epgStream.net Online

Is there any way that a program (probably running as a scheduled task) could be created to manipulate the epg database?

Using SQL the annoying titles could be changes using rules, eg Channel 7 movies changed from “M- Rocky” to “Rocky”, with the movie flag being set (for colours).

I notice you have tried to get access to the database before, did you ever manage to get it working? I would happily try and develop something along these lines to help “improve” the epg data (as I cant see the freeview one coming for a while).

Love it..

Tho would luve it even more with your xml-mxf import app for the Foxtel/OzTivo guide

Pedro, Gazzar,

got to bigscreenglobal http://www.mobilewares.net/ and download Nialls BSE tool for windows 7. It works great for importing xml epg data into windowes 7. And unfortunately until bannger and the guys come up with an alternative it is all that is available.

@ Andrew:

I will check out the Bigscreen tools, but I don’t really feel the need to import external data – I just fancy modifying the exisitng eit data in the database. I will need to allocate a bit of time to “experiment”

@bannger,

This is why we need people such as yourself developing for yhe community.

What’s your thoughts on fair/reasonable pricing (in USD) for the standard/pro version of BSE (assuming you would pay for 6, 12 or 24 months at a time).
Please keep in mind that BSE is very much a backend/server side product as much as it is a client (more will be apparent on future releases) – so for that reason I can’t really offer an outright purchase (with unlimited expiry). Also – please keep in mind that as much as I’d love to offer this for $0.99 (like on Apple Store) – the total market/audience for this product is a small fraction of a percent to that for iPhone apps.

Whilsy I am happy to pay for software, I do not wish to be beholden to someone for the rest of my viewing life, just because Australian tv networks can’t grt their act together. I have donated to you, and I would again, and probably more than he is going to ask for the right to use, but to be told I must in order to have an epg no thank you.

andrew..

Tried it – looks good – but seems to mangel the data – thats why I’m waiting for bangers version – if it’s anything like the xmltvguide – it’ll simple and it’ll work.

@ Banger

I am just a hobbyist vb.net / php programmer who has recently tinkered with c#.net – where do I think this functionality you talk about, or is it buried in some dll!?!

This stuff makes my head hurt, but hopefully I can get something working that I can put back to the community!

a bunch of tidbits:

if you press on the 30 sec skip button for 2 seconds, it will pop up the thumbnails on the seek bar (as in #4 in the post). You can then skip / jump back to move the thumbnail around from the remote and then select it.

If you type a number before pressing the 30 sec skip button, it will perform that button the specified number of times (e.g. typing 6 followed by 30 sec skip button, will skip 6 times (i.e. 3 minutes)

Soft padding is no longer limited to 5 minutes max. You can now soft post padding up to (from memory) 30 mins.

In entry #1 above you show the single channel guide. (Reached by selecting the channel cell (the one with the call sign) in the guide grid). This can be useful to find the next time a particular program If you put it into sort by name, and then start typing the name of the program (e.g. lost) it will jump to the next time lost is on that channel.

favorite lineups (that you can create from tasks->settings->tv->guide->edit favorites & select from the guide grid categories area) is now ‘sticky’. They remain active through channel up/down in live tv.

single channel guide is replaced by a 2 row mini guide.

guide now has turbo-scroll – if you park on scrolling left or right for a long period, it will move into a turbo scroll mode.

movie guide is enabled.

I also want to suggest that while the inband data is better than nothing, the downloaded listings are still better. It has more structure and can call out individual actors and movie years, episode titles, etc.

@ Mike

“I also want to suggest that while the inband data is better than nothing, the downloaded listings are still better. It has more structure and can call out individual actors and movie years, episode titles, etc.”

Shame we need banger et al to finish their loader LOL!

Is there a way (as Banger suggests) to manipulate the EIT database to correct titles? I actually am quite rating the FTA EIT in Oz, it seems to have improved. I would like to have a bit more control over it, formating etc.

Cheers for any advice yo may have

There isnt anything built in that would allow you to edit titles (there is some casing logic built in)

There’s a protection layer to prevent you from reading or writing titles, etc that you didnt load in yourself. Sorry – I cant help in anything that would require defeating this protection.

Oh well, that kinda means we are stuck with broadcast EIT weirdness, unless it is captured, edited (using a similar approach for Vista) and injected when tools become available.

@pedro,

using Oztivo or other xml sources with Bigscreen epg should not be jumbled at all. I have been using it for a couple of months and get my xml with shepherd. Data is 100% better than EIT, and you get cast info and series/movie images as well.

Andrew :@bannger,
This is why we need people such as yourself developing for yhe community.
What’s your thoughts on fair/reasonable pricing (in USD) for the standard/pro version of BSE (assuming you would pay for 6, 12 or 24 months at a time).Please keep in mind that BSE is very much a backend/server side product as much as it is a client (more will be apparent on future releases) – so for that reason I can’t really offer an outright purchase (with unlimited expiry). Also – please keep in mind that as much as I’d love to offer this for $0.99 (like on Apple Store) – the total market/audience for this product is a small fraction of a percent to that for iPhone apps.
Whilsy I am happy to pay for software, I do not wish to be beholden to someone for the rest of my viewing life, just because Australian tv networks can’t grt their act together. I have donated to you, and I would again, and probably more than he is going to ask for the right to use, but to be told I must in order to have an epg no thank you.

just to clear some things up -

@andrew – I think you need to read all the information related to this rather then just taking some of it out of context and getting upset. First off – I’ve clearly stated there will be a free ‘lite’ version of this product. Also the quote above was actually asking for feedback from users on what they felt was reasonable pricing for enhanced version (and nowhere have I indicated I will be charging anything vaguely close to what Icetv are).

Also – unfortunately the optional ‘donation’ model simply doesn’t work as most users don’t donate (and I’m talking 99.99% – no exaggeration there at all). I’m sure banger can confirm just how ‘ungenerous’ end users can be.

Please also keep in mind that doing the Win7 epg importer ‘properly’ is not a ‘simple/straightforward’ task. I’d need to double check – but am pretty sure there’s now easily in excess of 20,000+ lines of optimized source code in the product now (and growing as features are added).

cheers
Niall

another tidbit

if while a show is playing you type 2030 fwd, then it will jump forward 20 mins and 30 secs. Same thing goes for Rew

@Niall,

I do appreciate the work you are putting into your bsetool and think it is fantastic that you have taken this on, and should be rewarded for it. I do not have a gripe with you, more the fact that in this country we have the requirement to do this because the NETWORKS refuse to supply a quality epg. I love all the extra info that I can have in the guide, but even with your tool I still need to use another third party application to download the data. (are you going to include that in the final version?)

@andrew
thanks for your comments/feedback.

I do understand it’s very, very frustrating that the Australian TV networks won’t give away their epg’s for free. (wheras they will in other countries due to different business models / perspectives on how to leverage their content).

But please understand that this is their copyrighted, Intellectual Property – and fair/appropriate or not – it’s not a valid excuse for me to give away material that doesn’t belong to me in the first place. (ie. giving away OTHER peoples property is not generous – its still stealing – and having a ‘robin hood’ financial model to justify it doesn’t make it legal).

My product’s sole purpose is to allow you to import EPG data into Media Center and make the most of it once it’s there. My IP / value-add is that it uses special algorithms and logic to allow this to be done in a seamless/easy way (and hence will allow you to work with source data that is incomplete and lacking metadata) – and of course the UI’s/wizard/documentation etc that makes it easy for a less technical person to use.

To put this in perspective – I’m sure you don’t feel that Cyberlink or Microsoft have an obligation to provide you with free pirated DVD/Bluray/MKV movies for download – simply because they are selling/producing software that plays back these formats. I’m sure you’d also never consider writing them a letter to them saying you’re not going to buy/use their software
until they do perform these illegal acts.

Anyhow – I hope some of this makes sense (and you see the logic here). I’m not having a go at you – and I do understand that your way of thinking is common amongst the large majority of users out there. (and a cause of great frustration for most)

I also do hope that sometime in the future the Australian TV networks do figure out a better business model to allow them to still run a business (which brings them revenue) – without having to resort to imposing copyright/restrictions on what many others get for free elsewhere. (or having to restrict the premium content to ‘paytv’/'subscription’ only).

@niall,

thanks for your answers. I understand your need to make money on this product and think the tool is fantastic at present and look forward to future enhancements. I will be purchasing it when released because there is not real alternative(I refuse to use icetv), I only hope that your pricepoint is at a point that the whole community can get behind it so that you can make profit and continue to develop.
@bannger It is a great shame you are so busy with paying projects, but am sure that you will release a workable alternative when time permits. Once again I hope the community supports and donates to the third party plugin cause.

Can i say —– if you are going to start asking for money for this product —- please make sure you offer all of those who HAVE made donations to DEDUCT that amount from the total cost you plan to charge for it.

Don’t kick those who supported you in the arse by taking their donations then forcing them to pay up on top of that, with out any fair warning before accepting their donations.

@banger

It’s August I keep checking back here for progress updates on your compiler

Have those contracts finished up, giving you time to finish up on the compiler?

This is probably my last blocker for W7 – once your compiler is available, I’ll take the plunge..

Andrew – There’s a feeware project up http://code.google.com/p/xmltv2mxf/

which takes xmltv and runs through a large converter to MXF. Then loads it in.

Pretty good – you get source code and you’re on your way.

As far as Media Center and 3rd Party tools to take essentially one information source (XML at that) and convert it to MXF…… in 20 000+ lines. Alarm bells ring!

Either MS have done a very poor implementation in this aspect, or something is missing.

You’ve got to ask the question – Why? Why do we need an ‘extensive addon’ to make this work?

(Speaking from a professional developers perspective)

Andrew : @pedro,
using Oztivo or other xml sources with Bigscreen epg should not be jumbled at all. I have been using it for a couple of months and get my xml with shepherd. Data is 100% better than EIT, and you get cast info and series/movie images as well.

perdo, hi

how have you manged to get epg data into windows-7 from oztive ?

i really want to move to 7 asap and the only thing stopping me is guide data, can you help out with a howto guide please mate ?

Andrew, Hi

How have you manged to get epg data into windows-7 from oztivo ?

I really want to move to 7 asap and the only thing stopping me is guide data for foxtel (sydney), can you help out with a howto guide please mate ?