EPG automatic Update

[neilraymond]

I was also having the same problem - see here http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=15263

I've got round it by completely disabling the epg update in gbpvr config and creating a scheduled task to wake the machine and run the following batch file. That way you know that the update is going to happen at the time that you specify, and as long as your standby time in the power management is sufficient to allow the update to take place then you won't have a problem with the machine shutting down before the update has started/finished. Windows may even prevent the machine going into standby whilst the scheduled task is running, but i'm not sure about that.

Code:

echo off
setlocal
set logfile=epgupdate.out
set /a attempts=1

:ping
  sleep 60
  echo Attempt %attempts% >> %logfile%
  if %attempts% GEQ 4 goto error
  set /a attempts=%attempts% + 1
  ping www.google.com >> %logfile%
  if %errorlevel% neq 0 goto ping

echo Ping successful >> %logfile%

"C:\Program Files\XMLTV GUI\XmltvConsole.exe"
"C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\GBPVR.exe" -OnlyUpdateEPG

goto exit

:error
echo Error connecting to internet >> %logfile%
goto exit

:exit

The ping stuff is there because my machine is not always connected to the internat and i don't want the update to run if it's not.

Cheers to mvandere for pointing out that ping sets the errorlevel

Hope this helps in some way

Neil

[cakes]

I've got round it by completely disabling the epg update in gbpvr config and creating a scheduled task to wake the machine and run the following batch file.

I used to do it this way, but the problem here is that
"gbpvr.exe" -OnlyUpdateEpg does not take care of schedule changes of pending recordings. Instead, you will see duplicate entries in the epg: the old one (recording pending) and a new one, with changed schedule. In one of the threads I read that the scheduled epg update in GBPVR does takes care of this.

[neilraymond]

oh, i hadn't realised that. did you ever try emptying the epg using -OnlyEmptyEPG first and then updating it with -OnlyUpdateEpg? i wonder if that might solve the problem?

cheers

neil

[cakes]

did you ever try emptying the epg using -OnlyEmptyEPG first and then updating it with -OnlyUpdateEpg?

I did indeed, but then I read that the automatic epg update just takes a few more things into account. I've looked up the thread:
http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...=duplicate

Greetz

[neilraymond]

cheers for that, i vaguely remembered reading that thread sometime ago before i noticed this problem, but i couldn't find it again.

with a view to a different work-around, i've just done a little experiment. if you download Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools from ms, you get an exe called sleep which you can call from a batch file, and as you expect it makes the batch file wait for the specified number of seconds. i put a call to this in a batch file and scheduled it to run and wake the machine, and whilst the batch file was running the machine stayed awake even though there was no activity on the system.

this means (i think) that you could create a batch file that just contains:

Code:

sleep 600

i.e. sleep for 10 minutes, and schedule it to wake the machine and start just before the gbpvr full update was scheduled to start. gbpvr would not have to wake the machine, and windows would keep the machine awake for the duration of the "sleep" scheduled task. this would give gbpvr time to do the update (which as someone stated earlier does not necessarily happen at the scheduled time). the actual sleep time may need to be varied, i'm not sure how long the delay could be between the scheduled time and the actual time the update starts.

i'm going to test this tonight - it's a bit hacky, but i'm not sure of any other way round this problem until gbpvr can force the machine to stay awake until the epg update has occurred.

cheers

neil

[cakes]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try it too.

[sub]

Do you run anything in UpdateEPG.bat? For example, running an XMLTV grabber. If so, how long does it take to complete?

When you click the 'Update EPG' button in the config app, how long does it take to complete?

How long of a period of inactivity will cause you PC to go back to sleep?

[cakes]

Do you run anything in UpdateEPG.bat?

an xmltv job which takes +-15 min + a sync job which takes 2-3 min

When you click the 'Update EPG' button in the config app, how long does it take to complete?

just a few seconds

How long of a period of inactivity will cause you PC to go back to sleep?

I set it to standby after 10'. But it seems the xmltv job is not heavy enough to be considered as activity

[sub]

Do you run anything in UpdateEPG.bat?

an xmltv job which takes +-15 min + a sync job which takes 2-3 min

GB-PVR does try to make sure the machine stays away during the EPG update, but not during the execution of that optional batch file. Its just called synchronously. I've changed it to asychronous for the next release so that it can make the calls necessary to keep the machine awake while it executes.

[cakes]

thanks ! looking forward...