiiii is a fake Titan ID.

However, I tried using the string you posted (without the angle bracket), mc2xml gave me the "TCP ..." error as you described earlier. This error probably meant that the server was rejecting the connection for some reason (but I have a suspicion that it was trying to connect to Microsoft, instead of Titan). When I deleted the mc2xml.dat file and tried again later, I got a different error, "Error: HL -y". I do not understand this, and mc2xml website does not have an explanation of this error.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #23 on:** January 03, 2020, 08:35:44 am »

I tried it the way you suggested and received "mc2xml is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

Yaobing · « **Reply #24 on:** January 03, 2020, 09:02:38 am »

Quote from: Betelgeus on January 03, 2020, 08:35:44 am

I tried it the way you suggested and received "mc2xml is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

You need to first change to the directory where mc2xml.exe is. Alternatively you need to specify the full path of the program.

For example, suppose your mc2xml.exe is in D:\Downloaded Programs\mc2xml\, you can do these:

Code: [Select]

to change to D: drive, just type 

d: 

and press enter.

to change to the correct folder, type 

cd "downloaded programs"

press enter, then

cd mc2xml

press enter

After doing that, the command prompt will show this:

D:\Downloaded Programs\mc2xml>

You can now type "mc2xml -t titanID -g zipcode", without the quotation marks.

Yaobing · « **Reply #25 on:** January 03, 2020, 09:17:43 am »

By the way, on mc2xml site they say Titan ID should be 30 characters long. The code you posted (and I removed) was longer than 30 characters (it appears to be two parts, separated by a '-', and the first part was 30 characters). I have no first hand knowledge of Titan IDs though.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #26 on:** January 03, 2020, 09:41:58 am »

Ok followed your directions using the first thirty characters and ran it. Thanks for your patience by the way.

Showed-
Loading ........ : mc2xml (c) <mc2xml@gmail.com> (v1.6)
Reminder ...... : Unauthorized redistribution prohibited.
Reminder ...... : If this software is useful, please donate!
Reading ........ : mc2xml.dat
Downloading . : Microsoft.com
Status.......... : No new data available

Yaobing · « **Reply #27 on:** January 03, 2020, 11:01:46 am »

The result shows that it was still connecting to Microsoft (Rovi). Try finding and deleting (or renaming) the file mc2xml.dat. That way, mc2xml will pop up a dialog window. The "Service" choice should have been set to TitanTV. If not, you should choose that at this stage. The Zipcode should appear as you entered too. If not you should enter it. Click OK and see what happens.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #28 on:** January 03, 2020, 02:21:35 pm »

Tried that. Renamed file to mmc2xml.dat
Mc2xml window opened with more choice than before. Titantv was checked zipcode was filled accurately.

Showed same lines as before then-

Connecting... : Titantv.com
Error: HL -t

Yaobing · « **Reply #29 on:** January 03, 2020, 02:49:02 pm »

This is similar to what I got. I got "Error: HL -y". I am guessing this is the same thing. I use mc2xml version 1.4, you use 1.6. I think it used to take parameter "-y TitanID" for TitanID input, but later they changed it to "-t TitanID". Therefore "-t" is the same as -y.

The reasons I asked you to run the test, 1. I did not have a Titan TV ID, 2. I need to verify "-t" vs. "-y" thing.

If you edit the your EPG setting in MC, by changing from "Standard" to "Titan TV", and checking the checkbox "Reset mc2xml settings file so it asks for configuration information again", you will probably end up failing to get EPG for the same error.

Judging from the fact -t or -y is for specifying Titan TV ID, the error probably means your Titan TV ID was not accepted, either the Titan server has revoked it, or it has stopped supporting it. This is only my guess. Only the author of mc2xml program can answer the question with authority.

RoderickGI · « **Reply #30 on:** January 03, 2020, 05:34:23 pm »

Quote from: Yaobing on January 03, 2020, 02:49:02 pm

Titan TV ID, the error probably means your Titan TV ID was not accepted, either the Titan server has revoked it, or it has stopped supporting it. This is only my guess.

Which should be easy to check if the OP logs into the TitanTV site. Surely that ID is visible in a User Profile?

Quote from: Yaobing on January 03, 2020, 02:49:02 pm

Only the author of mc2xml program can answer the question with authority.

Who has been responsive in the past, when asked intelligent questions.

It would seem like TitanTV may be a good free option for American users... until you read the comments here: http://mc2xml.awardspace.info/#titantv

I thought access to TitanTV had been severely restricted in the past, and those comments imply that as well. Particularly if IDs have been shared on the internet so that anybody can use them.

Yaobing · « **Reply #31 on:** January 03, 2020, 06:05:32 pm »

Quote from: RoderickGI on January 03, 2020, 05:34:23 pm

Which should be easy to check if the OP logs into the TitanTV site. Surely that ID is visible in a User Profile?

Titan ID is not assigned to ordinary user, not currently anyway. Nowadays, it seems that signing up for an account at Titan only amounts to surrendering your email address to them. You only get EPG on their website, which you can get even without signing up. In the past they may have given out IDs, but I don't know. Many people obtain an ID by other means (the IDs that are assigned to certain devices - like a TV tuner that comes with software and EPG).

RoderickGI · « **Reply #32 on:** January 03, 2020, 08:43:35 pm »

Quote from: Yaobing on January 03, 2020, 06:05:32 pm

In the past they may have given out IDs, but I don't know.

I think they did, and that is what I remember was being restricted. But it is quite some time since I read about the changes.

What a shame, because it could have been a good free alternative for American users.

A search of the internet may still find some shared IDs, which may not have been blocked.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #33 on:** January 03, 2020, 08:51:30 pm »

The thirty digit 'ID' number I used is called a Share Token you get when you create a custom Lineup. You then are supposed to be able to share your lineup token with other users. I don't know if that's the 'ID' or not but the number adds up. I messaged their customer support explaining the situation earlier today. I'll share anything I learn. Hopefully, I'll hear back from them.

Betelgeus · « **Reply #34 on:** January 09, 2020, 09:51:34 pm »

Okay, it's been almost a week. I haven't heard back from Titan TV and don't expect I will unless of course they've been inundated with inquiries since the 1st and have to catch up. Not holding my breath. I would be real curious though to know how well it operated for those that could get it working and what it looked like in Theater View. So now I'm looking at either XMLTV or PercData but would again like to see how they look and work with OTA before trying them myself if anyone has any input and or screenshots it would be appreciated.

Yaobing · « **Reply #35 on:** January 11, 2020, 05:08:13 pm »

Rovi is still outputting data as of yesterday. Maybe you will get by for a few more days.

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Author Topic: EPG not showing shows after 7pm on 31 Dec 2019 (Read 4716 times)