DigiGuide alternative to RT XMLTV

[Nick_W]

That sounds great, one request though: Could you please start a new thread and call the program something different so we can differentiate between the two?

TIA,

Nick.

[ElGato]

Originally Posted by echoes

If anyone would like to have an early release and give me some feedback, that would be appreciated!

Please, please, please. I have almost been driven insane trying to get my EPG working in SageTV.

I keep telling myself that I don't need it, I only bought the SageTV product to share my media to the bedroom, as it is pretty much the only solution for most if not all media types. But every now and again I spend hours of my life in a mis-guided haze that, "this time it will work", only to be bitterly disapointed when it again fails, and it take soooo long to get to that failure point it's almost demoralising.

So please consider me a willing beta tester.

[Dvid]

Echoes, I would be keen to have a go and give you feedback. Sounds like a great idea. Agreed that it should be in a new thread.

[harryf]

Sorry to sound like a complete noob, but I have been trying to get Digiguide and Stephane's importer Version 3.2 working for days now and I could use some help.
What seems to be happening is that the DG2XML grabber is producing a good epgdata.xml file but the importer is not updating the GuideData. It seems to go through the motions but the files in the GuideData folder contain old data I got from the Radio Times source and I only have about 6 days of data in the Sage EPG.
Any help would be appreciated.

Harry

[echoes]

About to post a new thread for this - but beware the digiguide Ts and Cs!

[ElGato]

Originally Posted by echoes

About to post a new thread for this - but beware the digiguide Ts and Cs!

Woo Hoo!

[StephaneM]

Hello Harry,

Originally Posted by harryf

What seems to be happening is that the DG2XML grabber is producing a good epgdata.xml file but the importer is not updating the GuideData. It seems to go through the motions but the files in the GuideData folder contain old data

Be sure that the Importer is loading the right XMLTV file. Also you can review the log files you'll find in the Config & Log directory (you can open this folder from the "Update Guide Data" in the Importer)

Regards,
Stéphane.

[harryf]

Be sure that the Importer is loading the right XMLTV file. Also you can review the log files you'll find in the Config & Log directory (you can open this folder from the "Update Guide Data" in the Importer)

The importer is pointed at the correct XMLTV file and I have done a search and there are no other epgdata.xml files on the PC. I checked the trace file in the log directory and found the following error:

20080813 15:25:47.144 - Info - Import Started
20080813 15:31:53.347 - Error - Unexpected error :Index was outside the bounds of the array.
at LMGestion.XMLTVImporter.XMLTVImporter.ComputeRowId(String channelXmlTvId)
at LMGestion.XMLTVImporter.XMLTVImporter.ProcessChannels(DateTime importDate)
at LMGestion.XMLTVImporter.XMLTVImporter.DoImport()
20080813 15:31:53.347 - Info - Import done

I hope this helps as it means nothing to me,

Harry

[StephaneM]

Hi Harry,

Originally Posted by harryf

20080813 15:31:53.347 - Error - Unexpected error :Index was outside the bounds of the array.

The Importer doesn't like one of you channel ID. Can you paste here the content of your lineups.xml file (Otherwise this will be fixed in version 3.3 this week end)

Regards,
Stéphane.

[harryf]

The Importer doesn't like one of you channel ID. Can you paste here the content of your lineups.xml file (Otherwise this will be fixed in version 3.3 this week end)

I checked the lineups.xml file and found a few things that needed fixed(missing data, blank lines), then tried the update again and it worked! Thanks for that Stephane, it was just the prompt I needed.

Harry

[Dvid]

I'm setting up an EPG using DG2XML/Digiguide and Stephane's XMLTV importer. Installation of the different components appears to have gone flawlessly (great work chaps & I love the v3 importer Stephane), but when I try to assign a lineup to a tuner I get an error connecting to the Sage server.

I have setup the grabber, created the lineup in the importer, it appears to run through the creation of the update fine. Then when I setup the video source, I select "Use US, Canada or XMLTV Guide Data", then I select "Local Broadcast" and I get the error: "There was an error connecting to the SageTV Server. Please be sure your Internet connection is established".

After searching the forum this error is usually down to firewall settings when using the Sage EPG server in the US. This isn't the case here of course. I checked the firewall settings just in case it wanted to conenct and it's fine - I also turned off the firewall, no change. (I know it shouldn't need to connect to Sage's EPG server).

I also spotted a comment that this error can be caused by XMLTV data not being downloaded correctly, but couldn't get any further with that.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by Dvid

I'm setting up an EPG using DG2XML/Digiguide and Stephane's XMLTV importer. Installation of the different components appears to have gone flawlessly (great work chaps & I love the v3 importer Stephane), but when I try to assign a lineup to a tuner I get an error connecting to the Sage server.

Are you running Windows Vista?

This error means that the XMLTV plugin was not added to the sage.properties file. You should have this line:

epg/epg_import_plugin=xmltv.XMLTVImportPlugin

in your sage.properties file.

Usually this file is in C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV. The Importer setup will write to this file. However with Windows Vista, this file may have been virtualized and the Importer setup as a consequence has modified the wrong file.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[Dvid]

Update:
It looks to me like the importer isn't creating a lineup for SageTV to find - not sure whether I am right or not. It creates a Lineups.xml file in the LM Gestion application data directory, but doesn't seem to create anything in SageTV. I don't really know how it works, so this could be a red herring.

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by Dvid

It creates a Lineups.xml file in the LM Gestion application data directory.

The lineups.xml file is your settings for the Importer GUI, what SageTV will load through the java plugin is in the GuidData subfolder (lineup.xml and LineupInfoByIndex.xml are the files who defines the lineups to be presented during video source setup in SageTV)

You can also review the logs file to see if there are any errors (there is a log file for the java plugin in the GuideData folder).

You may also upgrade to version 3.3 which include a fix to resolve an error caused by a wrong lineup definition.

[Dvid]

I just have a log file in the Guidedata folder, no xml files.

The log contains an error - it's looking for LineupInfoByIndex.xml but can't find it. How/when does that file get created?

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by Dvid

The log contains an error - it's looking for LineupInfoByIndex.xml but can't find it. How/when does that file get created?

These files are created during the import process. So you must have done something wrong in XMLTV Sources / Lineups. Send me the content of the App Data\LM Gestion\SageTV XMLTV Importer zipped at lmgestion@hotmail.com and I'll see what is wrong.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[Dvid]

Thanks Stephane, I installed 3.3 and it works fine now. The lineup gets created - it's downloading now, so I'll see how the rest of it goes

Thanks for the prompt response.

[rickgillyon]

I've finally got around to trying out all this stuff, i.e. Digiguide and Stephane's importer. Good effort everyone, well done...

Digiguide gives me far more channels than RT, much better in that way, and I'm trying the DVBDream encoder at the moment which (finally) gives decent radio. But...

Originally Posted by brettuk

My repeat infomation isn't working that well. Mock the week, for example, keeps showing as repeats even when it can be a first run.

I'm seeing this too. The importer I was using (nielm's), assumes it's a first run unless it has rerun specified (however it works that out). This one seems to use some algorithm that I can't see, has no history currently (as it's just installed), but sees a lot of airings as not first run when they are. I realise the data isn't great, and outside the main 5 channels repeat data isn't great, but I would prefer in the case of no history and some uncertainty for the importer to assume first run - otherwise I have to set Sage to record everything or I'll miss some first runs. I'd rather have a few extra recordings than record everything...

A bit disappointed with the Digiguide Episode data too, I thought it would be great but lots of it is missing. Damn...still, looking better than RT.

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

This one seems to use some algorithm that I can't see, has no history currently (as it's just installed), but sees a lot of airings as not first run when they are.../...I would prefer in the case of no history and some uncertainty for the importer to assume first run

This is already the default behavior: show without orginal air date (original aire date = previously-shown XMLTV node if found OR XMLTV date node if a date is given) are first run unless you checked the "shows without original air date are reruns" checkbox (in the XMLTV Files and Grabber menu, third screen for the XMLTV Source).

So when you first use the Importer most of your shows should be first run (original aire date = airing date), thereafter the Importer will remember for each show (a show = title + ep.title / number) the original air date.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[rickgillyon]

Thanks, I did check this out before posting, the checkbox isn't ticked but it isn't behaving like you and I would expect...very few first runs in my epg today. "Pacific Abyss" on BBC1 tonight, for example, is not showing as FR, doesn't show an original air date, can't have a history as I only just installed...doesn't have episode details either. Should be defaulting to FR IMO.