Blank title in timer

[csutak40]

I just checked the EPG for the times when I have missing titles in the Timers list.  They are all populated, so this makes no sense to me.  I took screen shots of all the ones to do with the screen shot I posted in my previous post

[kazz]

Do you know what the blank timers might be for? It's obviously hard to tell without a title.

I edited my post as you posted.  It seems to be for 3 shows all back to back on Sunday night, it didn't impact Monday night at all.   I don't put the Wiz into full standby, just warm standby (dunno if my son used it over that period either, he usually doesn't).
See following night is fine..

p.s. the scrolling is a bit annoying in the Wiz, I wanted to show all the SBS guides, but once you reach the bottom of the EPG page when moving down channel by channel, it goes up a full page at a time, for both EPG and recordings it seems.

I have a bunch of recordings that all look like the one you highlighted, I've had it happen quite a few times now but had about 5 today/overnight all of the current ones are channel 10/11.

Edit: I have a T3.

[simoncasey]

I just checked the EPG for the times when I have missing titles in the Timers list.  They are all populated, so this makes no sense to me.  I took screen shots of all the ones to do with the screen shot I posted in my previous post

Can you try doing a GUI restart of your t4 from the power menu and see if the timer titles get populated.

[csutak40]

Can you try doing a GUI restart of your t4 from the power menu and see if the timer titles get populated.

I am not sure exactly how to do a GUI restart, but just a little while ago, (http://forum.icetv.com.au/iceforum/beyonwiz/17/blank-title-in-timer/4842/msg25557#msg25557) I did a complete reboot, by switching off the T4 at the back. it didn't populate the missing titles

[simoncasey]

Menu>Power>restart gui will do a restart. It's possible that the tidy up of the timer is done when the t3 shuts down rather than during the start up.

[prl]

On GUI restart, the following happens to IceTV and existing timers:

• Existing timers are read from the timer file. When the timers are created from the file, the name of the program in their timeslot is looked up in the EPG if the timer has no name in the timer file.
• IceTV updates the EPG (so if the PVR has been off for a while, the previous name updates will have been on a stale copy of the EPG.
• IceTV updates the timers (only changed or new timers should be sent). Changed timers are created as a new timer. IceTV sends the timer name in the timer data (and for timers with blank names, this appears to be missing or empty). The timer name in the IceTV timer data is used to create a timer, but if it's missing or empty, the same EPG lookup as when the timer list is read should take place when the timer is created.

That process should be the same whether the just GUI is restarted, or whether the GUI is restarted because of a reboot/restart.

If the PVR has been off for a while, then when it restarts, the name lookups in the timer list load won't have the most recent copy of the EPG, so doing another GUI restart may fill in some timers that the reboot didn't fill in.

If the PVR doesn't shut down (or have a GUI restart), the only parts of the process that can fill in missing timer names is the fetch of IceTV timer updates, and then only if there's another change in the timer (e.g. timeslot change) to trigger the IceTV update.

Disabling and then re-enabling IceTV may also help fill in timer names without having to restart the GUI, because that should resend all IceTV timers.

This problem would seem most likely to happen on timers that are set at times later than the end of the EPG data for the channel. Then if the timer is missing its name in the IceTV timer data, there's no way it can find its name from the EPG, because that data hasn't yet been sent. I think that at the moment only SBS timers are sent in advance of the EPG data, though in the past, I'm fairly sure that ABC ones were, too. I think that IceTV v1 used to have agreements with ABC and SBS to use their EPGs as-is. I don't know whether that's the case with the current IceTV.

Regular restarts seem to protect against this problem. We shut down our IceTV-enabled T4 every night, and we simply don't see this problem at all. Obviously there's a bug to be fixed here, but perhaps if you shut down your devices regularly, the problem will be worked around.

I hope the description makes it clear why I think that this is basically an IceTV server problem, though I wouldn't discount contributory misbehaviour from the T series Beyonwizes.

[simoncasey]

Thanks prl. That certainly covers the experience I have seen but I think there is a further complication.

I some cases there are blanks in the epg and that can contribute to the blank titles, particularly on non abc/sbs channels.

I've also noticed that the blank Epg won't get updated automatically from a reboot or a icetv fetch. The only way I have found to update the blanks in the epg is to disable icetv and reenable it, which basically clears the epg and fetches the whole thing again. This is why I suggest doing this step as the gui restart won't fix the blank titles if the epg is blank. I think this blank epg is also why people get blank titles on other channels and also why the blank timer ends up as a blank recording as doing a restart won't fix it. 

Also, in terms of timers greater than 7 days that is sbs and abc. I currently have 5 abc timers with blank titles for next Sunday.

[prl]

...
I've also noticed that the blank Epg won't get updated automatically from a reboot or a icetv fetch. The only way I have found to update the blanks in the epg is to disable icetv and reenable it, which basically clears the epg and fetches the whole thing again. This is why I suggest doing this step as the gui restart won't fix the blank titles if the epg is blank. I think this blank epg is also why people get blank titles on other channels and also why the blank timer ends up as a blank recording as doing a restart won't fix it.

That sounds like there may also be problems in the EPG synchronisation between IceTV and the T series. I've never noticed blanks in the EPG, but then we hardly ever use it.

Also, in terms of timers greater than 7 days that is sbs and abc. I currently have 5 abc timers with blank titles for next Sunday.

The last time I looked I only had SBS timers in advance of the EPG data, but I haven't checked in a while. That's why I hedged a bit. :)

[simoncasey]

The blank epg data looks like it is from icetv. In most cases I have seen the same gap in the website/app, and it is often only in a specific region. It's not easy to spot unless you are looking for it.

Generally icetv are pretty quick at fixing but the issue seems to be that once there is a gap, the updated data doesn't appear on the T3 automatically, but does if you clear the epg by doing a disable of the plugin. 

You might notice it on now and next data (depending if you also have eit set for now and next) when you change channels and the now/next changers after a second or show the same show or is blank.

[xanthi]

From BLANK times to THIS ... Four waiting times and instead of getting the program name I get the date ... Fantastic! Not

[simoncasey]

From BLANK times to THIS ... Four waiting times and instead of getting the program name I get the date ... Fantastic! Not

By waiting timers, I assume you mean that the timers had blank titles.

A few questions:
Do you know if the epg had data when those timers had blank titles
Are they for shows that you regularly record or are they shows that you only recently added a series recording for.

[xanthi]

By waiting timers, I assume you mean that the timers had blank titles.

Indeed. All it says is "Waiting"

A few questions:
Do you know if the epg had data when those timers had blank titles

No, I assumed that it would be filled automatically when the program recorded.

Are they for shows that you regularly record or are they shows that you only recently added a series recording for.

The four timers shown were for "The Amazing Race", "Bargain Hunt" (2x) and "Escape to the Country". The shows are set as "First Run and Repeats"

Cheers, xanthi

[simoncasey]

Do you have any other current timers with blank titles?

[csutak40]

Menu>Power>restart gui will do a restart. It's possible that the tidy up of the timer is done when the t3 shuts down rather than during the start up.

OK did that.  Made no difference.  Didn't think it would, as I have switched it off at the back a little while back and that didn't help either.  After doing that, just for the fun of it, I also disabled the IceTV plug-in, then re-enabled it and forced a new fetch.  Still the same blank timers (and they are still not blank in thee EPG

[tonymy01]

It's possible that the tidy up of the timer is done when the t3 shuts down rather than during the start up.

Made no difference.  Didn't think it would, as I have switched it off at the back a little while back and that didn't help either. 

Switching it off at the back isn't a shut-down, it is an abrubt stop!  But perhaps Simon's suggestion of it tidying up on shut-down isn't the right answer anyway given your (well, our) experience is to the contrary.