Got Zap2IT working on WMC! with a LOT of work

[audinutt]

I am using big screen EPG and with the help of xmltv, Schedules Direct and Big Screen EPG.

If there is interest I will do a FULL writeup and maybe a video if I get some free time this week.

I am happy now I get CORRECT guide info again!

-Richard

[STC]

If you get time please do.
We got things working too, it would be interesting to see what differences there are between us:
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=9&t=8927

[Mike88]

I'm interested too.

[stuartm]

Yes, please post detailed instructions. Especially since Schedules Direct is willing to legally supply the data. This also will be useful for the future time when Microsoft finally no longer supplies free guide data. (not sure I will cut over now since Schedules Direct costs money, but want to have the option to do so).

[audinutt]

I am exhausted but will update this thread.

[vincewarde]

+1 on desire for any directions you can provide. I'm getting nowhere with MS data services.

[DavidinCT]

Interesting, would also be interested in seeing the process...

[mlcarson]

Would love to see how this is being done since Rovi just can't seem to get things right. I'm pretty sure I'll be moving to a full Tivo solution because of the guide data mess but maybe this can still be an alternative.

[Jimmersd]

Would love to see how this is being done since Rovi just can't seem to get things right. I'm pretty sure I'll be moving to a full Tivo solution because of the guide data mess but maybe this can still be an alternative.

Seems to me this is what MS wants anyway. Just make it too difficult to keep using WMC. Brilliant!

[Desparado]

I too would be interested, especially if the solution works for CableCard users (like myself). Also, I am a Windows developer. If someone could provide a concept that works through loadmxf.exe or some other programmable API, I would gladly write a fully automated tool for the community that would download data from Schedules Direct and put it directly into WMC. I haven't had too much time to figure stuff out myself, but I have tried a few attempts at using loadmxf.exe to get custom guide data into WMC and it doesn't appear to work for me. The data is present in WMC's database, but it doesn't seem to allow you to use it. There is some evidence that CableCard setups are more protected from outside guide data but I don't know this for sure. If anyone has any thoughts on this, please let me know.

[STC]

^ you've hit the same part all of us have whereby the only present known way to access this new data in the db is to manually change each channel through the MCE interface to use the new guide data. Once each channel is done it will stick.

[Desparado]

The problem is that I haven't been able to see any new guides imported into WMC as a cablecard user. Can anyone confirm that they use CableCards AND can import other guides...even if for manual configuration into the channel editor???

[STC]

^ Yes, you have to edit the channel from within WMC: In Settings / Guide / Edit Channels, select a channel then Edit Listings.
Find the channel on the list and you should see duplicate available listings for it. One is Rovi and the other your imported info.
Rinse and repeat (monotonous). Use a keyboard to fast search.

You need to block MS in hosts as the next call home will reset back to Rovi if you don't.

[Desparado]

Are you talking about when using BSEPG? I haven't tried them yet. I've been dabbling with loadmxf.exe and I've been trying to find someone who has made loadmxf.exe work with CableCards. I feel like that would provide the best long-term solution with the lowest overhead/highest reliability code (only a subscription to Schedules Direct would be required).

[STC]

No, not BSEPG, although that is a nice tool to tweak other things. I may have misunderstood, I thought you have imported new guide data into MCE?

[Desparado]

My apologies for being unclear. I have used loadmxf.exe to load external guide data into WMC without error. I can use other tools like GuideTool to see that the data is, in fact, in there (through its exporting feature). But it is not visible in WMC. For example, there are not duplicate channels listed when editing the channels/listings within WMC and the GuideTool will not allow me to select the newly imported guide and assign it to a channel. I suspect that perhaps I'm missing something in my MXF file. I would appreciate any feedback on this...or even better if someone could provide an example MXF file that works for them in the manner you describe.

[Ed]

So, this doesn't restore the old Zap2it show/movie images, just the data; correct?

[glorp]

My apologies for being unclear. I have used loadmxf.exe to load external guide data into WMC without error. I can use other tools like GuideTool to see that the data is, in fact, in there (through its exporting feature). But it is not visible in WMC. For example, there are not duplicate channels listed when editing the channels/listings within WMC and the GuideTool will not allow me to select the newly imported guide and assign it to a channel. I suspect that perhaps I'm missing something in my MXF file. I would appreciate any feedback on this...or even better if someone could provide an example MXF file that works for them in the manner you describe.

Have a look at the LoadMXF documentation, specifically the Channel element (matchName field's description column). I suspect that there is a way to do this that MS knows about. I said so earlier in this thread because when my cablecard guide switched from Zap to Rovi, one day it was all Zap, the next all Rovi. Virtually all call signs on all my channels had changed but the guide data was still there. I had all the other problems others have had with data quality, but the switch itself occurred as part of the normal daily update load process. No setup run needed. No channel massaging needed, etc. So clearly they sent out a data package that worked in at least one case to switch channel lineups onto new call signs/channel ids seamlessly. My *guess* was that MS used a specially formatted MXF for that day. I suspect (no proof) that there is a way to do this using this field on a one-time basis but the documentation is so vague about that as to be useless. Even if we could figure out how that works, the trouble is that you won't get that from a Schedules Direct download so the first load of data from a S-D switchover would have to be edited to include whatever magic is needed.

Unfortunately I don't really have a non-live WMC install to experiment on. Since both my EPGs switched automatically and are working now, I hesitate to tempt fate.

[STC]

Ed, With the hosts block I didn't appear to get new images, correct. Not a biggie for me but I recon another tweak would fix that.

And glorps ideas are certainly on the right path to automating all this.

As of now my Rovi data is passable so I haven't spent more time on this.

[Ed]

Ed, With the hosts block I didn't appear to get new images, correct. Not a biggie for me but I recon another tweak would fix that.

Was it that you just had the host file block in place before doing the zap2it test, and didn't bother to see what happened if you removed the lines in host file; or is the host file block part of getting zap2it data in there again? Just curious.