NextPVR - EPG Setup - XML/XMLTV EPG - Zap2it & Zap2xml

[fla]

Looks like the Zap2it website changed & logins fail as confirmed on zap2xml. Anyone else notice this?

[sub]

I'd had a couple of people use the 'contact us' link on the website to tell me their zap2xml stopped working.

Honestly, using a Schedules Direct account seems like a better idea.

[scJohn]

Once or twice a year, theses guide websites change their layout and break x software scrapper. I got tired of reporting and then waiting for x software developer to fix their scrapper. Went with Schedule Direct and no more wack-a-mole.

[phil0909]

Yes, zap2xml stopped working for me too this week. I switched it to use tvguide instead of zap2it, and now it works again. http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/

sub may well be right about Schedules Direct, but I've generally found zap2xml to be easier/better, despite the approximately annual annoyance of having to reconfigure it a little. Maybe I'll switch one of these days...

nPVR (3.6.6) does seem to have problems properly running the updateEPG batch file for zap2xml. The batch file runs fine from Windows Explorer, and if I run it in Explorer, and then manually click Update EPG in nPVR settings, the listings are loaded and used by nPVR. Previously, I was able to get nPVR to automatically run the update every night but only if I limited the zap2it download to six days of listings, or fewer. I'll have to see if the same limitation still applies with tvguide listings - it would be nice to have all 15 days of data in nPVR, but not if it requires two manual steps for every daily update. Any idea why the nPVR automatic update process seems so temperamental?

[sub]

nPVR (3.6.6) does seem to have problems properly running the updateEPG batch file for zap2xml. The batch file runs fine from Windows Explorer, and if I run it in Explorer, and then manually click Update EPG in nPVR settings, the listings are loaded and used by nPVR. Previously, I was able to get nPVR to automatically run the update every night but only if I limited the zap2it download to six days of listings, or fewer. I'll have to see if the same limitation still applies with tvguide listings - it would be nice to have all 15 days of data in nPVR, but not if it requires two manual steps for every daily update. Any idea why the nPVR automatic update process seems so temperamental?

Honestly, I doubt this is anything to do with NextPVR. I've never seen any indication there is a problem with this, and it's pretty straight forward. NextPVR runs a batch file, waits for it to complete, then reads any xmltv files you've configured. I'm happy to help you work through it, so you can narrow down exactly where your problem is happening.

When you were configuring zap2xml for 15 days, what exactly when wrong? Did you end up with a file with 15 days of listings, but NextPVR couldn't read it or something else?

The only reasons we've ever seen users having problems with the automatic overnight update has been related to their own mistakes, and nothing NextPVR is doing wrong.

[phil0909]

Thanks for the reply, sub. Yes, user error is generally a high-percentage bet, but I've spent a good bit of time on this and can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

When I click "Update EPG" in NextPVR, a status dialog box says "Running UpdateEPG.bat", then "Checking for ... Listings", then "Updating Recording Schedule". So it looks like it is working, but the xml listings file is not changed. Seems like NextPVR thinks it's running the batch file, but it really isn't. It DOES load whatever listings were already in the XML file, so that part works regardless of the number of days loaded by the batch file. I've been guessing maybe there's some sort of timeout, that if the uppdate batch does not complete in a certain amount of time, NextPVR kills it somehow - but when I run it from Windows Explorer, it runs pretty quickly - about 15 seconds, even for 15 days of listings.

Any suggestions would be greatly apppreciated.

[sub]

When I click "Update EPG" in NextPVR, a status dialog box says "Running UpdateEPG.bat", then "Checking for ... Listings", then "Updating Recording Schedule". So it looks like it is working, but the xml listings file is not changed. Seems like NextPVR thinks it's running the batch file, but it really isn't. It DOES load whatever listings were already in the XML file, so that part works regardless of the number of days loaded by the batch file. I've been guessing maybe there's some sort of timeout, that if the uppdate batch does not complete in a certain amount of time, NextPVR kills it somehow - but when I run it from Windows Explorer, it runs pretty quickly - about 15 seconds, even for 15 days of listings.

It will be running the batch file, but whatever commands you have the batch file may be failing. For example, you might be assuming the current directory is the same location as the batch file, which would be true when you manually run the batch file...but when it's run by clicking the 'update epg' button, the current directory is "c:\program files (x86)\npvr", so your batch file might not be able to find zap2xml.exe, or similar. Likewise, when running from the recording service overnight, it'll be running as another account, so might not be able to find a zap2xml config (for example, if zap2xml is storing a config file in the users home directory). So you need to make sure your batch file explicitly changes to the directory, or uses complete paths to executables and directories etc (both input and output).

[phil0909]

Yes, paths are completely specified in the batch file, from drive letter to subdirectory. Full paths for both the zap2xml.exe command, and the output xml file. Both paths are to the NextPVR "Scripts" directory. There's only one line in the batch file, and I can't see anything that could possibly be failing due to a path issue.

[sub]

Yes, paths are completely specified in the batch file, from drive letter to subdirectory. Full paths for both the zap2xml.exe command, and the output xml file. Both paths are to the NextPVR "Scripts" directory.

A good way to diagnose this is probably to capture the output of zap2xml.exe in the batch file, so you can read its output after the batch file has run.

There's only one line in the batch file, and I can't see anything that could possibly be failing due to a path issue.

Where does zap2xml.exe store it's config info? The recording service runs as a different user, so if it stores any information in the local_user registry, or in a config file in the users directory, this might not be found when running automatically overnight.

I'm sure that output of zap2xml will help us understand what is happening. I'm sure there will be a good reason why you're having issues.

[mvallevand]

It is permissions issues search out solutions already posted on the forum. It may be free for you but not for our time. If any zap2xml user updated the wiki it would be easier instead I say just use Schedules Direct.

Martin