What is used a unique id while importing xmltv?

[hthvdmeer]

Hello,

I've just started using gbpvr and would like to understand some more about importing xmltv data.

I used freq2xml.exe to prepare an xml file that contains my channel definition.
I live in the Netherlands where we need to use the exact frequency.
So for example:

<tv>
<channel id="216000000">
<display-name>Nederland 1</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="184000000">
<display-name>Nederland 2</display-name>
</channel>


So the channel id is the frequency I need to use.
And this works. When I import EPG GBPVR creates the channels using then channel id as source channel.
It adds the channels to the (empty) list of channels sorted by freq and not by order of entry. I would have preferred the former.

Then I use Amontillado TVGIDS grabber to grab the real xmltv data.
It makes an xmltv file like this:

<tv generator="Amontillado TVGIDS grabber">
<channel id="1">
<display-name>Nederland 1</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="2">
<display-name>Nederland 2</display-name>
</channel>

..
..
..

<programme start="20060602065900" stop="20060602090000" channel="1">
<title>Goedemorgen Nederland</title>
<desc>bla bla bla</desc>
<category>Nieuws/actualiteiten</category>
</programme>

And when I import it works OK. So far so good.

What I do not understand is how GBPVR matches its channels to the newly imported data. I guess it uses the display-name as unique id, but then again it uses the channel id to mach the data internal in the xmltv file.
Could somebody pleas confirm this?

So to start a new gbpvr installation I need to:
1) prepare an xmltv file to define the channels and its frequency
2) renumber the channels to my preference
3) import the 'real' xmltv file.

What happens when an updated xmltv is imported?
1) When this new xmltv defines programs in empty time slots are the old programs preserved?
2) When the new xmltv tv defines programs on conflicting times are the old conflicting programs deleted?

And finally: did I overlook some documentation where I could have learned all this without bothering you?

Cheers,

Henk van der Meer

[stefan]

Perhaps an easier way would have been to use the "real" xmltv file to create the channels in gbpvr. Afterwards, you could have gone into the capture source, and overwrite the channel numbers with the known, correct, frequencies.

2) When the new xmltv tv defines programs on conflicting times are the old conflicting programs deleted?

On the capture source tab, tick the box "Complete EPG reload..."

And finally: did I overlook some documentation where I could have learned all this without bothering you?

That depends on what documentation you have looked at Many questions are already answered here in the forums, and then we have the wiki with a bunch of info: http://www.gbvpr.com/pmwiki

[HtV]

I see you're from the Netherlands, so am I. If you have problems with certain programs in the epg overlapping each other, read this: http://forums.gbpvr.com//showthread.php?t=11894, works very nice for me.
If you haven't already check out: updateepg.bat, enter your xmltv program in here.
It runs before GBPVR updates the epg (from your downloaded xmltv file)
So this is the way to automate it, and you can also enter your epgfilter in there (from the thread above). If you have any questions ask here, this is the most helpful and polite forum I've ever met. If you have specific dutch questions you can pm me too.

[durian]

Hello,

I've just started using gbpvr and would like to understand some more about importing xmltv data.

[...]

What I do not understand is how GBPVR matches its channels to the newly imported data. I guess it uses the display-name as unique id, but then again it uses the channel id to mach the data internal in the xmltv file.
Could somebody pleas confirm this?

So to start a new gbpvr installation I need to:
1) prepare an xmltv file to define the channels and its frequency
2) renumber the channels to my preference
3) import the 'real' xmltv file.

[...]

And finally: did I overlook some documentation where I could have learned all this without bothering you?

I would also like to know how it works *exactly*. I wrote my own xmltv grabber in Perl - I have a linux machine connected to the internet the whole time which grabs the tvgids.nl listing and puts the xmltv.xml file on a samba shared network drive. I got it to work but I don't understand how the epg/gbpvr/xmltv exactly work together with their IDs and names etc.

Something else, my script also allows me to group programs together in one big recording (in the Netherlands we used to have Medium followed by Lost. Having two recordings was messy because this station never ever starts its programs even close to what it publishes in the guide. Often, the recording would change to the next file when the next program hadn't started yet causing irritating breaks.)

Anyway, I'm rambling,
-peter

[betlit]

What I do not understand is how GBPVR matches its channels to the newly imported data. I guess it uses the display-name as unique id, but then again it uses the channel id to mach the data internal in the xmltv file.
Could somebody pleas confirm this?

it seems that way. i had to write a new grabber for swiss tv listings (since fernsehen.ch blocks now all xmltv-requests) using fernsehen.bluewin.ch.

bluewin uses other names for some channels (e.g. 'SWR-BW' where fernsehen .ch used 'SÜDWEST Fernsehen')...
altough my new grabber uses the same ids, gbpvr created a new channel 'SWR-BW' and left the 'SÜDWEST Fernsehen' blank.

[HtV]

I think Stefan was right: You start with getting an xmltv file, when you use tv_gids_to_xml.exe, then you can change the channel names you want, in the display tags, these names are used by gbpvr. Then you point gbpvr (in config-capture source-setup-edit recording source-epg setup) to your tv_gids_to_xml.xml (or whatever name you gave it). It downloads the channels. Then in "config-capture source setup-edit recording source" you can enter the frequencies in the colum of the channel numbers.
After that everything should work. In config-channels you can change the order of the channels.
To automate the epg-update you can use updateepg.bat as I described earlier.

To your question about the shows being recorded right after each other: if I have that I always make it a manual recording from beginning 1st show till end 2nd show. You can now also schedule manual recordings in EWA (enahanced web admin).
Good luck