I was just informed by Oberon (from DVBlogic) that the bug that prevent's DVBlink from reading an icon from a XMLTV file is on their todo list, but wil not be included in the next release.
With this information, would it be possible to modify the EPGcollector plugin so that it behaves more like eg. the EPGdata.com plugin that is available from DVBlogic?
That plugin creates a local 'thumbs' directory in the DVBlink epg directory. Could this be standard behavior for EPG plugin's? that could help with this problem i think..?
I seems that reading a image from file is problematic, but when that file is hosted on a (local) website, there could be a reference made (not tested by me, just found this on a forum)
Thanx for all the hard work so far..!
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Firstly there can be more than one epg directory as there is one for each source. What happens in this case?
Secondly you can specify a base path on the Lookups tab in EPGC for thumbnails. It will create 2 subdirectories under this for movies and TV program thumbnails but would this work if you pointed it to the correct place in the DVBLink directory structure?
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Yes I see what you mean. I'll give it a try here tomorrow and let you know the results.
However I did do some testing for someone else a week or so ago comparing the results from direct input to DVBLogic using the EPGC plugin with the EPGC creating an xmltv file and then passing that to DVBLogic.
I'm pretty sure I saw thumbnails in WMC from both methods.
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When i was using WMC before, i was able to get thumbnails in the EPG of WMC using your plugin!
Now i am using DVBlogic as a TV server and multiple XBMC (Kodi) boxes as clients. While i don't know if XBMC can display thumbnails in the EPG (never seen this), the DVBlink connect! server and app's can.
On the DVBlogic forum someone opted that he had created a local IIS website, with a shared folder where the thumbnails go. That way the images would be available using a http URL in stead of a file-location.
Do you have access to the DVBlink SDK for developing? I do a little code-writing myself (more of a hobby, far from professional), but i could not find the functions in your source for connecting to the DVBlink software.. then again, i did not spend a lot of time searching the code... so..
Thanx for looking into this!
Last edit: WBMK 2014-09-04
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Would it work if I just set the TMDB or TVDB address of the thumbnail instead of downloading it? Would DVBLogic download it?
There isn't an SDK AFAIK. Oberon gave me some header files and function prototypes for developing the plugin.
For how I use the functions take a look at the DVBLogicCPPPlugin project source DVBLogicPluginInterface. As the name suggests it's C++, not C# like the rest of the code. It's fairly involved as I had to interface C++ code with C# so I did it through a managed C++ module (DVBLogicPluginGateway).
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I had a look at your local EPGData data and I'm not sure it's possible to emulate that method.
It uses the value in a tag from the configuration file that's in the Source element for EPGData and adds an identifying number to it that is unique to each thumbnail to form the identifier that then appears in the data passed to DVBLogic.
There is no Source element for EPGC so there is no tag value to start with.
I haven't had a reply yet but thinking about it there may be problems with embedding a web address in the data anyway.
EPGC stores the images locally and on subsequent collections where they are needed references them from the local cache (ie doesn't download them again). I'm pretty sure
DVBLogic wouldn't do that but would download them every time it came across a web link.
The length of time DVBLogic might take to either process an xmltv file or data passed to it directly might be very long.
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Indeed. i saw that the EPGdata collector has an unique identifier named 'play_control' in the configuration. That identifier is used for image assignment on EPG items.
I am not sure how these identifiers are assinged to the plugin, but it could be that it is done by the installer script of the plugin (that script is a batch file that send commands to the DVBlink server)
The build in XMLTV reader from DVBlink does not have this identifier either...
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I was playing around with different methods of getting the lookup data into the DVBlink guide.
I succeeded in getting these images in the guide by doing the following:
- installed a tiny webserver on my HTPC
- created 2 static link's in the DVBlink directory referencing to your images path's
- in the web-server, i set the root path to the DVBlink directory
- in the XML output, i replaced all image references with one to the webserver.
(the image source normally looks like this:
<icon src="file://C:\\ProgramData\\Geekzone\\EPG Collector\\TV Series\\a142baf9-11d5-410f-92a4-43e647de0407.jpg"/>
but now looks like this (wich works):
<icon src="http://127.0.0.1:81/Series/a142baf9-11d5-410f-92a4-43e647de0407.jpg"/>
- reloaded the xmltv data and presto
Now, the question is:
could you create a option in EPGcentre on the lookup tab for the user to specify a different path to the images for both Movies and TV-series to be used in the XML output?
Now, the xml output uses the file location of the storage location of EPG centre
I would be able to write a short manual on how to setup the (free) webserver in combination with EPGcentre and DVBlink...
How do you do this , this looks like what I've been trying to do to get one collection to show the lookups images on 2 pcs both using DVBLink TVSource. I ended up having to copy the Epg Collector images folder from one pc to another to achieve this (although the images did work on the collection pc).
Hi,
I was just informed by Oberon (from DVBlogic) that the bug that prevent's DVBlink from reading an icon from a XMLTV file is on their todo list, but wil not be included in the next release.
With this information, would it be possible to modify the EPGcollector plugin so that it behaves more like eg. the EPGdata.com plugin that is available from DVBlogic?
That plugin creates a local 'thumbs' directory in the DVBlink epg directory. Could this be standard behavior for EPG plugin's? that could help with this problem i think..?
I seems that reading a image from file is problematic, but when that file is hosted on a (local) website, there could be a reference made (not tested by me, just found this on a forum)
Thanx for all the hard work so far..!
A couple of points.
Firstly there can be more than one epg directory as there is one for each source. What happens in this case?
Secondly you can specify a base path on the Lookups tab in EPGC for thumbnails. It will create 2 subdirectories under this for movies and TV program thumbnails but would this work if you pointed it to the correct place in the DVBLink directory structure?
Well,
the EPGdata plugin is listed as a new source in the DVBlogic software.. this differs from the current EPG plugin, wich uses a tuner source as a base.
I attached 2 screenshots with the file-structure that is created by the new plugin/source
The EPGdata plugin creates a single 'thumbs' folder. I am unsure if the creation of 2 subfolders poses a problem...
Last edit: WBMK 2014-09-04
Yes I see what you mean. I'll give it a try here tomorrow and let you know the results.
However I did do some testing for someone else a week or so ago comparing the results from direct input to DVBLogic using the EPGC plugin with the EPGC creating an xmltv file and then passing that to DVBLogic.
I'm pretty sure I saw thumbnails in WMC from both methods.
When i was using WMC before, i was able to get thumbnails in the EPG of WMC using your plugin!
Now i am using DVBlogic as a TV server and multiple XBMC (Kodi) boxes as clients. While i don't know if XBMC can display thumbnails in the EPG (never seen this), the DVBlink connect! server and app's can.
On the DVBlogic forum someone opted that he had created a local IIS website, with a shared folder where the thumbnails go. That way the images would be available using a http URL in stead of a file-location.
Do you have access to the DVBlink SDK for developing? I do a little code-writing myself (more of a hobby, far from professional), but i could not find the functions in your source for connecting to the DVBlink software.. then again, i did not spend a lot of time searching the code... so..
Thanx for looking into this!
Last edit: WBMK 2014-09-04
Would it work if I just set the TMDB or TVDB address of the thumbnail instead of downloading it? Would DVBLogic download it?
There isn't an SDK AFAIK. Oberon gave me some header files and function prototypes for developing the plugin.
For how I use the functions take a look at the DVBLogicCPPPlugin project source DVBLogicPluginInterface. As the name suggests it's C++, not C# like the rest of the code. It's fairly involved as I had to interface C++ code with C# so I did it through a managed C++ module (DVBLogicPluginGateway).
I would be willing to try this URL option if it is not to much trouble for you to create this..?
I also got an evaluation account for EPGdata.com just to see how DVBlink manages the data. Could this data help you in any way?
I will have a look at the functions, thanx for pointing me in the right direction.
I'll ask Oberon about the URL option.
The code changes are not insignificant so there's no point in doing them if it won't work.
Better ask Oberon first then..
The guy that used the IIS option did not elaborate on how he had set things up...
I had a look at your local EPGData data and I'm not sure it's possible to emulate that method.
It uses the value in a tag from the configuration file that's in the Source element for EPGData and adds an identifying number to it that is unique to each thumbnail to form the identifier that then appears in the data passed to DVBLogic.
There is no Source element for EPGC so there is no tag value to start with.
I haven't had a reply yet but thinking about it there may be problems with embedding a web address in the data anyway.
EPGC stores the images locally and on subsequent collections where they are needed references them from the local cache (ie doesn't download them again). I'm pretty sure
DVBLogic wouldn't do that but would download them every time it came across a web link.
The length of time DVBLogic might take to either process an xmltv file or data passed to it directly might be very long.
Indeed. i saw that the EPGdata collector has an unique identifier named 'play_control' in the configuration. That identifier is used for image assignment on EPG items.
I am not sure how these identifiers are assinged to the plugin, but it could be that it is done by the installer script of the plugin (that script is a batch file that send commands to the DVBlink server)
The build in XMLTV reader from DVBlink does not have this identifier either...
Hi Steve,
I was playing around with different methods of getting the lookup data into the DVBlink guide.
I succeeded in getting these images in the guide by doing the following:
- installed a tiny webserver on my HTPC
- created 2 static link's in the DVBlink directory referencing to your images path's
- in the web-server, i set the root path to the DVBlink directory
- in the XML output, i replaced all image references with one to the webserver.
(the image source normally looks like this:
<icon src="file://C:\\ProgramData\\Geekzone\\EPG Collector\\TV Series\\a142baf9-11d5-410f-92a4-43e647de0407.jpg"/>
but now looks like this (wich works):
<icon src="http://127.0.0.1:81/Series/a142baf9-11d5-410f-92a4-43e647de0407.jpg"/>
- reloaded the xmltv data and presto
Now, the question is:
could you create a option in EPGcentre on the lookup tab for the user to specify a different path to the images for both Movies and TV-series to be used in the XML output?
Now, the xml output uses the file location of the storage location of EPG centre
I would be able to write a short manual on how to setup the (free) webserver in combination with EPGcentre and DVBlink...
Regards,
WBMK
So you need a field labelled something like 'XMLTV image path' and the contents of that would precede the filename in the src attribute.
The jpg files would still be written to the same place as now.
Is that right?
I PhotoShopped a screenshot to clarrify what i mean.
Hope this helpes..?
Indeed, the JPG files are stored in the same location as before.
Last edit: WBMK 2014-12-17
How do you do this , this looks like what I've been trying to do to get one collection to show the lookups images on 2 pcs both using DVBLink TVSource. I ended up having to copy the Epg Collector images folder from one pc to another to achieve this (although the images did work on the collection pc).
https://sourceforge.net/p/epgcollector/discussion/1125945/thread/fb6b086e/
Hi Mark F,
I descibed how to do it in an earlier post
https://sourceforge.net/p/epgcollector/discussion/1125945/thread/b0f7ce79/#1ff1
; but i would be willing to write a small manual on how to do this if Steve can find te time (and is willing to) add the extra option to EPGcentre as mentioned in this thread.
Last edit: WBMK 2015-01-02
I think we probably only need a single prefix field.
I would add '/Movies/filename' or '/TV Series/filename' to it in the xmltv file.
Would that be OK?
I don't see why not...
Thanx!
I've done the code. I'll release a fixpack in a couple of days.
Try fixpack 4.
Hi Steve,
Thanx for the fixpack!
I have tried it. The resulting URL is as follow's:
It should be:
but in URL a space needs to be converted. Could you fix this?
-edit-
sorry, i can't get the formatting right. hope the intent is clear..?
Last edit: WBMK 2015-01-13
i think i spoke to soon.
please wait until i come back wth comment (need more testing time) before making any changes to this section.
regads, WBMK
I deliberately labelled it Series rather than TV Series to avoid the problem.
Does it matter what it is labelled?
Hi Steve,
i spoke to soon. It work's and i have written the manual. Thanx!