TV guide data needed

[reboot]

I realize there are multiple threads, discussing all sorts of possibilities for a method of getting tv guide data, but that's where the confusion sets in.
I've read all the threads, including the (now) 28 page one, and I'm no closer to a solution.
There is no one building a simple, easy to install and use, tv guide like zap2it.
Everyone talks about xmltv, yet each option seems to require multiple installs of various programs, and users entering obscure strings of jibberish, in an attempt to get something that looks like the tv guide we're used to seeing.

Please, someone make something simple like zap2it, that doesn't require any programming knowledge, or digging through databases to find tuner parameters.
Surely there's a better way, and I fear my days of gbpvr may be comming to an end if not.
I don't have/want MCE, nor Vista, and this can't be that difficult, given the amount of talent perusing these threads on a daily basis.

[drlava]

The OTA program is pretty simple and doesn't require any other installed things. Also check out
http://planetreplay.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14314
for an example of a free easy to use MSN scraper that supports Canada, but is slow if you have a lot of channels.

[SuMo]

Everyone talks about xmltv, yet each option seems to require multiple installs of various programs, and users entering obscure strings of jibberish, in an attempt to get something that looks like the tv guide we're used to seeing.

xmltv doesn't need multiple installs of various programs and is working just fine for me but I not to sure if it will work for canada

quote: At present there are back-ends grabbing TV listings for Australia, Belgium and Luxembourg, Brazil, Argentina, Britain and Ireland, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary and Romania, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Portugal, Reunion Island (France), South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland

It needs an initial setup using the command prompt, but that's once and from there on, never touched it since.

[soccerdad]

There is supposed to be a pay for service coming on line soon. Sub has already indicated that he will set up for this like he did zap2it. That solution should be easy and simple. The others are free and therefore will take a little work from the user to setup. After the development is done (and a lot is still going on as you know) we can set up an EPG page in the wiki with all the pros and cons of each and links and setup info for each utility. I am currently testing the MCE program (which I know you don't want) and it was fairly easy for me (NOT A PROGRAMMER) to set up. It looks and feels just like zap2it now (without the quarterly review).

[whurlston]

There will not be anything "as simple as Zap2It" until schedulesdirect.com is launched.

The North American grabber used Zap2It but since that will no longer be an option, we're working on other methods to output an xmltv compliant file. I've written 2 options myself. One requires an MCE OS and the other requires Yahoo! Go for TV. Other than those prerequisites, the only other thing needed is my grabber. Neither program is difficult to set up or use. My Y! grabber will do multiple lineups on a single instance run. As far as I know, there is no other grabber that can do that. Unfortunately it does not work for the Canadian listings.

Others have written options that do not require MCE or Go for TV to be installed. They are also not that difficult.

[dneprrider]

Might I make a suggestion to change the title of this thread to "Canadian TV guide alternative to zap2it discussion"
Since we Canadians can't use some of the available alternatives that our friends to the South have, we could do with a separate Canadian discussion.
I too for one would rather not have to resort to having to install MCE. I like my XP.

Also a free alternative would be my preference.

Someone earlier suggested a bit torrent TV guide download. Imagine users posting XML TV guide data files, then a small app that could parse out your selected channels. Is that too far fetched?

[smajor]

whurlston's Yahoo! Go For TV solution was really very simple to setup for me. I did have supported hardware, so I installed Yahoo's product, configured it, and haven't touched it since. whurlston's app just worked and I point my GBPVR to the output xml file and it's great. Sure, it's a couple of extra steps, but once it's done it works.

[reboot]

You're right, it should say Canadian data needed.
I read the whole bit about Y! go for TV, not available in Canada

The OTA program is pretty simple and doesn't require any other installed things. Also check out
http://planetreplay.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14314
for an example of a free easy to use MSN scraper that supports Canada, but is slow if you have a lot of channels.

This is an example of what I don't want. Install this, configure that, then install something else to read whatever was downloaded by the first, etc...

Someone earlier suggested a bit torrent TV guide download. Imagine users posting XML TV guide data files, then a small app that could parse out your selected channels. Is that too far fetched?

IMHO, torrent's are horrendously slow and unreliable. This would also require more than one app, to get the torrent, to download and extract the data, and to read it into gbpvr. I guess you can figure that my experiences with xmltv have been less than productive.
Whurlston's app doesn't work in Canada, or I would have already attempted it. Or should I say, the app does, the source data doesn't.

[zehd]

You're right, it should say Canadian data needed.
I read the whole bit about Y! go for TV, not available in Canada
This is an example of what I don't want. Install this, configure that, then install something else to read whatever was downloaded by the first, etc...
IMHO, torrent's are horrendously slow and unreliable. This would also require more than one app, to get the torrent, to download and extract the data, and to read it into gbpvr. I guess you can figure that my experiences with xmltv have been less than productive.
Whurlston's app doesn't work in Canada, or I would have already attempted it. Or should I say, the app does, the source data doesn't.

This was the source of my frustration. Canadians DO NOT have a free alternative that does not involve MCE05/Vista.

I'm in the middle of writing a very straightforward wiki page for EPG.

Unfortunately, I do not believe there is an alternate PVR product that I would like and have free Canadian listings.

And very soon, I will start nagging whurlston to create a GUI for his apps. (watch out man!) I will write one if that doesn't work.

Whurlstons MCE listings thing is quite easy, though. And it is possible to upgrade XP to MCE without reinstalling, and you also don't need to have any extra services running.

[zehd]

This is an example of what I don't want. Install this, configure that, then install something else to read whatever was downloaded by the first, etc...

Sorry but this practice will never go away. It all comes from GB-PVR being closed source, but sub having built in batch file hooks so others can hook in their third party ideas...

Sub is pulling the zap2it code soon too...

The best one can hope for is a GUI wizard that graphically walks them through a setup...