Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[mlefebvre]

I'm really happy with the EPG changes that were made in MC 20.017. Being able to schedule both Internet EPG and ATSC EPG together once a day is sweet.

But may I bring forward a couple of ways to make it even sweeter?

I use an an ATSC antenna to get my TV signal. I use the Internet EPG and that is nice as it seems to provide about 2 weeks of data. But the cable provider from which the data comes from does not offer all of the ATSC channels I can get with the antenna. For example, here in Montreal, the cable company offers PBS 33.1 (ATSC virtual channel #) in its line up, so I can get the EPG data for that via the Internet. But it does not offer 33.2, 33.3 or 33.4. I have to use the ATSC EPG for that.

The problem is that many ATSC station offer less than 24 hours of EPG in the future. In a couple of case here, it is less than 6 hours of EPG data. Being able to scan for ATSC EPG only every 24 hours is limiting.

So If the following 2 issues could be solved, it would be great:

1) Allow MC to be able to be configured to update the ATSC EPG at smaller intervals than 24 hours. This way, a recording rule will not miss a show for lack of EPG data. If The ATSC station provides only 6 hours of EPG data, then I'd set MC to check for EPG data every 4 or 5 hours.

2) Getting the ATSC EPG data takes a long time. In my case, for my 24 channels I get with the antenna, it takes 40 minutes. During this 40 minutes, I cannot watch or record TV. But I only really need to get ATSC EPG data for 5-6 channels as I can get all of the other ones via the Internet, and that takes mere seconds. Would it be possible to specify for each channel which method is to be used to get the EPG data (Internet or ATSC)? So for the 5-6 channels I cannot get the EPG info from the Internet, MC will only scan via ATSC EPG for those 5-6 channels. I'll bet that the scanning for ATSC EPG data would go from 40 minutes to 5 minutes. Another advantage of this approach would be for the few stations that do not provide ATSC EPG. If I run the Internet EPG, I get the data for those station, but since they do not provide ATSC EPG, the minute I run the ATSC EPG on those channels, the data that was received via the Internet is erased.

Thanks.

Michel.

[Yaobing]

When you get EPG through the internet, the "Provider" drop box lets you select a provider, you would select one that corresponds to your cable company, AND, you can also select "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" for your ATSC channels.  At least that is what's available where I live.  "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" is a choice independent of your cable lineup.  Are you saying you do not get the "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" option?  Or you get it but it does not include all ATSC channels?

[RoderickGI]

1) Allow MC to be able to be configured to update the ATSC EPG at smaller intervals than 24 hours. This way, a recording rule will not miss a show for lack of EPG data. If The ATSC station provides only 6 hours of EPG data, then I'd set MC to check for EPG data every 4 or 5 hours.

This is an extension of my additional question over here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=91881.msg633147;topicseen#msg633147

Perhaps we need a schedule for the Load Program Guide, rather than just a time? Either at multiple times, or at an interval of x minutes.

Actually it would be nice to be able to gather program time updates, via the CRID data in MHEG5 or Now&Next data that is delivered via the OTA EPG, and use that to regularly update the MC Program Guide. That would just be time updates only, rather than a full refresh, and would require small runs and loads very regularly. Possibly every 10 minutes or something.

EPG Collector, which I use to gather my EPG data, is able to collect CRID data, but I haven't looked at what it includes or whether it could be used. It would need to be launched on a schedule, and there would need to be a way to do incremental Guide updates. It may even be nice to have a way to push updates into MC via an API, rather than have MC run a schedule to import updates, if using an external EPG gathering program like I am forced to do. It would also be nice if all EPG maintenance could be done in MC, for all locations around the world, including Australia.

But all that is a much bigger issue, unless someone is up for a full redesign of the process. For now a schedule for Guide loads would be good.

[mlefebvre]

When you get EPG through the internet, the "Provider" drop box lets you select a provider, you would select one that corresponds to your cable company, AND, you can also select "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" for your ATSC channels.  At least that is what's available where I live.  "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" is a choice independent of your cable lineup.  Are you saying you do not get the "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" option?  Or you get it but it does not include all ATSC channels?

I don't see the "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" option. I can only select from a cable (Videotron) or satellite provider (Bell Or Shaw). Country is set for "Canada".

Thanks.

Michel.

[mlefebvre]

I don't see the "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" option. I can only select from a cable (Videotron) or satellite provider (Bell Or Shaw). Country is set for "Canada".

Thanks.

Michel.

You can try with Postal Code H3G 4Y3 with "Country" set to Canada.

Michel.

[rudyrednose]

Salut Michel !

I live north of you, in the lower Laurentians.  On a good winter day I get all the Montreal stations, PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX.  Summertime foliage eliminates ABC and sometimes FOX.

Here is what worked well for me (can be useful to others getting both US and Canadian ATSC stations):

I only use Internet EPG.
Open a free account at zap2it.com.  You will use it in conjunction with the tool "zap2xml.exe" found on the web, that scrapes zap2it.com to generate a xmltv.xml file directly usable in MC.

On the zap2it web site I had an issue because my real postal code would only give me a few Montreal stations.  Placing my location in a Montreal postal code did not give me all the US station I could receive.  Placing my location at Mount Mansfield, VT (sorry don't have the zip code handy) gave me all the US stations but not most of the Montreal's ones.

On the zap2it account, I first set my Mount Mansfield zip code location and got the US channels.  In the preferences, I added all the channels I could receive in "My Favs" but none of the others.  I also selected the 6 hours grid, but unchecked "show only my favorites".  Save.

Then I switched location to a suitable Montreal postal code, and proceeded to add the stations to "My Favs", that was still holding the Vermont stations.  Save.

Finally, still in zap2it.com preferences, I then checked "Show only my favorite" and Save.  Voilą !  you now have a tailor made TV listing for the channels you DO get.

My zap2it folder is d:\zap, for the sake of this example.  Pick any that suits you.  Copy the dowloaded zap2xml.exe in d:\zap

In a DOS box, cd to d:\zap and type "zap2xml -u my_zap2it_account -p my_zap2it_password -U".  You should see the program scrape a new guide in several chunks (58 in my case).  The resulting xmltv.xml file is what is needed in JR.

Back in JR Tools/Options/Television select Load Program Guide, XMLTV, Next.
Check "Run an executable"
Run this executable: D:\zap\zap2xml.exe
Pass these arguments: -u my_zap2it_account -p my_zap2it_password -U
Load XMLTV results from this file: D:\zap\xmltv.xml

On the next screen, everything is checked.  Next.

The scraping occurs, then on the next screen you match the received stations with the ones in the EPG.  Finish.

You are done 

The one thing I regret is that there is no Episode# nor Season# shown in MC for the series, while I can see them on the zap2it web page AND the xmltv.xml file...

Enjoy !

[Yaobing]

The ability to load EPG more than once per day has been added for the next build.

[rudyrednose]

adlelare replied to this thread in another one, I copied it back:

rudy, thanks for the EPG tip.  when it integrates in MCTV can you still use all the other capabilities of MCTV PVR function and specifically the tagging function??? and what does zap2it offer that i don't get native from MCTV.  i am a fellow canuck and by using a postal code sitting on the border with the US (not my postal code) and running EPG twice to set it up i get all stations (except for ION stations, but they are completely independent and METV (which i believe is very new))... thanks.. i like many others have a real interest in getting MCTV to work as good as possible.... regards.  PS if you are OTA can you get FOX??? it is the only major network i don't receive and from what i have read in my area the FOX tower (in buffalo) specifically doesn't send a signal into Canada.

Although a long time user of JR for audio, then movies and photos, I have been a "cord cutter" for a year now on OTA ATSC and JR in theater mode (combined with great Logitech remotes) provides me with all the functionality I used to have on my cable box PVR (even more !).

As I get both US and canadian OTA ATSC channels and my reception is much better than any guide shows from just my postal code (I get more channels thanks to an excellent rooftop antenna and favorable geography, reliably getting channels 106 miles away), none of the standard methods embedded in JR suited me and I had to use the zap2it.com TV listings using my favorite channels as I explained previously in this thread.

JR automatically loads my listings at the default time, I have no manual intervention to do, and once a show is canned I can manipulate tags.
I have a low power server, running 24/7, that runs JR Media Server, and all my TVs have an HTPC (2 Intel NUCs and 2 towers) running JR in client mode.

For those interested in the setup, Haswell CPUs and careful parts selection can allow for great low power solutions:
My tuners are 3 SiliconDust HDHomeruns HDHR3 giving me 6 tuners.

The server is always on and draws only 38W idling and 46W watching a single live channel (cost me less than $25/year in power). 
Not bad for a Xeon E3-1246v3 CPU (somewhat equivalent to an i7-4790), 32GB error correcting DDR3-1600L 1.35v RAM, a 480GB SSD and three 4TB disks !
The key to low power idling is a 360W 80Plus Gold Seasonic power supply, maximizing usage of the SSD and spinning down the disks after 20 minutes of idling.
The SSD stores the main Windows Server 2012R2, Hyper-View virtual machines OS and VM data.
The 3 hard drives store data (this server acts as a NAS in addition to JR MEdia Server), music, shows, live TV and photos. 

Movies are stored on a separate Linux NAS machine that we power only when actually viewing a film (don't want too many HD spinning uselessly).

The server is very powerful because apart from JR Media Server, I play with Active Directory and several virtual machines.  Still idles at 38W running Server 2012 and one Win8.1 VM !!!
If I was just doing NAS and JR Media Server duties on the server, I would go with a Haswell i5, 8GB 1.35v RAM, a big SSD for OS and storage of data, pictures and music, and one or more big hard disk to store movies and TV.  Most people buy inefficient power supplies, too powerful (and they work in a less efficient area when loaded below 80%).

Cheers,
'nose

[mlefebvre]

The ability to load EPG more than once per day has been added for the next build.

Hello Yaobing,

I'm back home and have started testing this mod (Thanks BTW!) and I noticed a typo:

In the window "Load Program Guide, Setup Automatic Background Reloading", the word "recommended" has an extra character.

I tried to paste a screen shot, but can't figure it out... 

Michel.

[Yaobing]

Oops, it not only has an extra character, but also has a wrong character.  Two mistakes in one word 

[mlefebvre]

Open a free account at zap2it.com.  You will use it in conjunction with the tool "zap2xml.exe" found on the web, that scrapes zap2it.com to generate a xmltv.xml file directly usable in MC.

Rudy,

I finally had some time this weekend to try this. Where do I get an account at zap2it.com? I've looked and looked all over their web site and can't find it. :-(

Thanks.

Michel.