[mythtv-users] another scheduling strangeness/question

[Patrick Ouellette]

On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 04:53:47PM -0400, Michael T. Dean wrote:
> 
> Yes, data errors will happen.  And MythTV cannot do the right thing
> without the right data.  However, if the stations don't provide the
> right data to TMS, TMS can't do anything to fix it, either.  So, in
> the end, we're doing the best we can with the data we're given
> (where we includes TMS).  And, if you think about how extremely
> reliable the listings are in general, the few cases where you saw
> problems due to bad data actually turn out to be the exception, not
> the rule.

My point here is I gave Schedules Direct the information with the correct
data.  The carrier had the correct data available for multiple days
(as soon as the event was determined) on their public web site.  I don't
know how TMS gets data, so I can't comment on that process.  The Schedules
Direct turn around time on the ticket exceeded the window (program already 
happened) a couple of times.  The resolution was to close the ticket since
the event was over.

> 
> 
> As to the "only game in town" comment, if you were an xmltv user
> before TMS gave us DataDirect and Schedules Direct made it
> available--back when we used xmltv's tv_grab_na script that scraped
> TMS's zap2it.com web site--you would recognize just how much better
> our current solution is.  As a matter of fact, I think if you
> compare the quality of Schedules Direct listings to any other
> listings available to other non-North-American users, you'll find
> that we have a /very/ good source of listings data.  (I'd actually
> go so far as to say that based on what I've heard from users who
> don't have SD listings available, IMHO, we have the best listings
> source in the world.)
> 

I've been a user for a long time.  I remember the scraping days.  I didn't
say times were not better.  I believe there is room for a lot of improvement.
Just because we have "the best in the world" doesn't mean it can't be
better, and it doesn't mean what we have is fantastic - just means it is
better than what else is out there.  When every one performs at a low level,
it doesn't take much to be the best. 

In the specific case I was mentioning, TMS even had the correct data on the
TMS site some of the times but NOT on Schedules Direct.

I didn't jump in to start a long discussion on listings.  I just wanted to
point out that there is room for improvement and making a blanket statement
the implies if you are missing recordings (and are a Schedules Direct user)
it is due to a lack of recording inputs is not necessarily correct.

Pat

-- 

Patrick Ouellette                 pat at flying-gecko.net
ne4po (at) arrl (dot) net         Amateur Radio: NE4PO 

What kind of change have you been in the world today?