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Author Topic: EPG  (Read 77500 times)

dbuche

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EPG
« on: July 01, 2015, 07:29:20 am »

I am very unhappy with the EPG. The process is simple enough, and MC found all of my OTA channels. But, the Guide fails in two ways; many of the channels only appear in the Guide occasionally throughout any given day even though they are broadcasting 24/7, and when the Guide does contain the title of a particular broadcast, such as NOVA, it almost never provides any useful information about the content of the show. This makes it impossible to use the guide to schedule interesting shows to record based on content. I can SUBSCRIBE to a show when I want to record every broadcast, but without the content information I do not know whether or not I am interested in seeing any particular broadcast.
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JimH

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Re: EPG
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2015, 08:28:36 am »

There are several options for obtaining the EPG information.  Did you try them all?
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CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2015, 03:57:19 pm »

If you are in the US, try downloading the guide data from Zap2it http://www.zap2it.com/.
Then import into MC as XMLTV file. There is more info on how to set this up at in the TV thread (instruction starts about halfway down in the postings) http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=93831.0
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2015, 04:48:02 pm »

I am guessing you are using over-the-air method of loading guide data.  If that is the case, you may want to try using other methods.

If you want to stick with over-the-air method, you can try scheduling MC to load guide data more than once per day (for example, you can try doing it every 6 hours, or every 8 hours).
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dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2015, 05:46:12 pm »

Yes, I am using Over the Air, it the only option that fits my budget. Will XMLTV work for OTA? I did not think it was an option.
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JimH

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Re: EPG
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2015, 05:53:51 pm »

Yes.
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dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2015, 09:32:50 pm »

I looked over the zap2it suggestion and the web site and I am not sure that guide is designed for OTA signals. What would you suggest?
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JimH

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Re: EPG
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2015, 06:24:43 am »

All of the EPG options in MC will work with OTA.
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dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2015, 08:53:31 am »

The EPG wiki says it is out of date and the only selections I see on the TV Option screen is the Download EPG Automatically or XMLTV which brings me back to my issue. Could you direct me to the other EPG options?

Many thanks
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JimH

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Re: EPG
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2015, 09:18:49 am »

Yes, I am using Over the Air, it the only option that fits my budget. Will XMLTV work for OTA? I did not think it was an option.
You're confusing two things.  The OTA option Yaobing mentioned is the EPG information that is embedded in the signal.  It is spotty, as you've seen.  The OTA you refer to is the method of recording.  These are different.
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2015, 09:23:39 am »

Options for EPG are:

Download EPG automatically
Over-the-air
XMLTV
mc2xml

The first option should work the best for most people in the United States and some other countries.  All you have to do is to

1. Enter your zip code correctly
2. Choose correct provider.

There should be a list of providers for your local area.  They are your cable companies, satellite TV, etc.  But there should be one that says "Digital Terrestrial Lineup".  If this exists, it should be your choice.  If it does not exist, find something that may have similar meaning, such as "Over the air".  If you live in some cities in Canada (you did not tell us which country you live in, but since you have been doing over-the-air EPG loading, you have to be in ATSC land), the "Digital Terrestrial Lineup" option may not be available.

If you can not find Digital Terrestrial Lineup or equivalent, you can consider choosing one of the other providers, such as a Cable company.  Cable companies are required to provide local over-the-air channels (in the USA anyway).  So you can find your guide data for the local channels through them.  It does not matter that you are not using the cable signals (please take note of Jim's remark about separating the concepts of OTA TV signal and OTA EPG data).  The programming info should be the same.  With this option, you may need to do some manual mapping (i.e. knowing which channel on your cable lineup corresponds to which local over-the-air channel).

The XMLTV option is a slightly more "manual" option, in that you need to setup an external application to download the guide data.

I'd suggest you explore "Download EPG Automatically" method first.  Let us know if you still have any questions.  
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Yaobing Deng, JRiver Media Center

CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2015, 02:43:58 pm »

Yes, I am using Over the Air, it the only option that fits my budget. Will XMLTV work for OTA? I did not think it was an option.

I am only OTA as well. The reason I went to Zap2it is because it also adds the Season and Episode number, so your recorded TV Shows will sort correctly (and you can get the cover art/metadata).

The way it work is you download the free Zap2it downloader here http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/ (about mid page), the you use Windows task Scheduler to run the program once a day. The program downloads all the EPG data for your area code into an XMLTV file. Then you tell JRiver to use the XMLTV file. It works very well and it much better than the data that just comes OTA with the broadcast.

If you want to try this, I can walk you through the steps (as other have done for me).
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dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2015, 10:55:03 am »

Thanks CountryBumpkin, I'm grateful for the advice and the hand-hold offer. I live in a semirural are of Indiana and decided to cut the ties with sat TV a few years ago. We are happy with our digital antenna and streaming services and all works well through our media pc and Windows Media Center. I recently decided to change to JRiver MC, which I like very much except for the basic EPG option. Since reading your offer, I have registered with Zap2it and will download their software as soon as my account is created.

Dan
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CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2015, 09:05:32 am »

Post back if you need help.

BTW - you don't need to register with Zap2it/Tribune Media if you don't want (i.e. when I setup my system there was no way for new users to register). The Zap2it download program (is not actually a part of Zap2it/Tribune) it just pulls data from their database.
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dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2015, 09:44:07 am »

Thanks again Country Bumpkin, that's a relief as Zap2it never replied. I downloaded a Windows version of the software from www.zap2it.com/tvlistings. I haven't tried to install it yet, so if you can help me from here it would be a great relief.
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CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #15 on: July 06, 2015, 11:26:00 am »

There is nothing of use at the Zap2it (Tribune) site for our purposes. Just download the "scraper" program from http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/
 
I think that is what you did. It looks like this:

file: zap2xml-install.exe
size: 3091752 bytes
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #16 on: July 07, 2015, 04:29:18 pm »

For anyone who may be interested, I updated EPG wiki to include the latest info applicable in MC20.
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Yaobing Deng, JRiver Media Center

CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2015, 12:09:06 pm »

Very nice guide.
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dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #18 on: July 09, 2015, 05:03:18 pm »

Thanks Gents, I'll see what I can accomplish now.
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #19 on: July 10, 2015, 11:43:12 am »

I edited the wiki a little more, so that zap2xml is referenced instead of zap2it.  Hope that will reduce some confusion.
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Yaobing Deng, JRiver Media Center

Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #20 on: July 10, 2015, 11:50:48 am »

file: zap2xml-install.exe
size: 3091752 bytes
for: www.zap2it.com/tvlistings (new)

I just tried this.  There is no download button under this one.  

"for: www.zap2it.com/tvlistings (new/down)"

Is it taken down temporarily?  When I tried going to www.zap2it.com/tvlistings, I got redirected to http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?aid=tvschedule
So the new one is either temporarily down, or is not yet up.


Perhaps the one on the right-hand side

file: zap2xml2-install.exe
size: 3040700 bytes
for: tvschedule.zap2it.com (old)

is the correct one?  There is a download button under that.
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Yaobing Deng, JRiver Media Center

CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #21 on: July 11, 2015, 05:23:07 pm »

file: zap2xml2-install.exe
size: 3040700 bytes
for: tvschedule.zap2it.com (old)

is the correct one?  There is a download button under that.

You want the "(new)" version circled on the left for "Windows".
I see that the download button/link is gone now. Maybe author is updating the program. We'll need to check back in  a day or so.

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RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #22 on: July 11, 2015, 09:17:35 pm »

This may be a problem:

Quote from: http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/
History
2015-07-09 ◦ zapit removed their newer listings(?), zap2xml2 still works
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

rammingspeed

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Re: EPG
« Reply #23 on: July 14, 2015, 09:44:21 pm »

This may be a problem:

Definitely.  Now there isn't any EPG source that includes season / episode numbers.   :'(
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RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2015, 11:05:23 pm »

Definitely.  Now there isn't any EPG source that includes season / episode numbers.   :'(

There may be a way to get Season and Episode numbers back, at least for some of the programs in your EPG.

I use EPG Collector to collect my EPG and to look up Season and Episode numbers based on just the Series and Episode names. It doesn't work for all TV series, as it relies on data on www.thetvdb.com, and having at least the correct Series and Episode names for a program, but it does work for many.

EPG Collector may work directly for you, if there is enough EPG data in the OTA (Over The Air) stream. But for many users in America the OTA EPG isn't very good, and doesn't cover many days. You appear to be in the USA, given your time difference from me in Australia, so you probably can't use EPG Collector to replace zap2xml as an EPG source.

But, here is what you can try to get your Series and Episode names back.

EPG Collector can take in XMLTV data from external sources. As it does its metadata lookup after collecting XMLTV data, I suspect that it also does the lookup of Season and Episode numbers after it imports external XMLTV data. So, you could:
1. Run zap2xml2 to collect your EPG data
2. Then run EPG Collector without actually collecting any OTA data, or maybe even let it collect what it can find, so the it is aware of the channels you have
3. Include the XMLTV data you collected in step 1. into the EPG Collector data set
4. Have EPG Collector do the metadata lookup to collect Season and Episode numbers using Series and Episode names (Note: Don't have it look up images, as it just slows down EPG Collector, and MC will do it for you later anyway.)
5. Import the output of EPG Collector into MC, which will then use the Season and Episode numbers to look up other TV show information

Easy huh? You would need to confirm that the EPG Collector metadata lookup does process XMLTV data imported from an external source, but if it does, you should be able to get your Season and Episode numbers back for TV Serries.

Let us know what you think, and how you go if you try it.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

rammingspeed

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Re: EPG
« Reply #25 on: July 15, 2015, 05:50:12 am »

Thanks.  I'll take a look and try it out, although I have to say that it doesn't look as if it will work for me as I'm on cable and have opted to use the standard EPG.  Not sure if there is an XML file to scan.  Maybe Schedules Direct...

I would hope that JR will consider improving this feature and include an update in ver21.  The most basic solution would be to do a TVDB lookup on recorded shows, attempting to match series name and episode name and update the tags.  They could also bake in to this lookup the download of series and season cover art for recorded shows.  While I'd prefer season and episode numbers in the EPG, I'd settle for updating the tags of my recorded shows.
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #26 on: July 15, 2015, 06:23:59 am »

Definitely.  Now there isn't any EPG source that includes season / episode numbers.   :'(


Can't you use zap2xml2 to get data from zap2it's old web page?
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rammingspeed

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Re: EPG
« Reply #27 on: July 15, 2015, 06:59:09 am »

Can't you use zap2xml2 to get data from zap2it's old web page?
Yes, but take a look at the data that gets downloaded.  There are no episode descriptions, no genre info, and definitely no season / episode numbers.  The data provided from the old page is somewhere in the neighborhood of totally useless.

example:
   <programme start="20150715200000 -0400" stop="20150715203000 -0400" channel="I11867.labs.zap2it.com">
      <title lang="en">The Big Bang Theory</title>
      <sub-title lang="en">The Gorilla Experiment</sub-title>
      <episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00931182.0053</episode-num>
      <previously-shown />
   </programme>
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RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #28 on: July 15, 2015, 08:30:52 am »

That example has the Series and Episode names. That is enough for EPG Collector to look up the Season and Episode numbers, and all the other program metadata.

I would love for MC to look up the Season and Episode numbers, along with other data from thetvdb. This has been mentioned before, and it should be possible as EPG Collector does it. But so far I don't think it is on the list of things to do.

Yaobing, any plans?
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

muzicman0

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Re: EPG
« Reply #29 on: July 20, 2015, 10:14:28 pm »

Can someone point me in the right direction on how to get EPG Collector to process an existing XMLTV file?  I'm happy to try it out, and have already downloaded the application, but not sure where to go now...
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RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #30 on: July 21, 2015, 12:01:59 am »

Can someone point me in the right direction on how to get EPG Collector to process an existing XMLTV file?  I'm happy to try it out, and have already downloaded the application, but not sure where to go now...

I'm a bit short on time just now, but here is a start;

You will need to set up the usual parts of EPGC to some extent. I'm not sure if you will need to have channels set up or not, but possibly. At the least though, you need to load an EPGC INI file, after which you can select on the menu: Window>Collection Parameters. Before loading an INI the "Collection Parameters" item isn't available. Load an existing (sample or whatever) INI with the second toolbar icon from the left. Or you can create new collection parameters with the first toolbar icon.
Once you have some parameters to edit, you will see thirteen tabs with configuration data. Go to the XMLTV tab and you will see in there how an external XMLTV file(s) can be loaded and merged with broadcast EPG data.

As I haven't had to actually do this myself, you are on your own from here. But if you get stuck with just setting up EPGC, then I can help when I get time. There is also a sort of guide in this thread by Astromo, based on an earlier one. Here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=67992.0

Again, I'm not sure about how this will work if you can't download ANY EPG data from OTA, but it is worth a try.

Let us know how you go.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

dbuche

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Re: EPG
« Reply #31 on: July 21, 2015, 07:21:44 pm »

I have not yet begin using Zap2it because that guide seemed to include cable channels. Instead, my guide looked a little better after reconfiguring and choosing Digital Terrestrial Lineup. That was over a week ago and all was well until the other day when I noticed that my guide is now missing the first channel, CBS 2.1. The channel appears in the lineup and if I click on it in the list I can watch it, but it is not in the guide and it does not appear in the All Channels list. I rescanned, reset, and scanned again with the same result. I would have no problem if one of the foreign language, shopping, or religious channels disappeared, but CBS happens to have one or two of the very few network shows we watch. I do not know if it is relevant, but I think JRiver upgraded itself recently too
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astromo

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Re: EPG
« Reply #32 on: July 22, 2015, 06:09:03 am »

There may be a way to get Season and Episode numbers back, at least for some of the programs in your EPG.

I use EPG Collector to collect my EPG and to look up Season and Episode numbers based on just the Series and Episode names. It doesn't work for all TV series, as it relies on data on www.thetvdb.com, and having at least the correct Series and Episode names for a program, but it does work for many.

...
4. Have EPG Collector do the metadata lookup to collect Season and Episode numbers using Series and Episode names (Note: Don't have it look up images, as it just slows down EPG Collector, and MC will do it for you later anyway.)

Roderick, how have you setup EPGC?
Take a look at the attached pic. I'm guessing this is something along the lines of what you're recommending.
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imeric

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Re: EPG
« Reply #33 on: July 23, 2015, 12:53:54 pm »

(@Yaobbing?)
I looked at the wiki and I can't find where the mc2xml executable needs to be located for it to work with MC20 (no customisation anymore)  I've played with zap2xml, got it working under the XMLTV profile but it is missing some hours in the day...Don't know why...Data is missing in the xml file so nothing to do with JRiver.

This is why I'd like to go back to mc2xml but not sure where it needs to be and how to set-it up with version 20...

Anybody know why I'm missing data or some hours in the day with zap2xml? I've created an account, the only cli I use is -u xxxxx -p xxxxx -D and -S 1 as per this: http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/

I could never get it to work without a username password..Because I'm in Canada?

I've done some recordings and TV zapping yesterday instead of Sage and it looks promising!!
thx
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muzicman0

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Re: EPG
« Reply #34 on: July 23, 2015, 01:30:40 pm »

So I gave up on EPG Collector...couldn't figure it out (how to use an existing XMLTV file), however, I found XMLTVDB (https://code.google.com/p/xmltvdb/wiki/UserGuide) that monitors a folder and adds season and episode info to any new XMLTV files that are created.  I am using it with Schedules Direct, but it also works with one other EPG source I tried (sorry, can't remember the name, but it costs a little less than SD).

So basically, I set XMLTVDB to start when I start my PC, and run MC2XML at 1AM to get latest guide listings, and then at 4AM I import it.  So far it works great.
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #35 on: July 23, 2015, 01:46:12 pm »

(@Yaobbing?)
I looked at the wiki and I can't find where the mc2xml executable needs to be located for it to work with MC20 (no customisation anymore)  I've played with zap2xml, got it working under the XMLTV profile but it is missing some hours in the day...Don't know why...Data is missing in the xml file so nothing to do with JRiver.


I believe the executable should be downloaded by MC automatically.  It should be in this folder:

C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 20\Plugins\mc2xml\
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imeric

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Re: EPG
« Reply #36 on: July 23, 2015, 01:57:12 pm »

It's there indeed but the only thing happening: the cmd prompt will blink 4-5 times and I get a pop-up window from MC saying; "The guide data is not valid, or does not contain program information"

If I set mc2xml through an XTML profile and using the file from: http://mc2xml.awardspace.info/.  It works.  
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astromo

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Re: EPG
« Reply #37 on: July 23, 2015, 02:55:14 pm »

So I gave up on EPG Collector...couldn't figure it out (how to use an existing XMLTV file), however, I found XMLTVDB (https://code.google.com/p/xmltvdb/wiki/UserGuide) that monitors a folder and adds season and episode info to any new XMLTV files that are created.  I am using it with Schedules Direct, but it also works with one other EPG source I tried (sorry, can't remember the name, but it costs a little less than SD).

So basically, I set XMLTVDB to start when I start my PC, and run MC2XML at 1AM to get latest guide listings, and then at 4AM I import it.  So far it works great.

I like the look of this.

Thanks for the tip.

I tried getting EPG Collector's thetvdb scraping function enabled but hit a brick wall. If this provides a workable alternative - happy times.
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muzicman0

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Re: EPG
« Reply #38 on: July 23, 2015, 03:02:35 pm »

I like the look of this.

Thanks for the tip.

I tried getting EPG Collector's thetvdb scraping function enabled but hit a brick wall. If this provides a workable alternative - happy times.
Here is my properties file.  Close to stock, but I changed the file locations, and the 'ForTheRecord' line to false.  Oh..I also removed the SchedulesDirect info since they no longer use Zap2It.

Code: [Select]
#Log Level printed to stdout. Options are: DEBUG, INFO, NOTICE, WARN, ERROR
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

#The folder to listen to. Any XMLTV files put in this folder will be enhanced and moved to the OUTPUT_XML_FILE location
WATCH_FOLDER=C:\Users\Steven\Documents\XMLTV
#The final destination (inluding file name) of the enhanced XMLTV file.
OUTPUT_XML_FILE=C:\Users\Steven\Documents\XMLTV\xmltv.enhanced.xml

#Set to true to only lookup shows that you have scheduled to record in ForTheRecord. (Recommended true)
ONLY_LOOKUP_SCHEDULED_SHOWS=false

#The URL for 4TR's web services. Default port is 49943
#For basic authentication, use http://username:password@FTRSERVER:49943
FTR_WEBSERVICE_URL=http://FTR:49943

#If an epsode's category matches any of these, it will be skipped
#Pipe | seperated list of categories
EXCLUDED_CATEGORIES=Paid Programming|Talk Show|Weather|Sports|News

#Pipe | seperated list of categories that identify movies. (Must change if guide data is not in English)
MOVIE_CATEGORIES=Movie|Movies

#Pipe | seperated list of XMLTV source-info-name attributes that identify the guide data as from Zap2It
ZAP2IT_SOURCE_INFO_NAMES=Zap2it

#TVDB Config
#The maxinum number of series to look through when searching by series name
MAX_TVDB_SERIES_LOOKUP=5

#TVDB Series name translations
#Add an unlimited number of tranlations in format TRANSLATIONX=SERIESNAME|TRANSLATION
#Where the SERIESNAME is the name of the series in your guide data and
#TRANSLATION is either the TVDB SeriesID to use for that series or a different name to use to lookup the series

#Example, force Once Upon a Time to be looked up with (2011) added to the series name
#TVDB_TRANSLATION1=Once Upon A Time|Once Upon A Time (2011)
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imeric

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Re: EPG
« Reply #39 on: July 23, 2015, 03:43:40 pm »

Using the standard EPG download (or XMLTV with MC2xml) I get about 5-6 days worth of future programming data.  Is there any way to make this larger? like 10-14 days?
(I'M trying to set all my recordings from Sage but I can't because some shows don't show up.)

While trying zap2xml I'm missing some shows during the day (like from 8h00 to 11h00 PM on all channels).  I've created an account, the only cli I use is -u xxxxx -p xxxxx -D and -S 1 as per this: http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/.  However as I said previously it's not JRiver since I see the issue straight from the xml file...

Thx!

 
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astromo

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Re: EPG
« Reply #40 on: July 23, 2015, 04:22:12 pm »

Using the standard EPG download (or XMLTV with MC2xml) I get about 5-6 days worth of future programming data.  Is there any way to make this larger? like 10-14 days?

Generally, you're at the mercy of the source and you get a forward schedule with a look ahead of their choosing. Is that relevant?
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RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #41 on: July 23, 2015, 06:53:33 pm »

Roderick, how have you setup EPGC?
Take a look at the attached pic. I'm guessing this is something along the lines of what you're recommending.
Sorry for the delay Astromo. Busy doing other things, as we all are.

Yes, you have it pretty close. My numbers are slightly different but that doesn't matter. That is just me tweaking EPGC.

You do have "Always lookup programmes that return no matching entries", while I no longer do. Steve Bickell (EPGC) advised me to turn it off to reduce the processing time. I'm going from memory here but I think he said that it means if a program has been looked up on theTVDB before, and no match was found, look it up again. However, he reckoned that it was very unlikely that a second, third, etc. search would find the program, at least within the week the EPG was current, as it would require someone to enter that data during the week. So, looking up the programs again and again just took more processing time. My Lookup time dropped from about 25 to 5 minutes just by turning that off.

Not having EPGC look up image also saved a lot of time, and MC can do that once it has Season and Episode numbers, so having those set to "None" is correct.

I haven't kept record of all the gems that Steve has shared over time, so you may find more information reading through the threads I have posted in over at https://sourceforge.net/p/epgcollector/discussion/1125946/  Sorry about the work load! If you do you will notice that he recently fixed a problem I found with the TV and Movie metadata databases growing continuously, and never being trimmed of unnecessary data. I have that fix, but he hasn't released it publicly yet, so you won't have it. But it will be in a future release. Until then the databases will grow, but they will be trimmed when the fix is released, so not big issue.

Anyway, I think one other critical part of getting this working was to have the country set correctly on the Advanced page, as per the image attached. Other than that, the Lookups just worked for me. I've attached a copy of my INI file. It doesn't say much, but it has one little important line, "Location=AUS,0". If your INI doesn't have that, then that is the problem.

You can add some Diagnostics flags to the Diagnostics page which will expand the logging produced by EPGC. For example, put "LOOKUPS" in the "Trace ID's" field. See image. I've used several Trace and Debug flags while solving issues with Steve, but haven't kept a list. I still have then INI files around with them though, and Steve mentions them on the SourceForge discussion pages.

So if you were just missing the "Location=AUS,0" item, give that a try. I see now that there is an alternative with XMLTVDB, but if you are already using EPGC then it would be easier to get this working.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #42 on: July 23, 2015, 07:34:48 pm »

Oops. I forgot one important page Astromo. Attached.

On the Output tab, the "Format of episode tag" needs to be set to "Valid season and episode numbers only" for EPGC to output xmltv_ns formatted Season and episode numbers, such as;
     <episode-num system="xmltv_ns">4 . 4 . 0/1</episode-num>

You may also note in that image of the Output tab that I have the "Format of the channel ID" set to "User channel number'. I did this to make my channel numbering more understandable. To make it work, I manually set the values in the "Channel No." column (which is the User Channel Number) to the actual channel numbers the broadcasters use. So the broadcaster's channel number = the LCN = XMLTV "Channel id" = EPGC "Channel No." (User Channel Number) = the number used on the remote control to view the channel.

Then of course the MC "Channel Number" matches the MC "XMLTV Identifier", and I prefix the name with the channel number for easy sorting and readability, as per attached image.

I don't know what other people do, but this makes understanding the information flow so much easier for me. No matching XMLTV numbers to real channel numbers, to different LCNs etc.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #43 on: July 23, 2015, 09:39:20 pm »

Using the standard EPG download (or XMLTV with MC2xml) I get about 5-6 days worth of future programming data.  Is there any way to make this larger? like 10-14 days?
I think nearly every EPG source I have looked at only supplies about 7 days. Even the commercial one here in Australia. There may be some commercial ones elsewhere that provide 14 days, but EPG availability is still an issue almost everywhere, based on my reading.

(I'M trying to set all my recordings from Sage but I can't because some shows don't show up.)
This is the real issue: Being able to create recording rules for programs that aren't in the guide. It isn't obvious how to do that.

I really want to find the time to write up a discussion paper about recording rules, and how they may work better. But it would take a bit of time to get my thoughts together, and look at some old software I have used in the past. Plus the Sage TV users around here may have better ideas than me... 

But anyway, MC still does allow you to create a recording rule for a program that is not yet in the Guide.

It is simple actually. So it should be easy to set up all your Sage recording rules in MC. Just do this (most you should know):
1. In Standard View, click on Television, then click on "All Programs".
2. Click on ANY program, then click Record. It doesn't matter what program you click on, what its name is, or anything.
3. Click the "Subscribe" radio button, then "Next".
4. Now change everything that you want to record the real program that you want. See my example image, set to record a future program for which all I know is the Series name, and that it is new, so there should be no rerun flags set in the EPG.
  4a. Name: The name of the recording rule is the text used to search for the program. You can change it to some future program that is not in the guide, or a part name for the program if that will give you a more reliable chance of catching the recording.
  4b. Name modifiers. If you know the exact name, require an exact match, but I usually don't do that, except for programs that have lots of name variations, such as CSI. Search all fields to provide the best chance of finding the program.
  4c. Channel: If you aren't sure which channel it will show on, select "All Channels". If you know it will be provided by one particular broadcaster, but you're not sure which of their channels it will be on, select all their channels.
  4d. When: Select "All Showings " if this is a new program, or select the appropriate setting. Note that you can change the "Anchor Time", but that button was sometimes greyed out for me. I had to save the recording rule, and then go back and edit the rule to be able to change the anchor time. Yaobing: Could this be a bug?
  4e. When modifiers. If this is a new program and you have selected multiple or all channel above, you may want to select "Do not record reruns" and "Do not record shows that have been recorded in the past". Of course, reruns require the EPG to identify them, and if the broadcaster changes the show Title, Name, and/or Description, as they have want to do with second and third showings for early episodes of new programs, then you may still get multiple recordings of an episode in MC. Better multiple than none though. You can improve, or worsen, your chance of recording a program by selecting which fields to use to compare previous and new episodes...
4f. Compare fields: I have selected just "Series" in my example, but that will probably result in just the first episode being recorded, as all later episodes would have a matching Series name. Usually I set this to "Series" and "Name" with the hope that the episode name isn't changed between showings, which it often is here in Australia. I almost never select "Description" as the description for one particular episode is often different for different showings. For example, my MotoGP races almost always have a decent description for the first showing, but for re-showings of the same race, the description is often just "MotoGP". So that would be considered a different episode if I included "Description" in the selection process for reruns/re-showings.
4g.  Now hit Next and set your recording and retention options, plus any Tagging you want on the recording.

Easy really. But not obvious.







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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

imeric

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Re: EPG
« Reply #44 on: July 23, 2015, 11:20:59 pm »

RoderickGi thank you so much for taking the time with all this very valuable info.  I'll definitely try this.

Again a second night using JRiver over Sage.  It did record the show I wanted to watch flawlessly, wathcing and skipping back and forth with my Logitech Harmony MCE remote was a breeze.

I can already see some advantages over Sage such as just clicking on the green button will bring me in  theater view and ready to watch in full screen....Used to be a 3-4 click process with sage.  A lot simpler for the wife.
I like how the guide is laid out. Plain and simple.
While watching I like how it's all laid out and that you can see what's playing on other channels and select one, options to change the aspect ratio etc...Don't really have something similar with Sage.
It may be a bit slower than Sage when changing channels but not sure anymore...
Works Great with the hauppage blaster and my set-top box....

I'll definitely keep playing with it.
I spent a lot of time with the guide but now I have it setup to only use the native EPG for both ATSC and STB.  I got that missing channel by using another zipcode closer to the canadian border so no need for MC2XML or XMLTV!

One thing I notice though is even if I have EPG data from standard view past this Sunday it's not possible to go beyound sunday in theater view...Bug?
I also set-up comskip monitor to run in the background that was fairly easy..And it checks for Multiple folders..I just need to get MC do the same now for my recordings :)...
I also need to understand the behavior of sage with commercial skipping...I'll  play with this a little more before I comment.

One thing that would definitely help is a different colour or lighter green on the playing cursor fro comskip...In MC21 maybe?

So far so good!!
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RoderickGI

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Re: EPG
« Reply #45 on: July 24, 2015, 02:39:24 am »

You're welcome.

Make sure when you set this all up that you check all is working for a while, and report any strange behaviour. Some of this functionality around recordings is quite new and probably hasn't been tested by a lot of people.

One thing I notice though is even if I have EPG data from standard view past this Sunday it's not possible to go beyound sunday in theater view...Bug?

I have never noticed any difference between the EPG shown in Standard View and Theatre View. Every time I check I have seven days in Theatre View, if my EPG is working right. I don't really check how far our Standard View goes, since I work in Theatre View mostly. However, some times one or more channels don't get the full seven days EPG, and then of course that is reflected in the Theatre View Guide. But I can always see other channels continue to seven days, so know it is an EPG source issue.

Actually, could you have gotten that the wrong way around?
I just check the "All Programs" listing in Standard View, and it only goes out 24 hours, while the Theatre View Guide goes out seven days. I think the 24 hours in Standard View may be by design though, because I can easily enter a start day and time in the "All Programs" listing in Standard View, and it will display 24 hours from that point onwards. I have always just put a day and time in when using that view, rather than scroll all the way down. Or I have searched for a particular program name, in which case the full EPG timeline is displayed, with programs matching the search criteria. I don't recall noticing the 24 hour limit before.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

imeric

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Re: EPG
« Reply #46 on: July 24, 2015, 07:45:36 am »

@astromo I just realised I didn't answer your question. Yes I understand thx for the answer.  However in my case it doesn,T seem to jive with what I get...

@roderick or yaobing:  What does the Native EPG downloader of JRiver use? (Hopefully it's not a big secret :)) I think Sage uses zap2it...

As I said earlier I can now have all my channels using one EPG profile for the STB (Canadian) and one EPG profile from the US (for both US and canadian OTA channels)  The reason for the US profile for OTA vs Canada is as Yaobbing mentionned in his wiki (good wiki!!) a lot of the canadian and us channels you can receive where I am don't show up.

Oh changing between countries for setup seem to require a restart of JRiver setup...It works but it could be improved.

Now my problem is I only get 3 days worth of data for both the STB and OTA. Whatever the source may be I really think this would be larger than 3 days.  HELP Please :)!!

FWIW I am not expecting the 12-14 days of Sage but 7+  days in JRiver would be nice!
thx
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Yaobing

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Re: EPG
« Reply #47 on: July 24, 2015, 08:35:09 am »

  4d. When: Select "All Showings " if this is a new program, or select the appropriate setting. Note that you can change the "Anchor Time", but that button was sometimes greyed out for me. I had to save the recording rule, and then go back and edit the rule to be able to change the anchor time. Yaobing: Could this be a bug?

It is by design, based on the assumption that when you initially pick a program to subscribe to, you just want the anchor time to be at when that program is showing.  This does not agree with the particular way you use it for a show that is not in the guide yet.  I can change that.
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muzicman0

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Re: EPG
« Reply #48 on: July 24, 2015, 10:30:24 am »

using mc2XML and schedules direct, I added a -d 288 as an argument and successfully got 12 days of guide data.  -d is how far it will look in hours.  I just use Windows Task scheduler to fire the .exe, not MC.  I am in the US, so not sure if it would be successful in other parts of the world.
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CountryBumkin

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Re: EPG
« Reply #49 on: July 24, 2015, 11:18:15 am »

Using the standard EPG download (or XMLTV with MC2xml) I get about 5-6 days worth of future programming data.  Is there any way to make this larger? like 10-14 days?
(I'M trying to set all my recordings from Sage but I can't because some shows don't show up.)

While trying zap2xml I'm missing some shows during the day (like from 8h00 to 11h00 PM on all channels).  I've created an account, the only cli I use is -u xxxxx -p xxxxx -D and -S 1 as per this: http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/.  However as I said previously it's not JRiver since I see the issue straight from the xml file...

Thx!

 

I'm confused. So are subscribing to "Schedules Direct" to get the username (-u)  and password (-p) to access EPG data through Zap2it?

I thought Zap2it was no longer providing EPG data - as discussed about 40 posts prior.  ?

If you can get the Zap2it EPG (with paid subscription) then can't you just use the Zap2xml program as setup/shown at the beginning of this thread?
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