EPG updates

[axlt2002]

Hi guys,

First of all for this great software that really makes my multimedia experience complete!

I have an initial question related to the EPG and how this is updated. I found the following information on the wiki:

UpdateEPG.bat: Run when the EPG update begins at the time specified in Settings. Commonly used to update an XMLTV file used as the EPG source. No arguments.

So, I have actually two questions:

• If the update time is missed, does NextPVR launch the .bat file as soon as possible? For example, if I have set it at 12:00 but I start NextPVR at 19:00, will the EPG be updated anyway or postponed the next day at 12:00?
  
• I have found in the forum that is possible to use Windows Task Manager to schedule different EPG updates in a day (for example at 12:00, 18:00 and 23:00) through the command line option -updateepgonly. What does such option do exactly? It runs the UpdateEPG.bat or just reads again the data from the TV guide .xml file? In addition, what does "NextPVR is not started" mean (see wiki)?
  

Thank you in advance for your kind attention and support.

Alex

[Graham]

If the update time is missed, does NextPVR launch the .bat file as soon as possible? ... What does such option do exactly? It runs the UpdateEPG.bat or just reads again the data from the TV guide .xml file?

NextPVR has two main components. The NextPVR Recording Service runs continuously in the background as a Windows service. It is the NextPVR Recording Service that connects to the tuners and starts recordings and runs the automatic EPG update.

The NextPVR front-end is the part that you see on screen where you view the EPG and schedule and watch recordings.

The automatic EPG update is performed by the NextPVR Recording Service once each day at the time specified in NextPVR Settings --> Misc2.

The NextPVR Recording Service will run the updateEPG.bat before it updates the EPG if an updateEPG.bat exists. The updateEPG.bat is only required if the EPG data needs to be collected before the EPG update can happen. EPG data obtained from over-the-air via a tuner or from Schedules Direct will be obtained directly by NextPVR and does not require an updateEPG.bat. EPG data that is acquiried from an xmltv xml file requires that the xmltv files is created before the EPG update occurs. It is usual to use the updateEPG.bat to run grabber software that grabs EPG data from somewhere on the Internet if you choose xmltv to get EPG data.

The easiest way to get EPG data is to use the over-the-air DVB/ATSC option.

[axlt2002]

NextPVR has two main components. The NextPVR Recording Service runs continuously in the background as a Windows service. It is the NextPVR Recording Service that connects to the tuners and starts recordings and runs the automatic EPG update.

The NextPVR front-end is the part that you see on screen where you view the EPG and schedule and watch recordings.

The automatic EPG update is performed by the NextPVR Recording Service once each day at the time specified in NextPVR Settings --> Misc2.

The NextPVR Recording Service will run the updateEPG.bat before it updates the EPG if an updateEPG.bat exists. The updateEPG.bat is only required if the EPG data needs to be collected before the EPG update can happen. EPG data obtained from over-the-air via a tuner or from Schedules Direct will be obtained directly by NextPVR and does not require an updateEPG.bat. EPG data that is acquiried from an xmltv xml file requires that the xmltv files is created before the EPG update occurs. It is usual to use the updateEPG.bat to run grabber software that grabs EPG data from somewhere on the Internet if you choose xmltv to get EPG data.

The easiest way to get EPG data is to use the over-the-air DVB/ATSC option.

Thanks a lot Graham for the prompt and really exhaustive answer!

In order to check if I understood everything correctly, is the following the "way-to-go" for a scheduled update?

- Set in Windows Task Manager a task that runs "C:\Program Files(x86)\NPVR\NextPVR.exe" -updateepgonly at 12:00, 18:00 and 24:00
- The above will launch updateEPG.bat at that times
- updateEPG.bat will contain the executable of the program I use to generate the tv guide xml file (i.e. EPGDownloader)
- Once NextPVR Recording Service will detect the end of the executable, it will update the internal EPG through the xml file just refreshed

Right?

Thanks,

Alex

[Graham]

is the following the "way-to-go" for a scheduled update?

- Set in Windows Task Manager a task that runs "C:\Program Files(x86)\NPVR\NextPVR.exe" -updateepgonly at 12:00, 18:00 and 24:00
- The above will launch updateEPG.bat at that times
- updateEPG.bat will contain the executable of the program I use to generate the tv guide xml file (i.e. EPGDownloader)
- Once NextPVR Recording Service will detect the end of the executable, it will update the internal EPG through the xml file just refreshed

Why do you need to generate the tv guide xml file more than one time each day?

• My suggestion would be create a updateEPG.bat that generates the tv guide xml file.
  
• Set NextPVR Settings --> Misc to run the automatic update at a convenient time (6am, perhaps). The NextPVR Recording Service will wake the computer from sleep at 6am to do the EPG update and will run the updateEPG.bat.
  

The updateEPG.bat is run by the NextPVR Recording Service under a System user account and will not run in the same folder as the same batch file run under your logged on user account.. You need to specify the full path name for files and/or use CD to switch to folder that you need to be in.

There should not be any need to use Windows Task Scheduler.

[axlt2002]

Why do you need to generate the tv guide xml file more than one time each day?

• My suggestion would be create a updateEPG.bat that generates the tv guide xml file.
  
• Set NextPVR Settings --> Misc to run the automatic update at a convenient time (6am, perhaps). The NextPVR Recording Service will wake the computer from sleep at 6am to do the EPG update and will run the updateEPG.bat.
  

The updateEPG.bat is run by the NextPVR Recording Service under a System user account and will not run in the same folder as the same batch file run under your logged on user account.. You need to specify the full path name for files and/or use CD to switch to folder that you need to be in.

There should not be any need to use Windows Task Scheduler.

The simpler, the better...

Thank you very much Graham!

[axlt2002]

Hi Graham,

I'm coming back to this thread after a while since I have setup a new HTPC using NextPVR as front-end for my muti-media content.

Having set the EPG update time, for example, at 18:00, and having a requirement (coming from my wife... :/ ) of not having the PC in sleep mode but shutdown, how the update of the EPG works? If I turn on the PC at 21:00, does the UpdateEPG.bat runs when the NextPVR recording service starts or it will wait for 18:00 the day after? I'm asking this because there could be the case in which the EPG will never be updated (i.e. the PC is turned off at the time the EPG update is scheduled).

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Graham]

Having set the EPG update time, for example, at 18:00, and having a requirement (coming from my wife... :/ ) of not having the PC in sleep mode but shutdown, how the update of the EPG works? If I turn on the PC at 21:00, does the UpdateEPG.bat runs when the NextPVR recording service starts or it will wait for 18:00 the day after?

It will wait until 18.00 the day after ... NextPVR will do an EPG update if the computer is awake or asleep at the time set ... NextPVR will not do an EPG update if the computer is switched off.

An option is the -updateepgonly that you mention in your first post in 2017 ... Simply stated, change the existing updateepg.bat by adding a nextpvr.exe -updateepgonly to the end of the batch file and use Windows Task Scheduler to run the batch file once per day and set the option to run the batch file at the next power-on if the scheduler could not run the batch file at the scheduled time. You will need to specify the correct paths and folders in the batch file.

[martint123]

There's a difference between "shutdown" and "switched off" - mine will do it's EPG update when shutdown.

[axlt2002]

It will wait until 18.00 the day after ... NextPVR will do an EPG update if the computer is awake or asleep at the time set ... NextPVR will not do an EPG update if the computer is switched off.

An option is the -updateepgonly that you mention in your first post in 2017 ... Simply stated, change the existing updateepg.bat by adding a nextpvr.exe -updateepgonly to the end of the batch file and use Windows Task Scheduler to run the batch file once per day and set the option to run the batch file at the next power-on if the scheduler could not run the batch file at the scheduled time. You will need to specify the correct paths and folders in the batch file.

Thanks a lot Graham for your always prompt and useful feedbacks! 2017...yes, the time passes fast!

Would it be possbile to implement in NextPVR the EPG update in case the scheduled time is missed? I think it would be more straight forward for a user to have a "transparent solution" instead of struggling with Windows Task Manager (may be not all the people are skilled with such stuffs).

Have a great day!

[Graham]

... mine will do it's EPG update when shutdown.

I fully respect that you have been doing this for one month longer than I have ... but ... Are you sure?

Do we mean "shutdown" by clicking "Shutdown" in the Windows Start menu? And do we mean that it is the NextPVR Recording Service that triggers the EPG update?