If only there were a way we could replace that MS/Rovi junk with something more accurate and reliable ...DavidinCT wrote:Over the last few months, recording duplicates started happing. For example on Discovery channel (any channel with east/west shows, discovery, TLC, HGTV, etc), new shows, for example, show up at 8PM, media center will record it with no errors but, it comes on the west coast feed at 11pm, it will record that one as well. They are showed in the "Scheduled recordings" listing as 2 recordings (only NEW episodes are set for this). A few odd ball shows are not showing as New episodes, so it's not recording them.
Then in the guide, Once you list a Movie, the picture/cover art is 95% of the time wrong and a totally different image that the movie listed.
These types of issues are starting to get old...
Media Center EPG: Rovi Guide Data Quality
- garyan2
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- Gary
Keeping WMC alive beyond January 2020. https://garyan2.github.io
Keeping WMC alive beyond January 2020. https://garyan2.github.io
- NCoastTweaker
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Yup. And the guide data is inaccurate on more and more channels. Less description on the synopsis too. now the epg download for tv setup is wrong for 50 channels for my zipcode. One really annoying issue... certain shows I record are now showing up as separate catagories due to the title have extra spaces or lower case vs upper case chars... I had to go find a metadata editor and fix it. what a pain... these folks are really causing us poor wmc users some grief.
- DavidinCT
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Here's a question for people and see if they noticed anything. The last outage was for the TiVo merger(timing fits exactly), this has me wondering.. Has guide data gotten better for people (in the last week or so)?
I'll be honest, WMC was always recording duplicates from moving to ROVI. For example, I am on the east coast, If I record something on Discovery (for example), it will come on later in the night for the west coast feed, WMC used to always record both of them as new (so I would get 2 recordings of the same show), after this change, I have not seen one dup record yet.
Maybe it's better now ?
I'll be honest, WMC was always recording duplicates from moving to ROVI. For example, I am on the east coast, If I record something on Discovery (for example), it will come on later in the night for the west coast feed, WMC used to always record both of them as new (so I would get 2 recordings of the same show), after this change, I have not seen one dup record yet.
Maybe it's better now ?
-Dave
Twitter @TheCoolDave
Windows Media Center certified and WMC MVP 2010 - 2012
Twitter @TheCoolDave
Windows Media Center certified and WMC MVP 2010 - 2012
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Didn't record the new Scandal last night, previously had missed some Lethal Weapon and Secrets and Lies. Guess I will have to do "new and rerun" going forward due to poor Rovi data. What crappy data.
Moved to W10 and NPVR in December 2019. Bye.
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These idiots are marking every How It's Made as new, with the same generic description.
Lazy jerks, I should do SD, but I hate to migrate and redo my customized channels.
Lazy jerks, I should do SD, but I hate to migrate and redo my customized channels.
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Same with Grey's Anatomy and NCIS last week.rickmktg wrote:Didn't record the new Scandal last night, previously had missed some Lethal Weapon and Secrets and Lies. Guess I will have to do "new and rerun" going forward due to poor Rovi data. What crappy data.
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Is Rovi actually to blame?
I'm comparing Rovi data on my long suffering TiVo Series3, and it is normal Rovi data, with specific episode information that I am familiar with. OTOH Vista Media Centre has only general series information instead of episode specific data. This might explain the database not recording if the data indicates not a new episode.
Apparently Rovi has the correct data but for unknown reasons it is not getting delivered to WMC. Additionally distressing is the lack of guide data beyond 7PM Eastern time 07FEB2017. Microsoft will be hearing from me on each installation that is no longer receiving data. Previous incidents would indicate that Microsoft only responds to issues once the public is alerting the media.
TiVoPrincess still prefers the Vista menus, once they are stripped down using MC Menu Mender over every option I have been able to present to her. Suppose that I'm going to be trying other things in a hurry if the drought of guide data goes more than a day or two. WAF has always hovered around 7.5/10 but without guide data it will be a 0/10 in about a minute once General Hospital does not get recorded.
Vista ain't dead yet, and we deserve ongoing support for "Project Longhorn" as promised...
I'm comparing Rovi data on my long suffering TiVo Series3, and it is normal Rovi data, with specific episode information that I am familiar with. OTOH Vista Media Centre has only general series information instead of episode specific data. This might explain the database not recording if the data indicates not a new episode.
Apparently Rovi has the correct data but for unknown reasons it is not getting delivered to WMC. Additionally distressing is the lack of guide data beyond 7PM Eastern time 07FEB2017. Microsoft will be hearing from me on each installation that is no longer receiving data. Previous incidents would indicate that Microsoft only responds to issues once the public is alerting the media.
TiVoPrincess still prefers the Vista menus, once they are stripped down using MC Menu Mender over every option I have been able to present to her. Suppose that I'm going to be trying other things in a hurry if the drought of guide data goes more than a day or two. WAF has always hovered around 7.5/10 but without guide data it will be a 0/10 in about a minute once General Hospital does not get recorded.
Vista ain't dead yet, and we deserve ongoing support for "Project Longhorn" as promised...
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I switched to epg123 with Schedules Direct ($25 a year well worth it for good support!)
I never had issues with the updates, schedule was on time. BUT:
Rovi liked to mark many episodes as new, I'd get 2 repeats of the same show that aired 3 hours later for Pacific time.
Not to mention the generic descriptions shows, like some How It's Made, Mythbusters, would ensure a huge list of recordings, despite having those episodes.
Bye bye to those issues with epg123/sd.
I never had issues with the updates, schedule was on time. BUT:
Rovi liked to mark many episodes as new, I'd get 2 repeats of the same show that aired 3 hours later for Pacific time.
Not to mention the generic descriptions shows, like some How It's Made, Mythbusters, would ensure a huge list of recordings, despite having those episodes.
Bye bye to those issues with epg123/sd.
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TV guide is back now. Update to Feb 19. Whew
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just going by some of the programs we record, there is some improvement in data quality. earlier there was a large problem with generic program descriptions and wrong times. I mostly saw it with Disney Channel and PBS secondary channels.garyan2 wrote:If only there were a way we could replace that MS/Rovi junk with something more accurate and reliable ...DavidinCT wrote:Over the last few months, recording duplicates started happing. For example on Discovery channel (any channel with east/west shows, discovery, TLC, HGTV, etc), new shows, for example, show up at 8PM, media center will record it with no errors but, it comes on the west coast feed at 11pm, it will record that one as well. They are showed in the "Scheduled recordings" listing as 2 recordings (only NEW episodes are set for this). A few odd ball shows are not showing as New episodes, so it's not recording them.
Then in the guide, Once you list a Movie, the picture/cover art is 95% of the time wrong and a totally different image that the movie listed.
These types of issues are starting to get old...
now the PBS channels look ok. still have generic program descriptions for the Disney Channel.
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Guide
data returned. In the midst of attempting a Vista/EPG123 unsupported installation on a backwater media centre that lives in my office. Got pretty darn excited when I saw guide data appear. Not so much once I noted that other machines also had data. Sanity checked a machine that had been off since Sunday by starting it disconnected from network. There was no guide data beyond what existed somewhere around halftime of the big game when it was shutoff. Reconnected to internet and retrieved latest guide listings.
A joyous day but still a sobering moment that we live and die for EPG data at the whim of the powers at Microsoft...
data returned. In the midst of attempting a Vista/EPG123 unsupported installation on a backwater media centre that lives in my office. Got pretty darn excited when I saw guide data appear. Not so much once I noted that other machines also had data. Sanity checked a machine that had been off since Sunday by starting it disconnected from network. There was no guide data beyond what existed somewhere around halftime of the big game when it was shutoff. Reconnected to internet and retrieved latest guide listings.
A joyous day but still a sobering moment that we live and die for EPG data at the whim of the powers at Microsoft...
- rmeden
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Did you get anywhere with Vista/MXF loading? I've never been able to get the M$ provide MXF loader to work. (I tried before Gary created EPG123, but it still uses the M$ loader)TiVoPrince wrote:Guide
In the midst of attempting a Vista/EPG123 unsupported installation on a backwater media centre that lives in my office.
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Mostly
trying a "hailmary" as Microsoft provided data was basically expiring in a few hours. With no reported solution in sight. I was becoming desperate enough to try just about anything to keep TiVoPrincess happy. What did I have to lose?
Based on reports that Play Ready installation means that it is using the equivalent of Win7/Win8 guide data. Vista end of life update support a couple of months out means I'm scrambling to keep the boat from sinking. I was hoping that this was potentially solid ground and a long term solution.
Fortunately/unfortunately Microsoft (Rovi) data unexpectedly returned to spoil that party. Since my programming skills are worth about $0.05 (or less) per hour this was more a "shot in the dark" than a pioneering effort by a trailblazer.
I would be happy to sign on for any effort to make this work. Volunteering that backwater computer as a guinea pig to be thrashed repeatedly for the cause. I'm great at following instructions and reporting results. Feel free to contact me if you need someone to be cannon fodder to test potential solutions. I may not bring the most skills but with six Vista Media Centres still rolling along, an EPG solution for the long term is near and dear to my heart and wallet...
trying a "hailmary" as Microsoft provided data was basically expiring in a few hours. With no reported solution in sight. I was becoming desperate enough to try just about anything to keep TiVoPrincess happy. What did I have to lose?
Based on reports that Play Ready installation means that it is using the equivalent of Win7/Win8 guide data. Vista end of life update support a couple of months out means I'm scrambling to keep the boat from sinking. I was hoping that this was potentially solid ground and a long term solution.
Fortunately/unfortunately Microsoft (Rovi) data unexpectedly returned to spoil that party. Since my programming skills are worth about $0.05 (or less) per hour this was more a "shot in the dark" than a pioneering effort by a trailblazer.
I would be happy to sign on for any effort to make this work. Volunteering that backwater computer as a guinea pig to be thrashed repeatedly for the cause. I'm great at following instructions and reporting results. Feel free to contact me if you need someone to be cannon fodder to test potential solutions. I may not bring the most skills but with six Vista Media Centres still rolling along, an EPG solution for the long term is near and dear to my heart and wallet...
- rmeden
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I'm not a terrible coder, but was not able to get the Microsoft MXF loader to work at all on Vista so I gave up. I seem to remember there were some permission errors? it's been over a year since I tried it. I think M$ uses a different loader when they add guide data and the load_mxf.exe (or whatever it was called) was never actually tested with the tv_pack. I've never read anyone using the MXF loader on Vista.
- davidhp
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Anyone know how to get Rovi to update their channel line up? Las Vegas Cox Digital Cable updated their line up on Dec 5, 2016 but it is showing in the WMC EPG:
Channel 97 changed from COOL TV to Heartland TV
Channel 99 was added KHSV Decades TV
Channel 125 was changed from Fox Weather to Bounce TV
Channel 97 changed from COOL TV to Heartland TV
Channel 99 was added KHSV Decades TV
Channel 125 was changed from Fox Weather to Bounce TV
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You can try emailing them, before the Rovi/TiVo merger the email was:
ipgcustomersupport@rovicorp.com
After the merger I saw mention of these emails:
lineup@tivo.com
metadatasupport@tivo.com
I would guess try lineup one first.
ipgcustomersupport@rovicorp.com
After the merger I saw mention of these emails:
lineup@tivo.com
metadatasupport@tivo.com
I would guess try lineup one first.
- davidhp
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Thanks will try it.
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While
much of the guide data issues seem solved. The images that appear with movies continue to be hilarious. "Heidi" with an image from "The Sands of Iwo Jima" has me giggling still. While this does not much affect my enjoyment of V-MCE, it does make one wonder if TiVo or Microsoft is simply getting jollies at our expense...
much of the guide data issues seem solved. The images that appear with movies continue to be hilarious. "Heidi" with an image from "The Sands of Iwo Jima" has me giggling still. While this does not much affect my enjoyment of V-MCE, it does make one wonder if TiVo or Microsoft is simply getting jollies at our expense...
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Yeah, it can get a little weird like:
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Looks
like some old guy is interviewing the LA Kings new Left Winger....
like some old guy is interviewing the LA Kings new Left Winger....