Using Multiple Lineups

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JTScribe

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Using Multiple Lineups

#1

Post by JTScribe » Thu Jun 16, 2016 7:26 pm

What with MS's continuing guide weirdness I'm considering switching my father-in-law's computer over to EPG123.

Do the extra lineup tabs allow me to do this without another Schedules Direct subscription? I am on CableCard and my father in law is on OTA.

dmagerl

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#2

Post by dmagerl » Thu Jun 16, 2016 11:24 pm

I dont believe you need the tabs to do multiple lineups. You can use up to 6 lineups within one tab.

You can also do multiple lineups without EPG123. Just run WMC TV setup multiple times, once for each zipcode for which you want a lineup. Then use the LineupSelector program to merge all the lineups from the multiple setups into one guide.

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Scallica

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#3

Post by Scallica » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:55 am

dmagerl wrote:You can also do multiple lineups without EPG123. Just run WMC TV setup multiple times, once for each zipcode for which you want a lineup. Then use the LineupSelector program to merge all the lineups from the multiple setups into one guide.
The OP is looking to have two different lineups (at different locations) using one SD account; not merging lineups on the same system.

garyan2 - can you clarify how the additional lineups tab works? If you have a different lineup on each tab, which one gets imported into WMC?
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dmagerl

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#4

Post by dmagerl » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:17 am

Ah. Tnx. Thats not how I interpreted it.

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garyan2

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#5

Post by garyan2 » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:50 am

Epg123 will take up to 4 lineups (1 each tab) and combine into a single lineup to import into WMC.

The only thing to be concerned about when combining lineups is duplicate channel numbers. If you have duplicate channel numbers selected for import and the automatch feature is enabled, then each update will cause the duplicated channel to switch back and forth between the two lineups.

Example:
Lineup 1, channel 2 = WXXX; Lineup 2, channel 2 = WYYY. Both are selected for download and automatch is enabled.

Day 1 update guide channel 2 = WXXX
Day 2 update guide channel 2 = WYYY
Day 3 update guide channel 2 = WXXX

If there are duplicate channel numbers between lineups to import, it may require some manual channel/listing matching in WMC and disabling of the automatch feature.

To answer the OPs question; yes it is possible. A single account could be subscribed to up to 4 unique lineups to service multiple tuners and multiple locations. Saying that, I would check with Schedules Direct to clarify if the subscription agreement is per person/household/family/....
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Scallica

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#6

Post by Scallica » Fri Jun 17, 2016 3:23 am

garyan2 - Assuming the SD agreement allows, what if a user wants to use a different lineup in two locations? Is it possible to add an option in the GUI to deselect lineups from being merged?

For example, Lineup Tab 1 = Verizon Fios Lineup, Lineup Tab 2 = Comcast Lineup. Both PCs using EPG123 with the same SD account, in two separate locations. Location A needs the FioS lineup, and Location B needs the Comcast lineup.

Thoughts? :think:
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rmeden

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#7

Post by rmeden » Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:14 am

Schedules Direct has pretty liberal terms... You can use the service on an unspecified (reasonable) number of devices within your household. Your household can include a vacation home or a separate work home.

Unless your father-in-law lives with you a good portion of the year, I would say he has his own household and should use his own account. Sorry.

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garyan2

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#8

Post by garyan2 » Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:17 am

Scallica wrote:garyan2 - Assuming the SD agreement allows, what if a user wants to use a different lineup in two locations? Is it possible to add an option in the GUI to deselect lineups from being merged?

For example, Lineup Tab 1 = Verizon Fios Lineup, Lineup Tab 2 = Comcast Lineup. Both PCs using EPG123 with the same SD account, in two separate locations. Location A needs the FioS lineup, and Location B needs the Comcast lineup.

Thoughts? :think:
Interesting idea, I'll have to chew on that one for a bit. There's not much benefit to being able to enable/disable lineups other than the scenario you describe. It is possible to have that need within the same location, I suppose, so I'll work on how I can do that.
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#9

Post by KenL » Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:49 am

garyan2 wrote:
Scallica wrote:garyan2 - Assuming the SD agreement allows, what if a user wants to use a different lineup in two locations? Is it possible to add an option in the GUI to deselect lineups from being merged?

For example, Lineup Tab 1 = Verizon Fios Lineup, Lineup Tab 2 = Comcast Lineup. Both PCs using EPG123 with the same SD account, in two separate locations. Location A needs the FioS lineup, and Location B needs the Comcast lineup.

Thoughts? :think:
Interesting idea, I'll have to chew on that one for a bit. There's not much benefit to being able to enable/disable lineups other than the scenario you describe. It is possible to have that need within the same location, I suppose, so I'll work on how I can do that.
A simple approach is to turn off the "Automatch" feature after configuration of the individual locations.

So for that particular example, configure Location A with FioS (only) with "Automatch" checked only for the first run of EPG123. Once that is done and the channels are correct, go to Location B and configure for Comcast (only) and run with Automatch selected (a single time) to match the Comcast channels.

Once those are done, then turn off "Automatch" and "AutoAddNew" and (re)add Verizon Fios in EPG123 configuration with the desired channels selected without removing Comcast. Then copy the new (final) EPG123.cfg file to both locations so both instances of EPG123 are configured for both lineups.

They will always download listings for both lineups when connecting to SD but MC will only populate the lineup/channels Automatched/assigned for each case with no interference or comingling. "AutoAddNew" likely won't work correctly so leave it off. New channels would need to be managed manually going forward at the two locations in this example.

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#10

Post by garyan2 » Fri Jun 17, 2016 5:04 am

KenL wrote: A simple approach is to turn off the "Automatch" feature after configuration of the individual locations.

So for that particular example, configure Location A with FioS (only) with "Automatch" checked only for the first run of EPG123. Once that is done and the channels are correct, go to Location B and configure for Comcast (only) and run with Automatch selected (a single time) to match the Comcast channels.

Once those are done, then turn off "Automatch" and "AutoAddNew" and (re)add Verizon Fios in EPG123 configuration with the desired channels selected without removing Comcast. Then copy the new (final) EPG123.cfg file to both locations so both instances of EPG123 are configured for both lineups.

They will always download listings for both lineups when connecting to SD but MC will only populate the lineup/channels Automatched/assigned for each case with no interference or comingling. "AutoAddNew" likely won't work correctly so leave it off. New channels would need to be managed manually going forward at the two locations in this example.
Thanks, KenL for this, I'm a bit too tired to go through the exercise. I do have one correction, though. There is no need to have the same cfg file between the 2 locations. Think of the lineups as global, while the channels are local. Just skip that step and you have it exactly right.
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KenL

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#11

Post by KenL » Fri Jun 17, 2016 5:20 am

I see so as long as you (re)add the other lineup (when finished) they would request/download no channels (not in the cfg file) exclusive to the other lineup? Even more efficient.

BTW I tried something like this with an earlier version of Automatch and it worked. I assume it should still work now.

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#12

Post by garyan2 » Fri Jun 17, 2016 2:41 pm

^ correct on both counts.

I will note for both locations, after they have been set up and both lineups added, to re-save the configuration (without changing anything) just to record the channels from the other lineup. This will avoid flooding the trace.log file with "newly added" stations on each update.
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#13

Post by garyan2 » Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:43 am

Okay, preview of 1.0.0 ... now can exclude lineups from Schedules Direct in the mxf file. This is for the folks that have a mix of configurations in their home ... like a system with Satellite and OTA and another system with Cable and OTA.
IncludeExclude.png
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#14

Post by Scallica » Mon Jul 04, 2016 11:56 am

Thanks!
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