Using Eit In Vista

[techo]

Firstly I would like to thank those wonderful people at epgstream.net for providing an excellent portal and great applets that bridged the gap created by certain paranoid FTA network providers for so long. However, for whatever reason epgstream.net have chosen to change its data format to exclusively XMLTV data and disable automatic unpaid updating, auto updating now requires a donation. Personally I don’t really mind donating for the convenience of auto updates, never mind the excellent information they have on their site, thank’s guys.

The issue I’ve ran into, using the new epgstream technique was in converting an already fully working Vista HTPC to use the new technique, it may work properly when they finally turn off their old server, or if perhaps if I knew what I was doing. However, I was able to get it working, using their technique, with a new virgin install of Vista.

I thought of using the formatted shepherd XMLTV data that my mythtv server grabs using the tv_grab_au perl script, then shepherd collates it and selects the best data to build its output.xmltv, but it seems, that would require reformatting the shepherd data to suit vista.

I was not prepared to do the study to write such a script, nor did I really want to spend hours online searching for someone else’s script. To be honest I had to consider another issue in this regard. I have decided to rid myself of most of my M$ machines. I am only going to keep one VMC htpc and one XP work machine. Everything else I use now is open source (linux [ubuntu,Debian]), including a mythtv (mythbuntu) network.

So my problem was if I was going to sell my vista VMC HTPCs as HTPCs they had to have a working epg, preferably free and legal. The solution I found was installing M$ Media Center TV Pack 2008. Some might be aware it will give VMC access to the EIT (broadcasted) epg data. Not a bad solution, for the boxes I planed on off loading as Vista HTPCs.

Now, installing M$ Media Center TV Pack 2008 into Vista is a little tedious but not too hard.

• Firstly obtaining the pack, M$ have deemed it OEM only and I found it necessary to use torrent.

• You need a virgin install of Vista – freshly formatted drive

• Service Pack 1 needs to be installed

• You must configure all your hardware properly

• Install M$ Media Center TV Pack 2008

• Install all normal vista updates

• DO NOT START VMC UNTIL ALL THE ABOVE IS DONE – otherwise you will have to start again.

Now if only someone can convince SBS to give us longer than Now and Next and all networks improve their EPG data. Frankly when compared with shepherd, EIT is pathetic and ice is not much better IMO.

Edited November 2, 2008 by techo

[MLXXX]

Firstly I would like to thank those wonderful people at epgstream.net for providing an excellent portal and great applets that bridged the gap created by certain paranoid FTA network providers for so long. However, for whatever reason epgstream.net have chosen to change its data format to exclusively XMLTV data and disable automatic unpaid updating, auto updating now requires a donation.

Yes the epgstream XMLTV software does a good job. For those disinclined to make a paypal "donation", the software can be invoked to update the guide, as a daily "scheduled task", as the epgstream site acknowledges.

By the way, I had an issue with Vista Media Centre (VMC) since 'upgrading' to service pack 1. Two RC6 remote controls (XP media centre and XBox 360) would no longer be recognised by VMC. I have been able to get one of these to work (the Xbox 360) by changing settings in the registry entries for:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HidIr\Remotes\745a17a0-74d3-11d0-b6fe-00a0c90f57da

Change CodeSetNum0 to a value of zero, and delete CodeSetNum1, CodeSetNum2, and CodeSetNum3. Requires a reboot, to take effect.

See Set Remote Control ID at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/200.../29/586961.aspx

Now if only someone can convince SBS to give us longer than Now and Next and all networks improve their EPG data. Frankly when compared with shepherd, EIT is pathetic and ice is not much better IMO.

SBS have complained about lack of funding. My hunch is that restricting their Event Information Table to Now and Next is symbolic as a cry for funding, because the actual cost of enhancing it would I imagine be minimal.

I note that M$ by officially restricting the new EIT functionality to OEM, is still indirectly requiring most viewers to pay for guide data. For many people the free to air guide data broadcast by the terrestrial DTV station would be quite adequate, if only the standard functionality of VMC would allow it to be accessed.

Thanks techo for this information.

Edited November 2, 2008 by MLXXX

[creamop66]

I just built a htpc using vista and tv pack 2008...... i kind like the epg, has enough info for me.

will freeview help with this?

[renura]

You don't need Vista or the TV pack to extract EPG from the stream, many applications (eg DNTV Live!, DVBViewer, DNT Sheduler Pro, etc) have been doing that for ages.

There is even an open source EPGScan tool that you c.an use to parse the EIT freely

http://forums.dvbowners.com/index.php?showtopic=8954

[techo]

You don't need Vista or the TV pack to extract EPG from the stream, many applications (eg DNTV Live!, DVBViewer, DNT Sheduler Pro, etc) have been doing that for ages.

There is even an open source EPGScan tool that you c.an use to parse the EIT freely

http://forums.dvbowners.com/index.php?showtopic=8954

Huh! Yes I know of these applications, but this thread is about Vista, specifically injecting EIT into Vista Media Center. Up until the 2008 TV pack no microsoft software could do that.

Will your software inject EIT into VMC, or does it require additional applications, like (buggy) bladerunner.

[DrP]

A point to take note of. All these updates change your VMC so it writes a new .wtv file format. Not much in the way of editors supports this new format, so if editing and writing to DVD etc is your game, the update may not be for you.

[renura]

Huh! Yes I know of these applications, but this thread is about Vista, specifically injecting EIT into Vista Media Center. Up until the 2008 TV pack no microsoft software could do that.

Will your software inject EIT into VMC, or does it require additional applications, like (buggy) bladerunner.

One thing is for an application to work under Vista, another is for having to use Vista Media Center. Our scheduler application uses the EIT for its own use, not for injecting to Media Center.

[techo]

A point to take note of. All these updates change your VMC so it writes a new .wtv file format. Not much in the way of editors supports this new format, so if editing and writing to DVD etc is your game, the update may not be for you.

Thanks DrP, a very good and relevant point (as always).

Again, I was aware of that but decided in the above case a (relatively) reliable EPG inside VMC was preferable to none. You do emphasis, with your comments, the need for individuals considering such an update to carefully think about their case and, may I suggest, research beforehand.

I have had a cursory look at the makeup of M$s *.wtv files. Looks a lot like other container files such as Mythtv’s NUV and even DVRMS but WTV seems to have a lot of extra baggage. It is speculated that H.264 support is present among other things. Even though I haven’t actually done it, it is said that DVRMS toolbox will work with them so long as you have a good set of codecs installed.

The other side is that traditionally those biggies (Dell, HP etc) offering (expensive) M$ powered Media Centres machines always include an editing suite even if it was only Movie Maker, which BTW, is currently broken with this format. My guess is it won’t be long before they will demand, from those M$ galas, a solution, probably in the form of an update to Movie Maker or something.

No wonder I am truly over M$, truthfully, if it wasn’t for some of my customers I would not have a single machine controlled by them now.

[hazzad]

I converted from freepg's old solution to their new one without any issues about 3 weeks ago. Has worked just fine since as did the their old system. I made a donation as i like the software, though you can use it unregistered. You just have to setup a simple scheduler task to run the downlaod update. It will prob give the time delay message becuase its unregistered but it should still work according to the doco from freeepg.