[mythtv-users] Zap2it discontinuance: any alternative?

DaveD mythtv at guiplot.com
Tue Aug 7 04:17:16 UTC 2007


Is there any way to get TV listings into a computer?  There must be 
something out there.  I'm not very well informed, but I'm curious why 
they didn't just start charging for the service.  Are there too many 
alternatives in the mainstream (BeyondTV, ATI and MCE have listings 
services) for them to compete with?

For my first multimedia system, I made the mistake of buying an ATI 
All-in-Wonder(why I bought it).  (I NEVER got the software working 
right.) Any way, the ATI software included a listings service.  I think 
it came from TV guide, or an online subsidiary (or parent conglomerate) 
or something.  It was only available through their client which was 
designed to play with the ATI stuff.  Beyond TV and MCE include similar 
stuff.  Any way to get subscriptions to their services?  My wife used to 
subscribe to TV guide magazine.  What a useless piece-O-crap that turned 
into.  But we paid for it until I started running Myth.  I would gladly 
pay for an online version if I could get an XML output from it.  I can 
write something to get it into a format that Myth (and xawtv and TVtime 
and...?) can read.  I just need a source.

Our Comcast home page links to Zap2it's web site for customers to get 
current listings so it looks like they're still in the biz, just not 
providing the XML stuff for free; something about abuses.  Well, if 
that's their beef, just charge for it.  The "abusers" can get legal, 
Zap2it can make money and we can continue to use our favorite software 
with the simple addition of a fee for a valuable service.  Nothing wrong 
with that!  I wonder if the Comcast(s) told them to nix it or else...  
Hmmm...

DaveD.



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