Can EPG123 work without Schedules Direct

[n4mwd]

Can EPG123 be configured to download data from other sources like ATSC broadcast EPG. The EPG data is continuously broadcast over the air as a subchannel of the ATSC channel you are watching. It seems a shame to ignore it since its free. The down side is that most channels don't send more than a day at a time and each channel has to be scanned individually.

[garyan2]

No, the MXF is created from the Schedules Direct data. If you are looking to strip the guide from the ATSC stream, you can try EPG Collector. Not very easy to setup, limited detail, and like you said, a limited amount of guide (<=24 hours). I've heard that once you set it up, though, it can be pretty hands-off.

[n4mwd]

Thanks, I'll probably just stick with EPG123.

I wish there was a viable alternative to WMC. I've examined a bunch of programs and none come close.

[adam1991]

What all have you examined and found lacking?

[n4mwd]

Plex, Kodi, Mediaportal, myth, Emby. They either wont do the job, or if they do, are too complicated.

[adam1991]

I'm still interested in Channels, but haven't checked it out yet. Maybe when summer comes. I have a nice NAS to throw it onto.

Or maybe I'll buy another SD tuner just for Channels...

[n4mwd]

Channels and NextPVR both look like Backend servers only. Its interesting that Channels runs on a Raspberry pi though.

[embj]

I'm still interested in Channels, but haven't checked it out yet. Maybe when summer comes. I have a nice NAS to throw it onto.

Or maybe I'll buy another SD tuner just for Channels...

I think Channels is the most viable alternative. I've been using it for watching live OTA TV the past couple of years on my Apple TVs, and it works pretty flawlessly for that.

I use WMC in the living room, where I watch most of my recorded TV and supplemented it in other rooms with PS Vue on Apple TV. With PS Vue going away, and my Schedules Direct subscription expiring on the 8th, I decided to try out some alternatives. I tried Plex earlier this year, and the fact that it needed to transcode everything turned me off to it. I tried Emby out around Thanksgiving because of the integration with WMC, and it was terrible. Bugs everywhere, no free trial, and the Apple TV app was pretty much unusable.

So, given my experience with the Channels live TV app, I decided to give the Channels DVR a try a couple weeks ago, and it seems to work pretty well. There's not much new to record on TV right now, so it's hard to say how well it works during normal circumstances, but I like what I've seen so far. It has commercial skipping for DVR recordings and supports watching remotely, which I like for when I go on vacation or work trips. It's also great to be able to search the guide and set shows up to record from my phone. The $80/yr subscription fee is a bit up there, but it's understandable given that everything is supposedly developed and supported by just two guys.

It doesn't feel quite as polished as WMC, but it seems like the stability and feature set are there. The three biggest drawbacks I think so far are that you can't have the PC wake/sleep automatically to record, there isn't a Windows app (other than the browser, where it has to transcode), and you can't overlay the guide while watching live TV.

I seriously hate to give up on WMC, but the remote viewing situation with extenders is problematic for me.

[n4mwd]

I'm wondering how hard it would be to take something like open source MediaPortal and port it into a clone of WMC.

[sub3]

Channels and NextPVR both look like Backend servers only. Its interesting that Channels runs on a Raspberry pi though.

NextPVR has both backend and front end. You can either use it's own UI, or you can use other front ends like Kodi or Emby.

NextPVR is multi-platform, so can be installed on Windows, Linux, Mac, and Docker. It can be installed on pretty much anything, including Raspberry Pi devices, NAS devices etc.

[n4mwd]

I think its reasonable to assume that WMC will eventually become unusable due to M$ hacking away at it. They have already stripped out all the streaming channels, and youtube, and netflix, and the EPG. What's next? Netflix suggested I watch it on my cell phone because they weren't going to do anything about it, that's when I canceled the service.

I'm not sure exactly how M$ is messing with my media center because I have all updates shut off - or so I think.

Do you know if channels and NextPvr are open source? I think MediaPortal is. But Like I said before, I think MediaPortal is a good example of how NOT to write code.

[joelkirzner]

I think its reasonable to assume that WMC will eventually become unusable due to M$ hacking away at it. They have already stripped out all the streaming channels, and youtube, and netflix, and the EPG. What's next? Netflix suggested I watch it on my cell phone because they weren't going to do anything about it, that's when I canceled the service.

There's not much else Microsoft will do to WMC. It's been a dead product for awhile, and the EPG was the final nail.
My situation for streaming is to use my LG OLED apps, which support HDR, Dolby Vision, etc. I watch Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime though LG's WebOS.
When I want to watch live and recorded TV, I switch back to my HTPC input.
This is the best of both worlds, IMO. The TV's native streaming apps are far superior in quality and, most importantly, compliant with the latest standards.
Even YouTube on my Alienware Alpha R1 struggles with 2160p 60FPS video, so I watch it through the LG app.
The WMC+HTPC takes care of all my FIOS TV needs.

Unless Verizon FIOS abandons Cablecards, I don't forsee any major changes for years with this setup.

[Sammy2]

Plex, Kodi, Mediaportal, myth, Emby. They either wont do the job, or if they do, are too complicated.

I've been using Emby for years. What job do you want it to do?

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

[n4mwd]

I've been using Emby for years. What job do you want it to do?

Not cost anything. Live TV. PVR.

[Sammy2]

You're now seeing that MicroSoft is now done with the free model of WMC. The other two, Emby does those quite well and you can get Guide Data included in a Premier Subscription. The Lifetime is the best bet for long term cost.

[Sammy2]

P.S. Plus you aren't restricted to one device. The app runs on just about everything you can think of.

[n4mwd]

I have to say I wouldn't object to having something that runs well on a Raspberry Pi and still does everything WMC used to do. Or maybe a WMC app that can run on Roku or Firestick. Of course, everyone would have to switch to network tuners to do that I assume.

As far as the EPG, I don't mind paying Schedules Direct for the data. The $25/year cost is very reasonable. We still have the option to use apps to scrape from web pages or get from the ATSC broadcast.

[tonywagner]

I think its reasonable to assume that WMC will eventually become unusable due to M$ hacking away at it. They have already stripped out all the streaming channels, and youtube, and netflix, and the EPG. What's next? Netflix suggested I watch it on my cell phone because they weren't going to do anything about it, that's when I canceled the service.

I'm not sure exactly how M$ is messing with my media center because I have all updates shut off - or so I think.

Aside from the EPG, those other things have nothing to do with Microsoft. YouTube, Netflix, Google Chrome, etc. changed their own systems which made them work differently (or fail to work) in WMC / desktop Windows 7 machines in general.

A Windows 7 machine with WMC and EPG123 will continue to work forever for broadcast TV. Well, as long as your hardware lasts and there are still ATSC or cablecard broadcasts! (Windows 10 users users might have a little more trouble, as the OS is regularly updated with no regard for WMC compatibility.)

[n4mwd]

Well, then there are all the streaming channels that disappeared without warning. At one time it was a lot like Roku, but with a DVR. Microsoft is the only one that could have done that. As for Neflix, Microsoft says its Netflix's fault, and Netflix says Microsoft is to blame. Regardless, Netflix doesn't work any more and was eventually removed entirely by Microsoft.

I hope it will keep working with EPG123. I plan to buy a new ATSC 3.0 tuner as soon as they are out. As long as they provide a Win7 compatible driver, it should work fine.