EPG retrieval frequency

[furbies]

How often will the IceTV "server" allow my EyeTV software to download/ retrieve the EPG data from the IceTV server ?

[Dave at IceTV]

It's allowed to connect every 10 or 15 minutes... if it is capable. The EyeTV software only updates the guide once each day usually between midnight and 4 am.

We have a program called IceTV Accelerator that forces the EyeTV software to update the guide more often (every 15 minutes I think). The only problem is that Elgato changed something in EyeTV 3.6.8 that broke IceTV Accelerator.

If your EyeTV software is version EyeTV 3.6.2 to 3.6.5 then see the following page:
http://support.icetv.com.au/entries/23074124-IceTV-Accelerator

There were 2 different builds of EyeTV 3.6.8 but I don't know if the first build works with IceTV Accelerator or not.

EyeTV 3.6.8 (7407) "might" work with IceTV Accelerator.
EyeTV 3.6.8 (7410) will Not work with IceTV Accelerator.

Before IceTV Accelerator came along some people used an applescript macro to force a guide update at say 5pm to get a more up to date guide.
http://support.icetv.com.au/entries/21774477-How-do-I-make-EyeTV-update-the-guide-at-5pm-instead-of-3am

[furbies]

Thanks Dave

I tried the Accelerator app back when it was first released, (and the first few updates), and it was a real disappointment for me, so I wrote an AppleScript Applet that was working well until recently. So I was just wondering if IceTV had changed something on their (your) end....

The issue was/is that EyeTV doesn't always "obey" the "Update EPG" command being sent to it by the Applet I've written. EyeTV used to obey the Applet far more reliably. IIRC (being olde, the memory fails more than I'd like)

I've coded the Applet so it sends an "Update EPG" command and then calculates when 2 hours into the future would be, and then keeps a watch on the time, and when the 2 hours has elapsed, it then repeats the "Update EPG"  send command.
The Applet also posts to the Notification Centre, when an update EPG command is sent to EyeTV, so you can easily note that "things" are happening, and if the user quits EyeTV, the Applet goes into an "idle mode" and waits for EyeTV to start again before the Applet starts sending Update EPG messages again.

(edited to add more clarification & detail)

[furbies]

Well, I don't exactly know what was going on, but I did a bit of recoding and now (fingers crossed) my AppleScript Applet seems to be behaving & EyeTV is respecting and responding to "Update EPG" AppleScript 'commands' from my Applet 

(EyeTV v3.6.8 (7410), 2 x EyeTV Diversity USB Tuners & Mac OS X 10.9.5, running on a Hackintosh)

[furbies]

Bugger. I spoke too soon....

I shall keep investigating !

[furbies]

Bugger. I spoke too soon....

I shall keep investigating !

Well, I don't know what's happening, but thus far, the EPG Updater I've concocted is 'encouraging' EyeTV to update every two hours most of the time.
EyeTV occasionally 'ignores' the message to update the EPG, but so far it only ignores one update, but then does 'obey' the next several update messages, before again wilfully ignoring an update message.

Go figure   

(ps: as long as EyeTV obeys more EPG update messages than it ignores, I think I can live with it)

[MD]

Hi furbies, I really appreciate your work to fix the EPG updates. Eyetv has been sold to the company that did Elgato's eyetv manufacturing - Geniatech. The Eyetv business remains in Germany. I'm in negotiations with them right now to get IceTV properly integrated and EPG updates back to at least every 15min (so away from home settings can work asap). But our business negotiations and their software dev may well take some months to filter through so any work you are doing right now is very helpful to bridge the gap.

All the best,

Colin O'Brien

[furbies]

Hi furbies, I really appreciate your work to fix the EPG updates. Eyetv has been sold to the company that did Elgato's eyetv manufacturing - Geniatech. The Eyetv business remains in Germany. I'm in negotiations with them right now to get IceTV properly integrated and EPG updates back to at least every 15min (so away from home settings can work asap). But our business negotiations and their software dev may well take some months to filter through so any work you are doing right now is very helpful to bridge the gap.

All the best,

Colin O'Brien

Colin:

Good luck. We can only hope the 'new' owners are more responsive than the original creators !

furbies

[furbies]

I've deleted the attachment on this post as there's an updated version a few posts further down!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the script/app and a read me.

Obviously, you'll need EyeTV and a Mac, and an IceTv subscription !

The app sends an update epg message to EyeTV. That's all. Nothing else.
EyeTV is then responsible for actually getting the EPG data from IceTV.

If the app works for you, then yippee, but if it doesn't then I'm sorry 

(I've edited/updated the ReadMe File for more clarity)

regards

furbies

@Chairman, might you make this post a Sticky ? So its at the top of the topic ?
`twould make it easier for folks to see the downloadable, if there are any more posts ?

[Dave at IceTV]

Well, I don't know what's happening, but thus far, the EPG Updater I've concocted is 'encouraging' EyeTV to update every two hours most of the time.
EyeTV occasionally 'ignores' the message to update the EPG, but so far it only ignores one update, but then does 'obey' the next several update messages, before again wilfully ignoring an update message.

Go figure   

(ps: as long as EyeTV obeys more EPG update messages than it ignores, I think I can live with it)

Looking at the log in your account I can see EyeTV is mostly updating every 2 hours. But sometimes it updated either 1, 3 or 4 hours after the previous update. It's definitely a lot better than the default once or twice per day.

There are a few occasions where it updated between 2 to 15 minutes after the last update. I assume you were playing around with it at those times.

[furbies]

Well, I don't know what's happening, but thus far, the EPG Updater I've concocted is 'encouraging' EyeTV to update every two hours most of the time.
EyeTV occasionally 'ignores' the message to update the EPG, but so far it only ignores one update, but then does 'obey' the next several update messages, before again wilfully ignoring an update message.

Go figure   

(ps: as long as EyeTV obeys more EPG update messages than it ignores, I think I can live with it)

Looking at the log in your account I can see EyeTV is mostly updating every 2 hours. But sometimes it updated either 1, 3 or 4 hours after the previous update. It's definitely a lot better than the default once or twice per day.

There are a few occasions where it updated between 2 to 15 minutes after the last update. I assume you were playing around with it at those times.

Dave

Yeah, the updates that happened 10 minutes apart (or so) was when I was messing about with the AppleScript.
Sometimes if the Mac has been asleep for a hour or three, then there'll be a gap in the fetch(ings). But mostly the AppleScript has improved things.

I am going to see if I can't improve things because EyeTV has ignored "get EPG updates" overnight (between 5:30am and 11:30am (this morning). and I don't know why.

regards

furbies

[furbies]

A question for Dave @ IceTV

I don't know if you can, but could you check the IceTV logs and see if my account accessed the IceTV guide update "system" at about 9:40pm tonight (19 April) ?

I noticed that my EPG updater AppleScript/App said it told EyeTV to update its EPG, but EyeTV said it had last updated the EPG at 7:41pm

cheers

furbies

[Dave at IceTV]

EyeTV updated at 7:41pm and 9:41pm.

It is updating every 2 hours and 40 seconds (it probably takes 40 seconds complete). It hasn't skipped an update all day.

01:35
03:36
05:37
07:37
09:38
11:37
11:39
13:39
15:40
17:41
19:41
21:41 - last update as of 22:36

[furbies]

EyeTV updated at 7:41pm and 9:41pm.

It is updating every 2 hours and 40 seconds (it probably takes 40 seconds complete). It hasn't skipped an update all day.

01:35
03:36
05:37
07:37
09:38
11:37
11:39
13:39
15:40
17:41
19:41
21:41 - last update as of 22:36

Thanks Dave @ IceTV

Seems that EyeTV's Preferences>Guide Pane isn't always reflecting that an update has been requested and processed.
(Sounds like there's a bug in the Guide Pane, in that it doesn't always reflect when an update was performed)

Well, on the upside, it seems that my Applet is doing what it's supposed to....

regards

furbies

[furbies]

Hi All

I've put together a couple of different versions of the EPG Updater Applet.

EyeTV EPG 4hr Updater App
EyeTV EPG 3hr Updater App
EyeTV EPG 2hr Updater App
EyeTV EPG 60min Updater App
EyeTV EPG 30min Updater App

So a user can choose how often they want EyeTV to get told to update the EPG.
I've also updated the Read Me file as well to reflect that there's a couple of versions in the ZIP/Download.

I hope this offering is of some use to my fellow EyeTV & IceTV users

regards

furbies