6 replies to this topic

[pclare]

I've mentioned in a couple of places that I was working on a simple command line guide loader utility for MCE 2005/Vista Media Center.

I have now finally released a first version of this as part of the latest version of DVBGuide. This provides a much simpler (in terms of both installation and use) alternative for anyone still using SmartGuide, QuickGuide or Bladerunner. Also, it works with Vista (which isn't the case with some of those other utilities).

Some things to note:

• It loads data in Microsoft's proprietary format (i.e. not XMLTV);
  
• It will not work if TV Pack 2008 is installed on Vista;
  
• It will not work on Windows 7;
  
• Categories are English language only;
  
• If the Media Center UI is running whilst the EPG is updated, the UI must be restarted before the new data is displayed.

The main purpose of the Guide loader utility is as a companion to DVBGuide (which can generate EPG data in Microsoft's proprietary Media Center Guide format). However, as long as the loader is given EPG data in the right format it will load it. So, the loader could be used with other sources of EPG data.

[hol353]

Thanks heaps for your efforts in getting this going. I can successfully use DVBGuide to get EPG for all my channels but...

Whenever I use the guide loader utitility to inject the EPG into Vista Media Centre, I lose all my channels and need to rescan. Why???? Any suggestions?

I can successfully get the EPG into Media Centre using BladeRunner or epgGuideServiceProxy but it seems that Media Centre must have an internet connection whenever I do a manual guide download. I'd rather avoid having to connect the PC to the internet just to do a guide download from the hard disk. Your tool sounds promissing but it doesn't seem to work for me. Any way I can check what's going on?

Thanks

[kartman]

I had similar problems with always requiring an internet connection to do a guide upload until i used the loader with DVBGuide. This was not with Vista but it seems like similar issues.

But then i had problems with the file generated by DVBGuide, need to say this could be me and Pete wants to see if we can fix the problems which is great.

My work around is in the MCE EPG post and might work for you.

I have had it working for a while now regularly updating the guide and have no internet connection so i am pretty happy.

[Biglad]

Hi Guy's

Could you post for me an example of the batch file you created to capture the data. Do you need a separate file for each channel? Has anyone been able to automate the whole process?

Cheers

[kartman]

I have just uploaded the batch files i used to make all this work for mce not vista, see mce guide posting.

and yep it is all automatic, happens every morning and no internet connection.

[tbergman]

Hi Guys,

I noticed the newest post is March last year and was wondering how developement was coming along.

I'm very keen to use this utility with TV Source from DVBlink. At the moment I have to use a xmltv downloader for Oztivo and find it to have some innacuracy and would prefer the over the air epg.

[Murdoc]

Best methods I've found for using DVBGuide are these two:

http://www.xpmediace...hlight=dvbguide
or
Use the EPGStream guide proxy to load the XMLTV file, which is how I use to do this.

Would be a lot simpler if there was a XMLTV2MC tool.