[mythtv] Call for testers: new grabber for Schedules Direct data using JSON API

[Robert Kulagowski]

I have created a new API and a mythfilldatabase-like grabber which uses it.

I believe that the JSON data and API has quite a few advantages over
the existing XML:

- it uses raw data from Tribune, but the servers are managed and run
by Schedules Direct.

- the grabber will only download the programs that have changed since
the last download. Once you've done the initial pull the first time
you run the script, your day-to-day download will only be the 2000 or
so programs that are different in the next 13 days, and it doesn't
matter whether they're "day 13" or "day 7". No more
"--dd-grab-all" to try to get updates that are "in the middle". It
also makes the grab faster; my initial download of 40000 unique
programs over 500 channels took 16 minutes because there was no local
data on my Myth test box. Subsequent downloads take about 3-5 minutes.
If we get updated information about a program (metadata, updated guest
information, etc) then you'll get it on the next download if it's a
channel that you're downloading information for.

- the grabber only downloads the unique xmltvid's across all of your
sources; if the same channel is OTA and on your cable system, we only
get the schedule once.

- Real season/episode information, not production codes. S/E
information from tvdb, tvrage and Tribune are included. No need to run
external scripts unless you want to.

- Station logos.

- QAM data. (Once it's been uploaded to me). No more scan and
correlate! And not all providers are Comcast, so there is still lots
of QAM out there.

- Custom lineups (server side). If your provider is including "bonus
channels", either in QAM, or in their lineup, and you've gone through
the process of trying to update the lineup with Schedules Direct and
the provider won't confirm the channels to Tribune, so they're not
added, we can now work around that with a custom lineup.

- Free-to-air satellite listings (work in progress). Let me know if
this is what you need to make your life complete. I don't have FTA
equipment, so I've been developing this using reference documentation.
To make FTA better, I'd need feedback on what you need.

- More than 4 headends; still 4 by default, more if you can show that
you need them.

- The same source can be applied to multiple devices. If you have a 99
channel digital terminal adapter for standard def as sourceID 1, and a
3000 channel set top box for HD as sourceID 2, you can apply the same
lineup to both sources, and then mark channels 100-3000 on source 1 as
"not visible".

- configuration is done from the client side using the API, so no
trips to the Schedules Direct website to configure which channels you
want. If you don't want a channel, then configure it as "not visible"
in the channel table using MythWeb or whatever and the grabber won't
request it.

- a "modified" field for each of your headends. If there's an update
to the lineup, the modified date will change, and then the UI can
either automatically update the lineup, or prompt you / show you a
delta. UI needs to be written by someone who's interested in that.

- Additional metadata, like tags for Descriptive Video Service and the
FCC "DLSV" for fine-grained access control. (Included in the download
and in the JSON table, but not yet taken advantage of in MythTV until
some UI takes advantage of it)

- Additional "roles"; "judge", "musical_guest", etc.

What do you need to do if you want to be a tester?

- you have to be willing to lose everything. It's alpha. It works for
me, it may cause your system to halt and catch fire. If you've got a
test box and a production box, then you're an excellent candidate.

- you have to be willing to provide feedback and debugs. The grabber
doesn't use mfdb at all. The script is written in command-line PHP,
because that's what I know, and it works.

- you have to live in the U.S. or Canada (for now) and be a current
member of Schedules Direct.

More information at http://forums.schedulesdirect.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1615

Thanks.