Why did my guide data go away??

[NapMan]

I got my NPVR set up so I could hear and see the QAM stations from my cable. Then I set out to get the guide set up. I created the XMLTV XML file and set all the stations up properly and was getting good guide info. I even did a couple of test recordings and everything was working great.

I haven't used it in a couple of weeks but I open up NPVR today and all it says for every channel is "no show details". What happened??? I checked and the XMLTV.XML file is still there and each station is still pointing to it.

I tried updating the EPG data but nothing changed. I can still watch live tv but I get no guide data.

[sub]

My guess is either:

1) you've not automated the regular running your xmltv utility, so the xmltv.xml only contains listings for shows in the past, or
2) you've got the xmltv.xml file in a directory that isn't readable by the recording service (which runs as the 'localsystem' account, not your normal desktop account)

[NapMan]

I didn't know anything about automating the xmltv utility nor do I know how to do that. I'm still trying to figure out how I generated the xmltv.xml file in the first place. I have forgotten what I did.

Does this service require a paid subscription now?

[sub]

NextPVR has no idea what software you used to create your xmltv file. It's different in every country. It's up to you to ensure it's run regularly, so your xmltv.xml file has up to date listings.

NextPVR will run c:\users\public\npvr\scripts\UpdateEPG.bat before it attempts to read your xmltv.xml file each night (if the file exists), so this is a convenient spot you can add the commands to run your xmltv software.

You're in North America, where there is a good paid option (Schedules Direct), but mc2xml is also a popular free option.

[NapMan]

Ok, I figured out I used a program called MC2XML to take the Windows Media Center info and use that to create the XMLTV.XML file. Is this something I need to run on a regular basis? The mc2xml.exe file?

[sub]

Yes, since it'll only write new listings to your xmltv file each time you run it. If you don't run it, you'll quickly only have listings for shows in the past and your tv guide will be empty.

[NapMan]

Ok, I understand now. Are you saying I can use the UpdateEPG.bat file to also run the mc2xml app?

[sub]

Yes, you can create an UpdateEPG.bat, and put whatever custom commands you want. This will be run immediately prior to the application updating the EPG.

[NapMan]

I just made a Windows Scheduled Task to run the mc2xml.exe every day. Hopefully that will work OK.