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IceTV Guide for IceTV enabled PVRs => XMLTV (General) => Topic started by: dropbear on January 04, 2007, 10:25:31 AM

Title: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: dropbear on January 04, 2007, 10:25:31 AM
Hi everyone,

Sage TV now supports dvbt and it works great (although the picture using the given codec is not very good to my eyes), but I cannot figure out how to incorporate icetv xmltv feed into it.

Has anyone else got it working?

Cheers

DropBear
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: dropbear on January 08, 2007, 01:21:47 AM
21 views and no reply from the devs? :(
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: Russell at IceTV on January 09, 2007, 04:15:31 AM
Hi there,

Sorry for not responding -- we did actually see the post, and are looking into it to see if we can find a solution.  Hopefully we'll find an answer soon and let you know what we found.

Thanks,
Russell
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: Russell at IceTV on February 16, 2007, 12:05:22 PM
Ok, sorry for the delay on this...  I've spent some time experimenting with SageTV version 6 and getting it to work with IceTV.  I think I've got it all working, but before we write up an official document, I thought it might be worthwhile to get some input from other users to see what problems might come up.  So here's a rough walk-through of how I got it working (and surely one of the longest posts on the forum!).  I'd appreciate input from anyone that tries to get it working.  If you run into a problem, please let me know exactly where it went pear-shaped and what you saw in place of what I said you should see.

Ok, here we go...  These instructions are only for SageTV version 6.

First, I tried to install it on Windows Vista but ran into a problem with the XMLTV Importer.  It wants .NET Framework 1.1 installed, but Vista comes pre-installed with version 2.  I just got an email back from the author saying the two versions can both be installed on the same machine, so I'll give that a try later.  The rest of these instructions are for XP, although I think if you're able to install the XMLTV loader, the rest of it should be the same, since the SageTV installation under Vista seemed to go ok.

If you haven't already installed SageTV, do that first.  Then run it and go through the whole setup wizard, including setting up any tuners you have.  It's probably easier to just pick "Do not use program guide data with this source" when you get to the screen about the program guide, since we're going to change this setting further below, after installing the XMLTV Importer.  But if you've already setup the tuner, just leave it for now.

Close SageTV.

Download the webget.exe program from IceTV's web site -- save it to a directory such as C:\xml:

http://www.icetv.com.au/support/howto/webget.exe

Next we need to run webget once to download the XML guide file.  The XMLTV Importer has options where you can tell it how to run webget for you, and automatically download the guide each time, but it seems to want the guide file to be available when you first set things up.  The easiest way to do this is to create a batch file, then you can just double-click it to have it run webget with all the right parameters.

Open Notepad (Start / Programs / Accessories / Notepad).
Type the following line, replacing "USER-ID" and "PASSWORD" with your IceTV User ID and Password that you got when you subscribed.  Be careful with the quotes and spaces:

webget.exe "http://iceguide.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/epg/iceguide.cgi?op=xmlguide" -u USER-ID -p PASSWORD -o c:\xml\epg.xml

Then save the file as "getice.bat" -- maybe in the C:\xml directory.

Double-click the getice.bat file and hopefully it should download the XML guide data and create a file in the C:\xml directory called "epg.xml", which should be roughly 1 MB in size.  This is the IceTV guide data.

Download and install the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment (currently 5.0 Update 11, also called "1.5.0.11").  I picked the "Windows (Online Installation)" version, since it'll probably end up being a smaller download than the Offline version:

http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

I don't know for sure if the latest version is required, but it worked for me.

Download and install the SageTV XMLTV Importer.  If you've already done this, and couldn't find an option in SageTV to use it, the first thing I'd suggest is to uninstall and re-install it.  You'll find out more below, but you'll hopefully save yourself a few headaches if you do it now, before continuing with the SageTV setup.

http://www.lmgestion.net/@en-us/4/22/54/article.asp

Run the XMLTV Importer.  It'll start up a wizard where you step through several screens.

On the first screen, where it says, "Please specify the full path to your XMLTV file...", enter "C:\xml\epg.xml" (or wherever webget downloaded the guide data file to).

On the next screen, where it wants to know about the "Grabber executable", enter the path to webget.exe, such as "C:\xml\webget.exe".  For the "Arguments" box, enter the following line, again replacing USER-ID and PASSWORD with your own:

"http://iceguide.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/epg/iceguide.cgi?op=xmlguide" -u USER-ID -p PASSWORD -o c:\xml\epg.xml

On the next screen, it should show you a "Sample Program" at 8pm from the guide file.  If it doesn't show a sample program at all, it's not finding the epg.xml file you entered on the first screen.  The trick here is that the "8pm" it's finding is actually 8pm UTC (GMT).  So even though it tells you to adjust the "Time offset" field until the "Airing Time" is also 8pm, you should actually adjust it until the "Airing Time" is whatever time it would be in your local timezone when it's 8pm UTC.  For example, during the summer, Sydney is 11 hours ahead of UTC, so 8pm UTC would be 7am Sydney time the next day, and to get the "Airing Time" field to show 7am, you would use a "Time offset" of 1.  With Daylight Saving Time, I think that means it should be 0.  So just enter 0 for the "Time Offset", and later if the guide is wrong, come back and change this value and load the guide again.  Keep the checkbox for "Use daylight saving time" checked.

On the next screen, for "Unique program detection", I think it should be, "Based on ep. title or program description".

On the next screen, for Categories, leave all the settings as they are.

On the next screen, click the Edit Channels button.  Click the "Channels" tab.  Fill in the "Number" column with the channel numbers appropriate for your area.  For example, ABC might be on channel 2, etc.  Then click "Update" on this window.  You can skip the Edit Ratings button and just click Next.

On the next screen you can setup what time you want the importer to run.  I haven't played with this so I left it unchecked.  But in theory it should work.

On the next screen it should import the guide file and then say it's done.  Then click Next, and Finish to close the Importer wizard.

Whew.

Start SageTV again.  Now we'll configure it to use the XMLTV Importer.

From the Main Menu, click Setup, and then click "Setup Video Sources".  Select a tuner, which is hopefully already in the list just under "Add New Source" and "Finish Source Setup".  If not, add one first, then come back here.

Click a tuner to select it.  You should see a "Source Details" page with a lot of information.  Click "EPG Lineup..."

On the next screen, it should be prompting you to setup a program guide.  Select "Use US, Canada, or XMLTV Guide Data with this source".  On the next screen, select "Local Broadcast (Over-The-Air)".  Then you should see "XMLTV Lineup".  This is where I got stuck the first couple of times, because instead of seeing that, I got a list of regions or stations.  If you don't see XMLTV Lineup, close SageTV and re-install the XMLTV Importer.  You should be able to just pick the Repair option, but if all else fails, uninstall and re-install it.  Then start SageTV again and go back through the steps again and hopefully you'll see the option this time.  Once you see "XMLTV Lineup", select it.

On the next screen, it may ask you to scan for channels, unless you've already done that before -- probably a good idea to let it scan.  Either way, you can scroll to review the channels it found, re-map if necessary, and then scroll back up and click "Done With Channel Setup".  Then you'll see your tuner again, but this time it'll include the words "XMLTV Lineup", indicating that you have it setup correctly.  If you have more than one tuner, set it up the same way, starting with the instructions above that say to click "EPG Lineup..."

Then click "Finish Source Setup", and then at the bottom click "Back To Main Menu".

Then click "Program Guide", and hopefully you should see the channels listed with guide data.  Check the times and see if things look right.

If the guide channels are on the wrong numbers (for example, if channel Ten is coming up on channel 4 instead of 1), I think you have to make two changes (although I'm not positive about this part -- input appreciated).  First, close SageTV and run the XMLTV Importer again, and click Edit Channels like you did the first time.  Change to the Channels tab, and then change the value in the "Number" column from 4 to 1, or whatever it should be.  Then click Update and finish the Importer wizard.  Then start SageTV.  Go to Setup / Setup Video Sources, select a tuner (doesn't matter which one, this will change it for both of them at once) and then click "Channel Setup".  Scroll down to channel Ten and click the Remap button next to it.  Select "Map to Different Logical Channel Number" and enter the number 1, and then press Enter.  This should reposition it in the list so that it's now in the slot for channel 1.  Scroll up and select "Done with Channel Setup".  Then click the logo in the upper left corner of the window to jump back to the Main Menu, and then select Program Guide.  Hopefully now channel Ten is in the correct location.

If something went wrong in all these instructions, review the steps above, and if all else fails, let me know what you saw and where it went wrong -- details are good.

If it all worked right, open a bottle of champagne and begin dancing on the nearest table.  ;D  Then let me know.

Russell

Edit: modified the instructions for the XMLTV Importer's "Time offset" value, and added a section at the bottom for remapping channels to their correct location.
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: hoadie on March 24, 2007, 10:16:00 PM
I've been using XMLTV with Sage since 2004 and the IceTV guide for about a year using an older XMLTV Import plugin but it doesn't have a scheduling option and isn't available for download anymore, so I thought I'd give the LM Gestion plugin a shot and it works with no problems at all, so I can confirm that Russell's instructions above work, with the exception of the daylight savings / GMT offset - I'm in Sydney and had to set the offset to 0 and un-tick the daylight savings option. I think IceTV has the offset factored in the guide data. I'll test that theory in the morning :)

FYI, channels will need to be remapped as follows (works in Sydney, should be the same in other capital cities)

ABC - 3
Seven - 9
Nine - 11
Ten - 12
SBS -15

Ben
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: Russell at IceTV on March 25, 2007, 12:36:21 AM
Hi Ben,

Great to hear someone actually tried the mammoth instructions.  :)  And even better that it worked for you!

The times in the guide are all UTC actually, so they don't change.  It's interesting that you had to set it to 0 instead of 1, but hey, whatever works.  May be different after tomorrow also, for those that are ending DST.

Russell
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: hoadie on March 30, 2007, 12:57:40 AM
Quote from: russell on March 25, 2007, 12:36:21 AM
Hi Ben,

Great to hear someone actually tried the mammoth instructions.  :)  And even better that it worked for you!

The times in the guide are all UTC actually, so they don't change.  It's interesting that you had to set it to 0 instead of 1, but hey, whatever works.  May be different after tomorrow also, for those that are ending DST.

Russell
I didn't end up having any issues with daylight savings leaving the offset to 0.

I was curious about why it worked and dug out a copy of the EPG guide dating back to January this year, and compared the times a show, A Current Affair, in today's guide and here's the results


- <programme start="20070116073000 +0000" stop="20070116080000 +0000" channel="101" clumpidx="0/1">
  <title lang="en">A Current Affair</title>

- <programme start="20070403083000 +0000" stop="20070403090000 +0000" channel="4" clumpidx="0/1">
  <title lang="en">A Current Affair</title>

It looks like you guys don't use UTC after all.

Anyway, it's all good :)

I just noticed that the Sage how to guide is out of date, ie http://www.icetv.com.au/support/howto/howtoiceguide4sagetv/

PM me if you'd like some help updating it :)
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: Russell at IceTV on March 30, 2007, 03:20:22 AM
Hi Ben,

Good to hear you didn't have any problems with DST.

QuoteIt looks like you guys don't use UTC after all.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "UTC is UTC and doesn't change", right?  Believe me, I sympathize -- this stuff is confusing.

The best way to think about it is like this...  The show "A Current Affair" is on at 18:30 in Sydney, both now and back in January.  And although UTC doesn't change, Sydney's relationship to UTC does.  Back in January, Sydney was 11 hours ahead of UTC, so to represent 18:30 Sydney time in UTC it was displayed as 07:30, or 18:30 minus 11 hours.  After the DST change, UTC time became an hour closer to Sydney time, so there's only a 10 hour difference now.  So to represent 18:30 Sydney time in UTC now, it's displayed as 08:30, or 18:30 minus 10 hours.  Since your PVR knows what timezone you're in, when it gets the UTC time from the guide, it converts it to local time by adding either 10 or 11 hours, depending on DST.  If everything's setup correctly on the PVR, and if the server is correctly adjusting for DST and giving back the proper UTC time for your timezone, it all ends up as 18:30 local time.

Make sense?

QuoteI just noticed that the Sage how to guide is out of date

Yeah, we were kind of waiting to hear back from a couple of people to make sure the instructions above worked ok for everybody before we updated the guide.  Looks like it's about time to start working on that.

Russell
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: rossdonnan on April 19, 2007, 03:45:59 PM
Great job, this worked for me. Massive instructions though, can't there be an easier way? Guess it's the joy of using computers for tv.

I installed the widget and it shows all programs. I'm guessing this uses the xml data?

So that's fine. I assigned my channels 2,7,9,10 and 28 and it all works fine.

However when I go to program guide, half the programs are missing. I've included the screenshot here

(http://www.soulshine.com.au/work/screen.jpg)

Why don't all the channels come up? Probably will buy the annual subscription, just need to make sure it works fine first.

My first post so please forgive me.
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: hoadie on April 20, 2007, 06:07:47 AM
Quote from: rossdonnan on April 19, 2007, 03:45:59 PM
Great job, this worked for me. Massive instructions though, can't there be an easier way? Guess it's the joy of using computers for tv.

I installed the widget and it shows all programs. I'm guessing this uses the xml data?

So that's fine. I assigned my channels 2,7,9,10 and 28 and it all works fine.

However when I go to program guide, half the programs are missing. I've included the screenshot here

Why don't all the channels come up? Probably will buy the annual subscription, just need to make sure it works fine first.

My first post so please forgive me.
Well I don't think the issue is with anything you've done, it's the IceTV data - notice your widget has the same problems?

Edit: Have a look at this post here for an explanation. It would appear it's not actually an issue http://www.icetv.com.au/iceforum/index.php?topic=261.0
Title: Re: Sage TV Version 6 xmltv setup??
Post by: Russell at IceTV on April 23, 2007, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: hoadie on April 20, 2007, 06:07:47 AM
Edit: Have a look at this post here for an explanation. It would appear it's not actually an issue http://www.icetv.com.au/iceforum/index.php?topic=261.0

Yep, it's because you're looking at just the HD channels.  Right now the HD channels in the guide only include shows that are actually marked as being in HD, because not all stations upconvert the SD shows to HD.  Sometimes they show a demo loop in place of the show, and we're concerned that you might end up recording an hour of demo loop instead of your actual show.  By only including a show in the guide when we're certain it'll be shown there, we're hoping you never have that happen.

This has been a topic with much debate for a while now though, and we've been discussing the idea of giving you the option (in the My Account area of the web site) of having your guide include all shows on the HD channels, even if they're not marked as HD.  In this case, we'd probably turn off the HD flag on the shows on SD channels, and only use the flag on HD shows on the HD channels.

Russell