Where can I find information about EPG related details?

[Joe_90]

But, as has been posted earlier, Freeview data for 7 days is available in the EIT stream automatically. It also has a dynamic element to it, certainly for the BBC and ITV/CH4 channels in that EPG data is updated in real-time to reflect urgent changes to schedules. This is something you wouldn't get from a daily update over the internet. I know you posted that you could get a 14 day EPG from XMLTV, but I think Rob was having issues getting any more than 7 days fromX MLTV.

[judge]

From the first post:

1. How to configure the XMLTV download so that it will work for UK Freeview.
   Where are the config files, and how can you program it do get the data you want, and associate it with the relevant channels?

As fat-tony points about so, no need for an XMLTV download for UK Freeview, tune to a channel for a minute or 2 & issue sorted.

[birdman]

But, as has been posted earlier, Freeview data for 7 days is available in the EIT stream automatically. It also has a dynamic element to it, certainly for the BBC and ITV/CH4 channels in that EPG data is updated in real-time to reflect urgent changes to schedules. This is something you wouldn't get from a daily update over the internet. I know you posted that you could get a 14 day EPG from XMLTV, but I think Rob was having issues getting any more than 7 days fromX MLTV.

My old PVR actually had a way of combining the Radio Times (XMLTV-derived) data feed (14-days - from http://xmltv.radiotimes.com/xmltv) with that from the EIT stream: dynamically. This meant that I could get the fuller descriptions from XMLTV, but also got dynamic updates from the EIT if programmes overran (live sport, or extended news).

So I'm trying to figure out how to download XMLTV data, and what the format of epg.dat is (look at the first post in the thread).

[Joe_90]

I too was interested in the format of epg.dat, but none of the normal db handling tools seem to be able to parse it. Probably you are going to have to delve into enigma code to work it out - it's not THAT interesting to me such that I would try to work it out from the code.

[Rob van der Does]

I fail to see the relation with the epg.dat file. That is only a kind of hibernation file: it stores all EPG data from RAM when E2 shuts down, and the same data is laoded into RAM again when E2 starts.

E2 will add all data it gets to the existing data. So if it gets e.g. EIT-data from the transponder this data is in RAM. As soon as other data becomes available, no matter what the source is, it will be added to the data that's already in RAM.
So you should focus on getting data in RAM, not look at epg.dat.

The above mentioned system also has an inherent danger: if the sources have conflicts, you'll end up with multiple entries.
If say source 1 states that show a is from xxx-yyy and source b has either a different name (ab) and/or a (slightly) different time, you'll have 2 entries:
a xxx-yyy and ab xxy-yyz.

And when you provider supports EIT for a week, you can consider yourself a happy man. Why want more?

[DaMacFunkin]

But surely you will actually need some one to write the XML tv file with freeview frequencys and muxes present then actually constantly provide the epg data in that format for you to download it, unless you are going to write something that parses the 28.2 information and remaps it to freeview channel id's.

[birdman]

I fail to see the relation with the epg.dat file. That is only a kind of hibernation file: it stores all EPG data from RAM when E2 shuts down, and the same data is laoded into RAM again when E2 starts.

And to add data to the EPG you need to shutdown E2, so I'm assuming that this is so you can update epg.dat and then restart E2 to load that new data file.
If there were a way to add data to a running E2 then then the XMLTV loader wouldn't need to restart it.

Or am I making false inferences and assumptions here?

The above mentioned system also has an inherent danger: if the sources have conflicts, you'll end up with multiple entries.
If say source 1 states that show a is from xxx-yyy and source b has either a different name (ab) and/or a (slightly) different time, you'll have 2 entries:
a xxx-yyy and ab xxy-yyz.

So what I really need is to be able to get the EIT data, merge it (in some intelligent way) with the downloaded data and feed all of that back as the sole EPG data. This means I'd need to know that data structures in epg.dat, and I have to start somewhere.

And when you provider supports EIT for a week, you can consider yourself a happy man. Why want more?

Because I'm used to having more EPG, and when it's possible what's wrong with wanting something better.

[birdman]

But surely you will actually need some one to write the XML tv file with freeview frequencys and muxes present then actually constantly provide the epg data in that format for you to download it, unless you are going to write something that parses the 28.2 information and remaps it to freeview channel id's.

Getting the EPG data itself isn't an issue (I already do it for an older PVR). XMLTV is just a download mechanism that alreayd exists on OpenVIX, so it seemed a good place to start asking questions.

And I can't see what frequencies have to do with it - TV channels are known by unique names. Different Freeview regions use different frequencies for the same channel broadcasts.

[Larry-G]

what's wrong with wanting something better.

Nothing what so ever, in fact that's the founding principle behind the ViX image and the OE-Alliance in one neat little sound bite. If we knew the info you needed we would tell you.


Sent from my iPad Air using Tapatalk

[abu baniaz]

..........
And I can't see what frequencies have to do with it - TV channels are known by unique names. Different Freeview regions use different frequencies for the same channel broadcasts.

Worth emphasising (for benefit of others) that this is only for DVB-T.

[birdman]

If we knew the info you needed we would tell you.

Well, after days of silence I was rather inundated yesterday.

Still no info on the format of Bouquet files, though.

[abu baniaz]

Might be an idea to download a channel settings pack and view contents.

Enigma2 does radio and TV chanenls as two differnt items, so you have a bouquets.tv and bouquets.radio file.
Each of those lists .tv files.
Those .tv files list the services.
The services are listed in the lamdeb file.

[Rob van der Does]

And to add data to the EPG you need to shutdown E2, so I'm assuming that this is so you can update epg.dat and then restart E2 to load that new data file.
If there were a way to add data to a running E2 then then the XMLTV loader wouldn't need to restart it.

Or am I making false inferences and assumptions here?

As I tried to explain above normally all EPG data is added in a live-system. Reading EIT data is done when tuned to a transponder. Using Cross for Open-TV is done in a live system. Importing RYTEC data via the XMLTV importer is also in a live system (i.e. in RAM).
The EPG.dat is really only a kind of hibernation file.

Getting the EPG data itself isn't an issue (I already do it for an older PVR). XMLTV is just a download mechanism that alreayd exists on OpenVIX, so it seemed a good place to start asking questions.

And I can't see what frequencies have to do with it - TV channels are known by unique names. Different Freeview regions use different frequencies for the same channel broadcasts.

TV & Radio services are known by a unique service reference, in which the name is also present. But the name alone is not unique (or better: doesn't have to be unique).

[birdman]

Enigma2 does radio and TV chanenls as two differnt items, so you have a bouquets.tv and bouquets.radio file.
Each of those lists .tv files.
Those .tv files list the services.
The services are listed in the lamdeb file.

That much I'd worked out.
But there is also a requirement (for me) to get the channels onto the "correct" numbers, as the DVB-T(2) scan doesn't put them into lamedb (if it did then ABM might do what I want?).
From what I can see this requires me to pad the userbouquet.* files with the relevant number of "dummy" channel lines (I did work out what this entry looks like once, but can't find the info at the moment). But it would be simpler if there were a way to get the program number counter set to a specific value instead (Freeview radio channels start at 700 - which is a lot of dummy entries).

And the bouquets.* files both contain "ORDER BY bouquet". What does this ,mean, and how else can you ORDER them?

[abu baniaz]

You wont be able to get radio numbers starting at 700. As sated earlier E2 splits radio channels from TV channels. I dont see the merit of padding the radio number so they match the LCN values. You will always have to switch between radio and TV. Surely simpler to just select the radio channel from bouquet?

I dont understand in what context you are mentioning ABM and lamedb. Conventional scan and ABM both write to lamdeb. ABM for terrestrial does not recognise T2 chanenls yet. However standard terrestrial channels are placed in correct order and positions (excluding radio). If this is not working for you, we would need to know what exact settings you have used for ABM. (All the settings for ABM)

Sorry I dont know answer to your last question.