Any alternative to Atlas Metabroadcast for UK EPG?

[martint123]

I've just been given an email bollocking from Atlas for seemingly grabbing to much data ;( My last epg source was Birtles and Radio Times, but they didn't seem to be updating when channels changed (new/dropped). Any suggestions for a UK EPG with Freeview, freesat and Sky channels would be much appreciated.

For clarity, this means you should only request the data you need, when you need it, and not every channel in one batch. Additionally, please limit each call you make to a maximum of 24 hours of data.

Please make the changes required by 1800 BST on Saturday 14 May. Unfortunately, if we see further calls after that point that do not match the terms, or request more than 24 hours of data in a single call, we will need to suspend your API key.

[daveslee]

I've had the same snot-o-gram. Now its debateable whether asking for all channels out to 14 days once per night is more load/the same load as asking for each channel separately and each day separately as if a real "on-screen" EPG was being browsed by a user planning to set timers into the future, so I think I'll divide my usual one over-night request into a multitude of requests that run once per channel and once per day, so say if I have 50 channels, that would be 50 x 14 requests per day (each smaller) rather than one large request.

Or perhaps someone could "brew" a single xml file containing every channel broadcast in the UK out to 14 days for single download each night and I could use nextPVR to filter it. I'd pay a subscription for that service.

Anyhow, a few days of fiddling around with configurations and an abrupt cut-off of EPG at 1800 on Saturday if I don't come up with an acceptable work-around.

[martint123]

There seems to be some chat about this on the xmltv list which may accelrate as folk read their inboxes. https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/list...mltv-users (visible in 'archives' if not subscribed).

I have an enigma2 linux media box sat in a corner and it gets the whole epg off the net in just a minute or so using 'crossepg' but the results for the EPG browser are in their own standard. I'm on the prowl to see if anyone has ported it to Windows - it seems there is/was a mythtv version.

[ElihuRozen]

Or perhaps someone could "brew" a single xml file containing every channel broadcast in the UK out to 14 days for single download each night and I could use nextPVR to filter it. I'd pay a subscription for that service.

Isn't that SchedulesDirect? I use mc2xml to download from SchedulesDirect to an XML. If you have to have an XML, you could do that. If you just want to get the data to NPVR, use SD directly.

[daveslee]

So I've written an evil kludgy batch file for my NextPVR machine that runs under Windows that chops the requests up. Trying it out now before the Saturday 1800 deadline.

What it does is:

* Queries Atlas for the 24 hours of data for each channel I want, one at a time
* Queries Atlas for 24 hours of data for one channel at a time but offset 6 days into the future
* Queries Atlas for 24 hours of data for one channel at a time but offset 12 days into the future
* Each time the script is run, each "micro" batch of XML is shuffled along in a shift register, the effect being that after 6 days I will have all of the data for a 12 or 13 day EPG in the "shift register" queue chopped up day by day and channel by channel.
The individual XML files are then assembled together into the honking great big XML file I used to use.

I did this so that my EPG could look out into the future for 12 or 13 days for planning/setting timers purposes, and as schedules change, with less than a week to go I get an update and then the next 24 hours of data is always "fresh".

I have a fibre broadband connection and it is not the rate of data coming down from Atlas that is now the problem, but the time taken to sort through and assemble all those fragments. That gives a nice pause between each Atlas lookup which might keep their admins happy. I haven't done any clever optimisation or error checking - I just want to see if NextPVR will ignore all the duplication and dross in my new file (as programmes overlap from one day to another) or if it spits flame and I have to write something more clever. If this approach works then perhaps we can discuss with the keepers of XMLTV putting this type of code inside the existing downloader and changing the way that caching currently works.

[daveslee]

Isn't that SchedulesDirect? I use mc2xml to download from SchedulesDirect to an XML. If you have to have an XML, you could do that. If you just want to get the data to NPVR, use SD directly.

If SchedulesDirect works reliably and has as good a description of the programme as Atlas and the PA content does for UK television then I'm over there in a heart-beat to sign up. Is there anyone in the UK with experience of using SchedulesDirect JSON service directly in NPVR or using mc2xml can reassure me?

[rkulagow]

If SchedulesDirect works reliably and has as good a description of the programme as Atlas and the PA content does for UK television then I'm over there in a heart-beat to sign up. Is there anyone in the UK with experience of using SchedulesDirect JSON service directly in NPVR or using mc2xml can reassure me?

If you send me a private message with your postal code I can give you a preview of what our data looks like. We also offer a 7-day trial period. And we don't send nastygrams about requesting data - that's what the service is for.

[daveslee]

If you send me a private message with your postal code I can give you a preview of what our data looks like. We also offer a 7-day trial period. And we don't send nastygrams about requesting data - that's what the service is for.

Thanks rkulagow, just been and tried it so no need for a personal response from you. I can confirm for anyone else interested:

* The integration with the "native" client inside NPVR works perfectly
* I have an unusual setup with two satellite tuners DVB-S (UK-freesat) and four DVB-T (UK-freeview) and by selecting two lineups and carefully choosing the "best" EPG from each one I have seamless recording of the major channels across 6 tuners.
* The data seems up to date and stretches far enough into the future to make scheduling timers worthwhile
* Kodi is happy talking to NPVR (after a bit of prodding so it picked up the new channel names - a few had to change)
* I might comment that perhaps the descriptions are a bit shorter than the Radio Times/Atlas/PA versions - but nothing that I miss
* The thumbnail integration between NPVR and Kodi is working *MUCH* better
* I still haven't got NPVR to stop calling repeat showings "Black & White" in the EPG listings - working on that now...

So after a day of faffing trying to keep Atlas happy, I'm jumping ship to a paid subscription to Schedules Direct. Life is too short.

[martint123]

Thanks for that quick review Dave, I've got a bit of a mix as well - dvb-s(x2), dvb-s2, dvb-t(x2), dvb-t2 and analogue STB input from Sly, so I guess I will be tied up doing some tweaking when I change, probably to SD as well.
I may have a further look at crossepg when time permits as it seems to extract the epg data from the broadcast sky epg data....

[fetfer]

Many thanks for the review Dave, qq though does the data include Series information? This is what is important to me.

I ended up faffing around and rewrote my batch script so I get a daily extract of next 24 hours of a small set of channels and same set offset by 7 days.
I end up with 8 atlas files that are then all processed using XMLTV GUI which also gets the RT data.

I do wonder how long RT data will last as, if I remember right, that is supplied by metabroadcast.
Schedules Direct looks like it might be a long term solution.