Absolute Newbie OTA EPG not working as expected.

[n8lbv]

Fixed Maybe-
Sorta
NICE - READ BEFORE POSTING - Sticky.
Useful and informative.
I wish more places would do this good of a job at this.


Am testing this out with a brand new HDHomerun Connect Quatro. 
Scanning and obtaining the OTA EPG does not work as expected.
It stops on EVERY frequency that has a valid signal (starting with Frequency 7) and sits there with a 60 second countdown
and reads:  "Scanning Freq:7 SID:100000" for each and every frequency that has a valid signal and each one takes 60 seconds.
I have about 15 strong signals that work great. and this process takes yep: at least 15 minutes. 
NOT "Once you have set the channels you wish to use OTA broadcast data for select the 'Update EPG' button in the channels tab and NextPVR will retrieve all available information. The update process should only take 2-3 minutes. " 
As I have read.   

 

When it finally completes I go into the guide. 
I only have program data for exactly 1.5 hours of time span. on ALL channels that have data. 
And a large number of channels have not populated with any data at all. 

*update* I just tried changing BDA Compatibility Mode to MediaPortal (Instead of NexPVR)
and it seems to be working a lot more expectedly now. Yay! 
However updating the EPG still takes a 60 seconds *countdown* and sits there on each channel.
It does not appear to get data and move to the next channel as soon as it grabs it. 
Is that a bug? 



I've been using an older single tuner/channel HDHR-T1-US since 2009
Which has worked flawlessly with Windows Media Center/Win7 since then.
Over the past few years I've never been able to get it work with Kodi or any newer software I've tried
Other than the HDHomerun software from Silicon dust. 
My limited understanding is that it doesn't work with Kodi Plex & the like simply because the developers at some point
decided NOT to support these older HDHomerun devices.. 
Why that decision was made is beyond me. 

So I purchased a newer unit mainly because it should work with all of this newer software and I wanted to give it a try.

[mvallevand]

There isn't much point in using the OTA guide in North America so consider subscribing to Schedules Direct for complete data for a few weeks

NextPVR works fine with older devices newer apps want http based tuners.

Martin

[sub]

Yeah, as Martin says, unfortunately you'll usually only get a few hours of listings from broadcast TV in the states. Pretty much all users in that part of the world end up using Schedules Direct, or other source of guide data.

However updating the EPG still takes a 60 seconds *countdown* and sits there on each channel.
It does not appear to get data and move to the next channel as soon as it grabs it.
Is that a bug?

This is really designed for digital users outside of north america, where we typically get a week of listings, and the spec says the data could take up to 60 seconds to be delivered in it's entirety.

It's spending 60 seconds on each frequency, rather than each station. Outside North American we typically transmit up to 8 channels per frequency, so the full guide is usually retrieved in a few minutes, by listening to 3 or 4 frequencies)

[eastavin]

My thought is that you should check with the manufacturer as to how many hours of OTA it is designed to capture as a maximum. I have a device that only captures the next show, and I have had a device that captures up to 8 hours, and I have heard of devices that could capture more if the station transmits more. So the result depends on two things.. the manufacturer and the station. Also with OTA on most devices I have seen in years past.. (not currently.. I am not up to date.) you would need to actually be tuned to a station for a while like say 5 maybe 10 minutes for example until you saw all of what it was sending ota. Then some devices forget what was there when you switch to another channel. I am not familiar with your device.


As for 60 seconds to scan a station that is not unusual. If you scan too fast you might miss stations that are there but perhaps in a marginal reception condition. So start er up and maybe go make a coffee. I think you can adjust this in one of the tables if you really must have it shorter.

Hope this helps.

Edward

[mvallevand]

You can use zap2xml which works all over Canada not just near the border. It is against the terms of servers users agree to when creating an account and often requires a lot of forum support.

@eastavin if you are willing to help the OP get it configured great.

Martin