Guide Updates - Download Issues

[keithdw]

I contacted my tuner card manufacturer to see if they had heard anything from Microsoft regarding this issue, this is their response.
--------------------
Yes, over the past few days, we have received questions from many users, complaining that the Media Center EPG, no longer works.

Having looked into this, it appears Microsoft has not renewed its EPG licence with the EPG provider. Therefore since the licence expired on 01/01/2013, they are not providing an EPG for European users. We do not know at this stage if they intend to renew the EPG or not. We will be looking at alternative solutions.

The main issue now, is that MS disbanded the WMC team some considerable time ago. So, there is no point of contact at all for WMC issues, as there used to be. We were certainly not informed of this, and like many others, only found out through searching. It is very likely no one in MS has direct responsibility.

So, in the meantime, please contact Microsoft, if they realise there is a very large number of customers affected, they may be more responsive.

Kind regards,

BlackGold Support

[keithdw]

I hope this story turn out to be true!

UK and Ireland Windows Media Center Guide Data fixes rolling out

http://thedigitallifestyle.com/w/index. ... style.com)

[KungFuKid]

After installing and apply EPG collector Its very, very slow to browse the movie guide, is anyone else experiencing this?

I'm considering staying with EPG Collector although I'm in two minds because of the issue above, I changed to thumbnail under the lookup tab but it's still practically unusable!

Is anyone else experiencing the slow browsing in the movie guide?

[NWW]

For me, it's faster, because the images are local, and it doesn't have to fetch them over the internet.

[Heuer]

My only problem getting the EPG Collector auto update working is I can't get it to run from command line properly, it exits with code 2 saying the ini is invalid or something (I'll have to check the exact error tonight), if anyone feels like giving some simple instructions for command line running of the EPG collector I'd be grateful, I'm using the /INI="myinifile.ini" type command.

Try:

Go to Windows Task Scheduler
On the right pane, click "Create Basic Task".
On Triggers Tab: Click New, then "On a Schedule", "Daily", choose an hour of the day you would like to do it
On Actions Tab: Click 'Start a Program', then browse to the EPGCollector.exe file in the installation directory and select, then click finish.

Click 'Run Now' to test.

[foxwood]

UK and Ireland Windows Media Center Guide Data fixes rolling out

It's somewhat ironic that Microsoft opened their first manufacturing facility outside the US in Ireland in 1985, and they still have the better part of 2,000 employees there, but they lost their EPG on December 6th!

They must be too busy to watch TV

[AlunS]

In case you hadn't noticed it's already back .. has been since some time this morning

[erkotz]

I think I'm a bit late posting this, but I've hear that this should be resolve

[KungFuKid]

For me, it's faster, because the images are local, and it doesn't have to fetch them over the internet.

I must have something set incorrectly, I will have a look in the morning.

[KungFuKid]

Morning,

For those of you that run both guide sources, do you exclude channels in EPG Collector or just let it collect the info for all channels?

[holidayboy]

Personally, I just collect data for all the channels visible in my guide.

[NWW]

Personally, I just collect data for all the channels visible in my guide.

This.

[KungFuKid]

Ok, I didn't want it to cause issues. Thanks.

[JohnBraham]

My only problem getting the EPG Collector auto update working is I can't get it to run from command line properly, it exits with code 2 saying the ini is invalid or something (I'll have to check the exact error tonight), if anyone feels like giving some simple instructions for command line running of the EPG collector I'd be grateful, I'm using the /INI="myinifile.ini" type command.

Try:

Go to Windows Task Scheduler
On the right pane, click "Create Basic Task".
On Triggers Tab: Click New, then "On a Schedule", "Daily", choose an hour of the day you would like to do it
On Actions Tab: Click 'Start a Program', then browse to the EPGCollector.exe file in the installation directory and select, then click finish.

Click 'Run Now' to test.

Thanks,

Problem is I have a custom INI file and it exits with code 2 when I try to run it from the command line while specifying the INI file, it might work without specifying the file but it would defeat the purpose really..

[Heuer]

I also have a custom .ini file and it runs every night without problem from Task Scheduler. Suggest you proceed as follows:

1. Re-name your custom.ini file to EPG Collector.ini
2. Put the .ini file in c:\Programdata\Geekzone\EPG Collector if it is not already there
3. Setup Task Scheduler to run EPG Collector.exe (which should be in c:\Program Files (x86)\Geekzone\EPG Collector)

I am not sure why the .ini file needs to be named EPG Collector.ini to run from the command line/Task Scheduler but this is the way I got it to work.

No intention of going back to the MS EPG as I am getting quite used to the rich metadata EPG Collector provides.

[JohnBraham]

I also have a custom .ini file and it runs every night without problem from Task Scheduler. Suggest you proceed as follows:

1. Re-name your custom.ini file to EPG Collector.ini
2. Put the .ini file in c:\Programdata\Geekzone\EPG Collector if it is not already there
3. Setup Task Scheduler to run EPG Collector.exe (which should be in c:\Program Files (x86)\Geekzone\EPG Collector)

I am not sure why the .ini file needs to be named EPG Collector.ini to run from the command line/Task Scheduler but this is the way I got it to work.

No intention of going back to the MS EPG as I am getting quite used to the rich metadata EPG Collector provides.

Thanks very much I'll try that, I don't intend on going back either, I'm very happy with EPG collector data

[knight92]

Does anyone know how to have a task wake the PC, close MCE, run the update and then restart MCE? I would like to use it instead of the MS data but my HTPC turns itsself off after 10 minutes so would need to wake it to update EPG Collector. However this it will still have MCE runing and I beleive it wont work unless its closed? Any help would be appreciated.

[bobbob]

I also have a custom .ini file and it runs every night without problem from Task Scheduler. Suggest you proceed as follows:

1. Re-name your custom.ini file to EPG Collector.ini
2. Put the .ini file in c:\Programdata\Geekzone\EPG Collector if it is not already there
3. Setup Task Scheduler to run EPG Collector.exe (which should be in c:\Program Files (x86)\Geekzone\EPG Collector)

I am not sure why the .ini file needs to be named EPG Collector.ini to run from the command line/Task Scheduler but this is the way I got it to work.

No intention of going back to the MS EPG as I am getting quite used to the rich metadata EPG Collector provides.

Thanks very much I'll try that, I don't intend on going back either, I'm very happy with EPG collector data

the problem with EPGCollector and the like is its another thing that can go wrong. And it WILL go wrong. i'm speaking from 3 years experience of never using the MS EPG. It is better but its not for everyone

[Heuer]

Does anyone know how to have a task wake the PC, close MCE, run the update and then restart MCE? I would like to use it instead of the MS data but my HTPC turns itsself off after 10 minutes so would need to wake it to update EPG Collector. However this it will still have MCE runing and I beleive it wont work unless its closed? Any help would be appreciated.

No need to close MCE to run EPG Collector other than for intial setup. Mine runs from Task Scheduler every day whilst WMC is running.

[knight92]

Thanks for the reply. Good to know