CrossEPG

[Joe_90]

EPGRefresh is just a channel zapper (as abu wrote in post #14). So, unless you have it configured to tune to both the SKY and the cable/terrestrial sources for EPG, then you may be left with no data for the the cable channels if you set the option to purge the EPG first. I have been using EPGRefresh and the built-in EPG reader for SKY since the facility became available. I also found issues where it was leaving gaps so I opted to use the purge EPG option and that resolved the problem. However, that left my terrestrial EPG unpopulated so I had to add a second zap in order to fill out those channels ( or just tune manually and the built-in EIT reader populated the terrestrial EPG section). In the end, I found the whole thing so fiddly I have gone back to CrossEPG which doesn't seem to leave gaps in the SKY EPG and works nicely alongside the Freesat and terrestrial data.

[abu baniaz]

Is anyone able to say what services are having the gaps? Not easy to fix something that is an unknown

[bbbuk]

I didn't think it was the exact same services.

Could it be corrupt EPG? Does EPGRefresh save current EPG first before then getting EPG from channel data? I ask because obviously flushing EPG helps I've found but if you require EPG from multiple sources, corruption appears again, from what I've read.

[abu baniaz]

I don't use EPG refresh to obtain EPG so can't comment.

EPG marked as corrupt will not be loaded.

[bbbuk]

I don't use EPG refresh to obtain EPG so can't comment.

EPG marked as corrupt will not be loaded.

I've had a quick glance at epgrefresh code EPGRefresh.py) and couldn't see anything obvious (to me) that checks for corruption. However, I can see the code for flushing.

[Joe_90]

I didn't think it was the exact same services.

Could it be corrupt EPG? Does EPGRefresh save current EPG first before then getting EPG from channel data? I ask because obviously flushing EPG helps I've found but if you require EPG from multiple sources, corruption appears again, from what I've read.

EPGRefresh doesn't actually do anything with the EPG data apart from flushing it - it's just a channel zapper. The built-in DVB code parses the EIT data when tuned to the SKY (or whatever) service and populates the EPG to RAM initially and then written to disk subsequently. Maybe it's something in the way the reader handles the EIT data? I couldn't really see a pattern except that I noticed it on CH4 HD a couple of times - specifically because I was checking F1 recording times.

[bbbuk]

I'm aware it's just a channel zapper but it doesn't mean there isn't a problem with EPGRefresh.

If it was problem parsing EIT wouldn't it happen when just going to a channel as occasionally we would have a corrupt now/next as isn't that read via EIT?
Also, the problem is fixed when EPG cache is flushed (for those reading just one source) so therefore I doubt it's related to parsing EIT.

My theory is it's related to EPGcache because isn't EPG held mostly in RAM? It doesn't do nothing with EPGcache except flush (that I could see) and that is only when set.

I looked at code for CrossEPG and it looks to me it creates a new instance of EPGcache but someone better at reading/writing code may read it differently than I did but it definitely does a lot more with EPGcache than EPGRefresh does.

My theory is therefore that corruption occurs somewhere after it's read the EPG from EIT and it saves this to RAM/disk with the other EPG in cache. This is resolved when EPGcache is flushed as it clears EPG first but it looks like when using more than one source it gets corrupt again.

[Joe_90]

The thing about the SKY-specific EPG is that it's on one particular transponder that you wouldn't normally tune to in casual channel watching. If you're on a Freesat or Freeview channel the data is available on the usual major providers like BBC/ITV/CH4 . I am surmising that it's something to do with the DVB code which reads the SKY EIT data and unpacks the compressed EPG info into the cache in RAM and maybe has some issue inserting it into existing data, but is fine on a clean cache. It works fine for Freesat and for the generic EIT data on Saorview here in Ireland. I've used CrossEPG for years to get the SKY EPG and I can't recall ever having an issue with it on 28.2. I think CrossEPG stores the EPG data in its own database and then updates the EPG cache from that. I've gone back to CrossEPG on the main household tv as it is only using 28.2 and terrestrial.

[IAmATeaf]

Been using epgrefresh and every morning most of the epg is gone, doing a manual refresh using the yellow button always brings it back. I’ve checked that it does auto run so anybody have any ideas on what else I can try?

[abu baniaz]

Something must be marking the EPG as corrupt.

There is an issue on PLI Dev forum with importing EPG from other receivers, so you might be correct about EPG cache. Trial has the same problem on our forum.

[abu baniaz]

Can you try a recording instead of epg refresh for a few days? Just to rule in/out epgrefresh

[adm]

Been using epgrefresh and every morning most of the epg is gone, doing a manual refresh using the yellow button always brings it back. I’ve checked that it does auto run so anybody have any ideas on what else I can try?

Could there be another reason?

I get my UK Freesat/Freeview EPG over the air and any Internet method of fetching is disabled on my box. In builds before EPGrefresh I would go to the (graphical) EPG for the first time after a deep standby and find some data for some channels mising however then selecting any program from the EPG and zapping to it and then immediately going back to the EPG all data would be populated. This suggests that the box did have all the correct data but wasn't necessarily displaying it as the time between zapping to a channel and re-selecting the bouquet and associated EPG wasn't long enough for it to have been updated over the air.

My system may not be typical as I have both terrestrail and satellite tuners and a seperate bouquet for each source. The missing EPG data after first switching on was usaully after the box switching on and displaying, say, a satellite channel and then me selecting the terestrail bouquet (UK freeview) and the associated EPG - so it usually occured the first time after box switch on and the first time after a bouquet or transmission source change.

[bbbuk]

Been using epgrefresh and every morning most of the epg is gone, doing a manual refresh using the yellow button always brings it back. I’ve checked that it does auto run so anybody have any ideas on what else I can try?

I found enabling the option to delete EPG cache within EPGRefresh works for me.

However, I understand it can cause issues if you have more than source.

CrossEPG works so obviously how that treats and saves the EPG works better than EPGRefresh.