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[CountryBumkin]

I'm doing some troubleshooting on the TV epg data, and it would be helpful to view the downloaded data coming from Microsoft and Schedules Direct (via mc2xml).  I want to verify the station programming data to see if the correct Season number is provided in the data for various TV shows/series.

Prior to MC21, I would run the program mc2xml (outside of MC) and it would create a file named "xmltv.xml" which could easily be viewed. Then the xmltv.xml file was imported into MC.

In MC21, where is the xml file located - can it be viewed?

UPDATE - Yaobing sys the xml file is deleted in the process - so it is not available to view.

BACKGROUND - This post is resulting from this thread (how to get "Season numbers" for TV Shows) http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=99519.0

[RoderickGI]

Did you try looking in the Recycle Bin? When programs delete a file it doesn't always end up in the bin, being deleted completely, but sometimes it does.

That would give you an immediate solution without waiting for the next version.

[CountryBumkin]

The mc2xml.dat is not the file that contains the actual epg data. It is the file that saves the settings for mc2xml. I would like to see the xmltv.xml data. Where is the epg data stored?

I just installed the older mc2xml (ver 1.3) on one of my computers (I have a Schedules Direct subscription).
I have some recordings scheduled for tonight so tomorrow I'll see if I get the correct "Season number". My other computer will be making the same recordings using the MC built-in mc2xml (ver 1.4).

UPDATE: I ran the stand-alone mc2xml program and recorded a couple of TV shows. I'm still not getting the Season number - only the "year" is showing up.

I attached the epg data for this morning's recordings. I am trying to track down the info contained in the dd_progid to verify this has a season number. If anyone knows where I can look up the progid let me know.

[RoderickGI]

Sorry I missed this post earlier. By now you would have seen the post from Yaobing that the XMLTV file is not saved when running the integrated mc2xml. I'm on my phone so can't check all those threads to confirm. I didn't ask if that could be changed. It may be a licencing issue.

Anyway, the reason for my post is to recommend that you do not bother persuing trying to understand or use the dd_progid numbering scheme. I tried a while back and found that it was linked to a unique program (series) ID number used by one particular EPG data provider. I can't recall which. I didn't find any definitive description of how to use it, and all discussions I found or had resulted in the conclusion that if you didn't use that particular EPG provider, it was useless.

I think the EPG source may have been tied to a specific hardware PVR originally as well, making it even worse. Our Australian commercial EPG provider also does the same thing; uses their own unique series numbering system. Or at least did last time I looked.

That is why I persued getting xmltv_ns numbering into zap2xml, and also into MC. If mc2xml isn't providing xmltv_ns numbering, maybe the default settings MC uses for it need to be fixed, or maybe the developer needs to be asked to make it an output option in mc2xml.

[CountryBumkin]

Thanks for your feedback.
First I want to confirm whether or not this is a problem just on my system (if this is a global MC problem, why has no one else mentioned this?).

I read on the Schedules Direct forum that the progID is like this "EP00391555.0171" (Where EP=episode, the next 8 digits are the Series ID, and the last four digits are the Episode ID). So "00391555" is the series "Forensic Files" and "0171" is the episode "Shot of Vengeance" whose original air date was June 25, 2003.  But this episode is also "Season 8, Episode 9" which is how Carnac looks it up.

If this is a global issue, then everyone that switched to MC21 and is using mc2xml would have a problem with their Season data (all the previously recorded program as Season=2 are now Season=2011 (or such).
That makes a mess of the grouping of TV Shows.

But no one else has mentioned this - so is it just me?



I switched back to MC20 with the standalone mc2xml (ver 1.3) using Schedules Direct on one of my computers and I'm still getting Season= Year.
I have another computer running MC21 with mc2xml (ver 1.40 also using Schedules Direct and it seems to be the same data. One more day of collecting recordings should provide enough test data to know for sure.

[RoderickGI]

Ah I had a feeling it was Zap2it, but I think also it was mostly used with PVRs that had firmware which understood the numbering.

I feel your frustration on this issue. It is a first world problem, but I hate that EPG is so hard to obtain and maintain accurately.

I switched back to MC20 with the standalone mc2xml (ver 1.3) using Schedules Direct on one of my computers and I'm still getting Season= Year.

Well that does point to some issue in your setup. You should be able to easily check if the source EPG data is correct with this configuration though, as you can just look at the XMLTV file to see what is in the <episode-num system="xmltv_ns">3 . 5 . 0/1</episode-num> tag. It should be Season.Episode.Part/Number of parts, where Season, Episode, and Part start counting at zero, and Number of Parts is just a simple count, which starts at one. If 2010 or some other year is in the first position, it is the data which is wrong. Or isn't there an <episode-num system="xmltv_ns"> tag in this file?

I have another computer running MC21 with mc2xml (ver 1.40 also using Schedules Direct and it seems to be the same data. One more day of collecting recordings should provide enough test data to know for sure.

Have you tried to run 1.4 independently of MC? As you have worked with both 1.3 and 1.4, I thought you may be able to work out how to run it stand alone. I don't have the experience you have with mc2xml.

Anyway, Yaobing has been commenting on posts, and is back soon. About the same time you will have enough data. So answers can't be far away.

[CountryBumkin]

You should be able to easily check if the source EPG data is correct with this configuration though, as you can just look at the XMLTV file to see what is in the <episode-num system="xmltv_ns">3 . 5 . 0/1</episode-num> tag. It should be Season.Episode.Part/Number of parts, where Season, Episode, and Part start counting at zero, and Number of Parts is just a simple count, which starts at one. If 2010 or some other year is in the first position, it is the data which is wrong. Or isn't there an <episode-num system="xmltv_ns"> tag in this file?

There is no "xmltv_ns" data in the epg source data.

The data I need for carnac appears to be:
"Series Name" > title
"Episode Name" > sub-title
"Description" > Desc
"Episode Number" > episode-num "onscreen"
"Season" > ? (2007?)

___Data from Schedules Direct (below)___Note that for this Series, the correct Episode is "5", the correct Season is 1" ____

<programme start="20150823190000 -0400" stop="20150823193000 -0400" channel="I65.1.26191.schedulesdirect.org">
      <title lang="en">The Big Bang Theory</title>
      <sub-title lang="en">The Hamburger Postulate</sub-title>
      <desc lang="en">Leonard, realizing his pursuit of Penny is fruitless, has an unexpected encounter with a fellow scientist (Sara Gilbert).</desc>
      <credits>
         <actor>Johnny Galecki</actor>
         <actor>Jim Parsons</actor>
         <actor>Kaley Cuoco</actor>
         <actor>Simon Helberg</actor>
         <actor>Kunal Nayyar</actor>
         <guest>Sara Gilbert</guest>
         <producer>Chuck Lorre</producer>
         <producer>Bill Prady</producer>
         <writer>Jennifer Glickman</writer>
         <writer>David Goetsch</writer>
         <writer>Steven Molaro</writer>
         <director>Andrew D. Weyman</director>
      </credits>
      <date>20071022</date>
      <category lang="en">Series</category>
      <category lang="en">Sitcom</category>
      <episode-num system="onscreen">5</episode-num>
      <episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00931182.0005</episode-num>
      <video>
         <aspect>16:9</aspect>
         <quality>HDTV</quality>
      </video>
      <audio>
         <stereo>stereo</stereo>
      </audio>
      <previously-shown start="20071022000000" />
      <subtitles type="teletext" />
      <rating system="VCHIP">
         <value>TV-PG</value>
      </rating>
   </programme>

[RoderickGI]

There is no "xmltv_ns" data. Maybe that was only available from the Zap2it source.

The data I need for carnac appears to be:
"Series Name" > title
"Episode Name" > sub-title
"Description" > Desc
"Episode Number" > episode-num "onscreen"
"Season" > ? (2007?)

Okay, that data looks like the same content that zap2xml provided for Season and Episode numbers before I asked John Douglas to add xmltv_ns numbering, which he did in a very short time. I believe he invented the "onscreen" numbering format because most people couldn't make sense or use of "dd_progid" and "onscreen" held just what was shown in the program credits, so it was the format producers used, and was human readable.

Now, I believe that John Douglas is also the developer of mc2xml, given that the sites are linked. Either that or he is working with the developer. So I would think it would be worth asking John to add the xmltv_ns format to the mc2xml output, and I wouldn't be surprised if he could do it quickly. I emailed him on 25th September 2014 and he added in the next release on 1st October 2014. Couldn't ask for better service!

Of course, any change to the independently available mc2xml would also need to be passed on to the version included with MC. So JRiver will need to be involved.

By the way, I believe that CARNAC just parses the file name to generate tags, and the retrieval of TV program information based on Series, Season, and Episode number is separate to it. I've seen and had that discussion more than once, with Glynor sorting me out. That is why there is a separate "Get movie & TV info" check box in the Auto Import configuration settings.

So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get xmltv_ns numbering into mc2xml output!


PS: I think that before MC was able to handle xmltv_ns numbering, and therefore could put Season and Episode numbers into TV recording file names, and look up movie and TV info, it used to just parse the year out of the <date>20071022</date> field, and put that into the Season tag. I could be wrong, but if so, and that code is still in there, that is what MC is doing. But why is no one else complaining about it? Maybe because that is all they have ever seen, based on past EPG capabilities.

[astromo]

So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get xmltv_ns numbering into mc2xml output!

Check here:
http://www.xml.com/lpt/a/1371
... and look at the section titled Episodes

[RoderickGI]

Ah yes, I have read that before, and that is the source of the "onscreen" format. I was probably misremembering, or read a forum post that was wrong, and John just adopted the format, rather than inventing it.

Can't be perfect I guess. 

[astromo]

Ah yes, I have read that before, and that is the source of the "onscreen" format. I was probably misremembering, or read a forum post that was wrong, and John just adopted the format, rather than inventing it.

Can't be perfect I guess. 

I'm impefrect as well. Just sharing my own journey of discovery.