OTA EPG grabber

[nzsjb]

Hi,

Glad you sorted the TSReader issue - those sort of problems can sometimes be difficult to track down.

Not sure why I had FEC 3/4 but I've changed the config files to 2/3. They are only used when you set up the parameters. The collection itself uses the value from the parameter file which was probably still 3/4. I'm not sure the FEC actually needs to be set (maybe ATSC tuners default to 2/3) but it was a parameter that was available so I set it.

As you correctly summise the exception is to do with DirectShow/BDA - I feel a headache coming on.

I'll work on it this morning and get you something else to try.

Did you take a look at the xmltv file I sent you?

Steve

 

[DRCars]

Yes, I looked at the xml file. It looks to be correct. The times seem a little funky. The time zone here is 6 hours behind GMT so I expected to see +600 (or -600) in the file not +1300. Anyway, it certainly is not FUBARred (fowled up beyond all recognition). Matter of fact I can take a time in the file subtract 1300 and get the GMT time that the show comes on.

Waiting with bated breath for the next attempt.;-)

DRCars

 

[DRCars]

Latest results are attached. Got further this time but no joy, no signal. I checked signal quality with TSReader and was near or at 100% before and after 2 attempts with EPG Collector. I don't know if it matters (probably doesn't) but this tuner may not report a meaningful signal level (SL), if it reports one at all, only a signal quality (SQ). I say that because MyTheatre reports the SQ but always shows 100% SL when tuned.

Maybe it's actually tuned and EPG Collector doesn't know it?

DRCars

 

[S2HD]

TSReader issue

You might just talk to Rod Hewitt who created [SIZE=+2]TSReader[/SIZE]

 

[nzsjb]

You may be right about the signal quality or the code may simply be checking it incorrectly or I haven't set the tuning parameters correctly.

There is something you can try though. On the advanced tab tick the third misc option (use signal present...). This causes it to assume signal is ok if it just detects one is present regardless of the quality. It's meant for areas with weak reception but might make a difference here.

Also add BDASIGSTATS to the Trace box on the diagnostics tab. This logs some more info when it is checking signal present/quality etc.

 

[nzsjb]

The times wil be +13 because they are transmitted in GMT and the Collector adds on the local offset from the PC it is running on. I am on GMT +13 at the moment. When we get a collection to work on your machine it should read -6.

 

[DRCars]

I ticked the "use signal present option" and put "BDA, BDASIGSTATS" in trace option. Still appears to get no signal. Keeps going on and on cycling thru to "signal not present." Anyway, log is attached.

About the times in the xml file. I see now said the blind man.

DRCars

P.S. To any moderator who might be here: I was going to start deleting the old logs (attachments) and only leave the last one so we don't junk up this nice forum, but I see I can no longer edit previous day's posts. So feel free to remove the attachments after a bit.

 

[DRCars]

Results of next attempts are attached. Same results it appears.

The _0922.log was with the signal present option checked. _0927.log was without it.

BTW, I believe that Mediaportal used to support download of OTA EPG but I think it got broke, or they removed the feature somewhere along the way. I was never able to make it work for the OTA EPG, although it was able to tune channels with this tuner.

DRCars

 

[DRCars]

DVBViewer will read ATSC OTA EPG but it has problems getting the right data in the right channel when there are subchannels involved. It puts the data for the last subchannel in the primary channel and there is no data put into any of the subchannels. For instance, it will put programming info for channel 2.4 in for channel 2.1 but 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 will be blank even though there may be data available for them.

They (DVBViewer) almost did it right.

DRCars

 

[nzsjb]

I have the SDK for DVBViewer as I want to do a direct import from the Collector. The interface definitions for EPG data don't seem to have any fields for sub-channel.

 

[DRCars]

That would explain it. I could never get any meaningful feedback on the DVBViewer forum regarding the problem or whether it was ever going to be fixed.

Don't they have subchannels in places other than North America, or is it just the ATSC part of the DVBViewer SDK that appears to be "broke"?

DRCars

 

[nzsjb]

Sub-channels aren't used in DVB so I haven't come across them anywhere else.

DVBViewer may not need a sub-channel to tune either. I use my own media player that I wrote and to tune to a TV channel I just tune to the correct frequency and then set up the MPEG2 demux to use the correct video and audio PID's. I don't use any of the normal DVB channel identification fields (which are network ID, transport stream ID and service ID). That method would work with ATSC as well.

As I mentioned a while back WMC7 has provision for channels and sub-channels and the Collector direct import can set them up correctly. Not sure about MCE though.

I'm looking at the tuning problem again at the moment.

I'll be back.

Steve

PS You're not a software developer by any chance are you?

 

[DRCars]

No, I'm not a software developer. I used to do some programming, before object oriented programming became popular. Basic, Fortran, C, and just enough C++ to realize I have a hopelessly "linear" mind. It takes a lot of patience and attention to detail to do object oriented programming (at least totally from scratch it does). It doesn't fit well with my trial-and-error mind.

The latest try didn't take long. The log is attached. We are back to an exception - code 5.

For some reason MCE 2005 designates these (Channel 2) ATSC Channels as 1021, 1022, 1023, 1024. Essentially it multiplies the channel designation by 10 and adds 1 thousand. 2.1*10+1000. So you have to enter 4 digits to tune all ATSC channels. I don't know why they had to do that or if it has anything at all to do with tuning, just thought I would mention it.

DRCars

 

[Anony55]

DVBViewer will read ATSC OTA EPG but it has problems getting the right data in the right channel when there are subchannels involved. It puts the data for the last subchannel in the primary channel and there is no data put into any of the subchannels. For instance, it will put programming info for channel 2.4 in for channel 2.1 but 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 will be blank even though there may be data available for them.

They (DVBViewer) almost did it right.

DRCars

I don't know if this will help or not, but...

After I scanned in my locals (OKC) with TransEdit & saved them to DVB Viewer, I had to do some channel editing inside of DVBV to get the guide to work on most of my ATSC channels.

I'm sorry I don't remember for sure about the field that I had to edit (I'm not home right now). But I think it was the "Service ID". Inside DVBV's channel editor, I'm pretty sure the field I edited was about half way down on the right side... above all the PID info, but below the TP info.

Anyway, I had to "trial & error" different values in that field one at a time until the guide worked on that channel. For the OKC channels, I got every channel except the ion mux to properly display guide info. This includes several sub channels. That's 22 working & 3 that doesn't.

Before I edited what I believe was the Service ID, the results were very much like you described. I hope this helps with what you're trying to do.

Cheers

 

[DRCars]

Thanks, I'll give that a look-see.

DRCars

 

[DRCars]

Thanks a lot Anony55.

It was the Network ID that needed changing. The Network ID for all channels in a mux had been given the ID for the last sub-channel, which caused the data from the last channel to go (in error) into the primary channel. Since the one and only Network ID was used up on the primary channel none of the other sub-channels had any data at all.

I changed the Network ID to be the same as the sub-channel designation (e.g. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 became network IDs of 1, 2, 3, 4) and it worked.

DRCars

 

[Anony55]

Good deal, I'm glad you got 'er working. Network ID... sounds about right. At least I remembered the general location on the screen, lol.

Just out of curiousity, were you able to get guide data for your local ion mux?

Cheers

 

[DRCars]

Don't have a local ion affiliate.

Maybe someone else here who does can chime in.

DRCars

 

[DRCars]

I gave the latest version a try. Still no joy. I should have been more thorough in the description of my system. I have done the MCE Rollup 2 so the previous version probably should have worked if not doing the Rollup 2 was the problem.

Attached is the latest try.

Do you want me to keep using the "signal present" option?

DRCars

 

[nzsjb]

EPG Collector is now starting to work collecting terrestrial ATSC EPG data. With a great deal of assistance from DRCars it can successfully collect from the frequencies he has access to.

However it needs to be validated against more frequencies as there are a number of options that broadcasters can choose within the protocol that are not present in the frequencies we have tested so far. It also needs to be tried out using different tuner hardware.

So are there any volunteers who will give it a try? It takes very little time to install and run and the only information I need back are the log file(s) and the output file.

In addition I'm looking for anyone who has access to ATSC over cable. Does anyone have this who can do some testing? You will need to have Vista or W7 for it to be possible.

PM me if you are interested.

Steve