Phillie14586

TV Guide not updating

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After patiently waiting for more than a month for Geniatech to get their act together I finally gave up and requested a refund from PayPal. It was approved in less than 36 hours! At least Geniatech's accounting department is efficient. Looking at the two solutions described in this forum I found that the XMLTVListings approach, while easier, did not have the full channel lineup for my TV service (OTA). Moreover for the channels that were listed there was no sub-channel information. So I went with the Schedules Direct approach. I was able to find the correct listing for the TV service I have with all the sub-channel information. It took an afternoon to implement the automatic updating of the schedule (set at 4 am) in EyeTV using the directions posted on the forum (with minor modifications). I'm using the "json" service at Schedulesdirect.com. All appears to be working fine including the Smart Guides. I am using OS X 10.11.6 on a 2010 Mac Mini and EyeTV 3.6.9 (7416). Many thanks to all who contributed to finding a solution to the "EPG problem."

 

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Just finished up requesting a refund from PayPal. Fortunately I was just barely within their 180-day limit for processing a complaint for a refund. Now off to pursue EYEMISSELGATO's solution using "schedulesdirect" JSON...wish me luck!

Edited by Holden

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Has anyone requested the Open Source code as offered here?

https://www.geniatech.eu/open-source-compliance-information/

It's not clear what part of the EyeTV code is included here.  I was thinking that if we could see the source code that is trying to do the download/update, we might understand better what is going wrong.  I have tried to monitor the download interaction, and it is definitely communicating with a server in Germany, and is receiving packets.  The packets are encrypted so I can't see what the computers are saying to each other, but the local EPG database is being changed in some way.  (The file date is changed.)

The type of error I get on a download has changed.  It used to be during "Adding Programs"  (though no programs were actually added).  Now it is during "Parsing..."  The Mac Console information shows a memory leak occurred.  Perhaps this is some technical issue after all, although I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a fix!

I tried switching to the GraceNote (European) server in the preferences (instead of TV Guide).  Curiously it showed me as having an active account even though my account is with TV Guide.  I tried updating, and the process finished with no errors.  No new programs showed up in my guide, but then I don't have any European channels.  This whole episode is weird.

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Just got this:

 

Hello Eric ,

Sorry for the inconvenience.

The restoration has been completed. We are testing it now. We will inform you immediately once it is finished testing.        

Kind regards,

Angela 

Geniatech EyeTV Support Team

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3 hours ago, oneof52 said:

Just got this:

The restoration has been completed. We are testing it now. We will inform you immediately once it is finished testing.       
Kind regards,
Angela

^ And the beat goes on . . . 😉

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I received this 12 hours ago.  Angela told me this new beta version does not support HD HomeRun tuners - so I am unable to test it.

Hello Guy,

Thank you for contacting us.

To solve this problem, we have worked out a beta version of eyetv software.

Would you like to test it for us.

Kind regards,

Angela 

Geniatech EyeTV Support Team

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2 hours ago, chuckles67 said:

Angela told me this new beta version does not support HD HomeRun tuners - so I am unable to test it.

I am not sure how the loading of a TV schedule is dependent on the tuner. This is a pretty good indication we should not expect much from these folks.

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How I interpret this is that they don't have the knowledge to rebuild their backend infrastructure.  Guess is that things got lost in the transition from Elgato.   So new backend means new frontend software. 

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14 hours ago, Earl Noe said:

I am not sure how the loading of a TV schedule is dependent on the tuner. This is a pretty good indication we should not expect much from these folks.

They have deliberately removed the support for HDHomerun devices. It has nothing to do with the EPG guide. It was a commercial (and very stupid) decision.

 

If you want to use HDHR devices then you will have to stick to version 7520 or switch to another product like TV-Mosaic or TVHeadend.

 

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Been following this discussion for over a month now and finally figured out how to get my Forum sign-in working (hint - Mail.com)

I'd received the same email from Angela everyone else did and maybe because I didn't abuse her too much I got a response from her yesterday offering a beta version to try out.

The beta takes out all reference to TV Guide and offers an "EyeTVEPGPremium-US" service instead in the Guide part of the EyeTV Preferences. This is excellent news. Because I shut down my TV Guide subscription I couldn't get the beta (EyeTV3.6.9(7527)20190314)  to actually work since without an active guide the listings won't populate. Still I'm encouraged that Geniatech is working on a workaround that has been in testing for almost a week and hopefully will be released soon. I think if you inquire nicely to Angela she'll respond with a link to it.

Am gonna editorialize for the rest of this, so please skip if you don't want to read some old guy bloviate, but I gotta "tsk tsk" some of the anger I've read in this thread. Honestly, it's been over 10 years since I actually paid for this program and that it's been updated for this long is a miracle considering no one makes an El-Gato type DVR box for this software anymore. I'll be as sad as anyone when we finally get abandoned for good, but until then, please be kind to the support guys.

 

 

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, jpmist27 said:

B

Am gonna editorialize for the rest of this, so please skip if you don't want to read some old guy bloviate, but I gotta "tsk tsk" some of the anger I've read in this thread. Honestly, it's been over 10 years since I actually paid for this program and that it's been updated for this long is a miracle considering no one makes an El-Gato type DVR box for this software anymore. I'll be as sad as anyone when we finally get abandoned for good, but until then, please be kind to the support guys.

  

 

 

 

 

Geniatech has an online store which appears to offer "legato type dvr boxes,"https://shop.geniatech.us/product-category/eyetv/tv-tuner/  including an EYTV U6. https://shop.geniatech.us/product/eyetv-u6/  

 

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27 minutes ago, jpmist27 said:

Honestly, it's been over 10 years since I actually paid for this program and that it's been updated for this long is a miracle considering no one makes an El-Gato type DVR box for this software anymore.

This whole thread is about the guide service, which we all paid for an an annual basis. There's nothing wrong with the EyeTV app itself.

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17 minutes ago, Earl Noe said:

This whole thread is about the guide service, which we all paid for an an annual basis. There's nothing wrong with the EyeTV app itself.

Sorry to quibble, but the EyeTV app is nearly useless without the EPG service. Sure you can do a workaround with TitanTV and XML TV on an existing install, but while experimenting with the XML TV guide stuff, I wiped all the existing EPG channel settings and because I don't have an active EPG service (refund) there was no way to get those channels settings back. I basically bricked the program.

So heads up on that, because you literally cannot do a fresh install of EyeTV on a Mac without an active EPG subscription. I highly recommend going into the System and User Library folders and make copies of those el Gato files in the Application Support and Preferences folder just in case.

Edited by jpmist27

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21 minutes ago, jpmist27 said:

Sorry to quibble, but the EyeTV app is nearly useless without the EPG service. Sure you can do a workaround with TitanTV and XML TV on an existing install, but while experimenting with the XML TV guide stuff, I wiped all the existing EPG channel settings and because I don't have an active EPG service (refund) there was no way to get those channels settings back. I basically bricked the program.

So heads up on that, because you literally cannot do a fresh install of EyeTV on a Mac without an active EPG subscription. I highly recommend going into the System and User Library folders and make copies of those el Gato files in the Application Support and Preferences folder just in case.

Are you sure this is the situation? (you have "bricked" the program) XMLTV and SchedulesDirect are not a "workaround"; EyeTV already has built into it support for their standard EPG format (.xmltv file type). You do NOT need an active subscription to anything to run EyeTV including to set up the channels list. What you DO need to do is reset all the channels so the listing in EyeTV is linked to a corresponding channel listing in the EPG source you choose to use. Presumably EyeTV's software was written to do that automatically for TV Guide specifically so we don't have to fuss with it, but it isn't THAT hard to do yourself manually, and you only need to do it once. I suggest you take some time to read back through this long thread (hard to sort out the important stuff from casual comments, I realize). You'll find I prepared and posted a step-by-step guide on how to set up EyeTV to use xmltvlistings.com as the EPG source. Others have provided similar info on how to use the other North American EPG source, schedulesdirect.org. [Comment: the former is more user-friendly, the latter more powerful, but both do the same thing – give you an EPG in EyeTV that looks just like the TV Guide one]. Both sources offer a free 7-14 day trial; xmltvlistings also has a one-click download of a 7-day schedule that you can try out without having to do the small amount of programming to automate it. If you have questions, there's a bunch of good people on this Forum thread who would be happy to help

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1 hour ago, jpmist27 said:

So heads up on that, because you literally cannot do a fresh install of EyeTV on a Mac without an active EPG subscription.

If you do in fact receive OTA TV, go to Channels> Auto Tune > Exhaustive Scan

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23 hours ago, jpmist27 said:

Am gonna editorialize for the rest of this, so please skip if you don't want to read some old guy bloviate, but I gotta "tsk tsk" some of the anger I've read in this thread. Honestly, it's been over 10 years since I actually paid for this program and that it's been updated for this long is a miracle considering no one makes an El-Gato type DVR box for this software anymore. I'll be as sad as anyone when we finally get abandoned for good, but until then, please be kind to the support guys.

Your exactly right, i've had mine for 10 years, it's great software/hardware, people here are getting too angry over a 20 buck a year guide subscription, when they took over the software, they could have easily charged for an upgrade and probably should have.

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12 hours ago, Bob_S said:

Your exactly right, i've had mine for 10 years, it's great software/hardware, people here are getting too angry over a 20 buck a year guide subscription, when they took over the software, they could have easily charged for an upgrade and probably should have.

EyeTV is more than 5 (maybe even 10) years old! In the meantime there have been no upgrades at all. People are not mad about 20 Dollars but mad because EyeTV is now for over 2 months useless! People are mad because Geniatech does not know the word "communicate".

So you better first find out what the problem is before writing nonsens.

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^The tone on this forum has generally been helpful and cooperative, with some grousing thrown in now and then. Please do not spoil that. Sticking strictly to facts: (a) EyeTV is well over 10 years old, I started using it in 2009 and it had already been around for at least several years then. (b) There HAVE been upgrades (all those version numbers were not a game), I have seen minor updates with bugs fixed and gotten support . . . at least until ownership was taken over by Geniatech in China (Geniatech in Germany was helpful). Major upgrades were not needed because the software simply works. (c) Most important, if it is "useless" why is it working just fine right now for me and for all the others on this forum who went to the trouble to research the EPG fix and implement it? In fact, I was never without its use during this whole time. (d) The only thing that is factually accurate in your statement is that Geniatech, whatever it is, seems to have no idea how to communicate with its customer base.

As for Bob_S and jpmist27, if you have an idle hour go back to page 1 of this Forum to find out what people ARE legitimately complaining about . . . the North American TV Guide EPG was abruptly terminated Feb. 5th with no advance warning, no explanation, no fix offered, and no refunds (a few people have gotten refunds on their own through PayPal). Apparently the software does work fine elsewhere in the world, and one person on here recently claimed to have been offered a beta test of a new version which implements the same built-in EPG that apparently is already working fine in Germany (it has been right there in your EyeTV software for a while now, clearly visible, though we cannot use it in the U.S.). Dare we hope that this new beta actually exists and is also 64 bit?

Respectfully yours . . .

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On 3/20/2019 at 2:59 AM, Ton said:

They have deliberately removed the support for HDHomerun devices. It has nothing to do with the EPG guide. It was a commercial (and very stupid) decision.

I have to wonder about this. When I bought a Silicondust HD Homerun tuner some years back, the Silicondust website recommended EyeTV. The Elgato website, however, did not list any compatible Silicondust devices. Some considerable back-and-forth ensued, and what I eventually discovered was that Elgato, which was then launching their own line of hardware, no longer "supported" the Silicondust HD Homerun. However, since Elgato had for a time sold a bundle of EyeTV and the HD Homerun, when Setting up EyeTV software, if one looked among supported Elgato devices, the HD Homerun was listed, and has worked reliably for me for years. So I can't help but wonder if this is just this old issue resurfacing, or if the "new" software really won't work with the HD Homerun. I have my suspicions that they have just done an EPG fix and not a significant overhaul of the software (I am using build 7520). I suggest anyone setting up the beta check the listed Elgato devices carefully to see if HD Homerun is in fact missing.

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It has been reported in a number of places, including the Silicondust forums, that HD Homerun tuners are no longer recognized by EyeTV for builds after 7520.  Whether that applies to all HD Homerun tuners, or only some of them, is unclear.

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On 3/22/2019 at 11:40 AM, WisconsinEric said:

Apparently the software does work fine elsewhere in the world, and one person on here recently claimed to have been offered a beta test of a new version which implements the same built-in EPG that apparently is already working fine in Germany (it has been right there in your EyeTV software for a while now, clearly visible, though we cannot use it in the U.S.). Dare we hope that this new beta actually exists and is also 64 bit?

Respectfully yours . . .

If that's my "useless" comment, let me expand. If you were to try to install EyeTV on a different computer that has never run EyeTV you won't be able to set up the cable channels - at least that was my issue when I tried it. Without the channel data the program gets from TV Guide during set-up,  the program can't change from one station to another.  So -  pretty "useless" for me.  Someone pointed out that you'd be able to generate over the air channel data which I didn't test cause I run my EyeTV HD box from my cable box so that's not much help for me.

Since offering the beta, Angela has ghosted me once again after I reported I couldn't set it up without an active EPG guide account. (Geniatech promptly refunded 10  months of my subscription) I've made no agreement with Geniatech not to share it so here is the download link she sent me. It's active as of now, but there's no knowing for how long. 

https://mega.nz/#!yqYliazS!fSoLZGzaE3HZHdP9azpYauSQDV8vqU660zOkifDtDPw

Some total stranger offers a program over the internet so please be as paranoid and careful as your circumstances dictate. I'd strongly suggest opening this on a spare Mini and NOT YOUR MAIN MEDIA RIG. I have the Little Snitch utility which records when a program attempts to send out info and found a few attempts to check with Geniatech but little else. All I can offer are pics from the email to validate it's authenticity and a screengrab from the download web site.

What I was able to discover is that Geniatech is working on an EPG without TV Guide, similar to what they do for Euro accounts. If anyone braves this who has a still active EPG account, would be interested in hearing how it works. 

 

 

EyeTV_Software_Beta_VersionEyeTVEPGPremium.jpg

SS -  2019-03-23 at 12.40.22 PM.jpg

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On 3/20/2019 at 4:23 PM, EYEMISSELGATO said:

Geniatech has an online store which appears to offer "legato type dvr boxes,"https://shop.geniatech.us/product-category/eyetv/tv-tuner/  including an EYTV U6. https://shop.geniatech.us/product/eyetv-u6/

 

Looked at that, thanks, it appears to be OTA channels. I keep wondering if it's new HDMI specs & licensing, plus Digital Rights Management that drove electronics makers out of making DVR boxes like ours. 

 

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