My Kingdom for an Official EPG
*sigh*
Just spent the better part of the afternoon setting up a new EPG for Windows Media Center.
Here in Australia we don't get an official, Microsoft-supplied EPG. Instead we have to use a series of third-party utilities that scrape web sites for TV guides, then reformat them into an XML format that MCE understands. It's a tiresome, time-consuming task setting it up, and running it takes ages, so you need to schedule it to run late at night.
As for why I needed to set it up again - well, for some reason my times were all out by 11 hours. It's as if Media Center suddenly thought I was in Greenwich or something. I couldn't find any cause for it, and installing the latest screen-scraper (FreeXMLTV) and guide-formatter (BladeRunner Pro) seems to have fixed it. For now.
Please, Microsoft. If you're listening: get us an officially-support EPG down under! You're in bed with the Nine Network, and they have TV guides on their site. Why can't you use them?
Comments
# FRANK ARRIGO
19/03/2006 7:54 PM
it's a lot more complex than you realize.
the networks have copyrighted their program information and they licence the information for specific uses - ie printed, online on a website, etc
the networks are making it difficult for products such as the media center, because they fear their business model is under threat (which it is) and people will skips ads (which they do), so they use legislation to maintain their oligopoly.
there are 3rd parties, such as icetv (http://www.icetv.com.au/) who have an epg. its worth looking at.
i can go on.....
# mabster
19/03/2006 8:39 PM
I have two responses to that, Frank:
1. Damn. Obviously the same problem doesn't exist in the US? I might have to check out Ice (although the programs I use, hacks though they may be, do work pretty well).
2. OH MY GOD!!! FRANKARR LEFT A COMMENT ON MY BLOG!!!!!
Thanks for reading, Frank. See you at code camp maybe! :)
# TristanK
22/03/2006 12:37 PM
Ah, Frank's already dropped by, so I'll just wander off quietly :)
We feel your pain.
# mabster
22/03/2006 1:52 PM
Wow - I have to post this sort of stuff more often! Thanks for visiting, Tristan.
ps. Love your blog's tagline!