Problems with EPG updates

[Aelanna]

Its on the screen where you entered your Schedules Direct username/password.

What screen is that?

I am having issues with I-xmltv. Apparently on 4/27, the last successful EPG update, there were new channels added, and I-xmltv wants me to re-run configure. But when I do that, it doesn't work. I get an error 62 in my log file, and an empty TVGuide.xml file. The only place I am asked for my SD username/password is when I run --configure.bat. And the only place I've found where I can specify the days is inside the I-xmltv.ini file.

Help! I can't record anything until I have listings, and I can't get any!

[sub]

I am having issues with I-xmltv. Apparently on 4/27, the last successful EPG update, there were new channels added, and I-xmltv wants me to re-run configure. But when I do that, it doesn't work. I get an error 62 in my log file, and an empty TVGuide.xml file. The only place I am asked for my SD username/password is when I run --configure.bat. And the only place I've found where I can specify the days is inside the I-xmltv.ini file.

If you're using I-xmltv, then the downloading of listings is done independently of GB-PVR. In this case, the setting for the number of days is the one in the I-xmltv.ini file.

If you'd been using GB-PVRs built in SchedulesDirect support, then you select the number of days on the capture source -> EPG source -> settings screen.

Help! I can't record anything until I have listings, and I can't get any!

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I'm sure its a bug happening at the Schedules Direct end, so you're probably going to have to raise a support ticket with them.

[bigguns]

Seems odd that it is on SD's/TMT's end as this has been going on for at least a month. Am I the only one using SD? If so, what is recommended I use, what is being used to get the listings that works? I just tried exporting with freeguide to xmltv file and setting gb-pvr to use xml file, but no joy. I also tried using xmltv-gui without any luck. I receive the listings from SD, but is there any other formatting changes I need to perform before importing into gb-pvr?

[sub]

Did you look at the xmltv file that gets created by the xmltv-gui? Does it have listings for several days into the future?

[sub]

Here is one of the threads about the problem I was thinking of: http://forums.schedulesdirect.org/viewto...&hilit=MTU

Its a bug in the Zap2it DataDirect service that ScheduleDirect use, and affects a very small number of users of various apps including GB-PVR, the xmltv grabber and others. It has been suggested that adjusting the windows MTU setting can fix it, or running xmltv with the --pad command line to work around the problem.

[Aelanna]

If you'd been using GB-PVRs built in SchedulesDirect support, then you select the number of days on the capture source -> EPG source -> settings screen.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I'm sure its a bug happening at the Schedules Direct end, so you're probably going to have to raise a support ticket with them.

I am using GBPVR 0.99.5, with the xmltv plugin. My GBPVR doesn't appear to have any SchedulesDirect support.

I am also using xmltv 1.3c, which has no GUI.

Everything was working just fine until 4/27. I have my GBPVR set to download new listings every morning at 7am ET. On 4/27 my log file shows a bunch of new channels, and to re-run --configure.

This morning I got the --configure.bat file to run, and successfully connected to Schedules Direct's server to select my lineup and channels. But I can't get any listing data, and my TVGuide.xml file is always empty. Whether I run the EPG update from GBPVR or manually run xmltv, I get no listings downloaded.

I've been talking to the SD support staff for 2 days, and we got the issue I was having with them resolved, but they said I now need to contact whoever supports xmltv to figure out why I'm not getting listings. Any ideas?

[bigguns]

IT WORKS!
sub: Looks like you got me pointed in the right direction. Got through about the last 4 months of postings on SD last night before calling it quits for the night so didn't get to that issue in there yet.
It appears to have been an MTU setting in my Linksys WRT-54GL wireless router with DD-WRT firmware installed. I changed the MTU from auto to Manual and changed the default from the 1500 that was in there to 1400, saved changes, did update EPG and I now have tv guide info out till the 21st (which is correct as I grab 10 days listings).

Checking the error in the zap2it.xml file has changed from:
The endTime you specified T23:59:59Z is not in a valid format
to:
The startTime you specified -11T00:00:00Z is not in a valid format

Even with the new error message, things are working. Just thought I would mention it.

After all the years of computing and not having to mess with MTU's, guess I will have to add this to the list of things that make you go hmmmmmm........

Thanks sub and everyone else for the great hints/suggestions/experiences...

[Aelanna]

Ok, I got my listings back but I'm not sure how or why, or if the update will work after today. Here's what I ended up doing:

I manually forced a download of listings by using I-xmltv.exe tv_grab_na_dd --output

This gave me a 9 meg file named --share, which contained the listings. I renamed this file to TVGuide.xml.

I went into GBPVR's config screen, and updated the EPG. When it finished, I looked at the config.exe.log, and it looked like the new programs were in and new recordings scheduled. So I loaded GBPVR, and my recordings and listings were back!

Now, why this worked, how it worked, and why I had to manually download listings, I have no idea. Am I going to have to do this manually every week from now on?

[sub]

IT WORKS!
sub: Looks like you got me pointed in the right direction. Got through about the last 4 months of postings on SD last night before calling it quits for the night so didn't get to that issue in there yet.
It appears to have been an MTU setting in my Linksys WRT-54GL wireless router with DD-WRT firmware installed. I changed the MTU from auto to Manual and changed the default from the 1500 that was in there to 1400, saved changes, did update EPG and I now have tv guide info out till the 21st (which is correct as I grab 10 days listings).

Great - good to hear you got it sorted.

[sub]

Ok, I got my listings back but I'm not sure how or why, or if the update will work after today.

Good to hear you've got yours going too.

Here's what I ended up doing:

I manually forced a download of listings by using I-xmltv.exe tv_grab_na_dd --output

This gave me a 9 meg file named --share, which contained the listings. I renamed this file to TVGuide.xml.

I went into GBPVR's config screen, and updated the EPG. When it finished, I looked at the config.exe.log, and it looked like the new programs were in and new recordings scheduled. So I loaded GBPVR, and my recordings and listings were back!

Now, why this worked, how it worked, and why I had to manually download listings, I have no idea. Am I going to have to do this manually every week from now on?

You would have always been needing to run xmltv somehow. GB-PVR wouldnt have been running I-xmltv by default, unless you've scripted it yourself (ie, a windows automated task, or created a updateepg.bat file that runs it). All GB-PVR's xmltv reader does is read a xml text file, so that xml file full of listings has to exist before GB-PVR attempts to do its EPG update processing.