Can someone tell me, why would I use IceTV?

DavidGeorge · March 28, 2010, 10:21:23 AM

Some time ago I used Windows Media Centre with a Linksys Media Extender and IceTV was great; in fact it was essential since there was no inbuilt Australian EPG in WMC. I also had an iPhone and could impress my friends by scheduling a recording from any place at any time. (I didn't tell them that it only worked 90% of the time which meant that I had to remember to check the recording when I got home.)

However, when I upgraded to a P2 I thought, 'great, it can even use IceTV' and so I enabled IceTV without even checking the network-provided EPG. But the IceTV EPG data on the P2 wasn't as good as on WMC and there was seldom any year of production or actor information for movies. I never thought to check the network-provided EPG because 'everyone knows they are rubbish'. Also, the remote scheduling didn't work quite as well from the iPhone (now only worked about 50% of the time) and so I eventually gave up using it.

Later still, I upgraded from my iPhone to an HTC HD2 using Windows Mobile. There is no IceTV application or widget for Windows Mobile and, even with the huge HD2 screen, using the browser version was difficult and clumsy.

Today I switched off IceTV on the P2 and discovered that the network-provided EPG is excellent. It contains a lot more information than IceTV on the P2 and I can now see the year movies were made, and director and actor details. It gives me a full seven days EPG; longer for ABC.

Now it may be that someone here has a simple, 'change this setting' type of solution that will fix all my problems? And maybe IceTV is working on a Windows Mobile widget?

But until them, why would I still use IceTV?

David

Matt at IceTV · April 06, 2010, 04:48:56 PM

Hi David,

As you have seen with WMC, IceTV's EPG does contain extra meta data like 'year of production', 'actor's names' and so on. This additional information is sent as a separate field and is up to the PVR as to whether they choose to display it or not. In your case, the Beyonwiz does not.

The reason you are seeing it when using the simple over-the-air EPG, is because it is being send as part of the general description for a show.

Rest assured, we have taken your comments on board and will investigate ways to solve this issue. Whether it be with Beyonwiz's assistance or something we offer separately for users to apply themselves.

Regarding using IceTV on your mobile... have you tried using m.icetv.com.au?

Cheers,

Matt

DavidGeorge · April 06, 2010, 06:23:51 PM

Thanks Matt, your explanation was great and now I understand. Is this a general Beyonwiz limitation or is it peculiar to the P2? Also, does it affect other brands? The reason that I ask is that it seems possible to me (but maybe not to someone who knows the system) to have an option in account settings so that owners of machines that don't handle the meta-data well can opt to receive concatenated meta data, so that we get year + description + director + actors all in the main program description. Of course, I understand that there would have to be a reasonable demand to justify the development effort, which is why I wonder how widespread this issue is.

Concerning the mobile version, yes I do use the m.icetv.com.au url. But I am getting a poorly formatted display with a few buttons at the top repeated three times (Shop, Interactive, Help) followed by a full screen height of empty space before the program listings. Also Opera on the HD2 has many nice features and almost seems to guess what you want to do and format the display accordingly. Unfortunately it guesses wrongly in the case of IceTV which makes the display somewhat skittish. Either the time, program and station columns are all visible, in which case it is too small to read or, if you zoom in you can see only part of the display and when scrolling left or right it is difficult to maintain he same vertical position, ie the time you are looking at is not necessarily for the program you were interested in.

Having said all that, I have been using IceTV again, even without the meta data, and I am testing the remote scheduling of recordings again to see if I can sort it. Main reason is that I'm a compulsive fidler. Also, I have over 12 months subscription credit, and I haven't even claimed my three months from the Beyonwiz yet.

Are there any plans to write a Windows Mobile application or widget? I would point out that Windows Mobile applications are generally more expensive than iPhone applications!

prl · April 06, 2010, 09:22:42 PM

Quote from: DavidGeorge on April 06, 2010, 06:23:51 PM
... Is this a general Beyonwiz limitation or is it peculiar to the P2? ...

It's the same on all Beyonwiz models. They all run quite similar firmware. As far as I know, IceTV operation is the same on all, except that a DP-H1 without a recording HDD can't cache the IceTV (or FTA) EPG.

jim16 · May 10, 2010, 09:36:41 PM

Could we possibly have an option to append some of these details to the extended description?

prl · May 10, 2010, 10:39:01 PM

Quote from: jim16 on May 10, 2010, 09:36:41 PM
Could we possibly have an option to append some of these details to the extended description?

Matt's position seems quite reasonable to me - IceTV already sends the information. It should be the PVR allowing it to be displayed.

Cannulator · June 20, 2010, 12:25:35 AM

So the P2 Shows no indication that IceTV is actually working apart from going into system settings and 'interpreting' the messages in the IceTV Sub menu?

I have my 3 month Free trial and have a blue cable running across the lounge for file transfers across my home network so thought I'd give it a go. I've had the app for a while as a Free TV guide but no other use really apart from showing off now that I'm hooked up!

So noting that the FTA EPG seems ok (apart from some error in the latest firmware I have yet to understand and the double ABC programming blocks) why should you use IceTV as I don't think it was really answered. I'm really trying to grasp how it benefits my P2, I seem to get that I can set series recording for example via other devices-not the P2.

Not trying to be cheeky with this as my first post.

prl · June 20, 2010, 06:28:02 AM

Quote from: Cannulator on June 20, 2010, 12:25:35 AM
So the P2 Shows no indication that IceTV is actually working apart from going into system settings and 'interpreting' the messages in the IceTV Sub menu?

All Beyonwizes show the same status information about the state of IceTV. It's more IceTV information tan you get in some other PVRs. It's not all that hard to interpret, though the error messages (as in all parts of IceTV IMO) leave a lot to be desired.

Quote from: Cannulator on June 20, 2010, 12:25:35 AM
I have my 3 month Free trial and have a blue cable running across the lounge for file transfers across my home network so thought I'd give it a go. I've had the app for a while as a Free TV guide but no other use really apart from showing off now that I'm hooked up!

So noting that the FTA EPG seems ok (apart from some error in the latest firmware I have yet to understand and the double ABC programming blocks) why should you use IceTV as I don't think it was really answered. I'm really trying to grasp how it benefits my P2, I seem to get that I can set series recording for example via other devices-not the P2.

Not trying to be cheeky with this as my first post.

Series recording is the main benefit from IceTV these days, and maintenance of timers when the broadcasters move programs around the schedule. If you have this functionality in a PVR, then there's not much motivation to get IceTV. For a Beyonwiz, you don't have the functionality without IceTV, so if you want it, Ice is the way to go.

Ice also has recommendations that are supposed to be based on your viewing habits, but I've never found them to be of the slightest use. The recommendations list includes programs that you've already marked as favourites. Where's the sense in that?

Saltcastle · July 13, 2010, 07:37:02 PM

Hi everybody, first post here but long time PVR fan. A few month ago I bought a BW-S1 to replace my beloved Toppie 5000. Next logical step was to give IceTV a go, right? I must say, after less than two weeks of using IceTV, I am completely hooked. It is not the additional EPG information that I find that interesting or compelling, but the fact that I can set key word searches on topics I find interesting and that IceTV then provides me with a list of matching programs in a web page and I can just click and say "record" - now that I just find brilliant.

The ability to set those favorites together with season recordings - I love it big time! For me, IceTV is now a must have.

tonymy01 · July 14, 2010, 11:27:35 AM

I have been doing keyword recording for maybe 5-6years on the Topfield 5K (using ICE XML downloaded data), and so any new PVR I purchased must support that feature, and thankfully the Beyonwiz fitted that bill a couple of years ago. I don't think the EPG is of as much value as the ability to just setup your faves and forget, and let the connectivity of ICE to the PVR (or in the case of the Topfield 5K, perlTGD do the magic running on the SLUG hooked to the 5K USB), *this* has completely changed the way I watch TV ;-).

Saltcastle · July 14, 2010, 11:41:08 AM

Quote from: tonymy01 on July 14, 2010, 11:27:35 AM[...] *this* has completely changed the way I watch TV ;-).

Tony, I could not agree more. The first huge change in my and my family's TV habits came when I got the Toppie. It really is hard to explain how much that can change one's TV habits - and hence has an influence on the entire family life. I always say that finally TV fits around my life and not the other way around any more. I think it was prl who said here that "for some unfathomable reason most people still watch life TV". That is so true and I really wonder why that is.

Now having IceTV really puts the icing on the PVR cake helping me streamline and target my TV viewing much more. I never bothered hooking the Toppie up to the Net, but with the Wiz being on my home network (that feature was a major purchase decision) and hence being on the net too, this IceTV thing is excellent.