Season/Episode from theTVDB

[miken]

I just installed TVListings a few days ago, didn't really use it, and just now installed the latest update from yesterday (3.6.2 I think).

Bearing in mind that I am just starting to use it and could be doing something wrong, I am seeing grossly incorrect Season and Episode information coming from (I assume) theTVDB. And it's clear that theTVDB has the correct informaton.

I mostly record animated shows like The Simpsons. Some shows seem to be correct, others are not. I have gone through the motions of "Find More", selecting "TheTVDB" and then "Create Link". In some cases I just selected an episode that was clearly the correct series, in some cases I selected the exact episode that I was looking at in the listings.

I set up a recurring recording for Bob's Burgers and it seems to be correct. It shows the episode "Topsy" in tonight's listings as Season 3 Episode 16 which is correct. However, The Simpsons episode tonight at 8PM EST is "Black-Eyed Please" which is Season 24 Episode 15. TheTVDB lists this as Season 24 Episode 15:

http://thetvdb.com/?tab=episode&seriesid...7349&lid=7

but TVListings guide is showing it as Season 5 Episode 58 which is not even possible as there are never 58 episodes in a season.

Any idea what is going on here? I'm hopeful that scheduling the recordings in TVListings is going to incorporate this info into the file name (though I don't know this to be the case). But regardless of that having accurate season and episode information helps me determine what I need to record and what I do not.

Thanks.

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

edit 1:

I get my guide info with the donator's version of mc2xml using the newer (not legacy) microsoft service. I found an entry in my xmltv.xml file for this Simpsons show:

<programme start="20130310200000 -0400" stop="20130310203000 -0400" channel="I5.28458701.microsoft.com">
<title lang="en">The Simpsons</title>
<sub-title lang="en">Black-Eyed, Please</sub-title>
<desc lang="en">Flanders's parents prefer Homer's company to his, making him jealous; Lisa's new substitute teacher bullies her.</desc>
<credits>
<actor>Dan Castellaneta</actor>
<actor>Julie Kavner</actor>
<actor>Nancy Cartwright</actor>
<actor>Yeardley Smith</actor>
<actor>Hank Azaria</actor>
<actor>Harry Shearer</actor>
<actor>Pamela Hayden</actor>
<actor>Tress MacNeille</actor>
<producer>James L. Brooks</producer>
<producer>Matt Groening</producer>
<producer>Al Jean</producer>
<guest>Tina Fey</guest>
<guest>Richard Dawkins</guest>
</credits>
<date>20130310</date>
<category lang="en">Comedy</category>
<category lang="en">Series</category>
<episode-num system="ms_progid">1.285333148</episode-num>
<episode-num system="onscreen">558</episode-num>
<video>
<aspect>16:9</aspect>
<quality>HDTV</quality>
</video>
<audio>
<stereo>stereo</stereo>
</audio>
<new />
<subtitles type="teletext" />
<rating system="VCHIP">
<value>TV-PG</value>
</rating>
</programme>


So it seems like this xmltv entry shows Season 5 Episode 58:

<episode-num system="onscreen">558</episode-num>


So I suppose this is where it is coming from, not from theTVDB, unless TVListings is updating the XML file.

So long story short, what's the best way to get accurate Season and Episode info?

Thanks again.


EDIT 2: Latest NPVR (2.5.9 I believe), Latest TV Listings (3.6.2), OS is Win 8 x64

[alibert]

Hi,

yes, it seems that the wrong episode information is coming from your xmltv file, and is written like this into the npvr database. The plugin just displays this information and is not involved here any further. However, I could override the season/episode numbers with those from TheTVDB if available, maybe bound to the TVDB preference setting. But this would be something for the next release.

-alibert

[miken]

Thanks, alibert. I have not yet had any luck tracking down and info about this ms_progid numbering system implied by the preceding line:

<episode-num system="ms_progid">1.285333148</episode-num>
<episode-num system="onscreen">558</episode-num>

I would guess it's something to do with MS Media Center.

Not a huge deal either way but if there's a way to override it with external info like theTVDB or some other source that would be great. Even some sort of lookup on demand would be helpful, or a 'take the title and do a google (or wikipedia or whatever) search on it' ability. Something to eliminate the need to do manual typing and effort of looking it up to find correct info.

I just don't always recognize titles like "Black-Eyed, Please". But if I see "Season 24 Episode 15" I know "Oh, I haven't seen most of Season 24" or "this is currently Season 24 and episode 15 must be over halfway so it's pretty current, I probably haven't seen this" and so on.

Thanks for your work on the plugin.

[ttfitz]

Thanks, alibert. I have not yet had any luck tracking down and info about this ms_progid numbering system implied by the preceding line:

<episode-num system="ms_progid">1.285333148</episode-num>
<episode-num system="onscreen">558</episode-num>

I would guess it's something to do with MS Media Center.

I was going to suggest that 558 was the overall episode number (ie since the beginning) but according to Wikipedia, that episode is number 523, so that's not it.

[miken]

I had the same thought. I also thought that maybe they were counting the Tracy Ullman shorts but there were evidently 48 of those, so that doesn't make sense either. There is just no way that 558 makes any logical sense to me.

[miken]

I checked the other sources of guide data available to mc2xml. I am pasting relevant snippets here just for info. These are all for episode NABF04, "Flaming Moe" which is Season 22 Episode 11. Wikipedia says this is episode 475.

microsoft (newer):

<episode-num system="ms_progid">1.250775886</episode-num>
<episode-num system="onscreen">508</episode-num>

microsoft-legacy:

<episode-num system="onscreen">NABF04</episode-num>
<episode-num system="ms_progid">1.EP000186930508</episode-num>
<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00018693.0508</episode-num>

titan-tv: I can't make this one work

schedules direct (I have a 2 month membership):

<episode-num system="onscreen">NABF04</episode-num>
<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00018693.0508</episode-num>


It seems like the numbering refers to URLs or some universal identifiers.

Here is zap2it's Simpsons page:
http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/the-simpsons/EP00018693

And the page for this specific episode:
http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/the-simp...aid=zap2it


And just to note that zap2it's page for Season 1 Episode 1 has the number "0058" so the URL is EP000186930058:
http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/the-simp...aid=zap2it