Guide Download Issues Thread - March 2015

[maize1951]

In the past most fixes were not on weekends. We'll see if it gets fixed by mid-week. Hope so!

And hopefully Microsoft will upgrade their probably ancient servers for WMC's guide service. But what I would really like to see is an direct WMC application and link to Zap2it's guide servers bypassing Microsoft's troublesome servers altogether.

[tzr916]

In the past most fixes were not on weekends. We'll see if it gets fixed by mid-week. Hope so!

And hopefully Microsoft will upgrade their probably ancient servers for WMC's guide service. But what I would really like to see is an direct WMC application and link to Zap2it's guide servers bypassing Microsoft's troublesome servers altogether.

$20/year
http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/08/use-cust ... n-epg.html
http://bigscreenglobal.com/bgproduct.aspx?PID=BSEV1

gets data from http://wiki.xmltv.org/index.php/Main_Page not MS servers

[spanner]

In the past most fixes were not on weekends. We'll see if it gets fixed by mid-week. Hope so!

And hopefully Microsoft will upgrade their probably ancient servers for WMC's guide service. But what I would really like to see is an direct WMC application and link to Zap2it's guide servers bypassing Microsoft's troublesome servers altogether.

$20/year
http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/08/use-cust ... n-epg.html
http://bigscreenglobal.com/bgproduct.aspx?PID=BSEV1

gets data from http://wiki.xmltv.org/index.php/Main_Page not MS servers

Anybody using this, I wouldn't mind paying if it is reliable and maybe a little more accurate than what we have know with WMC

[thumperyz69]

Add me to another individual that has guide data that ends on 3-28...

[tzr916]

And hopefully Microsoft will upgrade their probably ancient servers for WMC's guide service. But what I would really like to see is an direct WMC application and link to Zap2it's guide servers bypassing Microsoft's troublesome servers altogether.

$20/year
http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/08/use-cust ... n-epg.html
http://bigscreenglobal.com/bgproduct.aspx?PID=BSEV1

gets data from http://wiki.xmltv.org/index.php/Main_Page not MS servers

Anybody using this, I wouldn't mind paying if it is reliable and maybe a little more accurate than what we have know with WMC

I'm almost to the point of attempting to set this up. Don't mind paying $35/year but setup doesn't look easy-
Pay $25/year for access to the raw data from Schedules Direct.
Use a "grabber" to download the data.
Use XMLTV to convert the data to XML for use in BigScreen software.
Pay $10/year to use the BigScreen software to import into WMC.

[odror]

I have the same issue.

I have a subscription to scheduledirect for my ther PC based DVR.

Does anyone know how to convert the EPG data to the Microsoft .xmf protocol.

[webminster]

In addition to the forum on Microsoft Answers, and of course Connect, tried a chat with Microsoft. Person was of course confused, but offered to take a report, forward to supervisor, and send a message to "the Team" regarding the issue. Which means the report will likely go nowhere, I doubt anyone there knows how to find anyone who can fix it anymore.

[Mike88]

I remember reading about using a different sever when this has happened in the past.
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 263#p80263

Is this still something that might work?

[webminster]

Doubtful, based on reports here, people using the hosts override and not both are reporting the issue. It's not the connection problem this tried to work around - it's the fact the Microsoft has stopped generating new data for download.

[webminster]

Anybody using this, I wouldn't mind paying if it is reliable and maybe a little more accurate than what we have know with WMC

I don't (yet), so I can't speak directly to it. I've questioned Schedules Direct before, and as far as accuracy was concerned:
Was told that they source their data from Tribune, who also provides the data that Zap2It uses (and Microsoft consumes). They said the data would be equivalent, no real difference in the "quality" of the data.

WRT reliability, given Microsoft's current 0% reliability figure, I hope they do a little better...

[Sea3]

In addition to the forum on Microsoft Answers, and of course Connect, tried a chat with Microsoft. Person was of course confused, but offered to take a report, forward to supervisor, and send a message to "the Team" regarding the issue. Which means the report will likely go nowhere, I doubt anyone there knows how to find anyone who can fix it anymore.

I've gone this route before and again this time. Before, the support person sounded sincere. This time, I think they were willing to say anything to get rid of me.

[webminster]

Eric, hate to invoke you, but are you still around?

[werds]

They need to update their EPG servers to new ones that don't break twice an year. And as of last night I have almost one full week (ends Saturday night on the 28th) of EPG listings left and I hope they get it fixed very soon.

I just dropped in here to check on stuff and this thread had me realize that my listings end the early evening of the 28th as well

Hope it gets fixed before this becomes true drama!

[davidhp]

Here is a link to email Microsoft about this problem, maybe if they receive enough emails they will do something besides ignoring this problem:

https://connect.microsoft.com/Help/Emai ... Category=1

[DSperber]

Continues to be a problem, for me here in TWC/LA land.

Event viewer shows "error" (unable to connect with the remote server) each night over the past 11 days, starting with the 3/12 overnight update:



Thinking it might be a recent Zap2it ID change for my zip code (as it was last year when the TWC channel lineup changes went into effect) I went through the whole TV setup again in WMC. But in the end, I still had the same ID for both my TWC/LA and Digital Terrestrial tuners.

After several attempts I did finally manage contact MS Answers Desk today (as others have done, or tried to do), but it's pretty much as has been described... nothing more than a phone message system outsourced to offshore and which in all likelihood goes nowhere. I was supposed to get a call back from "2nd level support" but of course that hasn't happened. They barely understood what I was saying, and are not technicians. They answer the phone and represent that they will communicate your issue... but there's no ticket number or anything.

I've sent the email as pointed to, and I've added my info to the multiple existing tickets that now are on the "Guide feedback" site for MS Connect.

Seems to be accomplishing nothing, so far. This is definitely a much longer than typical outage of this type which occurs periodically over the years as we've all seen.

I will try a different phone approach in the morning.

[SilverRubicon]

Visited ceton.com to see if we can get them involved as they have actual connections to Microsoft. They have a FAQ page devoted to the problem and give this link to contact Microsoft.... https://connect.microsoft.com/site1145

Still think it would helpful to contact Ceton directly and see if they could help on our behalf. Does anyone have an active support account with Ceton?

[DSperber]

Visited ceton.com to see if we can get them involved as they have actual connections to Microsoft. They have a FAQ page devoted to the problem and give this link to contact Microsoft.... https://connect.microsoft.com/site1145

There are at least seven open tickets on that site, with many "me too" to multiply the total number of reports, theoretically getting to MS through this "official" mechanism.

The tickets on the current outage go back at least 9 days, and apparently either nobody from MS is monitoring it or for some reason they can't/won't fix the problem as an urgent matter.

I just sent an email to feedback@zap2it.com, just to try and rattle yet one more cage where you'd think they would have some direct contact with MS to alert them to this current 12-day outage.

[maize1951]

Here is a link to email Microsoft about this problem, maybe if they receive enough emails they will do something besides ignoring this problem:

https://connect.microsoft.com/Help/Emai ... Category=1

I also just sent Micro$oft an E-Mail on the subject and I also asked them if they are discontinuing the service because I do want to know.

[roknrol]

Add me to the list. Guide data runs out this weekend ....

[tzr916]

Doing my daily "double check of tonight's scheduled recordings", found it was missing a whole bunch of new episodes. I had to add them into the list manually, and even create a manual timer recording for one. If they do end up recording (sometimes WMC decides it doesn't want to), they will undoubtedly have the wrong info for that recording...