UK Digital EPG Guide (DVBGuide)

[dogstar]

UK Digital XMLTV Guide

Hi, I’ve just found a program called DVBGuide that captures the Electronic programming guide data as it’s broadcast over the digital television network and converts it into XMLTV format.

Currently I’m experimenting with it but it should prove useful in filling in the EPG data that is often missing from the radio times XMLTV.

It’s a command line program that can be run within windows which allows the user to specify current UK frequencies and download the EPG data into a usable XMLTV data file which can be read by GBPVR.

By utilizing batch files it can easily be programmed to automatically scan any series of frequencies and download the XMLTV data into a usable program guide, although it's my experience that any one frequency appears to contain all the relevant EPG data for the Freeview network.

For anyone who is interested there is a complete guide included with the free software download and can be found at http://www.geocities.com/pclareuk/DVBGuide/

Brian (Angel Isle)

[gEd]

gbpvr can already download the epg over the air from the dvb tuner.

what data do you find missing from RT XMLTV?
I use the XMLTVGUI from http://www.birtles.org.uk/xmltv/ and have never had any missing data (AFAIK!).

[RangerBob]

Hello gED,

Have you not been affected by Radio Times screwing up so much recently?

Over the bank holiday, my entire BBC1 East, BBC2 East and ITV Anglia just dropped off their XML feeds and the site itself for about 2 days. By the time I had noticed, It had toasted my Doctor Who recording; the GF was very upset!

There was a period about a month ago where their XML feeds were completely down for about 5 days, and I had to watch my remaining guide data trickling away.

For the past 4 months or so I have not been able to use guide data for more than 5 days into the future anyway, because they have a nasty habit of shuffling Saturday evening programs around at the last minute which screws up the recording status of anything set and misaligns the program grid.

I switched over to the FreeView OTA guide data this weekend, and will not be looking back. I have lost all confidence in the Radio Times site; in the end it was unfairly making GBPVR look bad. I understand it is a free service, but with all the uncertainty, and rumours of it going to a subscription service; I am jumping now, rather than later.

[gEd]

Have you not been affected by Radio Times screwing up so much recently?

I was away that weekend but the script that I use to download the xml detected that the file was too small and so did not update the EPG in gbpvr.

There was a period about a month ago where their XML feeds were completely down for about 5 days, and I had to watch my remaining guide data trickling away.[QUOTE]

I remember, and if there are many more incidents such as this, I to will be forced to move over to DVB EPG. However I find the quality of the program reviews from the RT site much more detailed and accurate that you get over the air.

[QUOTE]For the past 4 months or so I have not been able to use guide data for more than 5 days into the future anyway, because they have a nasty habit of shuffling Saturday evening programs around at the last minute which screws up the recording status of anything set and misaligns the program grid.

I know what you mean. Does the DVB EPG fix this?
I resolve this by running an -emptyEPG and them -updateEPG after downloading the XML file.

[RangerBob]

My update script was dumber, and I was seriously whacked with this latest problem. The GF was seriously upset with the whole business, and wanted me to scrap GBPVR until I talked her down!

The OTA guide data doesn't seem to have quite as good a description, but we really don't pay that much attention to them, so it doesn't bother me.

Using the OTA gives you 8 days worth of guide data; so for me, thats longer than I had with the RT guide (as I didn't dare use more that 5 days worth of data).

I haven't been using it long enough yet to find out whether I'll suffer the shuffling problem again though. Fingers crossed that it wont!

[martint123]

I backup the xmltvgui cache files now as this holds the full 15 days of data.
I've never lost a program because of a failing EPG. All the 'series' recordings should be stacked for recording when they first appear in the EPG, so there is 6 days for them to get flagged.
I have to use the RT anyway to get the Sky listings. When they went off at the weekend, I used Alan Birtles suggestion and it worked until they got it back running.