New XMLTV Import Tool

[svalmorri]

Stephane,

new 2.1 version fixed both issues I had.

Thanks!

[rtengvad]

Hi Stephane

Im currently evaluating your importer. So far it look very cool but I have two questions I hope you can help med with:

1) Lot of my program info contain information about episode numbers (xmltv_ns system) but for some reason that information is not imported into sage (or at least I cant see it in Sage. Since my epg import until now has based “watched” info on episode numbers, I would like to know how I can get that in information in Sage. At least so I can do a visual screening here in the transition fase.
2) In the importer I’ve specified the names that categorize movies and series. But in my program guide also series are categorized as movies. What do I do wrong?

Thanks

rtengvad

[StephaneM]

Hello,

Originally Posted by rtengvad

1) Lot of my program info contain information about episode numbers (xmltv_ns system) but for some reason that information is not imported into sage (or at least I cant see it in Sage. Since my epg import until now has based “watched” info on episode numbers

Usually the ep. numbers are to be found in the ep. title.

Note: your "watched" history will be wiped out even if the ep.numbers are displayed. This is because SageTV build its history with EPGID and they will change when you choose another XMLTV plugin.

2) In the importer I’ve specified the names that categorize movies and series. But in my program guide also series are categorized as movies. What do I do wrong?

I honestly don't know, usually you'll see the exact opposite behavior (movies are categorized as series).


So send me your XMLTV file at lmgestion@hotmail.com and I'll take a look at it.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[rtengvad]

Hi Stephane

Thanks for your quick reply

Originally Posted by StephaneM

Note: your "watched" history will be wiped out even if the ep.numbers are displayed. This is because SageTV build its history with EPGID and they will change when you choose another XMLTV plugin.

I understand. But then it would be nice to have the numbers in sage, so I could make a visible screening. I more or less remember what I've seen.

Originally Posted by StephaneM

So send me your XMLTV file at lmgestion@hotmail.com and I'll take a look at it.

I did. Thanks a lot!!

rtengvad

[Alfiegerner]

Stephane, thanks for the +1 feature, that is very useful. Will all the +1 channels have their programs marked as reruns?

[StephaneM]

Hello,

Originally Posted by Alfiegerner

Will all the +1 channels have their programs marked as reruns?

No the programs will not be specifically marked as re-runs.

First run and re-run should not be confused with repeats. A "first-run" show can have many repeats in a week. Then after some time (a week I think) SageTV will consider that a repeat of a first run is now a re-run.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[Alfiegerner]

Originally Posted by StephaneM

Hello,
No the programs will not be specifically marked as re-runs.

First run and re-run should not be confused with repeats. A "first-run" show can have many repeats in a week. Then after some time (a week I think) SageTV will consider that a repeat of a first run is now a re-run.

Regards,
Stéphane.

Ah, okay. Would it be possible to mark everything on these +1 channels as repeats then?

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by Alfiegerner

Ah, okay. Would it be possible to mark everything on these +1 channels as repeats then?

It's already the case and it's done automatically by SageTV. The "+1" duplicate channels does have the same shows as the original channels, that is including the EPGID so all shows of the "+1" channels are repeats of the original one.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[Jabroni]

I just installed this xml tv import tool. I must say it seems it does magic.. I just have a lil' problem, Im using 2 sources, the first is a xml I grab via xmltv/zap2it, the other one is the mytheater EPG/ xmltvtv parser xml. The problem is that for some reason the shows that suppostly are airing right now on the mytheater EPG, are moved on like 8 hours, the Zap2It xml does show correctly. I tried chaning the time offset on the program but the output I get its the same (not sure if changing that parameters does actually do something different on the episodes0.xml) Anything I would have to look in particular to check whats wrong?

Thanks.......

[mickp]

Originally Posted by Jabroni

I just installed this xml tv import tool. I must say it seems it does magic.. I just have a lil' problem, Im using 2 sources, the first is a xml I grab via xmltv/zap2it, the other one is the mytheater EPG/ xmltvtv parser xml. The problem is that for some reason the shows that suppostly are airing right now on the mytheater EPG, are moved on like 8 hours, the Zap2It xml does show correctly. I tried chaning the time offset on the program but the output I get its the same (not sure if changing that parameters does actually do something different on the episodes0.xml) Anything I would have to look in particular to check whats wrong?

Thanks.......

I've been driven half mad in the past trying to work out problems with the time offset. The problem turned out to be that sage only re-imports the data generated by the xml importer on a semi-regular basis so I wasn't seeing the changes happen. To force sage to update edit the channel setup for one of your lineups in sage and turn a channel off then on and save the change. This forces SAGE to re-import the xml lineup.

Of course there may be another problem.

Mick.

[Jabroni]

Originally Posted by mickp

I've been driven half mad in the past trying to work out problems with the time offset. The problem turned out to be that sage only re-imports the data generated by the xml importer on a semi-regular basis so I wasn't seeing the changes happen. To force sage to update edit the channel setup for one of your lineups in sage and turn a channel off then on and save the change. This forces SAGE to re-import the xml lineup.

Of course there may be another problem.

Mick.

Thanks for the tip! seems that was my prob

[Jabroni]

Just a tip for everyone using this kind of apps. I knwo all this XML is cpu intensive, and no one wants to run this cuz it uses 100% for at least a couple of minutes, and when run it can brake ur recordings. Well i found a program to limit cpu usage per apps. URL http://mion.faireal.net/BES/ Just set a lower cpu % to the xmltv parsers/importers so they wont use all your cpu, and your sagetv box will still be usuable while it updates the EPG.

Hope that tip can help ppl out there

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by Jabroni

I knwo all this XML is cpu intensive, and no one wants to run this cuz it uses 100% for at least a couple of minutes, and when run it can brake ur recordings.

A couple of minutes or hours if you have a lot of data.

Well i found a program to limit cpu usage per apps. URL http://mion.faireal.net/BES/ Just set a lower cpu % to the xmltv parsers/importers so they wont use all your cpu, and your sagetv box will still be usuable while it updates the EPG.

When the Importer runs unattended it is launched with "BelowNormal" priority and the thread that is converting the XMLTV data is also a background thread running at "BelowNormal" priority. So it should not disturb other applications and as the Importer is doing all the hard work outside the SageTV EPG loading process it is less prone to disturb SageTV (However when you run the Importer manually only the converting background thread is running at "BelowNormal" priority and then it will certainly slow down a bit your PC).

When you use the Importer to launch your grabber it will also launch it at "BelowNormal" priority, so it should also lessen the effects of the grabber system wide.

Also it seems that you shouldn't have SageTV reload the EPG when it is currently recording. So usually this is what I do :

* I schedule the Importer to run at 6 am
* I once forced SageTV to reload its EPG at 8 am

As I usually only record things in the afternoon or in the evening / night, I never had any problems with my recordings.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[Jabroni]

Originally Posted by StephaneM

* I schedule the Importer to run at 6 am
* I once forced SageTV to reload its EPG at 8 am

Well when the EPG was updating I couldnt play HD streams (AMD XP 2800+) it was very choppy, and with this limiting cpu, seems the problem was fixed. Another 2 questions, is its just me or the non donator version doesnt run the grabbers? And how do u force SageTV to reload its EPG ?

Thanks!

[ron.smythe]

Hi, not sure if there is a special setting I need to put into sage, but it appears that one my system is recording shows on the normal channel and the +1 hour channels even thought the ShowID's are the same. Have I missed a manual setting in the sage.properties file?

Apart from that, the importer is working great.

Ron.

[StephaneM]

is its just me or the non donator version doesnt run the grabbers? And how do u force SageTV to reload its EPG ?

The non donator version doesn't run unattended (that is running as a scheduled task) and the Importer only launch the grabber when it is running unattended.

SageTV will reload its EPG every 24 hours. If you want to force EPG reload you have either to :

* disable and enable a channel on a lineup (in the setup / configure video source)
* use the Web Server plugin to force the EPG reload

Originally Posted by Jabroni

Well when the EPG was updating I couldnt play HD streams (AMD XP 2800+) it was very choppy, and with this limiting cpu, seems the problem was fixed.

Obviously this is because you were not running the Importer unattended so the Importer was launched with "Normal" priority.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by ron.smythe

Hi, not sure if there is a special setting I need to put into sage, but it appears that one my system is recording shows on the normal channel and the +1 hour channels even thought the ShowID's are the same. Have I missed a manual setting in the sage.properties file?

I don't think there is anything to do in SageTV.

That said what is exactly your problem? It is perfectly normal that SageTV wants to record on the original and on the "+1" channel. Do you have created a favorite for a show and SageTV recorded the same episode twice, can you be more specific about the issue?

Regards,
Stéphane.

[Alfiegerner]

I think I see the same problem.

If the show is a first run, then the show on the +1 channel generated by your importer is also showing as first run rather than a repeat.

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by Alfiegerner

If the show is a first run, then the show on the +1 channel generated by your importer is also showing as first run rather than a repeat.

No this is how it is to be, and I already explained why. The show on the "+1" channel is a first run and also a repeat...

For instance, on a movie channel here I have the movie "The Descent" that is a first run. The first airing of this movie was on januray 12. This movie is also airing today and it is still a first run. All the repeats of the movie within the week are a first run.

If SageTV was doing this differently : conflict resolution would be a nigthmare because a "First run" record job would only record the very first airing of the show disregarding all repeats of this show within the week. So if SageTV was doing this and two first run, you want to record, were airing at the same time, you would have a conflict (with one tuner) even though one of the show will be aired at another times during the week.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[ron.smythe]

Originally Posted by StephaneM

I don't think there is anything to do in SageTV.

That said what is exactly your problem? It is perfectly normal that SageTV wants to record on the original and on the "+1" channel. Do you have created a favorite for a show and SageTV recorded the same episode twice, can you be more specific about the issue?

Regards,
Stéphane.

Hi Stéphane,

Thanks for the reply, to give you more information, I have a favourite for 'Only fools and Horses' which is being show on station UKGold, UKGold has a time shift channel (UKGold +1), which after using version 2.1 of the importer has the same ShowID now as all I do is copy UKGolds show details. I was under the impression that if sage has already recorded the show, say on UKGold then it would not record the +1 showing. Am I wrong in this?

Ron