Can NextPVR import TitanTV .TVPI files to schedule a recording

[dayvboy]

1.0.6 is working fine. Thanks for a great utility Martin. Once its posted on the real wiki, then I will forward the link to Titan along with an overview and a note that we will promote Titan and hope that Titan will reciprocate by promoting the NextPVR and the NextTVPI utility. The utility is an excellent way to interface to 2 great products together. Thanks again.

[mvallevand]

It's there now via Utilities on the main wiki page or via direct download.

Martin

[FM5]

At first, I thought this was the EPG fix I've been waiting for since I don't use Schedules Direct or any other EPG listings. The description says if NextPVR's and Titan's channel names are the same, it will record even if the program names are different. But, as mentioned at the bottom of the wiki, this can't be used as a manual recorder and it still needs EPG listings in NextPVR. So apparently this doesn't need the program names to match, but it still needs some kind of program name in NextPVR's EPG.

Other than rarely scheduling something within the next 8 hours from an OTA EPG update, I schedule manual recordings in NextPVR, and generally it's great and is all I need. But being able to schedule from TitanTV's listings a week or two in advance if I want to would be even better.

To try this TVPI with Titan, I did an OTA EPG update in NextPVR, so the TV listings are there for the next 8 or so hours. Then I changed a couple TV station IDs in NextPVR to match the Titan TV IDs. (only needed minor changes.) Associated the .tvpi downloaded Titan files with NextTVPI.exe, it runs, I also run them manually to make sure, but NextPVR doesn't schedule anything. The log file says [DEBUG] "Found matching channel by name0" but then the next line says [WARN] "Nothing on at that time"

Strangely, my TitanTV page shows the correct time, and preferences is for my proper GMT time setting, but the downloaded record file is off by 5 hours. I wanted to a record a TV show that starts at 2pm, but the downloaded .tvpi file says start time 19:00. For a test, I changed the time in the downloaded .tvpi file to the proper time and re-ran the file. Still didn't schedule.

There's a 24/7 weather channel here that basically just shows a weather map and the temperature. It always has the same program name and usually shows up as a TV program in NextPVR in 4-8 hour blocks. TitanTV shows it similarly. In TitanTV, I downloaded all of its scheduling blocks for the next 24 hours, and then ran those tvpi files. Figured that's one way to sidestep any "nothing on at this time" errors. But nope, still no scheduled recording showing up in NextPVR. The date is correct.

So, I don't understand why those problems happen. But, it apparently all isn't what I'm looking for anyway since I thought I could schedule manual recordings from TitanTV and not need to use NextPVR's EPG at all (since the maximum listings I can get from OTA is 8 hours).

Just thought I'd give some feedback from a USA ATSC OTA user. I downloaded the NextTVPI.exe version yesterday from the regular, non-beta wiki, by the way, so I assume it's the latest version.

Also, the wiki says a lot about making an account with TitanTV. I didn't do that and don't see why users with uncomplicated TV channel lineups would need to. I just set Titan for OTA and to my zip code, and the TV channels are the same as NextPVR except for some minor station ID things like "WBAY-HI" (Heroes & Icons action movie programming) in NextPVR instead of "WBAY-DT4" (subchannel 4) like Titan has it. And so I just change the -HI on the channels page in NextPVR to -DT4.

[mvallevand]

Times would be in UTC, I am pretty sure that is working. If the show name and start time from the guide don't match exactly I expect that warning.

if you would like to test it thorough, I will add an option to do a manual recording if there is no guide data and an exact channel name match. The manual recording would contain the Titan TV metadata.


Martin

[FM5]

The wiki says: "You will notice that the TVPI files are using GMT times but that doesn't affect anything since NextTVPI matches and schedules by using GMT timezone. Be sure you set your timezone correctly in the Titan TV preferences page. Mine is set to "Eastern (-5 GMT)"

My TitanTV correctly shows similar on the website. It looks like cookies save simple preferences like that. I wonder if I need to make a Titan account to get the proper time on the download record file. That seems weird, but maybe it's just something as simple as that to get my times correct in the record file.

I'd certainly test out a manual version. Even if it doesn't contain metadata, manual recordings in NextPVR already don't contain metadata. Being able to record from TitanTV's EPG would still be an upgrade compared to manually setting the channel and duration and calendar in NextPVR manually. And even if recurring recordings can't be done from TitanTV.

And this is free advertising for TitanTV, so hopefully they take an interest in it.

[mvallevand]

@FM5 you can give this one a go.  As I said I think the times are correct, they are in UTC.

Fair warning this is using unsupported manual recording logic.  For sure if you set up a manual recording and the OTA has different metadata there is a chance the recording could be lost or changed, you will need to test that. If you guide source is None you probably will be OK.

Martin

[FM5]

This made me think of the line from Stargate when the guy figures out the 7th symbol.

"He did it."

The video won't play from that spot for some reason, but it's at the 2:00 minute mark.

[FM5]

Everybody knows the OTA EPG updating is nearly useless, at least in the USA, since stations only transmit 8 or so hours of EPG listings. This has transformed the nearly useless OTA EPG updating into something more normal and useful.

I only tested it a bit so far, but I think I covered everything.
Didn't need to make a TitanTV account. My basic channel lineup and simple preferences remained after a reboot.

However TitanTV and NextPVR are reading the time, it works fine.

If I have anything in NextPVR's EPG, TitanTV's TVPI files won't schedule.
If NextPVR's EPG is clear, TitanTV's files schedule fine.

After scheduling one episode through TitanTV, I can then click on the pending recording and tweak the manual settings. Can turn that one scheduled recording into "record daily" or "record weekly," etc.

Most of the program episodes I tested record into their own folder and have the correct title, and probably other information I didn't pay attention to at this time. I was too surprised from seeing it do a separate folder and the title.

A few programs recorded into the manual folder, but they do have the title of the program.
At first, I thought the programs recording into the manual folder are odd programs without episode data such as the 24/7 weather channel I mentioned in a previous post. But at least one regular-looking program recorded into there too. So, not sure what's going on with that.

This is quite the interesting thread. Someone might want to put "TitanTV" in the subject line to make these new features more obvious.

[mvallevand]

Zip your npvr.db3 and if it under 2MB attach it to a post otherwise other post it externally on One Drive, Google Drive etc.

If you tweak these recording into recurring episode they could disappear until the OTA data arrives and if the title doens't match they won't record.

I suspect the manual recordings are coming from a direct title match and they probably won't have any other metadata. I am not sure if you can turn a manual recording like this into a recurring manual recording or not.

Martin

[FM5]

I'll schedule some test recordings from TitanTV then manually tweak them to be Record Daily and then see what happens over the next few days.  If I do that now, for a TV show that airs daily, 14 (whatever the limit is) of new scheduled recordings show up.  I would assume they would work if they are considered to be manual recordings and so only record based on time.  But it will take more days to actually test it.  

Presumably, the metadata would be the same for all of them, but as long as they actually record, this is still better than doing manual recordings fully in NextPVR and have to set the date and duration.

Even if recurring recordings have to be done fully manually in NextPVR, being able to use TitanTv for other, non-series programs is helpful.