[mythtv-users] Mooting architecture for a DataDirect replacement

Rod Smith mythtv at rodsbooks.com
Fri Jun 22 19:01:37 UTC 2007


On Friday 22 June 2007 13:37, Jay R. Ashworth wrote:
>
> > An alternative to non-standard
> > ports or proxies might be to set up a service that provides the data in a
> > form similar to the current method; the service in question would simply
> > download the data from a news server and then repackage it.
>
> Yep; akin to my observation that this could be done for human eyeballs
> as an ad service.

Some of this could dovetail in with the user-generated program description 
database idea. If something like this were set up with a Web-based interface 
using ads to offset the cost, it could be a way to fund the whole project. 
Basically, I have in mind something similar to IMDB, including Web-accessible 
TV listings, using user-contributed descriptions, with XMLTV downloadable 
descriptions for those MythTV users without NNTP access. Perhaps links to 
DVDs sold on Amazon using an Amazon Associates account could serve as as 
another revenue source.

There might also be ways to entice TV stations to contribute listings -- 
reverse links to the stations' own Web pages, or perhaps even to whatever 
pages THEY use to most directly generate revenue, as a starting point.

I doubt if all this could be set up, and certainly not with complete 
descriptions and data, in two months' time; but it could be started by then.

> > - Depending on licensing terms, even if an individual station didn't
> > want to provide the data directly, a station might not object to one
> > person screen-scraping data from a Web site and providing it via the
> > proposed Usenet architecture (or some other means, for that matter).
>
> Perhaps.  I can't see why a station would *not* want it's local viewers
> to have the most accurate up-to-date data about what's scheduled.
> Indeed: they might see fit to put data about promercials in their local
> scheduler, which TMS might ignore... but if the data's coming direct
> from the station, you'll get it.

I could see stations refusing just because they don't see what's in it for 
themselves. Even if we make it VERY easy by providing access to an NNTP 
server and software that automatically uploads all the data, it'll take some 
minimal amount of effort on their part to install the software and keep it 
running. Some "suits" might not trust any software we'd provide, if such 
software were necessary. If they don't see the benefit, they won't bother. 
Providing reverse Web links, access to a user-generated description database, 
etc., could be at least part of a package of enticements.

> > - An awful lot of what's broadcast is repeats, movies, etc. I wonder
> > if some way of separating the schedule data from the program data
> > would be desirable, or at least providing a community-run database
> > of program data (similar to CDDB for CD data or IMDB).
>
> *This* is the hirsute part of the problem.  Optimally, you do want to
> divorce PROGRAM data from AIRING data... but then someone has to
> repository the PROGRAM data, and make sure everyone uses the same
> (unique) primary key for each program -- which is still a weak spot
> in the program distribution business as I understand it.

I agree it's a hairy problem. It seems to be a potentially important one to 
tackle in the long term, though. With an open database of program data, we'd 
need much less cooperation from TV stations to keep the MythTV schedulers 
running.

In the short term, it's probably best to concentrate on standards to use NNTP 
for data delivery and try to get individual TV stations (or somebody else) to 
contribute the descriptions and other data, either directly to an NNTP server 
or via a third party. If the descriptions can be separated out, though, 
having an independent and open database could minimize future problems should 
somebody get obnoxious about redistribution of descriptions they've written.

> Sure.  But that's infrastructural.  And it's *standardized*
> infrastructure, so you *can* "just grab a feed from anywhere".  The
> trick is to pre-process and pre-structure the feed *just enough* to
> make that workable, based on the smarts of the servers and the
> abilities of the clients -- I'm mooting more than just Myth as a
> target, obviously.

Indeed. If this idea were to be done right, anybody could use it, potentially 
even including TiVo or other commercial entities.

> This is the level of conversation I've been hoping for on this idea,
> Rod; thanks for climbing on.

Sure. Your idea has a lot of merit. I believe it'll take more thinking and 
discussion to figure out all the implications and potential applications, as 
well as the limitations.

-- 
Rod Smith
http://www.rodsbooks.com


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