The Military Channel SKY 531 (UK)

[CornStopper]

I use xmltv using radio times as the grabber to get my tv listings. But radio times do not have the listings for The Military Channel.

Do anyone know where I can get the tv listings for this channel in an XML format that can be imported into PVRx2???

If not I might write a grabber for this channel, and would anyone else be interest in this once complete.

Corn

[markbb1]

I use xmltv using radio times as the grabber to get my tv listings. But radio times do not have the listings for The Military Channel.

Do anyone know where I can get the tv listings for this channel in an XML format that can be imported into PVRx2???

If not I might write a grabber for this channel, and would anyone else be interest in this once complete.

Corn

You will almost certainly need a specialty grabber for this channel, because in my experience, if you can't get it from radio times, you can't get it in xml. If it is available from DigiGuide, you could subscribe, but I think the DigiGuide xml is not xmltv compliant. If you want to try TVXB, that might save you from writing a grabber. I provided an ini file for the UK for TVXB more than a year ago, so it might or might not still work (I returned to the U.S. last August). If the ini file I provided still works (the ini files are available from the TVXB website), I might be able to help generate one that gets the Military Channel. Let me know.

I know how hard it is to get complete listings in the UK. I had to grab over a dozen channels for Virgin TV that radio times didn't/wouldn't provide. I used a combination of radio times, mc2xml and homemade grabbers to get a complete lineup. I abandoned TVXB because it limits the number of program descriptions it will retrieve if it has to retrieve a web page for every description, and every site in the UK that works with TVXB requires it to get each description individually. Two weeks of a single channel shouldn't hit the limit though.

[martint123]

I checked mc2xml and it is there as a channle, but I couldn't see any programming for it.

There are some channels that just never seem to appear in the Radio Times listings (can't remember the details though) I'd emailed many times both the channels and the R/T to see if they would talk to each other - but bugger all.

[CornStopper]

I've written a grabber to get sky 531 into xmltv xml format. Just need to write a bit of code that inserts the grabbed programs into an existing xml file, append mode instead of just grab mode so to speak. Then just need to test with PVRx2 and make sure everything looks Ok. Probably will be doing this bit of testing over the weekend.

[martint123]

Just need to write a bit of code that inserts the grabbed programs into an existing xml file, append mode instead of just grab mode so to speak.

If you're using Birtles xmltvgui to grab the Radio Times listings can you not use the xml import source to add externally generated stuff?

[markbb1]

If you're using Birtles xmltvgui to grab the Radio Times listings can you not use the xml import source to add externally generated stuff?

The externally generated stuff might need to be be a standalone xmltv file for xmltvgui to be able to import it.

If he is NOT using xmltvgui and IF the external stuff IS a standalone xmltv file, and IF he is using xmltv for Windows to grab his data, then he can use the tv_cat command to merge the data.

I would use tv_cat rather than write code to merge the data. Why reinvent the wheel?

[CornStopper]

Was not aware of the tv_cat option, is this available in the xmltv grabber, at the moment, my code grabs the single channel for about 2 weeks of viewing, into a standalone xml file, in the format outlined in xmltv project format.

Will have a look at this, merge option, prior to writing any of my own.

As with all grabbers, if the web site changes it format, generally the grabber will break.

Will let you know how I get on after the weekend, with testing and all.

I have attached an example of the xml file for the military channel, use this at your own risk, as I have not tested it yet in PVRx2. But have tested it in 'FreeGuide Tv Guide' application.

[markbb1]

Was not aware of the tv_cat option, is this available in the xmltv grabber, at the moment, my code grabs the single channel for about 2 weeks of viewing, into a standalone xml file, in the format outlined in xmltv project format.

Will have a look at this, merge option, prior to writing any of my own.

As with all grabbers, if the web site changes it format, generally the grabber will break.

Will let you know how I get on after the weekend, with testing and all.

I have attached an example of the xml file for the military channel, use this at your own risk, as I have not tested it yet in PVRx2. But have tested it in 'FreeGuide Tv Guide' application.

I know all about websites changing things that cause a grabber to fail. I was continually tweaking my grabber scripts to compensate for such changes.

I use XSLTV to test xmltv files. XSLTV is very particular. If XSLTV doesn't choke on it, it will almost certainly work in anything else.

Syntax for tv_cat using xmltv is

xmltv.exe tv_cat input1.xml input2.xml > output.xml

Of course you can include paths on any/all of the files.

[CornStopper]

cheers markbb1 for the xmltv scripting code will try it tomorrow, a bit pissed at the mo to start messing about with code and scripts as such.

If all looks ok, will post for downloading

[CornStopper]

The xmltv tv_cat option works a treat. Have just about completed it, just need to icase the the programme title, at the moment it is all uppercase and does look that good.